3d Printing is the Future: February 2014

Friday, February 28, 2014

The MX3D: A Robotic 3D Printer

On the heels of its debut in May 2013, the MX3D-resin printer has already evolved from a machine only capable of building in plastic to one that can print in a variety of metals.

Designed by Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) students Petr Novikov and Saša Jokić, the MX3D is a robotic arm actuated 3D printer capable of printing on any surface. Originally designed to produce parts using a fast curing resin, the original MX3D-Resin could print objects with any sweep and curve without the need of additional support structures.

Building on their original design, Petr and Saša have teamed up with the Netherlands’ Joris Laarman Studio to advance their design and create a 3D printer that can build objects using metals that range from steel to copper.

Friday, February 21, 2014

NASA Research Aims to Print Wood in Space

In a completely new twist for the world of 3D printing, two researchers are working to create a new bioprinting methodology that would see clumps of cells spawn custom engineered, non-living biomaterials.

Funded in part by one of NASA’s $100,000 Innovative Advanced Concept grants, evolutionary biologist Lynn Rothschild and her PhD student Diana Gentry are looking to engineer cells that can be printed and then activated to create biological materials like bone, enamel and wood.

“Cells in nature are already highly specialized for making complex biological materials on a micro scale.” Reads a description of the project furnished by NASA. “We envision combining these strengths with the recently emergent technologies of synthetic biology and additive manufacturing to create 3D-structured arrays of cells that are bioengineered to secrete different materials in a specified three-dimensional pattern.”

Friday, February 14, 2014

Mustang Fans, Eat Your Hearts Out

For half a century, Ford’s iconic Mustang has purred, roared and raced down roads and highways to park itself in hearts and minds as an American classic. The first Mustang came on the scene in 1964 as the Wimbledon White convertible in Dearborn, Michigan, and now Ford is giving its famous muscle car some added flavor. We’re not talking about new fenders or features, either; we’re talking about chocolate.

The Ford Motor Company is teaming up with 3D Systems to produce small chocolate versions of the 2015 Mustang, the first-ever edible 3D printed car. To print the Mustang, 3D Systems used an early prototype of its ChefJet 3D printer for edibles, debuted at CES 2014. Though the chocolate Mustangs are currently not available for purchase, stay tuned for future updates to find out how you can get your hands on the most tasteful ride of the year.

by Roxanne via Cubify

Heat-Resistant PLA Could Expand 3D Printing Capabilities

PLA plastic, a commonly used 3D printing material, could be on the verge of becoming more versatile thanks to research conducted by Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

Derived from renewable resources like cornstarch and sugarcane, PLA plastic is easy to produce in quantity and has become one of the cornerstone plastics used in both consumer grade 3D printers and the packaging industry.

While the bio-plastic has found a number of uses, its main flaw is its inability to resist temperature. In fact, PLA plastics will begin to lose their shape when exposed to temperatures in excess of 50 °C (122 °F) and begin to show structural weakness even before reaching that point. This property of PLA has posed a huge problem for consumer grade 3D printer users as their materials aren’t likely to contain temperature stabilizing agents often added to industrial grade PLA plastics.