There’s no fancy name for the technology yet (unless laser-assisted direct ink writing counts), but the gist of it is this: A nozzle moves along a preset path sending out a thin stream of silver nanoparticles, while at the same time a laser follows its progress, heating the particles and solidifying them into a freestanding filament thinner than a human hair.

Inside the nozzle, the flow of nanoparticles has to be precisely controlled to keep the metal thread’s width uniform, and the laser must adjust as well so as not to leave any particles un-annealed, or apply too much heat and solidify the ink inside the extruder.

The results are beautiful and flexible single-piece structures that can take almost any form — useful for creating structural elements like tiny springs and buttresses, as well as circuits.

Source: Techcrunch.com

Developed by Anthony Atala and his team at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the mini-organs represent the first step in developing an entire human body on a chip.

The hearts were created by reprogramming human skin cells into heart cells, which were then clumped together in a cell culture. A 3D printer was then used to give them the desired shape and size – in this case, a diameter of 0.25 millimetres.

The scaled-down organs are being developed to mimic the function of their life-size counterparts. Eventually, they could be linked up to form an entire organ system that could be used to test new treatments or probe the effects of chemicals and viruses.

The approach is being developed as an alternative to animal testing, which is costly and doesn’t always produce results that are applicable to humans.

Source: Www.newscientist.com

Mark Deadrick, president of 3dyn, saw TurboRoo’s call for wheels on the Internet and designed a small wheeled cart, estimating the size from online photos. He printed the model in bright orange, slapped on some Rollerblade wheels, and sent the cart to TurboRoo’s owner. Now the wee doggie is scooting along on a free, fully hackable set of super-legs.

Why is this cool? Because, before 3D printing, TurboRoo’s owners would have had to build something out of ready-made pipes, cloth, and other materials at great cost. Now, however, the cart can be custom-fit to TR’s body, reprinted at will, and even modified by other designers. Best of all, they can make multiple carts for almost nothing and in almost no time.

This isn’t the first time 3D printing has made animals’ – and peoples’ – lives better. I’m reminded first of the robotic hands that are now helping handicapped kids grasp objects. On the Metazoan front, designers built a cute leg for a duck in January and there are currently penguins and other fowl with 3D-printed beaks. But there’s nothing quite like seeing a little dog scoot to warm the heating elements of my heart.

Hat tip to DowntownPetVet for helping little Roo!

via 3DPrint

Source: Techcrunch.com

The Ekocycle printer will be available from Cubify for $1,200 later this year, and will use filament cartridges that contain at least three recycled 20 oz. PET plastic bottles, but the material still retains the flexibility and durability of standard 3D printer filament.

Unfortunately, because Will.i.am is the Chief Creative Officer of 3DSystems, which has designed the printer, the recycled filament material will only be available in a "curated" color palette of red, black, white, and natural. Limiting, but it’s a safe assumption that other colors will eventually be made available.

But if you can’t wait, remember that Coca-Cola has already come up with a clever way to recycle its bottles that’s far more useful than yet another iPhone case. [3D Systems via designboom]

Photos by designboom

Source: Gizmodo.com

The Osteoid, created by Turkish student Deniz Karasahin, incorporates 3D printing and ultrasonic tech to make healing a broken bone more bearable.

The idea of ultrasonic healing vibrations to heal bones (and other wounds) has been around for a while. But the problem was doctors couldn’t get past the plaster cast to apply the vibrational therapy.

Take a look at the pic below and you’ll see the Osteoid’s skeletal design allows ultrasonic drivers to be placed directly on the skin.

The Osteoid is just a prototype at the moment. However, future production will enable each individual to have a custom-fitted cast.

Combine this cast with the accompanying low-intensity, pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) bone stimulator system (shown above) and, according to Karasahin:

For single 20 minute daily sessions this system promises to reduce the healing process up to 38% and increase the heal rate up to 80% in non-union fractures.

The only downside is you won’t be able to get your friends to sign it anymore.

Source: Techcrunch.com

“Imagine being able to walk into a hospital and have a full organ printed – or bio-printed, as we call it – with all the cells, proteins and blood vessels in the right place, simply by pushing the ‘print’ button in your computer screen,” said Dr. Luiz Bertassoni of the University of Sydney. “While recreating little parts of tissues in the lab is something that we have already been able to do, the possibility of printing three-dimensional tissues with functional blood capillaries in the blink of an eye is a game changer.”

The vessels are then used to move nutrients through bioprinted tissues, allowing for better cell differentiation and growth.

This technique will allow researchers to build “organs” in the lab by growing cells on the network of capillaries. The researchers believe this will eventually lead to true organ regeneration, which sounds amazing.

Source: Techcrunch.com