Industry News: Colored 3D Printing, Reebok Shoes, Concrete 3D Printing, Cycling Helmets, Cardiac Catheter

Overcoming The Lack Of Different Colors In 3D Printing

Researchers at The Institute of Photonic Sciences (IFCO) in Spain have discovered the fastest way (to date) and cheapest 3D printing method to add colors to the selective laser sintering (SLS) and stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing method.

“To create white or colorful prints with this method, visibly transparent equivalents are needed. Here, we address this problem by designing resonant photothermal sensitizers made of plasmonic nanoparticles that strongly absorb in the near-infrared, while only minimally interacting with visible light,” the researchers state. Their results are published in the ACS journal Nano Letters.

Read More: http://www.3ders.org/articles/20180802-new-photosensitizers-help-overcome-color-limitations-in-sls-3d-printing.html

 

ACES Concrete Demonstrates Concrete 3D Printing Live

At the US Army’s Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) in Illinois, they have demonstrated a live 3D printing of a house, or more specifically, an army barracks with of its Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures (ACES).

The 512 square foot barracks 3D printed by the Army was printed in only 24 hours.

Read More: https://3dprint.com/221354/aces-live-demo-concrete-print/

 

3D Printed Liquid Reebok Shoes

After Nike and New Balance, Reebok has now followed the lead for 3D printing shoes. However, their approach is not like the first two companies. Theirs uses liquid developed by BASF to draw a frame directly onto the shoe, which allows the better fit.

“The point of automation is to shorten the production cost and enable that automation,” said Chau Nguyen, Market Segment Manager for Footwear, PM North America, BASF. “So instead of a person sitting there and putting a sole on, they were able to dispense it in 3D on the part itself— that saved a lot of time.”

Read More: https://3dprint.com/221344/basf-reebok-liquid-speed/

 

3D Printed Bike Helmets

There have been many attempts at creating the perfect and marketable 3D printed helmet. However, none have really succeeded and passed the regulations needed. However, this Canadian company might be the one to do so.

The 3D printed Kupol bicycle helmets are designed to be customized and make use of novel 3D printed structures to absorb impacts and engender comfort.

Read More: https://3dprint.com/221323/kupol-3d-printed-cycling-helmets-ready-for-prime-time/

 

Better Catheter Thanks to 3D Printing Technology

A team of researchers from Stanford University is working to find new ways to build customized cardiac devices, and they’re using 3D printing to do it.

Since surgeons use cardiac catheter devices to map a heart’s electrical activity it is important for it to be fitted with the patients. However, these devices are often only one size, which makes it hard to catch these irregular heartbeats due to missed signals and spotty connections.

Read More: https://3dprint.com/221198/3d-print-cardiac-catheter-devices/

 

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