3D printers poised to have major implications for food manufacturing

 

The use of 3D printers has the potential to revolutionize the way food is manufactured within the next 10 to 20 years, impacting everything from how military personnel get food on the battlefield to how long it takes to get a meal from the computer to your table, according to a July 12th symposium at IFT15: Where Science Feeds Innovation hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in Chicago. The price of 3D printers has been steadily declining, from more than $500,000 in the 1980s to less than $1,000 today for a personal-sized device, making them increasingly available to consumers and manufacturers.  Although they are not widely used in food manufacturing yet, that availability is fueling research into how they can be used to customize foods or speed delivery of food to consumers. "No matter what field you are in, this technology will worm its way in," said Hod Lipson, Ph.D., a professor of engineering at Columbia University and a co-author of the book Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing. "The technology is getting faster, cheaper and better by the minute. Food printing could be the killer app for 3D printing." Lipson, addressing the conference by video, said 3D printing is a good fit for the food industry because it allows manufacturers to bring complexity and variety to consumers at a low cost. Traditional manufacturing is built on mass production of the same item, but with a 3D printer, it takes as much time and money to produce a complex, customized product that appeals to one person as it does to make a simple, routine product that would be appealing to a large group. For example, Lipson said, users could choose from a large online database of recipes, put a cartridge with the ingredients into their 3D printer at home, and it would create the dish just for that person. The user could customize it to include extra nutrients or replace one ingredient with another. The U.S. military is just beginning to research similar uses for 3D food printing, but it would be used on the battlefield instead of in the kitchen, said Mary Scerra, food technologist at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) in Natick, Massachusetts. She said that by 2025 or 2030, the military envisions using 3D printing to customize meals for soldiers that taste good, are nutrient-dense, and could be tailored to a soldier's particular needs. "Imagine warfighters in remote areas -- one has muscle fatigue, one has been awake for a long period without rest, one lacks calories, one needs electrolytes, and one just wants a pizza," Scerra said. "Wouldn't it be interesting if they could just print and eat?" She noted that there are still several hurdles to overcome, such as the cost of bringing the technology to remote areas, the logistics of making it work in those locations and, perhaps most importantly, making sure the food tastes good. "If the meals aren't palatable, they won't be consumed," Scerra said. "It doesn't matter how nutritious they are." Anshul Dubey, research and development senior manager at PepsiCo, said 3D printing already is having an impact within the company, even though it is not yet being used to make food. For example, consumer focus groups were shown 3D-printed plastic prototypes of different shaped and colored potato chips. He said using a prototype such as that, instead of just a picture, elicits a more accurate response from the focus group participants. "Even though the future of food 3D printing looks far off, that doesn't mean it's not impacting the industry," he said. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

3D Printers Under $1,000 Fully Assembled

 

Not in the mood for a do-it-yourself 3D Printer kit? These come assembled. New Matter MOD-t 3D printer.  New Matter The market for any technology product is always shifting, often in the form of lower prices. A few years ago, it would be difficult to find a handful of fully assembled 3D printers for under $1,000 (USD), but today, my list has just over 30 and I left  four or five off the list for various reasons. All of these machines are fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers; you can read more on the method here, which is often called Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). Note : FDM is a term trademarked by Stratasys (owner of MakerBot, a popular desktop 3D printer). 1. Printrbot is one of the big names in desktop 3D printing and their successes on Kickstarter have helped that awareness. While I have not tested this Printrbot Simple machine (yet), I get good reports from my network on how well it works and the excellent support. Their assembled units range from $599 to $749. Excellent reviews on Amazon. Build Volume: 6″ x 6″ x 6″ (150mm x 150mm x 150mm) 216 cubic inches Print Resolution: 100 Microns Printing Material: 1.75mm PLA Filament (sample included) 2. Dremel, the folks who make the famous rotary tool, are now making a 3D printer called the 3D Idea Builder for $999. It sells online, of course, but you can also walk into many Home Depot retail stores and check it out. According to Make magazine, the Idea Builder is based on and made by the Chinese manufacturer that produces the Flashforge Dreamer, listed below. Build Volume: 9” x 5.9” x 5.5” (230 mm x 150 mm x 140 mm) Layer Thickness and Resolution: 4 mil | 0.004 inches 100 microns | 0.10 mm Printing Material: Filament: 1.75mm PLA (Biodegradable/Renewable) 3. Monoprice offers a dual-extruder 3D printer, which I wrote about at Forbes in mid-2014 here, has the unremarkable, but descriptive name: “Dual Extrusion 1.75mm ABS/PLA/PVA 3D Printer - Black Metal Housing (Rev.1)” which sells for $999.99, just getting in on this list. Build Volume: 8.9" x 5.7" x 5.9" (225 x 145 x 150 mm) Layer Thickness and Resolution: 0.1 - 0.5mm / ±0.10mm Printing Material: ABS/PLA/PVA Filament 1.75mm 4.  The New Matter MOD-t 3D printer is one of the more exciting, out-of-the-box, ready-to-print machines that I have seen (more precisely, that I have read about). Of course, at press time, these folks have just finished an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign, so if you want one of their $399 machines, you’ll have a 16-week wait time. Build Volume: 6” x 4” x 5” (150 x 100 x 125 mm) Layer Thickness: In the horizontal plane, the nozzle diameter (0.4 mm) limits the resolution to approximately 0.5 mm. In the vertical axis, the minimum supported layer thickness is 0.1 mm. Printing Material: PLA Filament 1.75mm 5.  FlashForge Creator, as mentioned above, provides the base for the Dremel Idea Builder, and is a strong printer in its own right. With excellent reviews on Amazon and elsewhere, its dual-extruder technology is priced at $977. Unfortunately, at press time, it is out of stock.  Build Volume: 8.9” x 5.7” x 5.9” (225mm x 145mm x 150mm) Layer Thickness and Resolution: 0.004” Printing Material: ABS or PLA Filament 1.75mm 6. XYZprinting has the Da Vinci 2.0 Duo (with two extruders) for $549.99 on Amazon. I had difficulties getting to their website, but will update this page when that error resolves. Until then, you can use the Amazon sales page (not an affiliate link). Build Volume: 7.8” x 7.8” x 5.9” (150 x 200 x 200 mm) Layer Thickness and Resolution: 0.1 - 0.5mm / ±0.10mm Printing Material: ABS or PLA Filament 1.75mm 7. The ROBO 3D R1 is a fully assembled 3D Printer, from Robo 3D, and has a $799.99 price. This model will print ABS and PLA as well as more unique or creative materials such as T-Glase or Laywood. Strong reviews on Amazon, too.           Build Volume: 8" x 9" x 10" (203 x 229 x 254 mm) Maximum Resolution: 100 Micron Printing Material: ABS or PLA Filament 1.75mm I have approximately 15 more 3D printers under $1,000 that I'm adding to this list. Check back in a few more days. Source : about tech – www.about.com By TJ McCue - 3D Printing Expert

