Students Revolutionize Medical Training with 3D Printing
Students at the University of Alabama in Huntsville have recently catapulted the study of medicine at the school’s College of Nursing into the future, using 3D printing technology to create the tools necessary for realistic medical training simulations. As reported by the 3D Printing Industry, Dr. Lori Lioce, and Norvern Goddard, two scientists working at the […]
Netherlands Builds World’s First Commercial 3D Printed Houses
3D Printing Technology in the Netherlands The city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands is soon to be home to a community of five homes built sustainably and efficiently using 3D printing. The community, known as Project Milestone, will begin with a small, 1,000-square foot home with walls just under 2 inches thick. Later houses […]
Scientists 3D Print Human Heart Tissue
3D Printing News A major breakthrough in the world of 3D printing and medical science has just occurred in Chicago, as medical technology firm BIOLIFE4D has successfully printed a human cardiac patch. Reported by 3ders.org, the patch made by the group was especially notable for including multiple different kinds of cells rather than just a […]
GM Realizes Massive Cost Savings with 3D Printing
Automotive manufacturing giant General Motors, a company that was among the first automakers to seriously explore the potential of 3D printing, recently revealed that it has saved $300,000 over a two year period as a result of the technology. The company now hopes to save millions more by implementing and standardizing 3D printing more widely […]
Adidas Prepares for Mass Manufacturing with 3D Printing
Footwear giant Adidas recently announced its plans to greatly expand the role of 3D printing in its manufacturing processes. The company is planning an ambitious project to put 3D-printed midsoles into as many as 100,000 pairs of shoes by the end of 2018, with millions of pairs featuring the midsoles within a few years. […]
3D Printing as an Art Activity for Kids
With 3D printing technology becoming more and more widespread, it’s increasingly important that kids be taught how to use 3D printers at a young age. Though 3D printers need to be introduced in ways that are fun and engaging for children, it’s also important that the activities kids perform using these devices are educational and […]
3D Printing Provides Competitive Edge at The Olypmics
By the time an athlete has reached the level of competing in the Olympics, they are already operating at the top of their field. As physical techniques are refined from arts to sciences, shaving a hundredth of a second off a run, or adding a tenth of a point to an athlete’s score is of […]
American Military Explores Sustainable 3D Printing With Recycled Materials
In the most recent of several research studies by the American military into potential applications of 3D printing, the United States Army and Marine Corps have entered into a joint project to explore the use of recycled plastic filaments. The goal of the study is to successfully use the PET plastic found in common water […]
3D Printed Homes Could Bring an End to Homelessness
The American construction technologies company ICON just unveiled the first permitted, 3D printed home in the city of Austin, Texas. ICON produced this cozy little home in less than 24 hours with their revolutionary 3D printer, which is loaded with a blend of concrete designed for safety, comfort, resiliency, and minimization of waste. Technology With Purpose The […]
3D printed sensors for soft robots
The development of soft robotics, that is to say, robots made of soft, flexible materials, has been stymied by the fact that sensors have to be made of relatively rigid materials. The problem for soft robots may well have been solved thanks to the efforts of a group of researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering […]
Canadian Fabrication Team Completes First 3D Printed Camper Trailer
In the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, a fabrication team recently announced the completion of the world’s first 3D-printed camper trailer. The camper, known as The Wave, represents the single largest indoor 3D printing project ever undertaken. To execute the print, the team used a massive 3D printer dubbed the Printtron. At present, the Printtron is the largest known printer […]
The Next Generation of 3D Printable Materials for Home Printing
3D printing has already come a long way. In 1983 pioneering inventor Chuck Hull developed the first stereolithography device that used UV rays. This process hardened resins layer-by-layer into 3D objects. Since that time, the technology has not only become applicable to a wide range of new materials but has also brought the ability to […]
How 3D Printing Contributes to Philanthropic Causes
Though it finds most of its use in the business world, 3D printing and philanthropic causes go hand in hand around the world. The same characteristics that make 3D printing transformative in manufacturing also make it extremely useful in furthering charitable initiatives. Here are a few of the ways 3D printing technology is helping the less […]
A New Era of Creativity: Kids and 3D Printing
In a world where 1-year-olds are becoming proficient at iPhones and toddlers know how to queue up Netflix, could kids and 3D printing go hand in hand? In short, yes, and its applications for kids are endless. From creating their own Lego pieces to designing parts for competition robots and making prosthetic hands, 3D printing […]
History of 3D Printing
3D printing uses computer technology to create 3-dimensional solid objects. 3D printing combines the additive process or layering the material in thin horizontal cross-sections, and the computer program to print solid objects. You can create almost anything from 3D printing including toys, guns, or machine parts. The history of 3D printing is important to understanding […]
Three Major Companies That Already Use 3D Printing
If you’ve been paying attention to news from the tech world over the last several years, you’ve probably seen 3D printing billed as the manufacturing technology of the future. The fact is, however, businesses that drive the global economy are already utilising 3D printing. Here are three major companies that are already putting 3D printing […]
3D Printing in Action: How Small Businesses Are Using Additive Manufacturing
