Advances In 3D Printing Technology Research Articles

SHEARING TESTS APPLIED TO PANTOGRAPHIC STRUCTURES

With the advancements in 3D printing technology, rapid manufacturing of fabric materials with complex geometries became possible. By exploiting this technique, different materials with different structures have been developed in the recent past with the objective of making generalized continuum theories useful for technological applications. So-called pantographic structures are introduced: Inextensible fibers are printed in two arrays orthogonal to each other in parallel planes. These superimposed planes are inter-connected by elastic cylinders. Five differently-sized samples were subjected to shear-like loading while their deformation response was analyzed. Results show that deformation behavior is strong non-linear for all samples. Furthermore, all samples were capable to resist considerable external shear loads without leading to complete failure of the whole structure. This extraordinary behavior makes these structures attractive to serve as an extremely tough metamaterial.

Split-Rib Cranioplasty Using a Patient-Specific Three-Dimensional Printing Model.

Split-Rib Cranioplasty Using a Patient-Specific Three-Dimensional Printing Model.

A Review on Energy Harvesting Using 3D Printed Fabrics for Wearable Electronics

Embedding of energy harvesting systems into wearable health and environment monitoring systems, like integration of smart piezoelectric fibers into soldier fabric structures opens up avenues in generating electricity from natural mechanical movements for self-powering of wearable electronics. Emergence of multitudinous of materials and manufacturing technologies has enabled realization of various energy harvesting systems from mechanical movements. The materials and manufacturing related to 3D printing of energy harvesting fabrics are reviewed in this paper. State-of-the-art energy harvesting sources are briefly described following which an in-depth analysis on the materials and 3D printing techniques for energy harvesting fabrics are presented. While tremendous motivation and opportunity exists for wider-scale adoption of 3D printing for this niche area, the success depends on efficient design of three critical factors namely materials, process and structure. The present review discusses on the complex issues of materials selection, modelling and processing of 3D printed fabrics. The paper culminates by presenting a discussion on how future advancements in 3D printing technology might be useful for development of wearable electronics.

Novel Uses for Three-Dimensional Printing in Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease affects 1–2 % of the world’s population and is the leading cause of mortality among infants in the US. The diagnosis and management of congenital heart disease are largely driven by review of two-dimensional (2D) images derived from echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance, and cardiac computed tomography. However, congenital heart disease is a three-dimensional (3D) problem, and 2D display methods often lack critical spatial information. Cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons rely on mental conversion of 2D data into a 3D understanding of the spatial relationships of intracardiac structures. Over the last 10 years, significant advances in 3D printing technology have made it possible to create life-like, printed models of any part of the human anatomy, including congenital heart defects. These printed models, placed in an operator’s hands, have the potential to assist in communication of the size, location, and degree of defect and aid in procedural planning. The use of 3D models has the potential to decrease operative procedure times, decrease radiation exposure in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, and overall sedation and anesthetic requirement. In addition, they have considerable educational value wherein defects can be examined from every angle, and the complex 3D relationships of cardiac structures can be displayed in three dimensions and held in the hand.

4D Printing Technology: A Review

Abstract 3D printing has been recognized as a disruptive technology for future advanced manufacturing systems. With a great potential to change everything from our daily lives to the global economy, significant advances in 3D printing technology have been made with respect to materials, printers, and processes. In this context, although similar to 3D printing technology, 4D printing technology adds the fourth dimension of time. 4D printing allows a printed structure to change its form or function with time in response to stimuli such as pressure, temperature, wind, water, and light. Recently, rapid advances in printing processes and materials development for 3D printing have allowed the printing of smart materials or multimaterials designed to change function or shape. In this review, we first compare the similarities and differences between 3D printing and 4D printing. We then look into the main factors composing 4D printing technology such as smart materials and designs. Finally, we summarize the curren...

Building DIY science equipment

The article, “Building Research Equipment with Free, Open-Source Hardware”, by Dr. Joshua Pearce [1], that was published in the journal Science three years ago had captured the attention of scientists and non-scientists alike. The advantages of making your own do-it-yourself (DIY) scientific equipment are: 1) customization, 2) shared design promotes a better design as the scientific community can contribute to its design, and last but not least 3) cost-saving. Making DIY scientific equipment has become feasible due to the advancement of 3D printing technology, the highly adaptable microcontroller (e.g. Arduino), and the free and open-source design and software. As a matter of fact, one can even make a 3D printer. In today’s limited funding environment, stretching one’s own funding has been essential to the survival of many laboratories. In the protocol titled “Open Source and DIY Hardware for DNA Nanotechnology Labs” in this issue of Journal of Biological Methods [2], Damase et al. showed us easy and cost-effective ways to build a DIY gel scanner, a horizontal gel mold, and a homogenizer. They also demonstrated how the equipment could be used to perform experiments that are typical for a DNA nanotechnology lab. DIY equipment can reduce lab equipment costs about 50 to 90%. The authors also discussed the applications of 3D printing technology, a process of making 3 dimensional solid objects from a digital file. True to the concept of free and open-source, the 3D printing designs can be found at NIH 3D Print Exchange (3dprint.nih.gov). The NIH 3D Print Exchange was started by the HHS Ignite and HHS Ventures initiatives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ HHS IDEA Lab. By allowing detailed designs and models to be freely available to the public, it enables scientists not only to educate the public but also to reproduce and improve the experiments. It will benefit the scientific community for years to come. As technology advances and information begins to flow freely, one will expect the “free and open-source” movement to accelerate. To popularize this movement further, educators may include the building of DIY equipment as part of their curriculum. Also, principal investigators should encourage their trainees about different cost-saving measures to prepare them to do more with less under the current funding situation.

