Modeling For Surgery
Doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital printed an exact replica of a little girl’s skull based on multiple MRI scans. The replica enabled a practice run through the first of many complex surgeries to treat the toddler’s Tessier cleft. The actual surgery was a success.
Futurist: Look To Spiders
Autodesk’s technology futurist Jordan Brandt told Quartz that the real 3D printing revolution will come when printing leaves the build tray. “We need to copy spiders,” he said. The industry should take notes from the arachnid’s ability to spin complex structures much larger than itself, Brandt explained.
Need For Speed
Using a new 3D printing technique, University of Buffalo student Bo Pang printed a 40×40×100mm print of the Eiffel Tower in just over 12 minutes. Comparable to Carbon3D’s oxygen permeable window featured two weeks ago, Pang’s design instead uses a thin layer of uncured resin to create a similar and cheaper ‘dead zone.’ Design issues remain, including difficulty printing solid — rather than trussed — structures due to increased suction force.
Unibody 3D printer, TIKO
With 24 days to go, a group out of Niagara Falls, NY has successfully reached their $100,000 Kickstarter goal to make a triangular unibody 3D printer. TIKO aims to eliminate printer calibration issues and reduce desktop footprint by replacing separate rail systems with its sleek unibody, and at just $179.
On The Rocks
Okay, it’s not technically 3D printed, but Japan’s Suntory Whiskey is using a CNC router chilled at -7 C° and Autodesk’s 123D app to create tiny versions of the Statue of Liberty, a guitar, and even a Batman bust.
The ice sculptures aren’t just admired by whiskey drinkers — the creations earned gold in AdWeekly’s Project Isaac Awards in 2014 and a Branded Content & Entertainment Lotus trophy at the Asia Pacific Advertising Festival in Thailand.
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