There’s no shortage of hype around 3D printing, more technically known as additive manufacturing. Since the time that the general public became widely aware of it, claims ranging from the mass elimination of traditional manufacturing jobs to a complete and radical overhauling of the global economy have been made because of it. With so many […]
3D Printing in Everyday Life: Real Life Uses for 3D Printers
Your boss has asked you to come up with an idea for a new playground. You could sketch a plan in 2D and spend hours explaining your ideas, or you could create tiny replicas of playground equipment using a 3D printer, and make a scaled model of your plan. You build furniture for a living. […]
Applying 3D Printing Across the Curriculum
As 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has integrated itself into day-to-day life, the number of applications for it has grown tremendously. One of the most exciting uses of 3D printing is in the educational sphere, where it can be used to help students better understand and engage with course material. The advantages of […]
Cool Innovations in 3D Printing
Advancements in technology have spawned some pretty incredible things. In particular, 3D printing is making a positive impact on everything from education, medicine, and even the auto industry. Highlighting some examples from each, it’s pretty incredible to think about what other life-changing innovations lie ahead. Physics education Dr. Steven Sahyun, a physics professor, currently uses 3D […]
Creating a PJ Masks Gekko cake
For my son’s 4th birthday he wanted a PJ Masks Gekko cake and of course, I clapped my hands in glee at the excuse to use the 3D printer to create some custom decorating tools! Gekko “scales” embossing tool I needed to create an embossing tool for the fondant to give the “scales” effect but […]
Cool Innovations in 3D Printing: Rockets Built Entirely With 3D Printing and No Human Intervention
3D printing has been used to build rocket engines for the past few years. NASA has been experimenting with the technology to produce rockets and parts of the engines for the Space Launch System. Commercial companies such as SpaceX and Rocket Lab are also using 3D printing to build rocket engines that are simpler and […]
STEM Education: Benefits of 3D Printing in the Classroom
While highly informative, the majority of information taught in STEM courses can be rather abstract and technical. Unfortunately, this means that a lot of students will find it boring, which can decrease student engagement. According to Shelley Wright, an educator and Ph.D. student, “Starting in grade 6, student engagement begins to plummet, until about grade […]
Female Heroes in STEM: the Importance of Representation
A recent study commissioned by Microsoft shows that girls typically lose interest in STEM fields (and humanities, so perhaps they lose interest in academics in general) at around the age of 11. By the age of 15, they have renewed interest in the humanities, but interest in STEM fields does not recover. As one researcher […]
UAE Surgeons use 3D printed heart models to save infant lives
We have often discussed how manufacturing industries have integrated 3D printing into their day-to-day business operations but this blog post shows a nicer side to how the technology is affecting our lives. According to local news UAE doctors have used 3D printing technology to help prepare them for congenital heart disease surgery on newborns. How […]
New Apartment Building in Denmark to make use of 3D Printed Concrete Elements
There is little doubt that 3D printing is already changing the world in ways that the average person may not have even noticed. 3D printing methods are becoming a more common feature in construction as people are learning of the flexibility in terms of design and cheapness of the materials. Architects are beginning to see […]
Divergent’s 3D Printed Blade Supercar
Jay Leno is a well-known comedian and former host of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “The Jay Leno Show”. Leno is car lover and owns approximately 169 cars. It’s no surprise that with such a love for cars he hosts a web and TV series “Jay Leno’s Garage”. The show is in its […]
3D printing in schools on the rise
Here at Me3D we have always shared our opinion on the importance of bringing 3d printers to schools around Australia and now with thanks to the national curriculum’s emphasis on design thinking, the number of 3d printers in Australian schools is rapidly increasing. As a kid I loved getting hands on with different projects as […]
Why is there such a lack of female representation across the STEM fields?
In a society that is renowned for pushing boys into certain interest and activities that require more “Brilliance” and mainstream media constantly stereotyping men to be brilliant and females to be the lesser gender, are we really questioning why girls at the age of 6 lack confidence in abilities and skills of their own gender? […]
How 3D printing can support traditional manufacturing.
Leanne Connelly, CFO of Me3D and one of our founders has always been vocal on the importance of 3D printing stating “I think 3D printing is an incredibly powerful tool for more than just manufacturing, and is speeding up the process of product development and product design.” 3D printing technology is becoming a common tool […]
3D printing. Not just for rocket scientist and brain surgeons.
We have stressed the importance of enabling students in Australia to have to access to 3D printing and the technology in order to prepare them for the workforce of the future. This article is all about Caterpillar Inc. and their intensive use of Additive Manufacturing (AM). It shows that as the knowledge of 3D printing […]
Are we introducing girls to STEM too late?
New York University research shows that at age 6 girls are less likely to associate females with “Brilliance” than boys are to associate it with males. The startling part is that just 1 year earlier, boys and girls were equally likely to associate brilliance with their own gender. Could this explain why, in a world […]
3D printers – the ultimate educational tool and Makerspace partner
Here at Me3D we have been very vocal about the importance of bringing 3D printing into schools, not just narrowly in one or two fields but across just about all subject areas. The following article in SchoolNews really rang true with us and just starts to scratch the surface of ways that this amazing tech […]