Don’t you just love science fiction? Because the best science fiction involves conjecture of the world as it could be. I remember being mesmerized by Tom Swift, Jr., as a young boy. Other than the delusion perpetrated that Victor Appleton II wrote the series (instead of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams), they were wonderful books. (I only read the first 16; then I graduated to Robert Heinlein.)
Continue reading SciFi or just Sci?
I’ve written that the military is researching alternative fuels. (Here and here, for starters.) Primarily because the logistics of getting fuel to the front is problematic- not only is the journey often difficult, but troops are put at risk defending that transport. Well, that’s also why the military is examining the use of 3-D printing- so that critical components can be at the front. Not only can they be made available quickly- the need to inventory various parts is moot, since they can be printed on demand. Unfortunately, the CAD (computer-aided design) software and CNC (computer numerical control) machining technologies are still complex- so we won’t be seeing this technology on every forward base just yet.
Continue reading 3D printing coming to the military
I last wrote about Microsoft’s Kinect system about 18 months ago. (There was a three part mini-series that started here.) I discussed why the Kinect system was more than just a toy- with tremendous applications for medicine and healthcare. Today, we’ll talk about a totally different use. One that makes it very useful for 3D printing.
Continue reading Really? I can make my own 3D designs?
I’ve written about 3D printing for medical applications. And, we are making progress. But, the biggest issue precluding their become a reality to produce viable organs is the need to provide blood and nutrients- i.e., perfusion. That’s why folks have developed scaffolding systems (for information on scaffolding, click here) to develop the network of blood vessels necessary. Once that threshold is crossed, organs like the bioartificial kidney would be possible (as described here). The issue is generally that constructing these hollow channels into blood vessels tend to leak or rupture at the structural seams.
Continue reading One small step. One critical step.
Rapid prototyping. Additive manufacturing. 3D printers do that. (Remember, a 3D printer “prints” three-dimensional objects by producing layer by layer the object desired- with light-activated or heat activated raw materials.) And, I’ve written about them for a while now. When I first began using them, their prices were sky high. And, like laser printers that have dropped in price from $2K to under $ 200, 3D printers can now be bought or made for $ 400 to $ 1200. (Note that 3D printers more closely resemble inkjet printers.) And, the size of some of them are pretty compact, sitting on a desk. Of course, the parts these smaller units made are limited in size (kind of toy-like), but…
Continue reading 3D printing. Coming to a corner near you?
So, here’s a big secret. An artificial jaw was implanted in an 83 year old patient. Not only did this operation occur a year ago in the Netherlands (June 2011), but the jaw was produced by a 3D printer. [If you want even more information about 3D printers, search for 3D in the index to the right.] The first jaw transplant in North America was performed in 2006- and in that case the patient had the donated jaw reside in his back muscles for 8 months to insure biocompatibility.
Continue reading From dental implants to jaws…
We’ve seen 3-D printers for rapid prototyping for a while now. And, the prices for these printers have been dropping to ‘home-affordable’ over the past few years (e.g., last May’s Cerebrations). Given these facts, Dr. Lee Cronin (University of Glasgow) heading a research group at the University of Glasgow (with Drs. Symes, Kitson, Yan, Richmond, Cooper, Bowman, and Vilbrandt of Uformia in Norway) developed yet another use for 3D printers- producing chemicals. They presented their findings in Nature.
Continue reading Drugs on demand?
I haven’t kept you up to date on the new things going on with 3D printing- you know, where you can “print” a real object. Sometimes called rapid prototyping, sometimes called additive layer manufacturing, these “printers” can use cells (as in living things), plastics, or other materials to construct the desired shapes or objects. The objects are “built up” by printing very thin layers repetitively- of the same material or different materials (to yield flexibility, strength, implantation, etc.) until the desired thickness is achieved.
Continue reading From flight to flights of fancy…
3D printing has intrigued me since it was first discussed. And, last year, this area really seemed to explode. (Materialise discussed a slew of innovations that were achieved.) My primary interests have been in rapid prototyping and medical innovations, but many of the other areas are really interesting, too.
Continue reading 3D Printing Goes Gargantuan (in scale)