Out with the old, and in with the new. 2014 has been a progressive year for the 3D printing industry, with many exciting new projects and developments which spread awareness of this new technology. This post is our top 8 list of 3D printing stories over the past year, including everything from serious industry developments to cool art projects and jokes-turned-tours with 3D printed instruments.
Included below is also a special deal for our readers at the Black Magic 3D webstore!
1) 3D printed casts
A company from Pueblo, Colorado, called 3DMedScan has developed an intriguing 3D printed medical device that fits into that last category. Their AmphibianSkin is a new high-tech, custom-made exoskeleton support device, or basically a splint. 3ders.org - AmphibianSkin: an affordable 3D printed splint that aids the healing process | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News
This development fascinated us because it is a revolutionary, yet simple advancement in a medical space (casts) which has not seen much change over the years. The only problem with this advancement? There is no space for classmates to writes well-wishes on the injured’s body.
2) A band and their 3D Printed Instruments
Back in June, a band called the Klaxons created a faux-promo for an upcoming tour which stated that all of their instruments would be made via 3D printer. The video, which was teasing the 3D printing industry, made headlines:
Klaxons have revealed that they will be embarking on the world’s first ever 3D printed tour when they hit the road in late 2014.
This means that every item of equipment that the band takes on the road will be created from a printer: guitars, synthesisers, amps, drums, lights, everything seen on stage.Watch the video here.
Klaxons reveal plans to tour with only 3D printed instruments - tickets | Gigwise
The pun turned into a reality for the band, however, when 3D printing company Customuse actually did decide to 3D print guitars for the band, which were recently used on a tour.
3D printed guitars hit road with Klaxons - News releases - News - The University of Sheffield The UK indie rock band made a tongue-in-cheek announcement last June that their next tour would be played entirely on 3D printed instruments, but their fantasy has been turned at least partially into reality with the help of 3D-printed guitar company Customuse and 3D printing experts from the University of Sheffield.
Mahdi Hosseini said: “When we set up Customuse just a few months ago, we never imagined two of our guitars would be on the road with a band like Klaxons so soon. But having a guitar made to your individual design isn’t just for rock stars. With 3D printing, amazing designs can be created while the price tag remains realistic.”
3) 3D printable batteries
Graphene 3D Lab made a splash earlier this year with news of 3D printed battery technology.
Click the image below or click here to watch the video demonstrating the technology.
Graphene 3D Lab is focused on developing 3D printing materials with functional properties, used to make operational devices. The technology is clearly demonstrated by the 3D printed battery.
4) HP’s new multi-jet fusion printer
HP Unveils Multi Jet Fusion 3D Printing 10X Faster & 10X More Precise Than Current Technologies - 3DPrint.com With Dion Weisler as the new CEO of HP Inc., which will be responsible for all 3D printing ambitions, and with just a few days left in October, the company has just made quite the announcement. HP Inc. seems determined to create an entire 3-dimensional ecosystem. From their displays, to their scanners to 3D printing, HP Inc. looks to several new rapidly growing markets.
The way the technology works is quite interesting. It uses a multi-chemistry process, and stems from HP’s thermal inkjet technology assets. First a Layer of powder is laid down, then a fusing agent is applied, and at the same time, a detailing agent is used in order to produce higher definition around the edges, by reducing fusion on the boundaries of an object. At this point it is hit with an energy source and that layer is complete. Layer-by-layer an object is produced.
While the HP printer is focused largely on industry rather than the consumer market, we will be keeping an eye on this technology which appears to be a serious innovation in this space.
5) 3D printed castle
They say every man needs his castle. Well, here is a man who 3D printed his own concrete castle in his backyard. While I imagine it isn’t the safest environment for young children, it is great to see people doing interesting things with 3D printers in their own backyards.
Man Constructs 3D Printed Concrete Castle | IFLScience Minnesotan contractor Andrey Rudenko is now the king of his castle; his 3D-printed concrete castle, that is. After completing a journey that took more than two years, Rudenko developed a customized 3D printer to extrude concrete and build a castle that he had designed himself. The entire structure is approximately 3 meters by 5 meters, which really makes it an amazing backyard fort rather than an actual livable structure.
6) 3D printed, implanted vertebrae
Our spine is perhaps the most vital structure in our body in terms of physical labor and the ability to have a high quality of life. Fortunately, many breakthroughs have occurred over the past few years in spinal implant technology. Here’s one of them:
First-ever 3D-printed vertebra implanted in 12-year-old cancer patients spine | Fox News Surgeons in China successfully implanted a 3D-printed vertebra into a 12-year-old cancer patient’s spine in a first-of-its-kind procedure at Peking University Hospital in Beijing. REUTERS
During the 5-hour procedure, surgeons at Peking University Hospital in Beijing removed a tumor from Qin Minglin’s spine before implanting the 3D-printed vertebra. The novel device was made from titanium powder and included a series of tiny pores which will allow the bone to grow and bond to the structure as it heals.
7) 3D printed skull implant
And what important bone is at the top of our spine? Our skull, of course.
When a Dutch woman with a rare condition needed a new skull, surgeons 3D-printed one for her and put it on her brain like a cap.
The plastic skull was made by an Australian firm and placed on the brain of a Dutch woman at Utrecht University’s University Medical Center in the Netherlands. The operation, which lasted 23 hours, took place about three months ago, and Dutch News just reported that the patient has returned to work — plastic noggin and all. Watch a woman get a 3D-printed skull - CNET
8) NASA 3D prints a socket-wrench… In space
And finally, 3D printing in space is perhaps one of the most interesting futurist applications of this new manufacturing method. Imagine how much more we can achieve when Astronauts are able to 3D print all they need while away on a mission?
When International Space Station commander Barry Wilmore needed a wrench, rather than having to go to the trouble of sending one, NASA emailed him a digital file.
NASA’s 3D printer was developed with the startup Made In Space, with the purpose to experiment with possibility of manufacturing crucial replacement parts on the station. NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore, Expedition 42 commander aboard the International Space Station, installed the ZeroG 3D Printer on Nov. 17 and conducted the first calibration test print. On Nov. 24, ground controllers sent the printer the command to make the first printed part: a faceplate of the extruder’s casing. Up to now a total of 21 objects have been printed in space. 3ders.org - NASA just emailed a socket wrench to astronauts in space for 3D printing | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News
And clearly, an exciting year it has been. Here’s to all the developments we will see in 2014, this round is on us!
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