Melissa Riccobono, President of the Maryland Parents of Blind Children, a division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), said, “For families, instead of having to show them a picture of an ultrasound, how cool it would be for them to get their hands on it, what the baby is like now.”
Taylor Ellis and 6-week old Rosalie. Ellis is blind but technology allowed her to get a 3D bas-relief model from the in utero ultrasound image of Rosalie’s face. “It feels super-real when you can feel it,” she says, adding it was like she was pregnant for the first time because she had so much detail.
26-year-old Taylor Ellis of Cockeysville, MD, who is blind, received a 3D bas-relief of her daughter Rosalie’s face while she was still pregnant with her.
“I was a little bit nervous about opening the box. I had never seen a 3-D [image], and now, it’s your baby, and it’s, like, wow,” Ellis said about the “really emotional” moment.
While we’ve seen a few companies offer this service, this particular version of the idea came about several years ago, when Dr. Jena Miller, an obstetrician and surgeon with the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy, realized she could use 3D printing to get a clearer image of the spines of babies she was treating in utero for spina bifida, a malformation of the vertebrae that exposes the spinal column. The surgery she performs is minimally invasive, but still tricky, as it’s conducted through two small ports in the expectant mother’s uterus. But by creating a 3D printed model of the baby and placing it inside a soccer ball, the surgical team can practice the procedure ahead of time.
Dr. Miller explained that typically, 3D ultrasounds are just for diagnostic purposes, but said one of the hospital’s ultrasound sonographers had the idea to make 3D printed ultrasound models of the baby’s face when completing a scan for a visually impaired mother. She asked Dr. Miller, who answered, “See if you can capture a good picture.”
High school teacher Pamela Lauer is not blind, but ended up being the first Johns Hopkins parent to receive a 3D printed model of her baby’s face, due to the fact that 3D ultrasounds were needed for her unborn son, who developed a congenital cyst that was affecting his heart. Because the technicians saw how interested Lauer and her husband were in the technology, they sent the new parents a 3D print of his face after they were home from the hospital.
“That was awesome and amazing. It looks like him,” Lauer said about the model of her son, who is now almost four years old and healthy.
Jeremy and Taylor Ellis with Rosalie.
Ellis and her husband Jeremy, also visually impaired, already had two daughters, and she still had some vision when they were born. But her glaucoma has progressed since then, so getting the 3D printed model of Rosalie’s face was really exciting, as it offered so much more detail. For example, she was hoping the baby would have her husband’s nose, and not hers.
“The one thing that is just super-distinct and obvious and just perfect is the nose. It feels just like my husband’s,” Ellis said about the model.
Riccobono and her husband Mark, the President of the NFB, along with two of their three children, are blind, and she wished that 3D prints of the faces of her unborn babies had been available when she was pregnant.
Riccobono said, “It was always a little sad for me not to be able to actually see that ultrasound.
“It’s a really cool way to meet that little being inside of you before you actually meet that little being.”
She believes this would be an amazing service for many expectant parents.
Ellis holds the 3D ultrasound image of her baby, Rosalie.
Dr. Miller has not heard of other hospitals offering this 3D printed ultrasound service, which costs about $1.40 in materials and takes about 3.5 hours to print. While she agrees with Riccobono, she does note that ultrasounds are still diagnostic tools and “not for fun.”
“We have to be a little bit careful,” she cautioned.
“But we should take every opportunity to enhance the pregnancy experience for moms, no matter what it is they’re challenged with.
“So if it’s blind moms, and we can give them a unique experience, we should always elevate their level of care.”
(Source: The Washington Post / Images: Andrew Mangum for The Washington Post)
Innovation has been a driving factor in our society from the very beginning. Ever since humans first made stone tools for carving, our world has been driven by innovating the “new.” 150 years ago, business leaders were often quoted that “everything that could be invented has been.” As we recharge our smart phones and watch private companies lift off into outer space, it is clear this thought is far from true.
For companies that focus on innovation, it is not only new ideas that drive their business, but also new tools that help to transform these ideas into working prototypes that help them achieve ongoing success.
For thousands of years it has been the pen and paper that has stood out as the primary tool for visualizing innovative concept in prototype form. While writing instruments have unlimited capabilities in the 2D medium, in the end, the sum of their parts as a tool is limiting. Drawings, designs and sketches are by their nature restrictive and passive in scope. They are flat, 2D and can only be described as “plans on paper” or blueprints.
We are very fortunate to live in a time when designers have more tools than ever to assist in the visualization of their inspiration. And there is one tool in particular whose full power is unleashed when specifically applied to the prototyping process.
I’m talking about 3D printing.
What is Permanence? Turning An Object From Passive to Active
Whether the concept of 3D printing is foreign or familiar to you, there is no denying that this revolutionary technology by its very nature allows objects to transition from concept to permanence. And this is a key factor when applied to the prototyping process. So what is “permanence” and why is it important?
Permanence is the metamorphosis of an object, concept or expression from the 2D to the 3D. And what comes with permanence is not just the ability to visually see an object from multiple angles. Its major ontological impact is that an object with permanence is experienced actively.
