#Microsoft granted patent for technology that scans objects and makes 3d printable models Even in the world of 3d printing,
where you are literally making new things all the time, patents are of crucial importance. Companies are ever trying to get their hands on a new patent involving minute aspects of 3d printing (remember Amazon patent for 3d printing aboard delivery trucks?
and it is especially important for startups to protect their livelihoods. However, Microsoft has just been awarded a patent for the step preceding 3d printing:
making 3d printable digital models of objects, specifically after scanning. This patent revolves around a static depth camera that can be used to scan everyday objects from various angles
and generating 3d models on your PC. If you might wonder how in the world that can be patented after all,
there are quite a few scanners out there already the crucial difference is that Microsoft patent revolves around scanning objects without placing them on revolving plates
and the software does the rest. The turntable is removed completely from the scanning process The patent also concerns the technology ability to distinguish between the object, the users fingers and even the objects around it.
The result simply consists of high resolution images with prominent surface patterns and good color quality.
Of course, this makes the life of the home user much easier. Scanning itself should become simpler,
as Youtube the Patent Yogi explains in the video above. Among its applications are game development and making animations as realistically as possible,
enabling users to quickly scan and digitally interact with models around them. And what about mounting these scanners of Google street view cars?
This scanning ability could be used to make maps far more interactive and realistic, while the scans can also be used to measure distances.
2015 By Simonwhile wee seen a wide range of applications for 3d printing including using the technology to create ready-made helicopter and racecar parts to computer housings and more,
When considering the high cost of traditionally manufactured prosthetics-which can range anywhere in the tens of thousands of dollars for each prosthetic-alone paired with a growing body
000 grant from Google to help aid the organization efforts and continue to connect engineers with children and families in need.
Among other details, the Enable Community Foundation (ECF) announced that they are planning on using the money to hire more staff to help with the operations,
to create new Handomatic software and perhaps most impressive of all, they plan on putting 6, 000 3d printed prosthetic hands out into the world for children in need.
The decision to hire new staff (three total) is part of an overall effort to help make the expanding e-NABLE network as smooth as possible for both the creators as well as the receivers.
Additionally, the staff will aid volunteers in creating the prosthetics while also collecting data on how to continually make the experience more seamless.
Ultimately, the goal is to develop not only a portfolio of optimized prosthetic designs for a wide range of users
but also an optimized user experience for all stakeholders involved-including breaking down any language barriers so that everybody has access to the network.
In addition to creating a tighter distribution network, e-NABLE also wants to upgrade their Handomatic app
a mobile offering is in the works to make measuring in the field an easier and more friendly user experience.
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#Exovite is developing custom 3d printed splints that will broken heal your bone faster Jun 20, 2015 By Simonalthough wee been seeing many recent applications for 3d printing being used effectively in the medical industry,
many of the case studies have been for creating 1: 1 replicas of anatomical features that are studied
and ock-operatedon in an effort to let the surgeons better understand their patient condition before committing to the final surgical procedure.
not only more effective surgeries that have taken also considerably less time, but also less invasive surgeries that cost less.
But for all of the advantages of using 3d printing before a surgery what about using 3d printing as a tool for repairing an injured area or for after a surgery, too?
This is what Exovite, a new Spanish company consisting of professionals from different areas including medicine, electronics, computers,
mechanics and additive manufacturing technologies are currently looking at and they just might be able to make the healing process faster thanks to 3d printing.
Currently, the company is developing a system of immobilization and rehabilitation that will create a revolution in the field of orthopedics and musculoskeletal treatments.
Among other features of the system include savings in both time costs for both the medical professionals and the patients themselves.
Among other goals that the company hopes that users of their technology will achieve include optimized medical treatments as well as a more seamless user experience throughout the procedure due to an improved quality of the procedures themselves.
In other words, similar to how 3d printing has helped revolutionize how prosthetic devices are made both and fabricated, Exovite research and resulting technologies could have
just as much of an impact on internal injuries including broken bones; rather than having a traditional cast on for months,
users could receive the company unique method of therapy and be healed in a matter of weeks.
not only and applied directly to the user own body measurements, but it is also completely waterproof
which can be controlled via a mobile device through the company Exopad app. In addition to being able to control the electrostimulation,
users will even be able to share the healing progress with medical professionals online as well as receive advice based on the rate of healing.
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#World first 3d printed modular supercar is unveiled, built using revolutionary Node technology platform Considered by many to be the ultimate 3d printing challenge,
3d printed cars have been seeing significantly more attention ever since the crowdsourced automobile design and manufacturer Local Motors unveiled their Strati 3d printed car,
which is expected to be released later this year. But while the Strati-which can be built in a matter of hours-represents a monumental shift in modern manufacturing technologies,
it doesn necessarily highlight the potential that additive manufacturing might have for the environment at a time where more automakers are shifting over to hybrid engines and green technologies.
Among others who want to highlight the disruptive new approach to auto manufacturing that incorporates 3d printing to dramatically reduce the pollution,
materials and capital costs associated with building automobiles and other large complex structures is based San francisco Divergent Microfactories.
Today, the company Founder and CEO Kevin Czinger introduced the company plan to dematerialize and democratize car manufacturing in the form of the company very first 3d printed supercar prototype,
Blade. ociety has made great strides in its awareness and adoption of cleaner and greener cars.
The problem is that while these cars do now exist, the actual manufacturing of them is anything
but environmentally friendly, says Czinger. t Divergent Microfactories, wee found a way to make automobiles that holds the promise of radically reducing the resource use
and pollution generated by manufacturing. It also holds the promise of making large-scale car manufacturing affordable for small teams of innovators.
And as Blade proves, wee done it without sacrificing style or substance. Wee developed a sustainable path forward for the car industry that we believe will result in a renaissance in car manufacturing, with innovative,
eco-friendly cars like Blade being designed and built in microfactories around the world. hile the Strati is produced using fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3d printing,
Divergent Microfactoriestechnology centers around its proprietary solution called a Node: a 3d printed aluminum joint that connects pieces of carbon fiber tubing to make up the car chassis. Among other problems solved by the Node include cutting down on the amount of 3d printing required to build the chassis as well as the time to assemble the car components
-which is reduced to just minutes. Additionally, the reduction of materials and energy usage helps bring the weight of the car down as much as 90%compared to traditional cars,
despite being stronger and more durable. In addition to less damage being made to the environment and a user wallet
the design also causes less wear on the roadways, too.""Nodes are the key building block we developed to build cars.
They are made of a metal alloy and are produced using 3d printers.""notes the company.""The nodes, combined with carbon fiber tubes are the key components in building a car chassis. It took less than 30 minutes to assemble the chassis by hand.
With this approach we can build a very strong and very light chassis, and do so
while saving energy and generating less pollution.""While the Node presents Divergent Microfactoriesnew technology, the Blade presents the new technology in context as the world first 3d printed supercar.
The company claims that in addition to using their new technology, the prototype is one of the greenest and most powerful cars in the world.
As for power, the Blade is equipped with a 700-horsepower bi-fuel engine that can use both compressed natural gas or gasoline,
and is capable of accelerating from 0-60 in two seconds while weighing approximately 1, 388 pounds."
"That's faster than a Mclaren P1 supercar. It also has 2x the power-to-weight ratio of a Bugatti Veyron."
"The company has plans to sell a limited number of the high-performance vehicles which are expected to be manufactured
and assembled within their own microfactory. While the ability to create their own cars using their technology is one thing,
Divergent Microfactories plans on releasing the platform into the hands of entrepreneurs and small businesses around the world in an effort to help them set up their own microfactories to build their own cars and complex structures.
Ultimately, the goal of the collective increase of microfactories will make innovation more affordable while also reducing the health and environmental impacts of traditional manufacturing.
Needless to say between the developments in self-driving cars as well as disruptions to car manufacturing itself, this is an exciting time for the near-future of transportation
#MASSIVIT 3d shows off GDP Gel Dispensing 3d printing technology by printing a Strati car Jun 26, 2015 By Alecgenerally speaking,
3d printers come in all shapes and sizes, though some stand out more than others. After all, not all 3d printers are large enough to build gigantic cement structures,
but most that are are unique experimental models not yet ready for marketing. However, one Israeli startup called MASSIVIT is working hard on a 3d printer that could bring large scale 3d printing to the massive.