First of its kind robot is inspired by nature, capable of multiple jumps

 

Left: the rigid top fractures on landing, while the top made of nine layers going from rigid to flexible remains intact. Credit: Jacobs School of Engineering/UC San Diego/Harvard University Engineers at Harvard University and the University of California, San Diego, have created the first robot with a 3D-printed body that transitions from a rigid core to a soft exterior. The robot is capable of more than 30 untethered jumps and is powered by a mix of butane and oxygen. Researchers describe the robot's design, manufacturing and testing in the July 10 issue of Science magazine. "We believe that bringing together soft and rigid materials will help create a new generation of fast, agile robots that are more robust and adaptable than their predecessors and can safely work side by side with humans," said Michael Tolley, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UC San Diego, and one of the paper's co-lead authors with Nicholas Bartlett, a Ph.D. student at the Wyss Institute at Harvard, where the bulk of the work took place. Bartlett and Tolley designed, manufactured and tested the robot. The idea of blending soft and hard materials into the robot's body came from nature, Tolley said. For example, certain species of mussels have a foot that starts out soft and then becomes rigid at the point where it makes contact with rocks. "In nature, complexity has a very low cost," Tolley said. "Using new manufacturing techniques like 3D printing, we're trying to translate this to robotics." Soft robots tend to be slow, especially when accomplishing tasks without being tethered to power sources and other electronics, said Tolley, who recently co-authored a research review on soft robotics for Nature (Rus, Tolley, v. 521, pp. 467-475). Researchers hope that their work will allow rigid components to be better integrated within soft robots, which will then move faster without compromising the safety of the humans who would work with them. In the case of the robot described in Science, rigid layers make for a better interface with the device's electronic brains and power sources. The soft layers make it less vulnerable to damage when it lands after jumping. The robot is made of two nestled hemispheres. The top hemisphere is like a half shell, 3D-printed in once piece, with nine different layers of stiffness, creating a structure that goes from rubber-like flexibility on the exterior to full rigidity near to core. Researchers tried several versions of the design and concluded that a fully rigid top would make for higher jumps. But a more flexible top was more likely to survive impacts on landing, allowing the robot to be reused. They decided to go with the more flexible design. A challenging part of the process was designing around off-the-shelf materials available to 3D-print the robot, Tolley said. Specs provided by the manufacturers were not detailed enough, so he and his coauthors printed samples to test every single material they used. The data they collected allowed them to calculate the precise stiffness of the nine different layers in their robot's top half. They used this information to simulate the performance of the robot and speed up the design process. The bottom half of the robot is flexible and includes a small chamber where oxygen and butane are injected before it jumps. After the gases are ignited, this half behaves very much like a basketball that gets inflated almost instantaneously, propelling the robot into a jump. When the chemical charge is exhausted, the bottom hemisphere goes back to its original shape. The two hemispheres surround a rigid core module that houses a custom circuit board, high-voltage power source, battery, miniature air compressor, butane fuel cell and other components. In a series of tests, the robot jumped two and a half feet (0.75 m) in height and half a foot (0.15m) laterally. In experiments, the robot jumped more than 100 times and survived an additional 35 falls from a height of almost four feet. Tolley was a postdoctoral associate at Harvard when he did most of the work in this paper. He was hired at UC San Diego in fall 2014. In his lab at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego, he borrows ideas from nature to design robots composed of soft materials; robots made by folding; and robots that self-assemble. He plans to further explore and expand the field of biologically inspired robotics in coming years. Videos available here: https://youtu.be/JhX5LxK4Gws  and  https://youtu.be/XnIeshlc4oM Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - San Diego. The original item was written by Ioana Patringenaru. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Nicholas W. Bartlett, Michael T. Tolley, Johannes T. B. Overvelde, James C. Weaver, Bobak Mosadegh, Katia Bertoldi, George M. Whitesides, Robert J. Wood. A 3D-printed, functionally graded soft robot powered by combustion. Science, 2015 DOI: 10.1126/science.aab0129

Speeding Up 3-D Printing

 

