Terahertz radiation can be used for a wide variety of applications and is used today for airport security checks just as much as it is for material analysis in the lab. The wavelength of this radiation is in the millimetre range, meaning that it is significantly larger than the wavelength of visible light. It also…
The Perfect Terahertz Beam—Thanks to the 3D Printer
Terahertz radiation can be used for a wide variety of applications and is used today for airport security checks just as much as it is for material analysis in the lab. The wavelength of this radiation is in the millimetre range, meaning that it is significantly larger than the wavelength of visible light. It also…
Tailored Polymers From a Printer
Tailored Polymers From a Printer
3D Printing Achieves More Accurate and Precise Physical Models From Patient Imaging Data
Inspired by Space, Scientists Develop New Way to 3D Print Biological Tissues
After researching magnetic levitation in the conditions of microgravity, scientists from the Akson Russian Science Communication Association have found a new way to 3D-bioprint tissues. The researchers believe that the new technology could be applied to create several biological constructs, including estimating the adverse effects of space radiation on astronauts in long-term space missions. The…
Scientists Use Magnetized Ink to Create 3D Structures That Move
A special type of ink has enabled researchers to 3D print magnetic structures that can perform a number of movements with a wave of a magnet, including rolling and jumping. A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a method to create soft, 3D-printed structures from a new type of 3D-printable ink that is…
Microplate 3D Bioprinting Method Engineers Muscle and Tendon Tissues
There is a strong need for medication that treats age-related degenerative muscle and tendon diseases. A critical bottleneck in the discovery and development of novel drugs for skeletal muscle is the lack of efficient and robust functional in vitro assays for compound screening. In an article appearing in SLAS Technology, researchers in Switzerland describe the…
Large-Scale and Sustainable 3D Printing With the Most Ubiquitous Natural Material
Cellulose is one of the most abundant and broadly distributed organic compound and industrial by-product on Earth. Yet, despite decades of extensive research, the bottom-up use of cellulose to fabricate 3D objects is still plagued with problems that restrict its practical applications: derivatives with vast polluting effects, used in combination with plastics, lack of scalability…
First 3D-Printed Human Corneas
The first human corneas have been 3D printed by scientists at Newcastle University, UK. It means the technique could be used in the future to ensure an unlimited supply of corneas. As the outermost layer of the human eye, the cornea has an important role in focusing vision. Yet there is a significant shortage of…
One-Step, 3D Printing for Multimaterial Projects Developed by WSU Researchers
Similar to the advance from black and white to color printing, a Washington State University research team for the first time has used 3D printing technology in a one-step process to print structures made of two different materials. The advance could potentially help manufacturers reduce manufacturing steps and use one machine to make complex products…
Rutgers Researchers Create a 3D-Printed Smart Gel That Walks Underwater, Moves Objects
Rutgers University-New Brunswick engineers have created a 3D-printed smart gel that walks underwater and grabs objects and moves them. The watery creation could lead to soft robots that mimic sea animals like the octopus, which can walk underwater and bump into things without damaging them. It may also lead to artificial heart, stomach and other…
New 3D-Printed Smart Gel Can Walk Underwater, Move Objects
Rutgers University-New Brunswick engineers have created a 3D-printed smart gel that walks underwater and grabs objects and moves them. The watery creation could lead to soft robots that mimic sea animals like the octopus, which can walk underwater and bump into things without damaging them. It may also lead to artificial heart, stomach and other…
3D Printing is Transforming Care for Congenital Heart Disease
Customized 3D Printer Can Print Electronics Directly on Skin
Researchers from the University of Minnesota have developed a method to print electronics on a human hand for the first time using a customized 3D printer. The new technology could enable soldiers to print temporary sensors to detect chemical or biological agents or solar cells to charge essential electronics, as well as print medical treatments…
Drug-Filled, 3D Printed Dentures Could Fight Off Infections
Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. denture-wearing population suffer frequent fungal infections that cause inflammation, redness and swelling in the mouth. To better treat these infections, called denture-related stomatitis, University at Buffalo researchers have turned to 3-D printers, using the machines to build dentures filled with microscopic capsules that periodically release Amphotericin B, an antifungal medication.…
Cheap 3-D Printer Can Produce Self-folding Materials
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have used an inexpensive 3-D printer to produce flat plastic items that, when heated, fold themselves into predetermined shapes, such as a rose, boat or even a bunny. Lining Yao, assistant professor in the Human-Computer Interaction Instituteand director of the Morphing Matter Lab, said these self-folding plastic objects represent a first step…
Scientists 3D Print Self-Folding Materials Using New, Inexpensive Technique
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new technique that allows them to 3D print flat plastic items that fold themselves into predetermined shapes when heated. The technique, known as Thermorph, could be the first step towards products like flat-pack furniture that assumes its final shape with the assistance of a heat gun, or…
3D Printed Active Materials Could Yield Flexible Robots for the Military
Smart Inks Bring 3D Printing to the Next Level
Newly developed “smart” inks could allow 3D printed objects to change both shape and color. A team from Dartmouth College has created the novel smart ink, which could lead to a new generation of printed materials and provide a low-cost alternative to printing precision parts for uses in biomedicine, energy and other applications. The innovation…
Knit Happens, Thanks to Innovative 3-D Technology
Carnegie Mellon University computer scientists have developed a system that can translate a wide variety of 3-D shapes into stitch-by-stitch instructions that enable a computer-controlled knitting machine to automatically produce those shapes. Researchers in the Carnegie Mellon Textiles Lab have used the system to produce a variety of plush toys and garments. What’s more, James…
Scientists 3D Print Liquid Materials
Researchers Print All-Liquid 3-D Structures
Scientists from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a way to print 3-D structures composed entirely of liquids. Using a modified 3-D printer, they injected threads of water into silicone oil — sculpting tubes made of one liquid within another liquid. They envision their all-liquid material could be used…
Amputees Find Cheaper Alternative in 3D-Printed Robot Hand
Students at The University of Manchester have designed and built a 3D printed, low-cost robotic prosthetic hand that could provide a much cheaper alternative for amputees. The hand’s joints are all fully posable with each individual finger and the thumb being able to move as well as make a fist. The functionality of the hand…
3D Printer Helps Make Metallic Glass Alloys in Bulk
Scientists have developed a new method to produce amorphous metal or metallic glass alloys in bulk, which could be used in a number of industries. A research team from North Carolina State University has demonstrated the ability to the alloys with a 3D printer, which have a bevy of applications including for electric motors that…