And as their name suggests, their machine is truly huge. With a build space of. 5m x 1. 2m x 1. 8m (or 4ft x 5ft x 6ft
they can actually 3d print life-sized human statues. Envisioning a wide variety of applications, the Israeli developers have emphasized just its potential by 3d printing an entire car body in a single piece.
This startup MASSIVIT has only been around since 2013, but has been founded by a group of industry veterans with years and years of experience in the 3d printing industry.
Having convinced numerous investors about their plans, they are aiming for the top and have three excellent prototype machines to help them get there.
Called GDP 3d printing (short for Gel Dispensing Printing), they believe their upcoming 3d printers are capable of igniting a market explosion in the 3d printing industry and beyond it.
And by the face of it, that could really happen. t the heart of the GDP process is Massivit unique printing gel & smart support.
they explain on their website. And as you can see in the clip below, that is essentially what GDP printing is all about;
curing, and the material properties of their ilament ll of these together enable the printing of relatively thick layers with linear movement of the dispensing
and the printer can be utilized at the same time to also print another object Perhaps printing Eve?,they speculate.
a UV sensitive polymer. he material is nonflammable, and has good structural strength similar to ABS materials commonly used in 3d printing.
The relatively low fluidity parameters of the gel create high advantages when building non-vertical walls,
and Smart Support structures or printing upport-less they explain. And that latter option is very interesting indeed,
as the Israeli engineers emphasize by 3d printing the body of a car. As reported in Israeli media, they 3d printed the body of a Strati car by Local Motors, with a bit of help from design specialists from Autodesk.
Autodesk Spark design platform was used for this version of the Strati, which will be on display at Ecomotion, a gathering of people from the Smart Transportation industry.
Lior Zeno, community manager of Ecomotion, told reporters that innovations like this are exactly what can lead to the next generation of creative design. ocal Motors
and the printed car is only one example of the opportunities that will be available in the near future.
The collaboration between Local Motors and Autodesk shows the huge possibilities for the smart transportation community in Israel.
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#Sweden+Project begins process of creating 3d printed houses from cellulose material Although some of the biggest stories in 3d printing over the past year have involved either very large-scale additive manufacturing projects such as those centered around creating entire houses or alternatively,
those focused on small nanoscale structures such as cell scaffolding for humans, wee rarely heard about the two coming together in one project.
Yet, in a new collaborative project that currently has over SEK 35 million invested in it,
a team of researchers and partners are developing a new technology that capable of producing full-scale 3d printed houses using cellulose material.
The project++Project, which is based out of the Sliperiet Fablab at Umeå Arts Campus, which is a part of the country well-regarded Umeå University,
will focus on setting the pace for the region to be at the forefront of manufacturing and construction industry technologies.
While the end-goal of the project is to lay the foundation for being able to print full-scale housing structures using cellulose-based materials,
the Sliperiet team will also be developing smaller housing lementsout of the material including weather stripping,
doors and modular walls. he idea of the project is to develop a technology that can be used in reinforcing the manufacturing industry in the region,
says Marlene Johansson, Director of Sliperiet. or Sliperiet, the project, entitled the+Project, is a part in the strategy of forming collaboration in an open and interdisciplinary innovative environment.
Here, meetings and collaborations are created between various scientific areas and together with companies in the region.
who contributed SEK 17.6 million to help push the country developments in digital manufacturing, sustainable building and 3d technology along.
and production and to ultimately create a learning center for sustainable building design. If all goes as scheduled,
when the project culminates. here is already technology in place to print parts of houses in concrete,
This opens up for incredibly exciting future opportunities for the regional forest and construction industry as well as for regional raw material. r
Especially with an increase of smartphones as navigational tools and even pedestrian use of smartphones that may make them ignorant to bicycle traffic activity,
As we start to see an evolution of smart cars that feature a number of connected sensors
and even their own wifi connections for assisting drivers, it only natural that wee also starting to see a new evolution of martbicycles that are capable of assisting us, too.
Similar to the driver assistance systems found within modern cars the Byxee, which was created by Italian AI specialist Riccardo Ricci,
incorporates a video camera and a microprocessor. A custom algorithm is able to detect shadows and contrast differences caused by irregularities on normal daylight road conditions.