A company’s novel technology could make custom medical devices and car parts— not to mention shoes that fit just right. 1. A technician pours viscous polymer precursors into the printer well. The window at the bottom lets in light from an underlying ultraviolet-light projector and is permeable to oxygen. 3-D printers can make objects that are impossible or expensive to make with molding, milling, and other conventional manufacturing processes. However, these printers work too slowly to be widely used in factories. That’s because today’s version of the technology builds up objects one layer at a time. It’s essentially 2-D printing over and over again, says chemical engineer Joseph DeSimone, founder and CEO of Carbon 3D, a startup in Redwood City, California. His company claims to have a technology that is 25 to 100 times faster, depending on the object and the material. DeSimone hopes Carbon 3D’s printers will be used to make airplane or car parts that are stronger and yet lighter than ones used today, helping to reduce fuel consumption. He also wants to make it possible to rapidly print custom shoe soles, fitted to the quirks of individual arches, and place printers in operating rooms to generate stents matched to patients’ arteries. 2-4. Frame by frame, the ultraviolet light projects the design into the chemical bath. Some of the light is visible as a violet glow. 5-6. As the exposed chemical precursors harden, a mechanical arm pulls the growing object out of the bath. A thin layer of oxygen at the bottom of the bath keeps the hardening patterns from sticking. 7. A technician removes the completed object, which took 17 minutes to print. The company says this structure can be made in seven minutes when the process is not slowed down for photographs. 8. This is an enlarged model of the structure of bone. A pattern like this can’t be made using a mold, and it would be very involved to make by milling away material from a solid polymer block. A model of the Eiffel Tower being made out of the resin. 9. A pattern of struts inside this 3-D-printed cylinder of hard resin adds extra strength without adding much weight. This kind of design might be used to replace metal support structures in airplane seats, according to the company. 10–11 The printers can also build objects from bouncy, flexible elastomers, which could be well suited for wearable items like shoe soles and headphones. Elastomers are incompatible with traditional additive manufacturing, says DeSimone. Carbon 3D’s process is a variation on a method called stereolithography, which uses projected patterns of ultraviolet light to catalyze the formation of solid polymers from a pool of resin. Stereolithography is typically a stop-and-start process—the object being printed sticks to the bottom of whatever vessel it’s in and must be pried off after each flash of light. Repeating this process with each layer is slow and leaves the completed object mechanically weak where each layer connects to another. In Carbon 3D’s version, the pool of liquid resin sits in a vessel with a window at the bottom. The window is permeable like a contact lens, so it lets in not only light but also oxygen—which inhibits the chemical reaction just enough to prevent the polymer from solidifying on the bottom. That allows Carbon 3D to continuously print one layer on top of the next, which makes the process much faster and the resulting materials stronger, says DeSimone. “It looks like something growing out of a puddle,” he says. Other researchers have demonstrated printing systems that incorporate some of the techniques used in Carbon 3D’s machines, and some of these methods can print features with higher resolutions than the company’s process. DeSimone, who founded Carbon 3D in 2013 and is on leave from the University of North Carolina to work at the company, has $51 million in funding to further develop the printers and polymer materials that will be its first products. This March, the company came out of stealth mode with a Science paper describing its technology and a captivating video of a small blue model of the Eiffel Tower emerging rapidly from a viscous little pool. DeSimone says that while most commercial 3-D printing systems have been designed by mechanical engineers, his chemistry focus sets Carbon 3D apart. “We want to offer materials properties that haven’t been seen before,” he says.

3D-printed objects created entirely from wood cellulose

 

The same material that gives trees their structural integrity can now be used to 3D print tiny chairs, electrical circuits, and other objects (Credit: Peter Widing) Image Gallery (4 images) The 3D printing revolution brings with it a harmful side effect: the special inks that it uses are derived (for the most part) from environmentally-unfriendly processes involving fossil fuels and toxic byproducts. But now scientists at Chalmers University of Technology have succeeded in using cellulose – the most abundant organic compound on the planet – in a 3D printer. They were also able to create electrically-conductive materials by adding carbon nanotubes. To be specific, the researchers used nanocellulose obtained from wood pulp. This is the stuff that forms the scaffolding that makes trees able to stand tall. It's available in massive quantities, plus it's biodegradable, incredibly strong, renewable, and reusing it keeps the carbon dioxide it contains from entering the atmosphere. Normally, 3D printing uses a heated liquid form of plastic or metal that hardens and solidifies as it cools and dries. But cellulose doesn't melt when you heat it, so it's not previously been considered a suitable material. The researchers mixed the cellulose in a hydrogel of 95-99 percent water, which allowed it to go into a 3D bioprinter, and in some instances with carbon nanotubes so that it could conduct electricity. The very high water content of the resultant printer gel meant that the drying process had to be carefully controlled so as not to lose the object's 3D structure. The scientists found that they could also allow the structure to collapse into a thin film (like a circuit). "Potential applications range from sensors integrated with packaging, to textiles that convert body heat to electricity, and wound dressings that can communicate with healthcare workers," says lead researcher Paul Gatenholm. "Our research group now moves on with the next challenge: to use all wood biopolymers besides cellulose." The researchers presented their findings at the New Materials From Trees conference in Stockholm earlier this week. Source: Chalmers University of Technology

GE announces first FAA approved 3D-printed engine part

The T25 housing is located inlet to the high-pressure compressor and protects the sensor electronics (Photo: GE Aviation) We've only just begun to see the huge impact 3D-printing technology will have on manufacturing, and the aerospace industry is a prime example. Earlier this year we saw the first example of a 3D-printed jet engine, now GE has announced the first 3D-printed part certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a commercial jet engine. The fist-sized T25 housing for a compressor inlet temperature sensor for a jet engine was fabricated by GE Aviation and will be retrofitted to over 400 GE90-94B jet engines on Boeing 777 aircraft. The T25 housing is located inlet to the high-pressure compressor and protects the sensor electronics from cold and being buffeted by airflow, and is the product of a decade's experimentation in additive manufacturing. In this, the usual fabrication methods of casting or milling metal are replaced by building up a part layer by layer guided directly from a CAD file like a hobbyist's 3D printer. The difference is that instead of making an item by adding layers of molten plastic, the T25 housing is made of a fine powder of cobalt-chrome alloy. This is spread out in a flat layer and a laser or electron beam fuses a section of the CAD plan in it. Another layer of dust is laid down and the process is repeated. When the printing is completed, the excess powder is blown and brushed away, and the part is given a finish. This method has a number of advantages. The part can be made lighter and extremely complex shapes can be made in a single piece, instead of several fitted together. This allows for designs that were previously impossible, much faster turnaround times from design to finished product, and much lower manufacturing costs with very little waste. According to GE, making a prototype of the T25 would have taken a year longer using conventional methods. Though the T25 is the first 3D-printed part to go into service, it won't be the last. GE says that the next-generation LEAP jet engine currently being flight tested will include 19 3D-printed fuel nozzles. In addition, 3D-printed fuel nozzles and other parts are also under development for the GE9X engine for Boeing’s new 777X aircraft; the largest jet engine ever built. The new engines' development also includes ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) and carbon-fiber fan blades. "The 3D printer allowed us to rapidly prototype the part, find the best design and move it quickly to production," says Bill Millhaem, general manager for the GE90 and GE9X engine programs at GE Aviation. "We got the final design last October, started production, got it FAA certified in February, and will enter service next week. We could never do this using the traditional casting process, which is how the housing is typically made." Source: GE

Disabled dog is now able to run, thanks to 3D-printed prostheses

 