What this means is that a drawing, a cartoon or a doodle is viewed in a passive experience. Like a comic book or a movie, you see it, and then you look away. There is no interaction. There is no weight, no tactile contact, no long-term interaction with the observer.
But an object with permanence is transformed into an active
experience. It is in three dimensions of space. It has weight, it has tactile integration.
And this emotional connection is key to the prototyping process.
With a 3D object, the observer can experience it in
countless ways that a passive drawing does not permit. How will gravity effect
it? What does it feel like? How does it look on a shelf with other objects when
moved from point A to point B?
Our 3D printing solutions allow design firms to generate a new design into a fully-rendered concept that one can hold, touch and interact with, and provides not only permanence as noted above, but also creates a path to improvement and redesign that 2D drawings never can.
Holding a 3D printed prototype in your hand allows you to
examine its faults, advantages and perhaps even discover capabilities you
didn’t even know it had. No longer are you limited to viewing your blueprints
and imagining what a design would look like, the 3D printing revolution has now
given you the power to examine, refine and redesign your creation in a way
never before permitted.
Give Potential Customers An Experience, Not A Presentation
When designers are limited to presenting their ideas in a
passive way it maintains a passive presentation. Anyone that is reviewing your
design, invention or concept when looking at a drawing does not experience a
solid relationship with that prototype concept. They view it, and then they
turn away (or cease viewing it). A passive experience.
But when holding a 3D model of your prototype in their hand – that is an active experience. And the emotional connection this creates is exponentially greater in creating positive feelings and interest in said prototype.
Using 3D printing, you can now transform a prototype from passive to active. No longer is your audience limited to merely viewing your prototype. They are now experiencing it. A 3D object cannot be avoided or ignored or experienced passively. And the ability to prototype this way is a major advantage to 3D printing.
The Exact Part You Need
The advantages of 3D printing prototypes does not stop with helping to create permanence and an active experience.
In addition to making your design into an active experience,
3D printing also allows for trial and error in the real world. And it allows
for an exact transformation of your imagination into reality.
Often design firms are limited by “parts on hand” when
creating what is termed a “looks like” or even a “works like” prototype model.
But with the revolution of 3D printing, any part, angle or object needed to
accurately represent or even function like your creation is now accessible.
Gone are the days when a broom handle and a stack of glued-together poker chips are substituted for the exact design you have in mind. With the advent of 3D printing, a 1:1 duplicate of your mind’s creation can now exist. And because it is in 3D, all of the advantages of permanence and an active experience as described above are now infused in your prototype.
With the new tools and powers provided by 3D printing, prototyping has not only become easier, it leads to designs that are exact duplicates of your imagination. No longer does your audience need to interpret a drawing or experience your invention passively. Creating a “looks like” model is now replaced with “a model.”
And how amazing is that!
Want to learn more? We’re here to help with your prototyping needs.
Innovation has been a driving factor in our society from the very beginning. Ever since humans first made stone tools for carving, our world has been driven by innovating the “new.” 150 years ago, business leaders were often quoted that “everything that could be invented has been.” As we recharge our smart phones and watch private companies lift off into outer space, it is clear this thought is far from true.
For companies that focus on innovation, it is not only new ideas that drive their business, but also new tools that help to transform these ideas into working prototypes that help them achieve ongoing success.
For thousands of years it has been the pen and paper that has stood out as the primary tool for visualizing innovative concept in prototype form. While writing instruments have unlimited capabilities in the 2D medium, in the end, the sum of their parts as a tool is limiting. Drawings, designs and sketches are by their nature restrictive and passive in scope. They are flat, 2D and can only be described as “plans on paper” or blueprints.
We are very fortunate to live in a time when designers have more tools than ever to assist in the visualization of their inspiration. And there is one tool in particular whose full power is unleashed when specifically applied to the prototyping process.
I’m talking about 3D printing.
What is Permanence? Turning An Object From Passive to Active
Whether the concept of 3D printing is foreign or familiar to you, there is no denying that this revolutionary technology by its very nature allows objects to transition from concept to permanence. And this is a key factor when applied to the prototyping process. So what is “permanence” and why is it important?
Permanence is the metamorphosis of an object, concept or expression from the 2D to the 3D. And what comes with permanence is not just the ability to visually see an object from multiple angles. Its major ontological impact is that an object with permanence is experienced actively.
What this means is that a drawing, a cartoon or a doodle is viewed in a passive experience. Like a comic book or a movie, you see it, and then you look away. There is no interaction. There is no weight, no tactile contact, no long-term interaction with the observer.
But an object with permanence is transformed into an active
experience. It is in three dimensions of space. It has weight, it has tactile integration.
And this emotional connection is key to the prototyping process.
With a 3D object, the observer can experience it in
countless ways that a passive drawing does not permit. How will gravity effect
it? What does it feel like? How does it look on a shelf with other objects when
moved from point A to point B?
Our 3D printing solutions allow design firms to generate a new design into a fully-rendered concept that one can hold, touch and interact with, and provides not only permanence as noted above, but also creates a path to improvement and redesign that 2D drawings never can.
Holding a 3D printed prototype in your hand allows you to
examine its faults, advantages and perhaps even discover capabilities you
didn’t even know it had. No longer are you limited to viewing your blueprints
and imagining what a design would look like, the 3D printing revolution has now
given you the power to examine, refine and redesign your creation in a way
never before permitted.
Give Potential Customers An Experience, Not A Presentation
When designers are limited to presenting their ideas in a
passive way it maintains a passive presentation. Anyone that is reviewing your
design, invention or concept when looking at a drawing does not experience a
solid relationship with that prototype concept. They view it, and then they
turn away (or cease viewing it). A passive experience.
But when holding a 3D model of your prototype in their hand – that is an active experience. And the emotional connection this creates is exponentially greater in creating positive feelings and interest in said prototype.
Using 3D printing, you can now transform a prototype from passive to active. No longer is your audience limited to merely viewing your prototype. They are now experiencing it. A 3D object cannot be avoided or ignored or experienced passively. And the ability to prototype this way is a major advantage to 3D printing.
The Exact Part You Need
The advantages of 3D printing prototypes does not stop with helping to create permanence and an active experience.
In addition to making your design into an active experience,
3D printing also allows for trial and error in the real world. And it allows
for an exact transformation of your imagination into reality.
Often design firms are limited by “parts on hand” when
creating what is termed a “looks like” or even a “works like” prototype model.
But with the revolution of 3D printing, any part, angle or object needed to
accurately represent or even function like your creation is now accessible.
Gone are the days when a broom handle and a stack of glued-together poker chips are substituted for the exact design you have in mind. With the advent of 3D printing, a 1:1 duplicate of your mind’s creation can now exist. And because it is in 3D, all of the advantages of permanence and an active experience as described above are now infused in your prototype.
With the new tools and powers provided by 3D printing, prototyping has not only become easier, it leads to designs that are exact duplicates of your imagination. No longer does your audience need to interpret a drawing or experience your invention passively. Creating a “looks like” model is now replaced with “a model.”
And how amazing is that!
Want to learn more? We’re here to help with your prototyping needs.
Our skin protects us from invading microorganisms and foreign substances, eliminates harmful toxins, helps to regulate our core body temperature, and is in charge of receiving both tactile and thermal stimulation. But, it’s fragile and easily damaged, which can lead to open wounds that get infected. Michelle Orozco-Brenes, José A. Jiménez-Chavarría, and Dagoberto Arias-Aguilar, researchers out of Costa Rica, published a paper, titled “Design of a medical device for superficial suturing upper and lower extremities,” about their work creating a medical suturing device.
“This work presents the design for a class 2 medical device that meets the basic requirements of the current and known suturing methods in Costa Rica,” the abstract states. “The design process was achieved in three main stages, (i)Research on similar technologies; e.g. The operation principles of a sewing machine, materials used; (ii) The study of types of skin traumas; (iii) General approach toward the suturing device, including device functionality, integration with the human body and manufacturing process. The device model was designed and fabricated using 3D printing technology, this allowed the team to analyze ergonomics, the assembly of the parts and the equipment’s motion. The printed prototype made it possible for potential users to provide feedback on the design and suggestions for improvement.”
Figure 1. SolidWorks design of the medical device to be printed.
Suturing means to connect blood vessels with a specific material, such as thread, when tissue is torn in a way that halts natural healing. You can find many suturing devices on the market around the world, but Costa Rican hospitals don’t typically use them, as they are complex and costly. So the team set out to design a class 2 FDA electronic medical device that could both reduce tissue damage and uniformly, and quickly, suture a wound so an “aesthetically acceptable” scar is left behind.
“The idea for a medical device to suture arose for three main reasons,” the researchers wrote. “First, physicians were noticing poorly sutured wounds that would result in large scars. These in some cases required further procedures like plastic surgery. Also, time consumption, making the search for a device that would make the method faster a necessity. Finally, sutures stitched by hand are sometimes left too loose or too tight, causing bleeding from the wound.”
Table 2. Schematic representation of the function of the suturing medical device.
Device specifications were functionality, cost, durability, modularity, and reliability. They used SOLIDWORKS software to create the design for their model, which required three specific functions:
Stabilize the skin
Rotate the needle on its axis to join tissue sections
Initiate and finish with the least possible amount of user interference
“The final design was oriented to have the area and volume of the shell as similar as possible for the needle to rotate 360° without any problem,” the researchers explained.
In order to test out several functionality features, they 3D printed a prototype first, using Polyjet technology to fabricate the piston and and an FDM printer for most of the other parts. Due to its high strength and toughness, corrosion and fatigue resistance, and low friction coefficient, they used the AISI 316L alloy for the prototype.
The suturing device has seven main components. The shell encases the device, while two guides allow the movement of the guide pin, which is used to tie a double knot. Rollers provide the rotational movement that allows for the suturing, while a piston gives the rollers their movement. The final parts are a ½ circle needle with tapered tip, and nylon thread, which has good elasticity for skin retention and closure.
