3D printing

3D printing is the latest trend in the printing industry. It is everywhere, creating everything. But, can this latest technology is used to generate body parts of organisms?

Well, maybe it’s the year to shell-ebrate!

Freddy, a female tortoise, lost its shell entirely and received severe burns in the forest fires of Brazil.

When a  veterinarian found it, he considered putting the burnt tortoise to sleep as it was impossible for the poor thing to survive. However, he decided to try his luck and teamed up with a printer who extended a helping hand.

The designer used a computer program to design a shell designed which was based on another similar sized tortoise and then built it with a 3D printer. This is the first prosthetic shell of any kind built by 3D printing.

The team took 40 pictures from various angles of a real shell of a tortoise and each piece of the prosthetic shell took about 50 hours to print.

The new shell is built out of cheap corn derived material which interlocks together like a jigsaw puzzle.

The new shell is doing a fantastic job as a protector but looked very boring in a plain white colour. The Animal Avengers team collaborated with an artist who painted the shell to look just like a real one. The delicate job of painting a 3D printed shell was accomplished with the help of non toxic colours.

While Freddy the tortoise was undergoing her recovery, she not only survived severe burns but bouts of pneumonia and 45 days of not eating. However, Freddy now appears to be happy and enjoy her first of a kind shell.

The power of 3D printing can be judged from this distinct example and this is just a small step into the future. In times to come, 3D printing will become a mainstay and will spread its wings not only into the printing world, but into every field imaginable.

How is Rio Olympics making the most of it?

The long awaited debut of 3D printing has finally been made at the Rio Olympics 2016. Virtual reality and 3D printing are dominating ever aspect of these Games. Here take a look:

Apparel

As 3D printing’s fame continues to grows, apparel companies are cashing on the opportunity.

• Nike has designed 3D printed silicone protrusions.
• Adidas’ swimwear using 3D scanners help swimmers maintain form.
• Brooks’ 3D creation of their shoes
• New Balance’s 3D printed prototype Vazee Sigma track shoes

 Shoes

Nike and Adidas, both, are in the run to amalgamate 3D technology in their shoes. Nike has come up with a new variant of spikes for the track shoes. Nike drifted away from the traditional sprinter spike design of screw-in spikes and went with a fixed pin design on the bottom of the plate. This design puts a runners foot closer to the track, which in theory, translates to faster speed.

“For us right now, 3D printing is all about accelerating the project, the innovation process,” said Kohatsu. “The 3D printing industry isn’t at a place where it can replace mass production techniques. We use it for what it’s best at doing, which is accelerating prototyping.”

Michael Phelps has been given a 3D printed shoe for the games. His child’s foot printed has been 3D printed on his shoes to make him feel closer to the child.

Tracking the swimmers

BMW is using 3D print assisted, LED driven motion sensors to keep a track of swimmers in the pool. The LED trackers will be attached to a swimmer through a 3D printed mounting system. The stroke and kick motion which will be received by the coaching staff will be an incredibly valuable performance tool as the data will aid in breaking down specific limb and joint angles to optimize performance.

As the Olympics begin, keep your eyes peeled for 3D printed apparel and technology. The future of design could be in the hands of 3D printing and the future is as bright as the burning flames of the Olympic torch.