Print a New Rulebook

We talk a lot about medical advances enabled by 3D printing, but it’s rare to step back and really take in how transformational it all is. Scientists at the University of Melbourne released a study this week outlining how disruptive 3D printing technology will be to the medical profession, changing everything from how we replace organs and how we rehearse surgeries to the number of pills we’ll have to take and where we’ll get medical care. Read more at Futurity.org, and, in the meantime, contemplate this gorgeous 3D printed tumorous kidney:

So pretty (Credit: Austin Health 3D Medical Printing Laboratory via U. Melbourne)

Crushing It

We’ve been following NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge like some people follow sports. So, we were super excited that this latest, second phase of the challenge saw two competitors duke it out to create beams, cylinders, and domes for an extraterrestrial building — using 70% indigenous soil. As TechCrunch reported, to complete the circle of creation and destruction, the building elements were then CRUSHED, er, well, “compressed to failure.” If the future means making houses out of mud and then crushing them, it’s basically going to be a day at the beach.

First place winners Foster + Partners looking at their crushed achievement (Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Steampunk Scientist Solves Prehistoric Mystery

That header was fun to write. Even more fun is watching the impeccably steampunk gentleman in question explain his PhD research into just how a scary/cute ancient sea creature, the Pleiosaur, moved through the water with its very odd flippers. While he may look capable of time travel, it turns out that he wasn’t actually able to go back in time to see how the feat was accomplished. Can you guess what he did? That’s right — he 3D printed it! Watch the video below, delightfully narrated by said gentleman, for the full story on the results of his research and how they might make boats more efficient. Or time machines.

But… Is It Safe?

When you’re working with fused-deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers, you’re doing something pretty unusual for an average person: essentially, melting plastic all day. Researchers recently discovered that this releases volatile organic compounds, aldehydes, and nanoparticles that could, if ingested in high enough quantities, have negative effects on humans. As CE Mag reported, this led one group of researchers to ask, “How do we keep this from hurting anyone?” They discovered that a combination of enclosures around the printers, using low temperatures, and using low-emitting materials like polylactic acid (PLA) eliminates up to 99.5% of emissions. Phew.

The post The Week in 3D Printing: A Medical Revolution, Crushing a 3D Printed Building, a Prehistoric Revival, and Print Safety Check appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Here, Shelley tells us about her daily podcast rotation when she’s making your products, and her own functional ceramic artwork.

Where is your hometown?
Born in NYC (almost in a taxicab) and raised in Flushing, Queens.

How long have you been with Shapeways?
Just celebrated one year last week!

How long have you been 3D printing?
Not long. It’s been sporadic since taking a 101 class in college. Shapeways makes it easier since we have awesome Skillshare sessions on 3D modeling.

What is your favorite 3D printed object ever?
Oh dear. If I must choose, since there are so many different objects out there, it would be the Nervous System 3D printed dresses!

If you could 3D print something in any material, currently possible or not, what would you pick and why?
Body parts. There are so many people on organ waiting lists. And what if I lose my hands in a freak accident? I can just print a pair and attach them just as new.

How do you spend your time when you’re not bringing our community’s 3D printed vision to life?
I’m an ice-cream connoisseur and spend my weekends searching for NYC’s most delicious flavors. Also, I am a ceramic artist and make functional porcelainware at my studio in Greenpoint.

What’s the most exciting thing you’ve learned about 3D printing in your time at Shapeways?
My mind was blown when I learned that Frosted Extreme Detail plastic can print in 16 micron-layers. That’s 0.0016 centimeters! I give myself a minute during our manufacturing process to marvel at the intricate details of some of the models.

What’s on your work playlist?
I listen to Rick and Morty to tide me over until they release Season 3 this summer.

I am also unabashedly in love with prehistoric creatures and educate myself by listening to dinosaur podcasts.

If you started your own Shapeways shop, what would you sell?
Delightfully quirky jewelry and some ceramic Voronoi vases.

In a perfect world, what is the trajectory of 3D printing?
Accessible and affordable 3D printed medicine, food, and organs for people who are in need.

Give us some words to live by.
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. Especially when that time will pass you by anyway.

Do you have any questions for Shelley or the other 3D printing engineers? Let us know in the comments and we will deliver!

The post Meet the Shapies: Shelley Park appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Take a (3D) selfie

Appleinsider brought us some pretty serious-sounding speculation that Apple will roll out a 3D scanner with its iPhones 8. Some see an opportunity for scanning and printing almost anything, others see an opportunity for Snapchat to get even creepier.