Figure 2. Final design for the suturing medical device.
To use the device, the needle is first threaded in its initial position at the top of the shell, and then set in the rollers. The piston lowers the shell, and the needle is rotated 270° to pinch the tissue for suturing. The knot is initiated when the rollers, guided by the holder, turn 45° to the right, and the pin is set in place over the guide. The needle makes a 360° turn on its axis, and the guides turn over the shell and let go of the guide pin, “letting it fall due to gravity over the guides” beneath it to finish the first knot. The first few steps are repeated, and after the final full turn, the user tenses the thread through the top hole, until it’s kept that way through the guide pin. The lower guides will release, and the guide pin is removed, completing the double knot.
“After the prototype was assembled and design functions checked, the final step required a survey,” the team wrote. “The study contained questions about the medical device presented via prototype and they were asked to elaborate on their answers regarding their opinion as health professionals.”
Table 3. Survey on trained medical physicians.
The 3D printed prototype device was presented to Dr. Stephanie Gómez Najéra, Dr. Pamela Villareal Valverde, and Dr. Tatiana Piedra Chacón. The numbers listed in the survey results are the average between these three Costa Rican physicians, and the scale, based on the Likert scale, goes from 1-5, with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree.
“The comments reference that the usefulness depends on the context of where it would be applied, for example a jail or emergency room,” the researchers wrote of the doctors’ opinions on their device.
“One main drawback is that the device may not be suitable for all types of wounds. Other concerns raised by the physicians were related to the price and size of the device.”
Based on observations from the survey, the researchers modified the final prototype to “improve its ergonomic factor” by adding a holder at the top of the shell for more stability and easier manipulation.
Next steps include standardizing parts of the prototype so that some pieces can be purchased in the market, and optimizing the mechanisms, like the servomotor, sensors, and motors, that generate the device’s movements.
Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.
While the majority of us are not astronauts, there is a tool that can be used in your home to make you feel like you’re just a little bit closer to the stars – the telescope. Five years ago, a group of UK researchers from the University of Sheffield, including physicist Mark Wrigley, were inspired by NASA’s Juno spacecraft to create their own DIY telescope, the PiKon, using 3D printing and a Raspberry Pi. Now, a pair of Polish scientists have followed in their footsteps with their own parametric, open source, DIY telescope with 3D printed parts.
Aleksy Chwedczuk and Jakub Bochiński wanted to help popularize astronomy by making their own semi-professional, yet affordable, telescope model for at-home use, for which people can then download the files and create on their own. Chwedczuk and Bochiński call their creation the Telescope Prime, and created the first prototype in just eight hours. The initial prototype was then used to take pictures of the moon, and the final version was finished in less than three months.
The look from the inside of the Telescope Prime
Polish 3D printing company Sygnis New Technologies offered to help the scientists create their DIY telescope by sharing their equipment.
“As Sygnis New Technologies, we are proud to say that we have participated in the Telescope Prime project by adjusting 3D models of parts of the telescope and printing them for the science duo,” Marek Kamiński, the Head of Social Media for Sygnis New Technologies, told 3DPrint.com.
Telescopes have been helping people observe outer space since the 17th century, though at that time it was reserved only for the elite citizens who could purchase the equipment. But even though there is much more variety available today, it’s still not something that is widely available – the device has many complex, interacting elements. That’s why Chwedczuk and Bochiński wanted to use 3D printing to help create a more affordable, open source version.
In a piece by Sygnis, the two scientists said, “We wanted to initiate the development of an open-project telescope that could be easily modified and expanded…
“At the same time, it should be a digital telescope – adapted to our 21st century online lifestyle, where the habit of sharing one’s experiences on the Internet is the new norm.”
The telescope model, which all together costs less than $400 to put together, is made of three main parts: the 20 cm diameter parabolic mirror (with a recommended focal length of 1 m), a Raspberry Pi microcomputer with a camera and touch display, and 3D printed parts that are used to fix the camera and the mirror. To help keep costs down, “readily available materials,” like wood, screws, and a paper tube, are used to build the Telescope Prime.
Aleksy Chwedczuk with the first prototype of the telescope
In a further effort to keep the telescope fabrication as inexpensive as possible, it does not have lenses. Light is focused in a single spot, and stops on the mirror. A boarding tube makes up the body of the device, and plywood parts are then added. The telescope can use its build-in camera to take images of the night sky, and transmit them online in real-time using the touchscreen of a computer, projector, or tablet. Additionally, you can easily increase and reduce the size of the telescope – just enter the mirror’s size into the program, and all of its dimensions will be automatically converted.
“The creators had to take into account the realities of the 21st century, modern issues of the popularization of astronomy, also among the youngest amateurs of the starry sky, as well as the availability of materials for the construction of the telescope,” Sygnis wrote. “Telescope Prime is an innovative idea that reflects the needs and possibilities of an astronomer enthusiast of the second decade of the 21st century.”