Similar to driver assistance systems, if the software determines that an oncoming object may be a hazard,(in this case,
anything that measures more than 3 inches/76 mm) the cyclist is alerted via an audio alert.
This process of scanning the road in front of the bicycle happens hundreds of times per second at distances of up to 80 feet (25 m)- meaning that the alerts are highly-responsive to any number of potential hazards ranging from pedestrians to cars and flying
Like many other modern hardware devices, the Byzee was brought to life thanks to the low cost of 3d printing.
have developed previously smart technologies for car brands. According to the team, the Byxee is the result of over two years of research and development that covered every angle including technology, design and of course, functionality.
the team is selling the off the first production run for $139 apiece with a planned retail price of $249 after the campaign is over.
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#Paper-thin 3d printed solar cells to provide affordable electricity for unlit rural areas Jun 29, 2015 By Simonthanks to a recent surge of interest surrounding various alternative energy sources and technologies including Elon musk announcement of a Tesla home battery,
wee been seeing a number of new technologies that make harnessing these energies easier and more powerful than ever before-and many of them were created thanks to various additive manufacturing techniques.
Now, a new printed solar cell technology that only requires the use of existing industrial-size 3d printers
and some perovskite material may soon promise clean renewable for 1. 3 billion people in developing countries,
too. The new technology, which is capable of producing printed solar cells that are both flexible and inexpensive to transport,
is manufactured better for cells for rural communities because it doesn require the need for large quantities of silicon-based panels
which are produced in wafers and require large amounts of sunlight to be efficient. According to Scott Watkins, the director of the unit for overseas business at Korean firm Kyung-In Synthetic, these 3d printed solar cells have already been used in India. e witnessed firsthand how the technology has enabled urban poor communities in India
to access off-grid electricity says Watkins. ts success is due to its cost effectiveness and simplicity.
A 10×10 cm solar cell film is enough to generate as much as 10-50 watts per square meter. atkins recently spoke about the technology during the Smart Villages session of the World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul, South korea.
Among other topics discussed included the interest and funding of the technology, which saw a jump in energy efficiency jump from 3 percent to 20 percent in just a matter of a few years.
Of course, just like most other new technologies, the new printed cells are not without their development hurdles.
In their current state the printed cells have shown to be vulnerable to moisture which could lead to contamination
if a cell were to become brittle and break. According to Watkins, the organization is currently looking into different types of protective coatings that will help add durability to the cells without sacrificing their lightweight and flexible properties.
Additionally, replicating the production process that has proven to be successful in their own controlled lab environment has proven to be an expensive endeavor, too.
says Jones. Although gathering the funding is an uphill battle for any startup or nonprofit,
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#A new ink formulation allows you to 3d print objects out of stretchy graphene A few months ago,
we reported on the amazing work being done by a team of scientists from Northwestern University,
Wee already learned that the team from Northwestern University have developed a solution-based 3d printable graphene ink that can be used to make objects multiple centimeters in length.
To explain, graphene is essentially a form of carbon, just like diamonds or the lead in pencils.
flexible, and extremely durable (about a hundred times stronger than steel), it is also a very efficient conductor of heat
and electricity and is compatible with human cell tissue. In short, it could be the perfect filament for various technological and medical applications.
And while some graphene successes have been achieved previously, this specific ink contains more graphene than any previously developed 3d printable materials (the previous record was around the 20 percent).
What's more, the rest of the ink consists of a biocompatible biodegradable polyester (PLG) that,
also makes the ink flexible and safe to use in medical situations. Led by Ramille Shah,
who is the assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the Mccormick School of engineering, and her postdoc Adam Jakus, the team are
But it been a mostly polymer composite with graphene making up less than 20 percent of the volume
Shah explains on her university website. This means these materials don copy graphene properties and remain to brittle and fragile to use.
The presence of the other solvents and the interaction with the specific polymer binder chosen also has a significant contribution to its resulting flexibility and properties.
entitled hree-dimensional printing of high-content graphene scaffolds for electronic and biomedical applications. 3d printed graphene appeared on the cover.