Back it up now

Some people love to wait. Take Raphael Vangelis. Aside from having a preeeetty awesome name, the director/animator also appreciates the art of loading screens — enough to take them from digital to analog format, creating stop-motion animations with his own special twists, as The Verge reported. Now, hurry up and wait:

Analogue Loaders from Raphael Vangelis on Vimeo.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll kiss back pain goodbye

Printing in space got even more interesting somehow this week when the Made In Space printer aboard the International Space Station produced a “laugh” (a print of a 3D model of sound waves emitted during laughter, natch). Get all of the laughs on Space.com. MEANWHILE IN SYRIA, Vice brought us the moving story of Ibrahim Mohammad, a refugee who’s working to bring relief to Syrian and Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon — in the form of 3D printed limbs. Read the whole beautiful, harrowing tale here. Less dramatic, but no less useful was the revelation that 3D printing is a better way to produce pills, as reported by 3Dprint.com. And, in an even more stunning innovation for 3D printing, a woman in India received 3D printed titanium vertebrae implants, and was pain-free 12 days after the 10-hour, life-threatening surgery that this entailed. Slow clap.

Image courtesy flickr user Vagawi

Ride a dino

As TheHindu.com reported, Paleontologists in New South Wales are using 3D printing to recreate a dinosaur they’re quickly digging up. Combined with a planned VR experience, they’ll use the model they’re making to immerse people in an encounter with a dino. Just don’t get too friendly… or get any ideas about cloning extinct dinosaurs for inclusion in a theme park-like setting.

Get that (3D) model body

Most of us know David Barton gyms as body-conscious places where people go to “tighten things up” to the beats of a hired DJ (really). Now, as CBSNewYork tells it, members have a chance to drill down on what exactly that weight loss routine is doing, thanks to 3D scanning and a personalized 3D model you can use to “sculpt” a new you. Now, we can all have a model body.

Low Poly Human Male derived from a 3D PD model, by GDJ

The post The Week in 3D Printing appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Sifting through the array of models in Jin’s shop, it’s impossible not to let your imagination run a little wild, assisted by the fact that many of the designs are paired with an animation of the 3D modeled dinosaur in action (running, attacking – it’s all there). Due to my weakness for awkward-looking animals, the Carnotaurus model is my favorite – look at its tiny little arms! How does that dinosaur give hugs? Scratch its head? Do anything, basically?

Carnotaurus (Medium / Large size) by VITAMIN IMAGINATION

Obviously wanting to fangirl, I asked Jin lots of questions about his models for this Designer Spotlight, so without further ado:

What do you use to guide the dinosaur designs?
Because dinosaurs are extinct, restoring them in a scientifically accurate way is not an easy task. I collect not only the skeleton pictures of the dinosaurs I want to make, but also skeleton data of similar animals. In addition, since extinct dinosaurs are steadily studied, I review the latest academic information. If the collected scientific data and my imagination are in the wrong combination, we can create a strange monster so I review skeletal data of existing animals that are similar to the dinosaurs that I want to restore. The skin patterns of reptiles, for example, are extremely beneficial in guiding the creation of my dinosaur designs.

I use ZBrush for dinosaur-making, Rhino3D for product structure, and KeyShot for rendering. When I prepare a lot of materials, I make the dinosaurs with a ZBrush. In the middle, I get advice from a dinosaur researcher in South Korea. So I try to make nice designs of scientifically accurate dinosaurs.

Tyrannosaurus vs. Triceratops Skeleton by VITAMIN IMAGINATION

Your dinosaur designs are now incredibly complex and highly detailed. How long did it take you to master 3D design?
I have been studying ZBrush since 2011 and have been using it until now. In the beginning, my ability was a mess. Recent dinosaurs I have made are better in design and scientific knowledge than my past dinosaurs.

The dinosaurs I had studied and worked on for about two years were the first to receive praise. While I’m much more knowledgeable than when I first started, I continue to study, learn, and strive to improve my skills because there’s always room for growth.

Jin’s earliest Breeding Kit models

How long does it take to model each design?
Typically, I invest a week to design one dinosaur, but it’s a continuation of a long process of research, collecting data, and consulting experts. When the print has been completed, the work is post-processed with paint.

Ceratopsian small package by VITAMIN IMAGINATION

Check out Jin’s shop – it’s a very realistic-looking blast from the past (which is also what probably killed the dinosaurs, womp womp). There are also Jin’s adorably cartoonish baby dinos in the New Breeding Kit section, for all your cuteness needs.

Triceratops Head skull flower pot by VITAMIN IMAGINATION

The post Designer Spotlight: Jin Kyeom – VITAMIN-IMAGINATION appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

DINOVEMBER has taken over and things are getting crazy at Shapeways HQ! After all our recent news about 3D Printing in Space with our friends Future Engineers, Grumpy Cat, Doge, Jebediah and some other 3D printed friends blasted off to see what the buzz was all about.

Upon arriving in a land far, far away, they were greeted by their pal Rawr Dinosaur. As they all gathered around to catch up and talk about space life, something truly magical happened. A bacon mobius descended from the atmosphere and provided endless space bacon!

See all the fun unfold in this stop motion film:

On a slightly more serious Dinovember note, did you know they uncovered new dinosaurs this year? Giant vegans, no less! How cool is that? You can check out these featured dinos and many others on our dinosaur featured page! If you’re feeling extra inspired, you can enter our Dinovember weekend contest and model your own dinosaur!

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