3D Printing

According to Intertronics, recent developments in 3D printing technology have popularised the SLA (stereolithography) technology of laser printing in a bath of UV curable photopolymer resin. This process effectively “grows” a component in the bath so that as it is withdrawn, each successive layer is laser light cured. 

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 30 million people in low-income countries require prosthetic limbs, braces or other assistive devices. To make things even tougher, the vast majority who require these devices don't have access to rehabilitation services. Thanks to a Canadian non-profit social enterprise called Nia Technologies – supported by University of Toronto research – children with disabilities in develo...

The way we shop for clothes is set to change, thanks to a project lead by Loughborough University, the end goal is personalised 3D printed fashion, manufactured within only 24 hours. Dr Guy Bingham, Senior Lecturer in Product and Industrial Design, has teamed up with global textile and garment manufacturer the Yeh Group, to embark on landmark work in 3D textile printing that could change the way clothes and footwear are made.

WASP has produced a new line of 3D printers designed to produce big objects which can be used in everyday life. Early experimentation concerned 1m high objects, but could easily print products of different measurements. Since this is a custom made line of printers, WASP are able to modify printers for users as necessary.

A team of researchers from Changchun University of Science and Technology, China, have developed a novel method for the rapid and maskless fabrication of bio-inspired hierarchical structures, using a technique called laser interference lithography. Specifically, the researchers use the interference pattern of three-and four-beam lasers to fabricate ordered multi-scale surface structures on silicon substrates, with the pattern of hierarchical stru...

Rice University students developed force-testing device for 3D printed prosthetic hands to help ensure that children get the most out of the devices. The Rice team calling itself 'Carpal Diem' has developed a testing suite to validate how well 3D printed hands transfer force from the wearer, typically a child born without a fully formed hand, to the prosthetic intended to help pick up and manipulate small objects.

The Bamboo Bicycle Club in collaboration with Oxford Brookes University have successfully built the 'world’s first ever' bamboo and 3D printed bicycle at London’s Design Museum. The live event was to coincide with the Cycling Revolution exhibition at the museum where the Bamboo Bicycle Club has been displaying another first in the form of the 'world’s first' ‘aero dynamic bamboo bicycle’.

Saki Corporation will demonstrate 2D and 3D automated optical inspection (AOI) systems at NEPCON Korea 2016. Technical experts will help assess the correct AOI solution for specific inspection and measurement needs.

Northwestern University scientists have created a prosthetic ovary using a 3D printer, which allowed mice that had their ovaries surgically removed to bear live young. The results were presented on the 2nd of April, at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, ENDO 2016, in Boston.

In their latest paper, researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) present the first-ever technique for 3D printing robots that involves printing solid and liquid materials at the same time. The new method allows the team to automatically 3D print dynamic robots in a single step, with no assembly required, using a commercially-available 3D printer.