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Category: 3D printing

“Researchers Successfully Implant Living, Functional 3D Printed Human Tissue Into Animals”

My question is “why?”

The news has been full of stories about new advancements in 3D printed tissue. Companies such as Organovo and research institutions such as the University of California San Diego are leading the charge in the development of 3D printed, functional human tissue, particularly liver tissue. So far, printed tissue is being used mostly for pharmaceutical drug testing, but everyone in the 3D printing biosphere professes the ultimate goal of eventually producing whole, fully functional human organs that can be transplanted into patients. Most experts agree that it will happen; it’s just a matter of when.

It’s also a matter of who. The race to be the first to 3D print a transplantable human organ is an intense one, and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center may have just pulled into the lead. Regenerative medicine researchers at the North Carolina hospital have announced that they have printed ear, bone and muscle structures and successfully implanted them into animals. The structures, after being implanted, matured into functional tissue and sprouted new systems of blood vessels, and their strength and size mean that they could feasibly be implanted into humans in the future.

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3D Printing for the skull.

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Ceramics are a particularly interesting material in 3D printing, I think. When one thinks of ceramics, one typically thinks of china, pottery, coffee mugs, etc. The material is used in a much wider range of applications than most people realize, though, and the Ceramaker 3D printer has been demonstrating the versatility of ceramics while satisfying customers across multiple industries.

Developed by French company 3DCeram, the Ceramaker first caught our attention when it was displayed at Euromold last year. The printer utilizes pastes made from photopolymers combined with alumina, zirconia or hydroxypatite (HA), and 3DCeram is consistently working on developing new materials – they also offer custom formulations tailored to the needs of customers. Even without extra customization, though, the Ceramaker’s materials almost tailor themselves to a variety of applications in a number of industries.

For example, a ceramic paste made with alumina, aka aluminum oxide, is ideal for electronics thanks to its electrically insulating and conductive properties. It’s also hard and tough, making it a good abrasive or cutting tool. Zirconia, or zirconium dioxide, is a favorite of jewelers thanks to its high thermal stability and resistance to wear and chemicals, while hydroxypatite is similar to the substance of human bone, making it ideal for biocompatible implants.

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Wonder when someone will attempt to 3D Print Atlantis; or recreate the ancient Colossus of Rhodes.

Rio 2016 is a much-awaited event of people from all over the world that has already been happening in Brazil. On the other hand, the Summer Olympics that was held in Atlanta in 1996 has celebrated their 20th anniversary by creating a replica of Zeus using 3D printing technology. The statue of Zeus that was taken from Olympia is commonly used to represent the Olympics. As a matter of fact, it is also considered as a part of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.

The Use of 3D Printing in Reviving the Statue of Zeus in Olympia

The statue of Zeus can be seen in the heart of the Olympics that was founded in Olympia in 776 BC. The Olympic Games is known to be the most significant event that happened in Greece that brought Greeks together with their religious and cultural bond. They have organized the games in respect to Zeus who is the king of the gods and ruled Mount Olympus. The events happen every four years for more than thousands of years that takes five days. During this event, you will notice how they give it importance because of the peace that people experience despite the wars that they have to fight.

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Next to the medical field, as we follow the significant impacts 3D printing is making on the world, that of aerospace is right at the top of the list. While some are still confused about the actual importance of 3D printing as it hasn’t really affected them personally yet, it’s important to think on a much bigger scale. And there’s not much of a bigger scale than space.

For those who are cynical about the technology, pointing back to the continual supply of keychains and figurines (we all have to start somewhere, thank you!) being pumped out in plastic at the desktop, when you take a look at how long NASA has been involved with additive manufacturing—and how many parts they are using now—well, that’s impressive. Not only that, because of numerous 3D printed parts, larger components are being made that would not have been possible previously, and certainly not with such a level of customization, speed, and affordability.

download (15)We learn more about NASA and their plans continually, allowing for an education not only in the importance of 3D printed parts today, but also quite simply in how space travel is considered and what the future holds. It’s pretty darned exciting, as you are probably aware. And technology such as 3D printing has been playing a well-publicized part in everything from space suits for travel to Mars to 3D printed rocket engines. And when you couple the space technology excitement from NASA with the latest from Aerojet Rocketdyne, the details start to get intense.

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Last month, NASA announced the winner of its 3D Printed Habitat Challenge, a competition in which entrants were tasked to develop architectural concepts. These concepts were to implement 3D printing techniques for the construction of habitats on Mars, using materials that could be sourced from the Red Planet itself.

The 3D Printed Habitat Challenge received 165 submissions, with the thirty highest scoring entries being displayed at the New York Maker Faire on September 27th. The overall winner and recipient of the $25,000 grand prize was Team Space Exploration Architecture and Clouds Architecture Office with their Mars Ice House design. The runners up were Team Gamma, who received $15,000, whilst third place was awarded to Team LavaHive.

“The creativity and depth of the designs we’ve seen have impressed us,” said Centennial Challenges Program Manager Monsi Roman. “These teams were not only imaginative and artistic with their entries, but they also really took into account the life-dependent functionality our future space explorers will need in an off-Earth habitat.”

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I never get tired of talking about the many uses for Q-dot technology. One area that has me even more intrigued is how it is used in crystallized formations. I expect to see more and more experimenting on crystalized formations on many fronts including complex circuitry for performance and storage.

And, with synthetic technology today plus 3D printing along with Q-dots we could (as I have eluded to many times over several months) truly begin to see some amazing technology be developed on the wearable tech front.

Wearables could include synthetic circuitry stones in various accessories to not only store information, but also serve as another form of unique id because in synthetic stones we have been able (like in nature) create complex crystalized formations that are each unique/ 1 of a kind like a unique finger print, or iris of an eye. I expect to see some very interesting things coming in this space.

Unique optical features of quantum dots make them an attractive tool for many applications, from cutting-edge displays to medical imaging. Physical, chemical or biological properties of quantum dots must, however, be adapted to the desired needs.

Unfortunately, up to now quantum dots prepared by chemical methods could only be functionalized using copper-based click reactions with retention of their luminescence. This obstacle can be ascribed to the fact that copper ions destroy the ability of quantum dots to emit light. Scientists from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IPC PAS) in Warsaw and the Faculty of Chemistry of the Warsaw University of Technology (FC WUT) have shown, however, that zinc oxide (ZnO) quantum dots prepared by an original method developed by them, after modification by the click reaction with the participation of copper ions, fully retain their ability to emit light.

“Click reactions catalyzed by copper cations have long attracted the attention of chemists dealing with quantum dots. The experimental results, however, were disappointing: after modification, the luminescence was so poor that they were just not fit for use. We were the first to demonstrate that it is possible to produce quantum dots from organometallic precursors in a way they do not lose their valuable optical properties after being subjected to copper-catalysed click reactions,” says Prof. Janusz Lewinski (IPC PAS, FC WUT).

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They might not work, but no one will know for sure unless they’re given a chance.

That’s the general idea behind the recent selection of five aviation-related technologies for vigorous study as part of NASA’s ongoing Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project during the next two years of so, which itself is now in its second year.

Researchers will study a new kind of fuel cell, increasing electric motor output with the help of 3D printing, use of Lithium-Air batteries to store energy, new mechanisms for changing the shape of a wing in flight and basing a new antenna design on the use of lightweight aerogel.

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