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Featured Cool Technology: 3D Printed Creations

Featured Cool Technology: 3D Printed Creations

3D printing is an additive manufacturing process where thin layers of materials like plastic, metal, and ceramic are successively “printed” to create a three-dimension object. The earliest forms of the technology date back to the 1980s, but in the last three or four years we have seen incredible strides in the technology for industrial and artistic applications alike. In celebration of this cool technology, let’s explore a few of the most jaw-dropping 3D creations we’ve come across so far:

3D Printed Buildings

Winsun, a company in China, is using recycled industrial waste to print and construct fully functioning buildings. At its current rate, the company can produce up to ten houses a day. Don’t think you can replicate this with your hobby 3D printer though – the company’s printers are 21 feet high and print out a mixture of cement and glass fiber to create the structurally sound buildings.

 

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Skyfall 3D Printed Aston Martin

In the 2012 James Bond movie Skyfall, the production team created 1/3 scale replicas of a 1960s Aston Martin DB5 for use in an explosive chase scene. Rather than destroy a classic model, 3D printing technology allowed the crew to print up and then explode a few replicas with ease. The models were produced on a VX4000 printer and then assembled, painted, and given fake bullet holes for that extra level of realism.

 

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3D Printed Instruments

3D printing has opened up a new world of possibilities in terms of music and art. Creative crafters are now printing fully functioning and beautifully customized instruments. Fancy playing a Japanese flute made of stainless steel? A 3D printed guitar made using Selective Laser Sintering? Or the 3Dvarius, a modern interpretation of the famed Stradivari violins from the late 1600s? All of this is now possible thanks to 3D printing technology.

 

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3D Printed Pizza

While 3D printing of body parts and prosthetics and other biomedical and industrial applications is helping to save lives, it’s also being used for some fun ventures too. NASA is invested in 3D printing technology, and has been funding initiatives to help feed astronauts in space. While traditionally NASA focuses on high-fueling foods with a long shelf life, who doesn’t like pizza? This 3D printer works by printing from multiple cartridges throughout the process, ensuring optimal proportions of dough, tomato sauce, and cheese.

 

 

3D Printed Mimo Monitors

Mimo Monitors believes in embracing technological developments and we’re always on the lookout for exciting new innovations. That’s why we 3D printed external cases for the prototype Mimo Vue HD in March 2015. We were able to get actual functional units in the hands of customers for their quick feedback before we invested a considerable sum in plastic molds and tooling. We ended up making slight adjustments to the design, so the 3D printed prototypes were a great investment. Even if 3D printing is not yet economical for our production purposes, it is a great technological resource for prototyping.

 

 

 

Incredible new 3D creations are seemingly popping up by the day. As you’d expect, the potential for this technology in so many different fields is incredible. We’ve already printed our first Mimo Monitor prototypes, but how about printing out a touchscreen stylus, wall mount, or a replacement USB cable when one goes missing? The possibilities are endless.

 

 

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