The open source models for the telescope parts, which are available for download on the Telescope Prime website, were prepared in advance for 3D printing, so they didn’t need any corrections later. These elements were 3D printed on FlashForge 3D printers out of Orbi-Tech PLA material, and it took a total of 156 hours of printing to create the 17 telescope parts.
The final version of the Telescope Prime
Kamiński told 3DPrint.com that the two scientists are currently “promoting the project on Polish universities, schools and science institutes.” This makes sense, as the Telescope Prime website explains that the project was “initiated and fully carried out” on the grounds of the Akademeia High School in Warsaw.
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3D printing consultancy company Betatype specializes in optimizing metal AM production applications to deliver functional components for customers in many industries, including consumer goods, automotive, and medical. Recently, the company, based in London, published a new case study that explains how it teamed up with software company nTopology to create and manufacture a functionally optimized, 3D printed part for a rocket nozzle.
Betatype recognizes that collaborating with companies in industrial sectors, as well as the AM industry, can help produce better project results, with higher standards, than companies working alone can sometimes manage. Its recent partnership with nTopology is a perfect example of how collaboration was able to increase productivity in metal 3D printing.
“For serial production in additive manufacturing to work, it must make business sense. Through the partnership between nTopology and Betatype, and our shared belief in solving engineering problems by linking design, simulation, and manufacturing processes directly, we are able to present a strong business case for additive manufacturing,” said Brad Rothenberg, the Founder and CEO of nTopology. “We enable our customers to design and manufacture complex parts with speed, efficiency and reliability. We could not be happier with the results of this rocket nozzle case study and are looking forward to working on more joint projects.”
The project at the center of this collaboration was a test part for a rocket nozzle, and was created specifically to show how companies can integrate different solutions through partnerships. nTopology used its own nTop Platform software to help design the rocket nozzle part’s base mechanical structure, converting the part’s 3D model into an implicit one. Then, the design was optimized through the use of nTopology’s advanced simulation and topology optimization tools. Finally, Betatype’s software technology was applied to great effect, before the part was 3D printed.
Additive manufacturing offers material, shape, and structure control in one process, and Betatype’s Engine data processing platform helps maximize these capabilities to the fullest extent. The platform helps users manage, manipulate, and generate CAD and CAM data for multi-scale 3D design, in order to create higher fidelity for complex parts – not easily manufactured with conventional technology – at each scale of 3D design.
By combining technology from both nTopology and Betatype, the two companies were able to optimize the design of the complex rocket nozzle part for metal laser powder bed fusion 3D printing. Together, they achieved a major increase in part productivity – a 28% reduction in build time, down from 25 hours to 18.
“Betatype’s partnership with nTopology is an excellent demonstration of how we can work with talented designers to make additive manufacturing perform,” said Betatype’s Founder and CEO Sarat Babu. “The application clearly shows the benefits of combining the functional design and optimization skills of our partner with process optimization through our technology to achieve productivity levels that would not otherwise be possible with a standard metal LPBF platform.”
Rocket Nozzle: As built onto the base plate in Grade 23 Titanium (190 x 190 x 200).
Betatype fabricated the rocket nozzle test part out of titanium on a Renishaw AM250 3D printer. The nTop Platform’s capabilities highlighted how applying intelligent design can improve a part’s functionality, while also making sure that it is fit for its ultimate purpose. But the input from Betatype showed that design alone only gets you part of the way, and that metal 3D printing, complex functionality, and intelligent design is a winning combination.
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Ukrainian company D3D-s was founded four years ago by father and son team Leonid and Denys Nazarenko, and last year they successfully raised $250,000 through Kickstarter for their first desktop 3D scanner. The duo built the structure, and the accompanying software, for their highly accurate scanner from scratch, and are now in the middle of another crowdfunding campaign for a jewelry LED-line desktop 3D scanner that promises retina resolution for even large models.
“Our D3D-s scanner takes advantage of LED-line technology, combining incredible accuracy and a price you can afford. Our sophisticated software achieves exceptional results when scanning jewelry,” the Kickstarter campaign page reads.
Most 3D jewelry scanners use projection technology, which typically requires components like projectors and cameras that are by no means affordable to the average amateur consumer or self-employed jeweler. The Nazarenkos list, for example, the B9 Scan350 jewelry projection scanner, which offers only two motion directions, a 1.3 MP camera, and costs a hefty $15,000. But the new D3D-s scanner uses a high-quality 5MP resolution camera and an inexpensive LED projector, which offers six motion directions, emits only one line, and is available to Kickstarter backers for just $4,000 – still expensive by my standards, but definitely a much more reasonable cost.
The company’s website explains how it was able to achieve this feat:
“The scanner is made of parts that are used in 3D printers and can be purchased one piece at a time. Only a few parts, such as the projector, mount, etc., are manufactured to order in small batches. Thus, we don’t have to make a huge batch of scanners. This significantly reduces our costs and investments.”