Derby with his new 'legs' Derby the dog faced a challenge right from Day One. Due to a congenital deformity, he was born with very small forelegs and no front paws. This resulted in his ending up in the care of Hillsborough, New Hampshire-based dog rescue group, Peace and Paws. Fortunately, he then proceeded into the foster home of Tara Anderson. She works for 3D printing company 3D Systems (3DS), and set about using her employer's technology to make him a set of prostheses. As a result, he's now able to run for the first time. Anderson worked with animal orthotist Derrick Campana and two of her 3DS co-workers, designers Kevin Atkins and Dave DiPinto. They started by 3D-scanning Derby's forelegs. They then used 3DS' Geomagic Freeform digital sculpting platform to create computer models of leg-attachment cups for the prostheses, which would perfectly match the contours of Derby's appendages. Using a ProJet 5500X multi-material 3D printer, the actual physical prostheses were then created in a single build within a few hours. Along with the cups, they incorporate rubber treads and rigid spokes, and are attached with straps. As can be seen in the video below, Derby is now able to run across all manner of surfaces. He had previously been set up with a wheeled cart-style apparatus, although this was awkward, and didn't allow him to actually run with his front legs. Making things better yet, Anderson found a permanent home for him, with adoptive human parents Sherri and Dom Portanova. "He runs with Sherri and I every day, at least two to three miles," said Dom. "When I saw him sprinting like that on his new legs, it was just amazing." Source: 3D Systems

Triple-jetting technology–What is it?

 

Introducing Triple-Jetting Possibilities
Work efficiently, expand production possibilities and achieve ultimate final-product realism.

Triple-jetting 3D printers employ the most advanced PolyJet technology.

Similar to inkjet document printing, PolyJet 3D printing jets micro-layers of liquid photopolymer onto a build tray, then cures it with UV light. The layers build up one at a time to create a fully realized 3D part or prototype. These fully cured parts can be handled and used immediately, without any additional curing or finishing.

Along with the selected model materials, triple-jetting 3D printers also jet a gel-like support material specially formulated to uphold overhangs and complex geometries during the printing process.

When completed, the gel is easily removed by WaterJet.

PolyJet 3D Printing technology benefits manufacturers with its professional quality and speed, high precision and wide choice of materials. PolyJet technology is also renowned for precision prototyping needs, setting the standard for finished-product realism.

 

It allows precise printing with three materials, which means parts can be created with more complexity and
sophistication than ever before – and in a wide range of material properties, from rigid to rubber-like.

These systems enable unprecedented production-floor efficiencies and product-development improvements with astounding versatility. Our newly evolved triple-jetting platform tackles a wide range of manufacturing and
design needs, from ultra-realistic color prototypes and custom jigs and fixtures to injection molds and end-use parts. Build whole products with diverse materials — or mix unrelated parts — in one automated job for maximum uptime and minimum intervention. With easy operation, great material capacity and hot-swapping capabilities, the workflow is as smooth and impressive as the parts you create.

Multiple Material Options for Multi-Material Parts
Rigid Opaque:
Use for precise, accurate tools, like check gauges and assembly fixtures, or for detailed
research models. Combine with other materials for complex parts.
Transparent:
Build clear models or transparent/opaque combinations including opaque model interiors
with transparent exteriors, and parts that allow liquid and air flow monitoring.
Rubber-like:
Enhance tools with soft, non-slip surfaces and add any number of flexible details to models and advanced prototypes.
Specialty materials:
Build custom medical devices and research aids with Bio-compatible material. Choose High temperature material for use with hot liquids and hot air-flow. Conduct advanced prototyping with Simulated Polypropylene.
Digital Materials:
The Connex2 and Connex3 platforms offer over 100 material options — including Digital
ABS™ — perfect for durable end-use parts.
Color:
Objet500 Connex3 is the only 3D printer to offer its extraordinary level of final product realism. Extensive true-to-life color options allow integration of vibrant colors into multimaterial parts — even in translucent or opaque combinations

Learn more at www.stratasys.com

Flux 3D: A cheap, modular 3D scanner, printer and laser engraver

 

The Flux, a modular all-in-one 3D printer that goes for under US$700, has just hit Kickstarter

Image Gallery (7 images)

A Taiwanese team has developed the Flux 3D, a cheap all-in-one 3D printer, scanner and laser engraver that, thanks to its modularity, also leaves room for further expansion. The device also allows users to create, share and download designs directly from their mobile devices and connect to the printer via Bluetooth for more convenient operation.

It wasn't too long ago that buying your own personal 3D printer would set you back a small fortune. These days, though, prices are dropping so quickly that even those of us on a modest budget can afford a good quality all-in-one 3D printer and scanner – something that was unthinkable only a few years back. First came the $2,499 Zeus, then, just a few months ago, the $1,395 Genesis.

The $679 Flux picks up where these two left off, giving you arguably the best bang for your buck yet with a multi-purpose printer, scanner and laser engraver that's not only cheaper than the rest, but which can also be further augmented by adding separate modules as they are developed.

According to the developers, the Flux's printer uses high-resolution stepper motors to achieve a layer height of just 0.05 mm and an XY resolution of 0.02 mm to build objects that are up to 18 cm (7.1 in) tall and 17 cm (6.7 in) in diameter, printing at a maximum speed of 100 mm/s. As the object is being printed, three cooling fans help increase printing precision and reduce the risk of overheating.

To switch from printing to scanning, you simply remove the plastic base and expose the 1.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, which can be used to scan small objects as they sit on a rotating platform. The people behind Flux tell us that the scanner can acquire 3D models for objects up to 8 cm (3.1 in) tall and 14 cm (5.5 in) in diameter.

The optional laser engraver is the first of the several planned interchangeable modules built for the printer. It's a 200-mW laser head that lets you burn patterns on various surfaces, including foods (steak, toast, vegetables), wood, plastic and leather, as well as cutting thin materials like paper and cardboard.

According to the creators, you'll be able to switch modules quickly and without tools, as they're held in place by a system of magnets. That's good news, because there are plans to add more modules in the future. The creators tell us that several types of extruders (specifically a dual extruder, a ceramics and a pastry extruder) are currently in the works.

The Flux will pair with your smartphone or other Bluetooth-enabled device, allowing you to download and share designs from an online store, as well as create simple 3D designs directly from your mobile device. Proprietary software, currently in development, will also allow more advanced CAD designs.

Assuming it reaches its Kickstarter campaign goal of US$100,000, a pledge of $499 will get you an early-bird Flux with the printer and scanner functionality, while with a $679 pledge you can have the laser engraving module as well. The team is aiming to deliver the printers by July 2015.