And so far, biomedical experiments have been quite successful. As a test, her team populated a graphene scaffold with stem cells,
They are also already envisioning sensors, implants and other structures. ells conduct electricity inherently especially neurons.
the elasticity of the material can be tuned by changing the portions of graphene and polymers.
#Researchers create revolutionary optical fiber 3d printing technique for telecom and datacom industries As we continue to see more developments being made towards advancing additive manufacturing technologies,
Among others, researchers at the University of Southampton have been exploring ways of using additive manufacturing to produce optical fibers.
Currently, the majority of existing fibers are made using a labor intensive tack and drawprocess that involves stacking small glass capillaries by hand to create a preform,
which an optical fiber is drawn. Although this method produces consistent results the inability to control the shape
and composition of a fiber limits the degree of flexibility that engineers can use to design a fiber function.
the University of Southampton researchers have been able to form complex fibre structures by layering ultra-pure glass powder
and gradually building up a shape to create a preform. The new fabrication technique, which is currently being developed by Professor Jayanta Sahu along with his colleagues from the University of Southampton's Zepler Institute and co-investigator Dr Shoufeng Yang from the Faculty of engineering and Environment,
will ultimately allow engineers to manufacture new preform designs that are significantly more complex than existing fibers.
This new way of producing the fibers not only has the potential to dramatically change how existing fibers are produced,
but also pave the way for more complex optical fiber structures that are able to host a variety of applications for industries ranging from telecommunications and aerospace to biotechnologies and more."
"We will design, fabricate and employ novel Multiple Materials Additive manufacturing (MMAM) equipment to enable us to make optical fibre preforms (both in conventional
and microstructured fibre geometries) in silica and other host glass materials,"says Professor Sahu.""Our proposed process can be utilised to produce complex preforms,
which are otherwise too difficult, too time-consuming or currently impossible to be achieved by existing fabrication techniques."
"Unsurprisingly, fabricating the preform is one of the most challenging stages of optical fiber manufacturing and this new process has the potential to revolutionize multiple industries that use fiber optics-particularly telecom and datacom industries."
"We hope our work will open up a route to manufacture novel fibre structures in silica and other glasses for a wide range of applications, covering telecommunications, sensing, lab-in-a-fibre, metamaterial fibre,
and high-power lasers,"added Professor Sahu.""This is something that has never been tried before and we are excited about starting this project. r
#This 3d printed ' dough' could fix up your fractured bones As it seems like the entire medical world is finally becoming aware of
it is hardly surprising that we hear about exciting new (bioprinted) medical innovations almost every week.
This time, a team of scientists from the University of Nottingham show off an amazing 3d printing achievement.
The team has developed a new 3d bioprinting technique that allows them to 3d print a thick paste filled with protein-releasing microspheres that can be used to greatly speed up bone regeneration after fractures.
Entitled Cell and protein compatible 3d bioprinting of mechanically strong constructs for bone repair, it hands bioprinting scientists a whole new avenue to explore:
bioprinting at ambient temperatures as a viable option for the manufacturing of materials that can repair bone structures.
As Dr Jing Yang from the University of Nottingham, also one of the leading authors, explains,
3d bioprinting is a hot topic in the field of tissue engineering. owever it usually requires a printing environment that isn't compatible with living cells
which could help with more complicated reconstructions-such as nasal reconstruction. nd that temperature change is key to their success. Bioprinting technology typically relies on high temperatures (possibly through UV LIGHT or solvents).
hese harsh conditions may prevent the incorporation of cells and therapeutic proteins in the fabrication processes,
they write in their paper. ere we developed a method for using bioprinting to produce constructs from a thermoresponsive microparticulate material based on poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) at ambient conditions.
these materials formed porous constructs. urther study showed that protein-releasing microspheres could be incorporated into the bioprinted constructs.
The release of the model protein lysozyme from bioprinted constructs was sustained for a period of 15 days
and a high degree of protein activity could be measured up to day 9. This suggests that bioprinting is a viable route to the production of mechanically strong constructs for bone repair under mild conditions
What more, the body temperature environment needed to manufacture this material means that production costs remain relatively low.
This makes it quite easy to imagine complicated applications like filling bone fractures with this doughy material to not only make bones stronger during recovery from fractures
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