The D3D-s is a turntable 3D scanner, and its vertical accuracy reaches 0.010 mm, with a 0.015 mm horizontal accuracy, which is very helpful in terms of discerning small details on jewelry. Its moving step resolution is 0.000625 mm – over 84 times the resolution of projection scanners. According to a press release from the company, developers actually had to “limit the maximum resolution in order to get clients a finished result within 7 minutes.”
The scanner’s external dimensions measure 600 x 300 x 420 mm, and it weighs about 10 kg. It uses Windows software, LED light 945 Luminous Flux (lm), and 2 x USB 3.0 connectivity. It is a mono-color 3D scanner, and while the scanning process is fully automated, a computer connection is required for autonomous scanning.
The D3D-s scanner had electronics specifically developed for its use, with a four-layer circuit board that efficiently distributes heat and an electric motor controlled by a L6472PD microcontroller, which makes it possible for the scanner to smoothly accelerate and slow the motor. Once you select the size of your scan and click the button, it’s smooth sailing, and you’ll get an accurate STL file at the end. Due to refined algorithms and mathematics, jewelers can successfully achieve a precise, highly accurate 3D model; to see some examples, check out D3D-s on Sketchfab.
One thing the D3D-s doesn’t offer is speed, but the company doesn’t think this is too big of a problem:
“Our scanner is one of the slowest in the world, but it will make you one of the fastest people! It does your work for you. You simply put the model on the table and that’s it. You can work on something else while you leave the D3D-s to handle all the hard work. No other scanner offers such luxury! Scanning with amazing accuracy, the D3D-s processes a huge amount of data and isn’t as fast as other less refined scanners. That said, it is more accurate and thorough than handheld scanning. Let the scanner scan!”
Did you know that for microscanning even temperature has an effect? This how we test it. pic.twitter.com/WojYpS0RLE
There are still over two weeks left in the Kickstarter campaign for the new D3D-s scanner, and the company has already raised over half the necessary funds. There are still some early bird rewards left as well. With its last crowdfunding campaign, D3D-s fulfilled its original commitment to the Kickstarter backers, and even went above and beyond by providing an updated USB 3.0 camera and advanced scanner body with new electronics. So if you’re in the market for a slow but accurate, less expensive jewelry 3D scanner, the D3D-s may be what you’re looking for.
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A project that began as an ambitious therapeutic task for military veteran Tim O’Sullivan after he returned home wounded from combat has evolved into something so much greater. In 2016, O’Sullivan was looking for something to occupy his time after returning home from fighting overseas, and decided to try his hand at 3D printing. He purchased the files for a full-body Iron Man suit, and over the next eight months completed the 3D printed, wearable suit on his desktop Robo R1 +Plus. The end result was amazing, and O’Sullivan was hooked, telling 3DPrint.com at the time that the Iron Man suit would likely not be his last big project.
He took everything he’d learned from the 3D printed Iron Man suit, and by the summer of 2017, O’Sullivan had finished his next 3D printing project: a voice-activated War Machine Mark III suit from Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War. The life-size suit, 3D printed on his SeeMeCNC Rostock Max V3, featured some custom modifications to the files he purchased, and was made out of PETG, with fiberglass added to make the suit stronger. But this additional strength wasn’t for just any old reason – O’Sullivan was finally able to follow through on his original plan and wear the War Machine suit to visit sick children in the hospital.
Tim O’Sullivan with Anthony Daniels
Just like me, O’Sullivan happens to live in Ohio’s Miami Valley region, and I was lucky enough to meet him at the Dayton Mini Maker Faire not long after he completed the 3D printed War Machine suit, which I got to see in person. It was as cool as it looked in pictures, and to my great excitement, O’Sullivan told me that his next 3D printing project would be C-3PO from my beloved Star Wars series.
He reached out to us recently to say “mission accomplished,” and also to share some more exciting news – he and his 3D printed C-3PO suit made an appearance in Chicago for the Star Wars Celebration with George Lucas’s son Jet Lucas, and Anthony Daniels, the actor who portrays the golden droid in the movies.
“Was quite the reward after almost 10-12 months of hard work,” O’Sullivan told us.
“Alot of work went into the suit, much of the suit is a combination of 3D print, real brass accessories (Arm Pistons, eye grills and hand pistons etc.).”
O’Sullivan told 3DPrint.com that it was “an experience of a lifetime” when he was wearing the 3D printed suit at the Star Wars Celebration and got the chance to meet Daniels.
“It seemed to be well recieved based on his expressions,” O’Sullivan told us. “Unfortunately, I never got the chance to explain to him following the encounter on how the suit was made or how it had been a major part of my personal road to recovery.”
Two years ago, the military veteran turned maker told us that working on his 3D printed character suits has been the “best therapy” for him when he was having a hard time sitting still. O’Sullivan also really enjoyed wearing the 3D printed War Machine suit to visit kids in the hospital, and earlier this week he made an appearance at the Dayton Children’s Hospital in his 3D printed C-3PO suit.
“It was absolutely a touching experience for both the parents and children. We walked 2 floors of the hospital,” O’Sullivan told me in an email today. “The suit is the most difficult to wear and always leaves a few bruises, but well worth it.”
