Call me sentimental, but I am a sucker for a good story where 3D printing is used to help an animal get back on its feet, especially when the animal in question is a dog. Case in point – the tale of Ping, the paralyzed puppy. The Role of 3D Printing in Medicine Prior to … Read more
We’re beginning today’s 3D Printing News Briefs with a little research, and then moving on to business. An international team of researchers has been experimenting with 3D printed medications that have interesting modified release properties. Moving on, Shapeways has achieved an important certification, and CGTrader has just reached 1 million 3D models. To round things … Read more
The idea that 3D printing could be used to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic may have first been triggered by work being performed in Chiari, Italy. Our friends at 3D Printing Media Network broke the story that local 3D printing users were able to provide 3D-printed valves for reanimation devices at a hospital in … Read more
Janne Kyttanen is a pioneering designer in 3D printing who has brought us some of the world’s first 3D printed furniture, lamps, consumer objects and textiles. As an independent designer and working with Materialise and later 3D Systems to whom he sold his company FOC, Janne has left his mark on our industry. Right now Janne is onto … Read more
Gaining a competitive advantage is at the core of most businesses. That is why the financial world has a section dedicated exclusively to study the behind-the-scenes of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Between 1893 and 1904, the first wave of M&As became commonly known as the “great merger movement” in the US business scene, particularly the … Read more
The news on everyone’s mind these days is the coronavirus, or COVID-19. Its proper name is SARS-CoV-2, which stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and it seems like the whole world is grinding to a halt in its wake. The pandemic is causing many countries, and US states, to enter a state of … Read more
Researchers from the Dental College of Georgia, Augusta University are delving further into 3D printing resins for the dental field, detailing their findings in the recently published ‘Acrylate/Methacrylate Content Among a Variety of 3D Printing Resins.’ Production processes and the level of speed have changed drastically for dentist’s offices today as they are able to … Read more
Earlier in this series, we’ve discussed how we’re drunk on consumption, how we use up too much material and that recycling has some constraints. Now we’ll look at how creating and using high valued goods using recycling and sustainable materials is key. Whereas a lot of the especially wasteful waste of today is used on … Read more
At the moment, there are news stories about various ways that 3D printing is being used to address the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Many of these stories are being sent to us directly, hoping to spread the word. For this reason, we will be publishing a series of articles discussing some of the ways that additive … Read more
Normally, this is the time of year when we’re fielding a constant flood of press releases, firming up travel plans, and starting to set interview schedules for the annual 3D printing extravaganza that is RAPID + TCT. But SARS-CoV-2, otherwise known as COVID-19 or the coronavirus, has changed all that. On top of nearly all … Read more
In trying to prevent the total collapse of our natural ecosystem, we can work toward building a circular ecosystem of goods production and consumption. The goal of a circular economy is to produce no waste and have no negative impact on our ecosystem. At the moment, we have very minor hints at a circular economy … Read more
Researchers Thomas Campbell and James F.X. Jones, both of the School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland, have a created a new 3D printer for the medical field, detailing their work in the recently published ‘Design and implementation of a low cost, modular, adaptable and open-source XYZ positioning system for neurophysiology.’ The authors have created … Read more
Yangyang Luo recently submitted a dissertation, ‘Application of Halloysite Nanotubes in Bone Disease Remediation and Bone Regeneration’ to Louisiana Tech University. Focusing on what can be a very challenging field, Luo looks at new methods for encouraging bone regeneration with customized patient therapy. Putting together two areas of research and treatment that have offered success … Read more
Dutch 3D printer manufacturer Tractus3D specializes in making Delta-style, large-format systems that are, according to its website, “more reliable, versatile and future proof than most others in the market.” The company is the 3D printing market leader in outdoor signage, though its tough, high quality printers can also be found working in the automotive, construction, … Read more
In the recently published ‘3D bioprinting and its potential impact on cardiac failure treatment: An industry perspective,’ authors Ravi K. Birla and Stuart K. Williams explore the potential for tissue engineering in cardiac medicine, and the eventual assembly of a bioprinted heart. While heart failure usually requires a transplant, it can be challenging to find … Read more
Amir S. Azer and Heidar Shahin explore topics in dental restoration, detailing their findings in the recently published ‘Fit of Laser Sintered Metal Restorations: A Systematic Review.’ As 3D printing becomes increasingly more popular in the area of dentistry, dental restoration, and orthodontics, the use of metal materials offers a host of advantages. Fabrication of … Read more
Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory are analyzing materials for use in 3D printing, and have released results in the recently published ‘Additive Manufacturing Fabrication of PEEK Counter-Current Centrifugal Contactor Components.’ While the benefits of AM processes are discussed, there are still limitations for some types of production—despite the potential for greater affordability, customization, and on-demand … Read more
Beijing researchers are examining SLA, DLP, LCD, CLIP and MJP techniques in the recently published ‘Photo-curing 3D printing technique and its challenges.’ As 3D printing continues to rise in popularity and progress in capabilities available to users, there are still a wide variety of obstacles to overcome and different processes to refine—especially as the structures … Read more
University of Chile researchers Maximiliano Vélez, Efrén Toala, and Juan Cristóbal Zagal have developed a new angle for fabrication in construction, developing a novel machine that pairs a climbing robot with a 3D printer. Releasing their findings in the recently published ‘Koala 3D: A continuous climbing 3D printer,’ the authors attempt to streamline methods for … Read more
David L Walmsley and Emilie Sellier, UK scientists at Vernalis Research, have 3D printed a new device for flow chemistry applications, outlining their study in the recently published ‘Design and Development of a 3D-printed back-pressure regulator.’ With the fabrication of a new back-pressure regulator, the researchers are hoping to improve flow rates in chemistry systems … Read more
As discussed in the first and second installments of this series, we are drifting into a consumption-driven stupor and self-medicating our way through lives that, if we live in OECD countries, use 15 tonnes of material per year. Even though some things are recycled, these recycled goods do not often become high-value items. Repurposing existing … Read more
Morgan Christen Jenkins recently submitted a Master’s thesis, ‘Fresh Mix Properties and Flexural Analysis with Digital Image Correlation of Additively Manufactured Cementitious Materials’ to Virginia Tech, focusing on materials in 3D printing—and how this incredibly innovative technology fits into modern, civil infrastructure applications. With a need for better quality assurance and quality control, Jenkins hopes … Read more
In our series on 3D printing in a climate-disrupted world, we have been exploring the variety of biodegradable bioplastics that could be used to replace petro-based materials. We have so far looked at polylactic acid (PLA) and its more biodegradable companion polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). Here we look at a few other biodegradable bioplastics, starting with thermoplastic … Read more
International researchers are moving to the next level in digital fabrication, publishing their findings in ‘Shape-Adaptive Metastructures with Variable Bandgap Regions by 4D Printing.’ Focusing on how 4D metastructures can filter acoustics and transform filtering ranges, the authors used FDM printing with a 4D printer head to experiment with deforming materials that are lower in … Read more
If we plan on continuing to make plastics past the point that oil is no longer profitable, easily accessible or socially acceptable, we will need to turn to more ecologically sustainable materials. Like everything in our industrial world, we may ultimately learn that these things are actually harmful to our ecosystem in one way or … Read more