The team's Kickstarter pitch video can be viewed below.

Source: FLUX

 

Wasp's 3D printers produce low-cost houses made from mud

 

Wasp hopes to bring affordable housing to poverty stricken areas with its mud-extruding 3D printer

Image Gallery (7 images)

A need to address a lack of housing for the globe's growing population has turned up some eye-catching efforts, blending creative architecture with new, sustainable technologies. And it is increasingly looking like 3D printing could have a role to play. Italian firm Wasp is the latest to explore the potential of additive manufacturing in this area, developing a super-sized 3D printer capable of producing low-cost housing made from mud.

Mud brick homes aren't new, and have a certain appeal for the environmentally conscious due to their low carbon footprint and sustainable nature. Wasp is looking to bring these benefits to a bigger stage by providing a means to quickly create shelter in developing regions where traditional forms of construction might not be possible.

The company's mud-extruding dream builder stands around 20 ft tall (6 m) and is capable of printing structures 10 ft (3 m) in height. This puts it at around the same size as the printer used by a Chinese company earlier this year to construct 10 houses in less than 24 hours.

The idea behind Wasp's approach is the housing can be built on location, using materials found on site at zero cost. The printer can reportedly be built by two people in as little as two hours and can extrude materials ranging from mud to clay and other natural fibers. The company demonstrated the printer earlier this month at Rome's Maker Faire. While not a full scale model, at 4 m (13 ft) it was able to produce smaller versions of its mud brick dwellings and serve as a proof-of-concept.

"We will print a mixture made of clay and sand," CEO Massimo Moretti said leading up to the event. "It takes weeks to print a real house, so we will print a smaller building because we only have two days. But the print, the mixture and materials have been already tested and they’re working.”

The design for these structures is inspired by the mud dauber wasp, which build their nests using mud. As it turns out, the company's name doubles as an acronym for "World's Advanced Saving Project."

While it has exhibited the potential of its approach, Wasp is yet to detail exactly when it plans to begin deploying its 3D printers.

Source: Wasp

 

About the Author

Nick was born outside of Melbourne, Australia, with a general curiosity that has drawn him to some distant (and very cold) places. Somewhere between enduring a winter in the Canadian Rockies and trekking through Chilean Patagonia, he graduated from university and pursued a career in journalism. He now writes for Gizmag, excited by tech and all forms of innovation, Melbourne's bizarre weather and curried egg sandwiches.   All articles by Nick Lavars

Beyond 3D printers and the coming of the home electronics factory

 

Squink is a miniature factory (Photo credit:Eric Mack/Gizmag.com)

Image Gallery (9 images)

When I saw BotFactory's Squink in action at MakerCon in New York last month, it was one of those innovations that took a few minutes to sink in. It looks like a modified 3D printer, but it does much more. In essence, it is a home factory in a single package.

Unlike most 3D printers, Squink has a detachable head that can be swapped out to allow it to move around its workspace to perform different functions. When I first approached the machine, it was in the process of building a circuit board independent of any human assistance in between steps (besides physically switching out the detachable heads). The machine head was picking up components, then hovering the part over a small camera that identified it and then gave the order for it to be placed on a piece of paper where the Squink had already printed conductive ink and laid down conductive glue to ready it for components.

If a 3D printer puts the power of a CNC mill and a few other machines into the hands of even amateur makers, then Squink could essentially put the power of an entire factory into one small corner of a home office. Forget soldering, cutting, etching or simply waiting forever to get your prototype back from an actual factory. BotFactory, which is a startup that grew out of the relationship between a few NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering graduates and their professor, sees Squink as a way to take the lag out of the traditionally long and laborious process of prototyping electronics.

“We see ourselves as members of the Agile Electronics Development wave,” they said in a recent release leading up to MakerCon. “As such we walk uncharted routes, creating new horizons for this newborn concept. In the upcoming years we'll continue evolving our products to provide the best experience on the market for this kind of technology.”

Those new horizons are where my mind went right away as I watched the Squink place each component on the circuit it recently printed. The amount of people out there with ideas that are at least worthy of making it to a prototype, but who don't possess the fabrication skills or background to ever dream of making their notions a reality, is surely larger than just me.

"It allows very easy entry into the world of electronics," BotFactory Co-Founder Michael Knox confirmed in an interview.

The team claims that Squink is simple enough to operate that there's no reason even a child couldn't design and create a circuit with a little guidance. They imagine uses for their technology that might include integrating circuits into glass, wearables and even artwork, just for starters.

A crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter successfully raised US$100,000 to get Squink off the ground, and now the team is gearing up to begin selling the early units for somewhere around $3,500, which is what a few dozen backers pledged to be first in line for the fully-functional version of the system.

Check out the video below to see a quick demonstration of the alpha version of Squink in action.

Source: BotFactory

 

3D printing helps build upper jaw prosthetic for cancer patient

 

A 3D printed model of the patient's jaw helped surgeon's overcome problems posed by his inability to open his mouth

Image Gallery (4 images)

While the idea of cruising around in a 3D-printed car and munching on 3D-printed chocolate before returning to a 3D-printed home sure is nice, no industry is poised to benefit from this burgeoning technology in quite the way that medicine is. Replacing cancerous vertebra, delivering cancer-fighting drugs and assisting in spinal fusion surgery are just some of the examples we've covered here at Gizmag. The latest groundbreaking treatment involves an Indian cancer patient, who has had his upper jaw replaced with the help of 3D printing.

When a 41-year-old Bangalore male was diagnosed with cancer of the palate, surgeons proceeded to remove his upper jaw, which in turn left sections of his nose and mouth exposed. The patient then experienced further complications after undergoing six weeks of radiotherapy, which resulted in radiation-induced fibrosis and trismus (lockjaw), limiting his ability to open his mouth to around 20 mm (0.8 in).

Affecting his eating, speech and appearance, the patient sought a prosthesis but dentists were reluctant to treat him, as taking an impression and producing a mold proved problematic given his inability to open his mouth. It was at this point that Osteo3D got involved, a Bangalore-based company backed by the df3d design factory that specializes in 3D printing solutions for the healthcare sector.

Using a CT scan to create a 3D reconstruction of the patient's face, Osteo3D printed a replica of the patient's mouth, complete with lower and upper jaw, the defect and his teeth. With the model able to simulate the movements of the joints and open properly, this negated the difficulties inherent in producing a mold from the patient's real-life jaw.

