3D Printing In Ice For Science

3D Printing & Imaging Maker News
3D ice printing

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon have been hard at work coming up with new technologies for… science or something. What really caught our eye though, is that tiny ice-topus.

YouTube player

Ok, to be serious for a bit, this is actually very cool. They’re 3D printing these tiny structures using ice, submerging them in resin, then sublimating the ice out in order to make very precise molds for medical use.

If you think about it though, this is much harder than it looks. Water and ice don’t behave like we would always expect. For example, we all know most things shrink when they get cold, but water expands when it freezes. This makes 3d printing with it a peculiar endeavor.

Inverted cones caused by printing vertically

In the image above they show more of the peculiarity of 3d printing with water. If you try to build layers vertically without changing anything, they make these inverted cones. To get around this, they have to change the rate at which the system deposits new water at the top.

[via Additive Manufacturing]

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

I get ridiculously excited seeing people make things. I just want to revel in the creativity I see in makers. My favorite thing in the world is sharing a maker's story. find me at CalebKraft.com

View more articles by Caleb Kraft

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK