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Stanford’s new 3D printing tech is up to 10 times faster than the quickest printer

Researchers were successful in printing models of well-known structures from several nations.

The developments in the field of additive manufacturing continue unabated. This time, Stanford University’s new burst will bring further innovation to the industry.

Published in Science Advances on September 28, the results demonstrate that the novel process is much faster than the quickest high-resolution printing method currently available.


William Pan/Stanford University.

Engineers at Stanford University have created a 3D printing process that is 5 to 10 times faster than the fastest high-resolution printer currently on the market and can use different types of resin to create a single object.

New 3D printing method promises faster printing with multiple materials

Advancements in 3D printing have made it easier for designers and engineers to customize projects, create physical prototypes at different scales, and produce structures that can’t be made with more traditional manufacturing techniques. But the technology still faces limitations—the process is slow and requires specific materials which, for the most part, must be used one at a time.

Researchers at Stanford have developed a method of 3D printing that promises to create prints faster, using multiple types of in a single object. Their design, published recently in Science Advances, is 5 to 10 times faster than the quickest high-resolution printing method currently available and could potentially allow researchers to use thicker resins with better mechanical and .

“This new technology will help to fully realize the potential of 3D printing,” says Joseph DeSimone, the Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor in Translational Medicine and professor of radiology and of chemical engineering at Stanford and corresponding author on the paper. “It will allow us to print much faster, helping to usher in a new era of digital manufacturing, as well as to enable the fabrication of complex, multi-material objects in a single step.”

Technology produces more than 100 medical microrobots per minute that can be disintegrated in the body

Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST, President Yang Kook) Professor Hongsoo Choi’s team of the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering collaborated with Professor Sung-Won Kim’s team at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic University of Korea, and Professor Bradley J. Nelson’s team at ETH Zurich to develop a technology that produces more than 100 microrobots per minute that can be disintegrated in the body.

Microrobots aiming at minimal invasive targeted precision therapy can be manufactured in various ways. Among them, ultra-fine 3D called two-photon polymerization method, a method that triggers polymerization by intersecting two lasers in synthetic resin, is the most used. This technology can produce a structure with nanometer-level precision. However, a disadvantage exists in that producing one microrobot is time consuming because voxels, the pixels realized by 3D printing, must be cured successively. In addition, the magnetic nanoparticles contained in the robot can block the light path during the two-photon polymerization process. This process result may not be uniform when using magnetic nanoparticles with high concentration.

To overcome the limitations of the existing microrobot manufacturing method, DGIST Professor Hongsoo Choi’s research team developed a method to create microrobots at a high speed of 100 per minute by flowing a mixture of magnetic nanoparticles and gelatin methacrylate, which is biodegradable and can be cured by light, into the microfluidic chip. This is more than 10,000 times faster than using the existing two-photon polymerization method to manufacture microrobots.

What is neutronium?

Have you ever been watching a sci-fi show like Star Trek or Stargate, and someone mentions neutronium? Ever wonder what neutronium even is? I this video I give a quick run down of the interesting properties and meanings of this very strange, and very dangerous hypothetical element.

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3D-printed drones work like bees to build and repair structures while flying

The technology, which has been tested in the lab, could ultimately be used for manufacturing and building in difficult-to-access or dangerous locations such as tall buildings or help with post-disaster relief construction, say the researchers.

3D printing is gaining momentum in the . Both on-site and in the factory, static and print materials for use in , such as steel and .

This new approach to 3D printing—led in its development by Imperial and Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories of Materials Science and Technology—uses flying robots, known as , that use collective building methods inspired by natural builders like bees and wasps who work together to create large, intricate structures.

Animal-inspired flying robots are going to 3D build mid-flight

The drones will help the construction industry in hard-to-reach and dangerous places.

Consider the drone bees. These bees, which probably gave their name to today’s drones, are also may have inspired by their physical features. Let’s learn how.

Researchers from Imperial College London and Empa have created a fleet of bee-inspired flying drone printers for 3D printing buildings.

5 Insane Ideas That Will Change the World

The world has experienced a technological leap in the last decade. Innovations such as smartphones and tablets, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and blockchain are coming with us. As is well known, these technologies have become indispensable, not only causing hype in one or the other but also permanently changing our daily lives and ways of working. Will this development slow down? I do not think so, the exact opposite. In the next 10 years, you can expect even more breakthroughs than you can imagine today.

Beyond bionics: how the future of prosthetics is redefining humanity

Bionic technology is removing physical barriers faced by disabled people while raising profound questions of what it is to be human. From DIY prosthetics realised through 3D printing technology to customised AI-driven limbs, science is at the forefront of many life-enhancing innovations.

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