Using the 3D-printed replica as a template, a wax model was produced and adjusted for a snug fit. This was then hardened, fitted with teeth and handed over to the patient. Thanks to the new prosthesis, his chewing, swallowing, speaking and smiling are now said to be much improved.

Source: df3d

 

Precision printing: Unique capabilities of 3-D printing revealed

 

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ORNL researchers have demonstrated the ability to precisely control the structure and properties of 3-D printed metal parts during formation. The electron backscatter diffraction image shows variations in crystallographic orientation in a nickel-based component, achieved by controlling the 3-D printing process at the microscale.

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated an additive manufacturing method to control the structure and properties of metal components with precision unmatched by conventional manufacturing processes.

Ryan Dehoff, staff scientist and metal additive manufacturing lead at the Department of Energy's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL, presented the research this week in an invited presentation at the Materials Science & Technology 2014 conference in Pittsburgh.

"We can now control local material properties, which will change the future of how we engineer metallic components," Dehoff said. "This new manufacturing method takes us from reactive design to proactive design. It will help us make parts that are stronger, lighter and function better for more energy-efficient transportation and energy production applications such as cars and wind turbines."

The researchers demonstrated the method using an ARCAM electron beam melting system (EBM), in which successive layers of a metal powder are fused together by an electron beam into a three-dimensional product. By manipulating the process to precisely manage the solidification on a microscopic scale, the researchers demonstrated 3-dimensional control of the microstructure, or crystallographic texture, of a nickel-based part during formation.

Crystallographic texture plays an important role in determining a material's physical and mechanical properties. Applications from microelectronics to high-temperature jet engine components rely on tailoring of crystallographic texture to achieve desired performance characteristics.

"We're using well established metallurgical phenomena, but we've never been able to control the processes well enough to take advantage of them at this scale and at this level of detail," said Suresh Babu, the University of Tennessee-ORNL Governor's Chair for Advanced Manufacturing. "As a result of our work, designers can now specify location specific crystal structure orientations in a part."

Other contributors to the research are ORNL's Mike Kirka and Hassina Bilheux, University of California Berkeley's Anton Tremsin, and Texas A&M University's William Sames.

The research was supported by the Advanced Manufacturing Office in DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory. "Precision printing: Unique capabilities of 3-D printing revealed." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 October 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141015130641.htm

 

Arduino adds affordable 3D printing to its open source hardware model

 

The Arduino/Sharebot Materia 101 3D printer

Arduino may be known for revolutionizing open source hardware platforms, but this week enters the 3D printer market with the small and (relatively) affordable Materia 101. Produced in partnership with fellow Italian company Sharebot, the printer is targeted towards educators, beginners, consumers, and makers.

Materia 101 is based around Arduino’s Mega board, while Sharebot provides the 3D printer know-how. Sharebot has recently opened up designs of various parts of previous printers, and will release technical drawings and mechanical documentation for the Materia 101. Like the Arduino microcontrollers, the printer will be open-source.

The machine features a print area of 140 x 100 x 100 mm, and a print volume of 1,400 cubic mm. While this puts the printer firmly in the "mini" camp, the price is also mini. While firm pricing hasn’t been announced yet, a kit will sell for less than €600 (US$760) and a pre-assembled version for less than €700 (US$890), and will only be sold on the Arduino store.

The print dimensions, pricing, and other features such as an LCD screen identify it as similar to Sharebot’s Kiwi-3D machine. PLA is the only supported filament, though many other popular filaments have been tested, including the bendable Cristal Flex, along with sand and wood composites.

Recently Dremel became another company to strike out into adding 3D printers to its existing products. Arduino already has a niche within the maker and hackerspace community for its microcontrollers, which is an overlapping user base with 3D printing.

The official presentation of the Materia will happen at Maker Faire Rome, scheduled for October 3-5.

Sources: Arduino, Sharebot

 

Ethical filament: Can fair trade plastic save people and the planet?

 

October 1, 2014

Michigan Technological University

It’s old news that open-source 3-D printing is cheaper than conventional manufacturing, not to mention greener and incredibly useful for making everything from lab equipment to chess pieces. Now it’s time add another star to the 3-D printing constellation. It may help lift some of the world’s most destitute people from poverty while cleaning up a major blight on the earth and its oceans: plastic trash.

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Waste pickers in the developing world barely eke out a living scouring landfills for trash to sell. They usually don't bother with plastic, however, because it has almost no value. But thanks to an emerging market, waste plastic may soon be a more alluring target; it can serve as a feedstock for 3D printer filament.

It's old news that open-source 3D printing is cheaper than conventional manufacturing, not to mention greener and incredibly useful for making everything from lab equipment to chess pieces. Now it's time add another star to the 3D printing constellation. It may help lift some of the world's most destitute people from poverty while cleaning up a major blight on Earth and its oceans: plastic trash.

At the center of the movement is a new set of standards inspired by fair trade products ranging from diamonds to chocolate.

"We are creating a new class of material called ethical 3D printing filament, like fair trade coffee," said Joshua Pearce of Michigan Technological University. "It's a way to help the poorest of the poor up the economic ladder."

Waste pickers in the developing world barely eke out a living scouring landfills for trash to sell. They usually don't bother with plastic, however, because it has almost no value.

But thanks to an emerging market, waste plastic may soon be a more alluring target; it can serve as a feedstock for 3D printer filament. What makes it especially attractive is the cost of conventional filament made from virgin plastic: about $35 to $50 a kilogram.

Pearce's group has already developed a recyclebot that turns milk jugs and other plastic trash into filament for pennies on the dollar. And next-generation commercial-grade recyclebots are creating opportunities for businesses. But for waste pickers to truly benefit, Pearce says, the recycled filament industry will need to adhere to certain fair labor and environmental practices.

Here's how it would work. Under fair trade standards for ethical 3D printing filament, manufacturers would guarantee that their enterprise meets certain conditions, which Pearce and his colleagues published in the Journal of Sustainable Development. They include the following:

• minimum pricing to assure that workers receive fair wages • a fair-trade premium added to the filament's price that supports development projects • a regular work week of 48 hours and a ban on child labor and forced labor • environmentally conscious manufacturing practices • safeguards for workers' health and safety • the right to unionize • a ban on discrimination and sexual and physical harassment

Businesses that make or use ethical filament could charge a premium for their product, though it would still cost less than conventional 3D filament. "Filament prices are so high that places like Protoprint and Plastic Bank could sell their filament at half that price and still give pickers a living wage while doing good for the environment," said Pearce.

