Tag: 3D Printing

Tailored prosthetics create optimal conditions for movement. When it comes to the body of electric cars, design depends on established battery sizes and desired performance. In order to create more flexibility, a US startup has developed a manufacturing process, whereby solid-state batteries are 3D printed. Different sorts of powder made from glass, ceramics or metal can be combined in...

Sporting activities reduce cancer cells in our bodies and power our fitness trackers. Purifying wastewater, however, requires a lot of energy - or does it? Not according to a South Korean research team. Their multi-layered, printable membrane, which is not subject to size restrictions, could be used to generate electricity during the treatment process. Because the top polymer layer...

A smartphone can help detect the Zika virus. But research into how mosquitoes spread diseases is disagreeable for living test objects and both expensive and time-consuming. Cue a research team from Rice University, which has developed a cost-effective method using a synthetic, 3D-printed hydrogel skin. The gel is placed in a closed chamber with mosquitoes, and its tiny passageways...

Sawdust makes for stylish furniture, while flags embedded with seeds have a blossoming afterlife. Now, a research team from the University of Virginia is creating building elements from soil impregnated with stonecrop seeds. The 3D printed, one-metre high walls are soon ablaze with lush green. These reusable structures are not only low in emissions but also store CO2, while...

In Nigeria, mothers can obtain no-strings support to help them prepare for birth, while a special lab in Canada is looking after the health of older women. Now, another Canadian startup is helping women counter pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence by manufacturing customised pessaries from medical-grade silicone. First, a patient’s pelvic floor is digitally measured. Using this data,...

New beaches are being made from old glass bottles, while egg shells morph into tiles for home. Now an LA startup is using recycled plastic to create houses with up to 80㎡ of living space. Polymers, 60% of which come from plastic bottles and food packaging, are processed to form a mass which is 3D-printed into a simple shape....

New beers seem to be on tap at the touch of a button. Now, a US research team is using artificial intelligence to make products of various shapes easier to pick up during manufacturing. Allowing existing production lines to be adapted and automated at low cost. Their system is fed with a 3D model of the object in order...

Shower water can launder clothes. This pump rids drinking water of pathogens. As part of a recent American Chemical Society meeting, meanwhile, high school students from Maryland presented their solution to prevent lead contamination. Their 3D-printed 7.5cm tall filter is made from biodegradable plastic and can be easily attached to the faucet. It contains a cartridge filled with a...