This week’s Top 5 engineering technology articles are all about 3-D printing. I’m quite fascinated by all the advancements and how rapidly the overall technology is improving. And the march toward the casual consumer has happened much faster than anticipated and nothing would please me greater than setting up my own 3-D print shop.
- New 3-D Printer Unlocks ‘Mind-Blowing’ Possibilities With Electronics Manufacturing
- Handheld Biopen Can ‘Draw’ Stem Cells In 3-D
- College Student Made His Own Braces For $60, And His Teeth Look Fantastic
- This $99 Device Transforms Any Smartphone Into A 3-D Printer
- Make Your Own 3-D Printer For Under $60 Using Recycled Electronic Components With Instructables Design
New 3-D Printer Unlocks ‘Mind-Blowing’ Possibilities With Electronics Manufacturing
TechXplore
Imagine printing nanomaterials capable of being installed in a computer. Well, perhaps that isn’t such a far-fetched notion anymore. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been printing circuits with a broad range of nanomaterials.
And, if that advancement wasn’t spectacular enough, the 3-D printer occupies about 260 square feet. This has the capability of replacing a 2,700 square foot processing facility that uses a variety of chemicals during the manufacturing process. Talk about a win-win.
And, with the flexibility of 3-D printing, they can experiment with never before thought of shapes, angles, even curves.
Handheld Biopen Can ‘Draw’ Stem Cells In 3-D
Cosmos
We are beginning to step across the threshold of what was known as reality and what was previously dreamed as science fiction. This is especially true in the medical community where advanced surgical techniques, a better fundamental understanding, and a health conscious population have helped to extend the average lifetime for everyone.
However, reading through this breakthrough can make one shake their head in disbelief. A 3-D printing biopen that will essentially draw in stem cells during a surgical procedure like you were coloring in a coloring book? Come on, which movie did you see that in at the theater?
Well, it’s not a movie. The biopen takes fat cells and helps turn them into stem cells which are ‘drawn’ in layers in a damaged section of cartilage. For anyone who suffers from arthritis in a joint like the knee, this surgery could be invaluable.
College Student Made His Own Braces For $60, And His Teeth Look Fantastic
HuffPost
Traditional braces, veneers, invisible braces, and basically any other dental procedure can easily be a costly affair. Ask any parent who has shelled out for braces for their son or daughter. Amos Dudley decided to skip over that cost and ended up fixing his own set of teeth for about $60, some patience, and a whole lot of engineering know how.
When looking at some clear braces, he realized that they looked pretty similar to the layer striations that a 3-D printer produces. So, he set to work and borrowed some time on his school’s 3-D printer. He then scanned and printed a model of his teeth. He took that and molded 12 sets of braces, each with a slight correction.
He planned the adjustments based on a lot of research that he did to see how far and how fast a tooth could safely move. And, even though he saved a ton of money he doesn’t necessarily recommend this route for everyone due to the fact that you don’t want to inadvertently cause more damage than you’re trying to fix.
This $99 Device Transforms Any Smartphone Into A 3-D Printer
Science Alert
And, as I read more and more of these articles, I keep daydreaming about my own potential 3-D creations. Of course, I then check my wallet and realize that unless I can somehow print some legal currency, a 3-D printer is pretty far off in my future.
But, this article and the next shows that maybe…just maybe it might be a little closer to reality than dream state for me.
Using some pretty cool technology, a phone app, and some spectacular use of light you can now print things from your smartphone.
The specifics for this amazing technology mirror some of the advancements in digital light projection, but without the extremely expensive equipment.
Make Your Own 3-D Printer For Under $60 Using Recycled Electronic Components With Instructables Design
3DPrint.com
And, if I was a little more technologically inclined, I would be following the instructions set forth in this article to the letter. I started going through the instructions and quickly felt my eyes glaze over. Most days I find it hard to concentrate on more than a dinner plate and perhaps a sitcom or two, but I would have to put some serious focus into a project like this.
Perhaps my desire to print my own 3-D creations will help me to focus some time and energy into making this a reality.
Well that’s it for me this time. Keep your eyes open so that if you see anything cool being done with 3-D printing, you can be sure to send it my way. And, of course, if anyone wants to actually walk me through the printer building process, I’d be hard pressed to say no.
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