Protoprint, a 3D printing firm in Pune, India, is collaborating with techfortrade. The London-based nonprofit harnesses technology to eliminate poverty through economic development. After working with Pearce, techfortrade plans to fully implement his fair trade standards for filament in the Ethical Filament Foundation.

"Joshua's knowledge and his passion, plus his open, collaborative approach, persuaded us that his ethical filament standards would do for 3D printer filament what Fair Trade did for coffee," said William Hoyle, CEO of techfortrade. "We're now close to making this idea a reality; Protoprint is planning to make the first ethical filament offering available in January, and our other ventures in Latin America will follow."

The paper on fair trade filament, "Evaluation of Potential Fair Trade Standards for an Ethical 3D Printing Filament," is coauthored by Pearce, Savanna R. Feeley of Michigan State University and Bas Wijnen, a PhD candidate in materials science and engineering at Michigan Tech and published this month in the Journal of Sustainable Development.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Michigan Technological University. The original article was written by Marcia Goodrich. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. S. R. Feeley, Bas Wijnen, Joshua M. Pearce. Evaluation of Potential Fair Trade Standards for an Ethical 3-D Printing Filament. Journal of Sustainable Development, 2014; 7 (5) DOI: 10.5539/jsd.v7n5p1

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3-D printed wrist splints for arthritis sufferers

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A Loughborough University lecturer has developed a computer software concept that will enable clinicians with no experience in Computer Aided Design (CAD) to design and make custom-made 3D printed wrist splints for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.

A Loughborough University lecturer has developed a computer software concept that will enable clinicians with no experience in Computer Aided Design (CAD) to design and make custom-made 3D printed wrist splints for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.

Dr Abby Paterson, from the Design School, said: "I wanted to give clinicians the ability to make splints they have not been able to make before. They can improve the aesthetics, the fit, and integrate extra bits of functionality they couldn't do before as a result of our Additive Manufacturing facilities here at Loughborough University. Thanks to our Objet Connex machine, we can integrate multiple materials in a single splint such as rubber-like integral hinges or cushioning features but, more importantly, the specialised software prototype we've developed will enable clinicians to design these splints for their patients."

The 3D printed splints are not only more comfortable and attractive but potentially cheaper than the current ones that are 'ugly, bulky, and can make a patients arm sweat'. As a result patients do not use them as often as they should.

The splints, which provide joint protection, rest, and promote pain relief,could be a major boost for sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis, the second most common type of arthritis in the UK which affects more than 400,000 people.

The splints are made by scanning a patient's arm in the 'appropriate position'. A 3D model splint is then designed based on the scan to generate a computer model.

The 3D printer can then produce as many splints as are needed at the touch of a button. They can be any colour, feature multiple materials, have a lattice design to aid ventilation and any type of fastening the patient requires.

The 3D CAD software prototype was shown to certified splinting practitioners, such as occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

Dr Paterson said: "The practitioners were very excited by new, novel ideas to expand the possibilities available to them, such as integrated rubber borders for increased comfort."

The 3D CAD software prototype is the product of Dr Paterson's PhD and development ‎work is still needed on the software and materials. ‎

Dr Paterson was supervised during her PhD by Dr Richard Bibb and Dr Ian Campbell. Dr Bibb came up with the idea for bespoke wrist splints in the late 1990's.

Dr Bibb and Dr Paterson are currently pursuing opportunities to perform a 'thorough cost analysis' of providing the service.

Dr Bibb says the 3D splints could be cheaper than the current ones because the design and manufacture stages have been separated. He believes they will be cost-effective for the NHS while the 'sky's the limit' in the private sector.

Dr Bibb, Reader in Medical Applications of Design in the Design School, said: "We are in the development phase. The research has proved that this is desirable and the clinicians want it. We know there's lots of potential."

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Loughborough. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Circuits and sensors direct from the printer

 

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Cylinder featuring functional surfaces acting as sensors.

Printers are becoming more and more versatile. Now they can even print sensors and electronic components on 2D and 3D substrates. A new, robot-assisted production line allows the process to be automated.

These days, no office is complete without a printer. But digital printing technologies also play an important role in microelectronics, microsystems engineering and sensor systems. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Bremen use various printing methods to produce electronic components and sensors. The tiny resistors, transistors, circuit paths and capacitors are first designed on screen and then deposited directly onto two- and three-dimensional substrates, for instance circuit boards. Instead of the usual paper inks, the scientists use what are known as "functional inks" -- electronic materials in liquid or paste form. The range of potential uses for printed electronics is wide -- from the electronic circuits in digital thermometers to flexible sheets of solar cells and smart packaging with built-in sensors.

To automate the process of applying printed electronics to components with flat and three-dimensional surfaces, the IFAM scientists have set up a robot-assisted production line that allows different printing methods to be combined in a single run. Modules for silk-screen, inkjet, dispenser, and aerosol-jet printing are integrated in the production unit. "The production line with its central robotic unit, component feeders, printing systems and heat treatment furnaces enables us to functionalize surfaces on a near-industrial scale," says Dr. Volker Zöllmer, head of the Functional Structures department at IFAM.

The availability of different technologies in one system makes it possible to print structures of different surface areas, widths, and thicknesses on the substrate. Aerosol-jet printing, for instance, enables the researchers to deposit extremely fine structures with a width of only 10 micrometers onto the component. In this non-contact process, the conductive ink is transformed into an aerosol using compressed air (pneumatic spraying), and then fed to the print head through a fine tube. The print head focuses the aerosol jet on the surface of the substrate, which doesn't necessarily have to be flat or smooth -- even curved surfaces can be printed on using this method. It is also possible to vary the thickness of the printed features and create multilayer structures. "For example, as well as laying down circuits on a circuit board, we can also provide it with a corrosion-resistant coating," says Zöllmer.