O’Sullivan’s detailed Star Wars droid suit is really something, incorporating a voice modulator and 25 watt amp that projects an emulation of the original C-3PO voice. In fact, it’s so realistic that it was accepted and certified by the Ohio Rebel Legion Apollo Base!
“For the upper torso, I had used a 3D scan of the original suit available on Thingiverse and then modified it using Zbrush to clean up imperfections,” O’Sullivan told 3DPrint.com. “I also used a high quality laser triangulation 3D scan of my body from a Human Solutions scanner to match my body frame. The legs were a challenge so I had commissioned Skylu Props who is actually a product engineer to design the 3D model of them to my body scan and have them function/articulate properly.”
O’Sullivan said that Kurt Heydenburg modeled the 3D printed arms of the suit, while Gordon Tarpley modeled the fingers.
“Almost all of the main body parts were 3D printed with the exception of the shorts and feet which were vaccum Formed plastic,” O’Sullivan told us.
To complete chroming on all of the suit’s 3D printed parts, O’Sullivan himself used a hydrochroming process (Angel Guilding Products), which is essentially “real silver sandwiched in between 2 layers of clearcoat on top of the 3D print,” with a layer of gold-tinted clearcoat to cover on the top.
While most of the 3D printing for C-3PO was completed on Rostock Max V2 and V3 printers, I learned that he has just upgraded to SeeMeCNC’s new Boss Delta system. I wonder what life-size 3D printed suit he’ll make with it…if he’s taking suggestions, I’m voting for Batman!
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute fundraiser event, better known as the Met Gala, has been referred to as the Oscars of the East Coast. This highly exclusive event heralds the arrival of the Costume Institute’s annual exhibition, and is a chance for fashion’s elite to strut their stuff. This year, famous designer Zac Posen, who launched his House of Z label at the age of 21, used 3D printing to go above and beyond on fashion’s biggest night. I was lucky enough to be invited to a luncheon in New York recently where Posen, and his collaborators GE Additive and Protolabs, discussed their teamwork over the last year to design and 3D print pieces for the 2019 Met Gala.
CNN’s Aileen Kwun asked, “What does it mean to be “camp” in our age of political absurdity, and of social media-driven of excess and spectacle? The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute will attempt to address the historical context and significance of camp in fashion for its next blockbuster exhibition.”
In this case, we’re not talking about camping in tents and sitting around a fire pit, but more artifice and theatricality. Sontag herself defined camp as being a “love of the exaggerated,” in addition to a “sensibility of failed seriousness.”
Exaggerated is right when it comes to Posen’s 3D printed Met Gala collection, but in the best possible way. The designer and his 3D printing partners combined AM technology with CAD, stalwart fashion design techniques, and conceptual thinking to come up with several beautiful and unique pieces for the star-studded gala.
The event kicked off with a short video presentation before four people took the stage for a panel discussion: Linda Boff, GE’s chief marketing officer; Protolabs applications engineer Eric Utley; Sarah Watson, a design engineer with GE Additive’s design consulting team AddWorks; and Posen himself.
Zac Posen
The eye-catching collection was inspired by nature, and more specifically the idea of freezing natural objects in motion. Posen has always been interested in the fluidity of fabrics, and has long wanted to experiment with the use of 3D printing in his designs.
“I wanted to work in 3D printing for, I don’t know, 20 years, and I tried to get my hand into it a few times, and – you know, this was the beginning, I didn’t know what the capabilities were,” Posen said during the panel. “So it was the beginning of this quest and collaboration.”
In a serendipitous moment, he actually had dinner with Boff the day after the 2018 Met Gala, and the collaboration was born when they realized that the 2019 event would be the perfect opportunity to mix 3D printing with high fashion.
“Then I did a trip to Pittsburgh and had a million and ten questions about plastic molecules, what’s possible, you name it,” Posen explained. “And then they kind of started to say, ‘Well, what do you want to start dreaming?’ And I talked about natural form, because I like to garden.
“Our greatest innovator and scientist is Mother Nature…that was really the start.”
Over the last year, the partners have been hard at work creating some absolutely stunning pieces. Posen and his creative team worked with the 3D printing experts and design engineers at GE Additive and Protolabs to explore multiple digital technologies – GE Additive brought its experience in additive design for multiple modalities, mechanical and industrial design, and creative and complex CAD modeling to the table, while Protolabs supplied its industry expertise from a wide range of manufacturing industries, materials, and processes.
Posen stated, “I dreamt the collection, GE Additive helped engineer it and Protolabs printed it.”
It took many, many hours of 3D printing to complete the collection for this year’s Met Gala – Posen and Boff said that the collaborators spoke with each other daily – and several of the garments were actually fitted to exact 3D recreations of the bodies of the people who would be wearing them; according to the Hollywood Reporter, Posen invited nine guests to the event, but only some of them rocked 3D printed pieces on the museum’s pink carpet.
