Browsing: 3D printing

Due to the global organ shortage and limited organ donors, thousands of patients are left wanting organs and tissues in…

American construction company Mighty Buildings has announced that it plans to build what it’s calling the “world’s first planned community…

You’ve definitely seen that episode of a sci-fi TV show where your favourite characters shrink down to the size of…

The entire Apollo 11 mission to the moon took just eight days. If we ever want to build permanent bases on the moon, or perhaps even Mars or beyond, then future astronauts will have to spend many more days, months and maybe even years in space without a constant lifeline to Earth. The question is how would they get hold of everything they needed. Using rockets to send all the equipment and supplies for building and maintaining long-term settlements on the moon would be hugely expensive.

We got our hands on the latest 3Doodler Create+ and some disposable filament, and made some useless things that no-one would ever use.

3D printing refers to a range of digital fabrication processes that build objects directly from computer models, without expensive tooling, in layers of material. Although 3D printing processes vary widely, including melting metal powder with lasers or hardening liquid plastic “ink” with ultraviolet light, most people tend to think of 3D printing desktop machines that melt spools of plastic.

A group of researchers successfully printed the first ever 3D-constructed human heart that uses cells and biological materials from a patient.

The Fabrication City concept puts manufacturing back in the hands of communities — using 3D printers. It could have far-reaching implications for economic development, environmental sustainability, inclusion and other benefits. The use of 3D printing provides cities with opportunities through their local innovators and entrepreneurs.

It has become possible to 3D print with quite a range of different materials, including the likes of wood and silver. Most machines are restricted to synthetics, however, such as plastics, rubbery polymers and nylons. Machines usually only print one material at a time, or swap between a palette of two or three materials

In this week’s Light Start we have Kickstarted posters, Fitbits (though work), Google Maps in AR, and rocket engines fresh out the 3D printer.