3D Printing

With the growth of 3D printing, it’s entirely possible to 3D print your own prosthetic from models found in open-source databases. But those models lack personalized electronic user interfaces like those found in costly, state-of-the-art prosthetics. Now, a Virginia Tech professor and his interdisciplinary team of undergraduate student researchers have made inroads in integrating electronic…

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a unique 3D-printed transparent skull implant for mice that provides an opportunity to watch activity of the entire brain surface in real time. The device allows fundamental brain research that could provide new insight for human brain conditions such as concussions, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The research…

Bioscientists are moving closer to 3D-printed artificial tissues to help heal bone and cartilage typically damaged in sports-related injuries to knees, ankles and elbows. Scientists at Rice University and the University of Maryland reported their first success at engineering scaffolds that replicate the physical characteristics of osteochondral tissue – basically, hard bone beneath a compressible…

A new 3D printing technique could allow researchers to create artificial tumors to test new drugs and therapies, ultimately leading to better and more personalized medicine. Engineers from McMaster University believe the new method could enable them to create realistic 3D cell clusters with several layers of cells to better mimic the conditions inside of…

Researchers have created a new bioink that allows them to print catalytically active live cells into various self-supporting 3D geometries with fine filament thickness, tunable cell densities and high catalytic productivity. A research team from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was able to use the new ink to 3D print…

A new, versatile plastic-composite sensor can detect tiny amounts of water. The 3d printable material, developed by a Spanish-Israeli team of scientists, is cheap, flexible and non-toxic and changes its colour from purple to blue in wet conditions. The researchers lead by Pilar Amo-Ochoa from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) used DESY’s X-ray light…

Argonne/Carnegie Mellon team works to eliminate tiny pockets that cause big problems. Additive manufacturing’s promise to revolutionize industry is constrained by a widespread problem: tiny gas pockets in the final product, which can lead to cracks and other failures. New research published today in Science, led by teams from Carnegie Mellon University and the U.S. Department…

Instead of throwing away your broken boots or cracked toys, why not let them fix themselves? Researchers at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering have developed 3D-printed rubber materials that can do just that. Assistant Professor Qiming Wang works in the world of 3D printed materials, creating new functions for a variety…

Researchers have taken the next step in developing soft mesh robots that can contract, reshape and grab small objects and carry water droplets while floating on water. A North Carolina State University research team has found a way to 3D print soft, intelligent actuators that can be programmed to reshape and reconfigure under a magnetic…

On January 12, 2019, the world’s largest concrete 3D printed pedestrian bridge was completed in the Wisdom Bay Industrial Park, Baoshan District, Shanghai. The project was designed and developed by the team of Professor Xu Weiguo from Tsinghua University (School of Architecture) – Zoina Land Joint Research Center for Digital Architecture, and was jointly built…

Using new 3D printing technologies, researchers have developed a spinal cord implant that promotes nerve growth in injured sites and restore connections and lost function. A team from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Institute of Engineering in Medicine have for the first time used a rapid 3D printing technique to…

Researchers are using the polymer in plant cell walls to make renewable, soft feedstock for 3D printing. A team from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a new technique for 3D printing feedstock that could enable a profitable use of lignin, the material left over from processing biomass. It has…

New biosensors could help diabetes patients forgo the constant finger pricking or expensive continuous monitoring systems to monitor their glucose levels. Researchers from Washington State University have created a 3D-printed glucose biosensor that could be used in wearable monitors, leading to customizable glucose monitors for individual diabetes patient’s biology. “3D printing can enable manufacturing of…

The new age space race could soon include 3D printed rocket engines. Launcher, a Brooklyn-based start-up, has successfully used a 3D printer to produce a copper alloy E-1 engine with the long-term goal of 3D printing a liquid rocket engine that can take satellites into space. Max Haot, the CEO of Launcher, said in an…