Scientific Sunday #4- 3D Printing
Many people in this world have once used a printer to print words and pictures on a piece of paper. But no, I am not going to talk about an ordinary printer that prints paper, because that's just... boring... So instead, I am going to talk about something far more interesting: Three-dimensional printing, or 3D printing for short. That's right, a printer that can print real 3D objects! With it, the only limit is your imagination(And your budget to buy the material needed to print, of course....), you can print just about anything you want, from functional organs, a new fashionable case for your phone, a tea cup, small NASA space shuttle parts, a gun and even a car!!!
3D printer
To some people, 3D printing may still sound sci-fi, but this technology actually made its first appearance as early as 1984. The first ever 3D printer is the SLA-1, with SLA stands for stereolithography. Created by Charles Hull, originally just to give engineers and architects the ability to create 3-D model of their designs. The term "3D printing" didn't exist until a decade after the invention since before that the description for it was"Rapid prototyping". The SLA consist of a computer, a printer with a laser that receives data from the monitor, then prints the object out using plastic. And the first ever 3D printed object was a tiny cup that could be served as an eye wash.
Charles never thought 3D printing would became such an important and popular technology, in fact Charles was inducted into the National Inventor Hall of Fame. Today 3-D printer is available to just about anyone. Walk around in the streets of Manhattan, New York, and you will find a 3D printer shop called: MakerBot. There you can bring home your very own 3D printer for 2 200 dollars.
There are a few ways to get the printer to start printing. Download a design software on the computer then let your imagination and creativity to create whatever you like. After completing your masterpiece's blueprints, just send it to the 3D printer and it will make them became real. If you have absolutely no idea what to make, just go and visit: 'Thingiverse'. This website consists of a wide variety of blueprints that you can print out with your 3D printer. If you see anything you like on it, simply send it to the printer and there you have it.
Saving lives
Some might say that 3D printer is just another high-tech toy, that's because they don't know this 'toy', is saving thousands of lives right now. How, you ask? The answer is, by printing ORGANS. Real, functional, organs! First promised on TED TALK (a show where people share their ideas), in 2010 by Dr. Anthony Atala. He stated that patients who needs new organs are greatly increasing, 90% of them are waiting for a kidney. But not many people are donating. So they came up with the solution of printing new organs, instead of waiting for people to donate them.
The way it works is by first scanning or inserting the size of the organ that the patient needs. Next, the 3D printer will start printing it with a material called: Bio Ink. A material consisting of biodegradable substances and actual patients' cells. But it will not print out a living organ straight away, since the cells will be dead before it's even complete. So it will only print the scaffold of the organ, then insert the stem cell of the patient who needs it, and place it in a special chamber where the cells can survive and start making new tissues. If they are printing an organ with muscles like the heart, there will be a machine to keep exercising the muscle until they are ready for transplant. By doing this, it ensures the muscles know what and how to work when it's inside a human body.
Another great thing about 3D printing organ is it uses the patients' stem cell, by doing that, the patient avoids the major problem of rejection. Rejection occurs when the body doesn't accept the new organ transferred from another person, so the organ will basically became useless since it cannot work with the rest of the body.
What would you print if you could get your hands on a 3D printer, you may share in the comment section below.
Thanks for reading.
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| The SLA-1 |
Charles never thought 3D printing would became such an important and popular technology, in fact Charles was inducted into the National Inventor Hall of Fame. Today 3-D printer is available to just about anyone. Walk around in the streets of Manhattan, New York, and you will find a 3D printer shop called: MakerBot. There you can bring home your very own 3D printer for 2 200 dollars.
 |
| MakerBot |
There are a few ways to get the printer to start printing. Download a design software on the computer then let your imagination and creativity to create whatever you like. After completing your masterpiece's blueprints, just send it to the 3D printer and it will make them became real. If you have absolutely no idea what to make, just go and visit: 'Thingiverse'. This website consists of a wide variety of blueprints that you can print out with your 3D printer. If you see anything you like on it, simply send it to the printer and there you have it.
Saving lives
Some might say that 3D printer is just another high-tech toy, that's because they don't know this 'toy', is saving thousands of lives right now. How, you ask? The answer is, by printing ORGANS. Real, functional, organs! First promised on TED TALK (a show where people share their ideas), in 2010 by Dr. Anthony Atala. He stated that patients who needs new organs are greatly increasing, 90% of them are waiting for a kidney. But not many people are donating. So they came up with the solution of printing new organs, instead of waiting for people to donate them.
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| A printed kidney, ears and a finger |
The way it works is by first scanning or inserting the size of the organ that the patient needs. Next, the 3D printer will start printing it with a material called: Bio Ink. A material consisting of biodegradable substances and actual patients' cells. But it will not print out a living organ straight away, since the cells will be dead before it's even complete. So it will only print the scaffold of the organ, then insert the stem cell of the patient who needs it, and place it in a special chamber where the cells can survive and start making new tissues. If they are printing an organ with muscles like the heart, there will be a machine to keep exercising the muscle until they are ready for transplant. By doing this, it ensures the muscles know what and how to work when it's inside a human body.
Another great thing about 3D printing organ is it uses the patients' stem cell, by doing that, the patient avoids the major problem of rejection. Rejection occurs when the body doesn't accept the new organ transferred from another person, so the organ will basically became useless since it cannot work with the rest of the body.
Interesting 3D printed objects!
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| Tired of holding up your phone? Print a phone stand! |
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| The very first 3D printed car!!! |
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| 3D printing can also solve your everyday problems! |
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| Why not print a fancy lamp? |
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| Many architects use 3D printing to showcase their talent |
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| Even a clock! |
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| Lets go walking around with your new 3D printed shoes |
Thanks for reading.
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