Posted: Jul 23, 2017 (Nanowerk News) In an emergency, early warning is key to escaping from a hazard, such as a forest fire or a chemical leak. Motivated to improve on safety, a team from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is using 3D printing to develop a cheap, reliable system to signal danger1. Existing early warning systems rely on satellite monitoring, watch towers or expensive fixed sensors. The system, devel…

Posted: Jul 20, 2017 (Nanowerk News) Cheap, plastic toys--no manufacturer necessary. The 2020 toy and game market is projected to be $135 billion, and 3-D printing brings those profits home. People have scoffed that 3-D printers are simply toys themselves. But they probably didn't realize how much money is made off playthings. Do-it-yourself (DIY) manufacturing--making goods at home with a 3-D printer using open source designs from a free online reposi…

Posted: Jul 19, 2017 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at UBC's Okanagan campus have designed a tiny device --built using a 3D printer--that can monitor drinking water quality in real time and help protect against waterborne illness (Sensors, "3D Printing-Based Integrated Water Quality Sensing System"). Prof. Mina Hoorfar, Director of the School of Engineering, says new research proves their miniaturized water quality sensors are cheap to make, can operate c…

Posted: Jul 11, 2017 (Nanowerk News) A new tool for computational design allows users to turn any 3D shape into a collapsible telescoping structure. New mathematical methods developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University capture the complex and diverse properties of such structures, which are valuable for a variety of applications in 3D fabrication and robotics--particularly where mechanisms must be compact in size and easily deployable. The re…

Posted: Jul 07, 2017 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and the Piedmont Heart Institute are using standard medical imaging and new 3-D printing technologies to create patient-specific heart valve models that mimic the physiological qualities of the real valves. Their aim is to improve the success rate of transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR) by picking the right prosthetic and avoiding a common complication known as paravalvular l…

Posted: Jul 06, 2017 (Nanowerk News) A just published article on 3D printing ("3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing – The Implications for OSH"; pdf) has been undertaken on behalf of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). It examines some key questions concerning the opportunities and challenges of the emerging 3D printing industry for employers, workers and the new entrepreneur, who is working from home or informal workspaces.…

Posted: Jul 03, 2017 (Nanowerk News) The Stormram 4, as the robot is named, is made from 3D-printed plastic and is driven by air pressure. The advantage of plastic is that the robot can be used in an MRI scanner. Carrying out a biopsy (removing a piece of tissue) during a breast cancer scan in an MRI significantly increases accuracy. The robot won a prestigious award during the Surgical Robotic Challenge at the international Hamlyn Symposium in London…

Posted: Jun 29, 2017 (Nanowerk News) An increasing number of private consumers buy 3D printers and install them at home. Likewise, private consumers can make 3D printed products at several institutions (e.g., libraries) and shops, or order 3D printed products via websites. The project assessed the risk involved when using 3D printed products. The assessment ("Risk Assessment of 3D Printers and 3D Printed Products"; pdf) was based on results from a numb…

Posted: Jun 14, 2017 (Nanowerk News) A team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a way to use 3-D printers to create objects capable of expanding dramatically that could someday be used in applications ranging from space missions to biomedical devices. The new objects use tensegrity, a structural system of floating rods in compression and cables in continuous tension. The researchers fabricated the struts from shape mem…

Posted: Jun 13, 2017 (Nanowerk News) Ischemia results when narrowed, hardened or blocked blood vessels starve tissue, often resulting in heart attack, stroke, gangrene and other serious conditions. Surgery can correct the problem in large vessels, but treatment is much more complex in vessels that are smaller or damaged by prior treatment. Professor Christopher Chen (BME, MSE) is developing a method using 3D-printed patches infused with cells that offer a promising ne…