So how exactly does this printing process work? After the control software has been programmed for the desired end product, by defining the printing methods required and the order in which they are to be executed, the robot picks up the substrate, for instance a bare circuit board, and dispatches it to the first printing station. If the task requires integrating 200-micrometer-wide circuit paths in the substrate, it is first sent to the dispenser, a piezoelectric dosing system. The dispenser contains a valve that allows the precise volume and droplet size of the viscous medium -- e.g. an electrically conductive adhesive -- to be applied. If the conductor is to be connected to a sensor, the circuit board is then routed to the aerosol-jet printer. This high-resolution device prints the sensors. The circuit board then passes through other printers, depending on the application, before finally undergoing heat treatment in the furnace, in order to obtain the desired performance characteristics. The system is capable of printing on substrates up to the size of a DIN-A3 sheet of paper, and can process components with a height of several centimeters.

Functionalized surfaces to order

The choice of materials that can be used as substrates or functional inks is almost unlimited. The inks employed by the IFAM specialists include metals, ceramics, electrically conductive polymers, and even biomaterials such as proteins and enzymes. Depending on the application, these media are deposited on substrates made of glass, textiles, metals, ceramic plates, and many other materials. "The new production line enables us to process a wide range of different materials and combine them in many different ways to meet the customer's requirements. This includes designing components capable of providing entirely new functions -- such as window panes with integrated sensors for measuring temperature." Zöllmer adds. "Printed sensors can also be used to monitor building components, providing early warning of crack formation and other structural damage. They could also be useful in the car industry, where strain gages printed on aluminum surfaces by means of aerosol-jet printing could provide an early indication of material fatigue in body components."

The robot-assisted production line also helps to shorten development lead times. In the past, to provide components with sensor functions, it was often necessary to integrate the sensors in the component after it had been manufactured -- a time-consuming process. Depending on the application, the IFAM researchers can achieve the same result in a matter of seconds or minutes by printing fully functionalized components. This offers advantages to many sectors of industry, including car manufacturing and aerospace, and also microsystems engineering. "We can help industry to streamline its product development processes, by manufacturing prototypes and small batches using our production line," says Zöllmer. The modular production line also provides scope for customers to add their own processes.

Microscale 3-D Printing

 

Inks made from different types of materials, precisely applied, are greatly expanding the kinds of things that can be printed.

Breakthrough

3-D printing that uses multiple materials to create objects such as biological tissue with blood vessels.

Why It Matters

Making biological materials with desired functions could lead to artificial organs and novel cyborg parts.

Key Players

To show off its ability to do multimaterial 3-D printing, Lewis’s lab has printed a complex lattice using different inks.

Despite the excitement that 3-D printing has generated, its capabilities remain rather limited. It can be used to make complex shapes, but most commonly only out of plastics. Even manufacturers using an advanced version of the technology known as additive manufacturing typically have expanded the material palette only to a few types of metal alloys. But what if 3-D printers could use a wide assortment of different materials, from living cells to semiconductors, mixing and matching the “inks” with precision?

Jennifer Lewis, a materials scientist at Harvard University, is developing the chemistry and machines to make that possible. She prints intricately shaped objects from “the ground up,” precisely adding materials that are useful for their mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, or optical traits. This means 3-D printing technology could make objects that sense and respond to their environment. “Integrating form and function,” she says, “is the next big thing that needs to happen in 3-D printing.”

Left: For the demonstration, the group formulated four polymer inks, each dyed a different color.
Right: The different inks are placed in standard print heads.
Bottom: By sequentially and precisely depositing the inks in a process guided by the group’s software, the printer quickly produces the colorful lattice.

A group at Princeton University has printed a bionic ear, combining biological tissue and electronics (see “Cyborg Parts”), while a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge has printed retinal cells to form complex eye tissue. But even among these impressive efforts to extend the possibilities of 3-D printing, Lewis’s lab stands out for the range of materials and types of objects it can print.

Last year, Lewis and her students showed they could print the microscopic electrodes and other components needed for tiny lithium-ion batteries (see “Printing Batteries”). Other projects include printed sensors fabricated on plastic patches that athletes could one day wear to detect concussions and measure violent impacts. Most recently, her group printed biological tissue interwoven with a complex network of blood vessels. To do this, the researchers had to make inks out of various types of cells and the materials that form the matrix supporting them. The work addresses one of the lingering challenges in creating artificial organs for drug testing or, someday, for use as replacement parts: how to create a vascular system to keep the cells alive.

Top: Inks made of silver nanoparticles are used to print electrodes as small as a few micrometers. 
Bottom: As in the other 3-D printing processes, the operation is controlled and monitored by computers.

Left: Jennifer Lewis’s goal is to print complex architectures that integrate form and function.
Right: A glove with strain sensors is made by printing electronics into a stretchable elastomer.

In a basement lab a few hundred yards from Lewis’s office, her group has jury-rigged a 3-D printer, equipped with a microscope, that can precisely print structures with features as small as one micrometer (a human red blood cell is around 10 micrometers in diameter). Another, larger 3-D printer, using printing nozzles with multiple outlets to print multiple inks simultaneously, can fabricate a meter-sized sample with a desired microstructure in minutes.

The secret to Lewis’s creations lies in inks with properties that allow them to be printed during the same fabrication process. Each ink is a different material, but they all can be printed at room temperature. The various types of materials present different challenges; cells, for example, are delicate and easily destroyed as they are forced through the printing nozzle. In all cases, though, the inks must be formulated to flow out of the nozzle under pressure but retain their form once in place—think of toothpaste, Lewis says.

Left: The ­largest printer in Lewis’s lab makes objects up to a meter by a meter.
Top: For such jobs, the printer uses a 64- or 128-­nozzle array to speed up the process.
Bottom: A test sample with a layered microstructure was printed in minutes using wax ink.

Before coming to Harvard from the University of Illinois at Urbana-­Champaign last year, Lewis had spent more than a decade developing 3-D printing techniques using ceramics, metal nanoparticles, polymers, and other nonbiological materials. When she set up her new lab at Harvard and began working with biological cells and tissues for the first time, she hoped to treat them the same way as materials composed of synthetic particles. That idea might have been a bit naïve, she now acknowledges. Printing blood vessels was an encouraging step toward artificial tissues capable of the complex biological functions found in organs. But working with the cells turns out to be “really complex,” she says. “And there’s a lot more that we need to do before we can print a fully functional liver or kidney. But we’ve taken the first step.”

—David Rotman