Introducing 3-Dimensional Printing of a Human Anatomic Pathology Specimen: Potential Benefits for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education and Anatomic Pathology Practice.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing, a rapidly advancing technology, is widely applied in fields such as mechanical engineering and architecture. Three-dimensional printing has been introduced recently into medical practice in areas such as reconstructive surgery, as well as in clinical research. Three-dimensionally printed models of anatomic and autopsy pathology specimens can be used for demonstrating pathology entities to undergraduate medical, dental, and biomedical students, as well as for postgraduate training in examination of gross specimens for anatomic pathology residents and pathology assistants, aiding clinicopathological correlation at multidisciplinary team meetings, and guiding reconstructive surgical procedures. To apply 3D printing in anatomic pathology for teaching, training, and clinical correlation purposes. Multicolored 3D printing of human anatomic pathology specimens was achieved using a ZCorp 510 3D printer (3D Systems, Rock Hill, South Carolina) following creation of a 3D model using Autodesk 123D Catch software (Autodesk, Inc, San Francisco, California). Three-dimensionally printed models of anatomic pathology specimens created included pancreatoduodenectomy (Whipple operation) and radical nephrectomy specimens. The models accurately depicted the topographic anatomy of selected specimens and illustrated the anatomic relation of excised lesions to adjacent normal tissues. Three-dimensional printing of human anatomic pathology specimens is achievable. Advances in 3D printing technology may further improve the quality of 3D printable anatomic pathology specimens.

Tissue vascularization through 3D printing: Will technology bring us flow?

Though in vivo models provide the most physiologically relevant environment for studying tissue function, in vitro studies provide researchers with explicit control over experimental conditions and the potential to develop high throughput testing methods. In recent years, advancements in developmental biology research and imaging techniques have significantly improved our understanding of the processes involved in vascular development. However, the task of recreating the complex, multi-scale vasculature seen in in vivo systems remains elusive. 3D bioprinting offers a potential method to generate controlled vascular networks with hierarchical structure approaching that of in vivo networks. Bioprinting is an interdisciplinary field that relies on advances in 3D printing technology along with advances in imaging and computational modeling, which allow researchers to monitor cellular function and to better understand cellular environment within the printed tissue. As bioprinting technologies improve with regards to resolution, printing speed, available materials, and automation, 3D printing could be used to generate highly controlled vascularized tissues in a high throughput manner for use in regenerative medicine and the development of in vitro tissue models for research in developmental biology and vascular diseases.

Printing 3D objects with interlocking parts

Recent advances in 3D printing technologies bring wide range of applications from fast prototyping to product manufacturing. However, one intrinsic limitation of 3D printing is that we cannot fabricate a single object that is larger than the working volume of a 3D printer. To address this issue, we may partition the given object into 3D parts of manageable sizes for printing, and then assemble the object from the printed 3D parts. Rather than using connectors, glue, or skew, we propose to connect the printed 3D parts by 3D interlocking such that the assembled object can be not only repeatedly disassembled and reassembled, but also strongly connected by the parts' own geometry. To achieve these, we develop a voxelization-based approach to partition a given 3D model into 3D interlocking parts. To guarantee the generated 3D parts to be structurally sound and well-connected by 3D interlocking, we deform the local geometry of the 3D model to avoid voxel fragmentation, employ internal voxels to create initial interlocking parts, and analyze the local shape within voxels to guide the final parts construction. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on 3D models with a variety of shapes, and realize some of them by 3D printing.

The additive manufacturing revolution and the corresponding legal landscape

Additive manufacturing or three-dimensional (3D) printing is rapidly becoming a viable production method, advancing from its origins as a ‘rapid-prototyping’ technology. However, advances in 3D printing technology indicate that 3D printing machines will proliferate in corporate manufacturing and the homes of consumers. Moreover, the advent of bioprinting could potentially transform regenerative medicine.3D printing presents unique challenges to the owners of intellectual property rights. Rather than purchasing objects through a company or manufacturer, an entity or individual may simply download blueprints to print product components. An infringer may well be the consumer with no clear third party to hold responsible for inducing the infringement. Such infringement, if widespread and unchecked, may undermine investment in research and development, in turn leading to innovative stagnation.This article presents the quandary accompanying the additive manufacturing revolution, the corresponding legal developments in its wake, and various approaches to protect innovation in today's changing landscape.