The great thing about 3D printing is the freedom it offers, which allows users to fabricate designs that would have been extremely difficult, or even impossible, to make using traditional forms of manufacturing. Additionally, there are many available custom finishing options for 3D printed pieces, in which Posen was extremely interested.
At one point early in the discussion I was looking down while writing notes, but my head quickly snapped back up when I heard multiple intakes of breath around me as a model walked into the auditorium wearing one of the stunning Met Gala pieces: the Rose Dress, worn at the previous night’s event by British supermodel Jourdan Dunn. The model walked slowly back and forth in front of the room so that everyone could get a good look at the amazing dress, which is based on the structure of a real rose.
The custom gown has 21 unique 3D printed petals, each one weighing 1 lb. and averaging 20″ in size, made out of Accura Xtreme White 200 durable plastic and printed on an SLA system. Primer and color-shifting automotive paint from DuPont were used to finish the petals, which are actually held in place on a modular 3D printed titanium cage that’s completely invisible from the outside of the dress. The cage was 3D printed on an Arcam EBM system at the GE Additive Technology Center (ATC) in Cincinnati, Ohio, while the gown itself was fabricated at Protolabs’ North Carolina facility; the 3D printing and finishing of the Rose Dress took over 1,100 hours.
[Image: Protolabs]
According to Posen, the first petal prototype was a little too heavy, and the team had to determine how to reduce the weight by 20%, in addition to balancing stiffness with organic movement and adding a buttress underneath for extra support of the titanium frame. Watson explained that the dress design was very modular, and the cage itself is adjustable.
“Our role as design consultants is to come in and have this immersive relationship with the customer,” Watson explained onstage. “So this was kind of an example of any other project we’d do with other industries, but slightly more, I think extreme, in just having us understand and start to work with each other. So Zac would give us feedback, like ‘It needs more energy and motion,’ and I was like, do you have a dimension for that?”
Everyone in the room laughed at this, particularly, I’d say, those of us from the manufacturing industry, and Posen continued her thought: “What do you mean by energy?”
Watson continued, “But then we started to ask questions and we started to work together and kind of understand what that meant. And by the end, it really started to click.”
She said that the 3D printed clear bustier the team made for actress Nina Dobrev to wear was a good example of the company’s partnership with Posen really picking up steam.
“We worked really hard on the front of it, took a long time iterating back and forth to get a front that you really loved, and then on our last visit to New York, you said, ‘Let’s just add some twists at the back that look like they’re floating away in the wind,’ and I was like, ‘All right, I think I know exactly what you want.’ So we started to learn how to work together.”
The bustier – a clear dress 3D printed on an SLA printer – is the only piece of the Met Gala collection to be created at Protolabs’ German facility. Posen told us that it actually got held up on the way over to the US because the customs officials thought it was an art piece, to which Boff responded, “It is an art piece!”
The interior of the 3D printed dress perfectly matches Dobrev’s 3D recreation, and comes in a 4-piece assembly for a truly custom fit. The first version was not as translucent as Posen hoped, so to get the glassy, liquid appearance of the final piece, Protolabs used Somos Watershed XC 11122 plastic, then finished it by wet hand sanding and spraying it with a clear coat.
All told, the 3D printing and finishing of the bustier dress for Dobrev took over 200 hours.
“I think it’s really funny how this is fashion, but we were using a lot of the same plays in the playbook that Fortune 500 companies use to develop their products,” Utley said at one point during the discussion.
He said that the team made scale models and combined them with 3D CAD files to give Posen a better idea of what a piece would look like before printing even began. Watson noted that the same kind of problem-solving and engineering can be applied whether GE Additive and AddWorks are completing design projects for the aerospace industry or for the fashion world.
“When you’re trying to solve these problems of how do we print this, how do we design it for additive, how do we assemble it so that it assembles in a way that you really can’t tell how it was put together, those types of problems really apply across many different industries,” Watson said.
While the 3D printed Rose Dress and bustier are both beautiful and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, the third of the Met Gala dresses we talked about is my favorite – a custom, purple Zac Posen gown, with a 3D printed palm leaf collar accessory, worn by actress (and Ohio native!) Katie Holmes.
While Posen did not have the neckpiece itself, which was 3D printed at the North Carolina Protolabs facility on an SLA system, he did bring the mold for it to the panel. He explained that he waited for the 3D printed neckpiece to fully evolve before he got to work on the draping of the beautiful dress, which he described as “1950s-quality” and like a “purple sunset.”
The pearlescent palm leaves were 3D printed out of Accura 60 plastic and finished with pearlescent purple paint (Pantone 8104C). The piece drapes over the actress’s shoulders and attaches to the neckline of the tulle gown at her clavicle. It took over 56 hours to 3D print and finish the palm leaves for the striking neckpiece.
Watson explained how Posen found a palm leaf he liked from his favorite craft store and sent it to GE Additive, who laser scanned it to make a 3D model. After the model was cleaned up and modified, the designers added a twist so that it would perfectly match and “float away over” her shoulder.
“That just demonstrates the power of this technology – you can start with this inspiration and modify it, add all the complexity you want, bring the vision to life in the 3D model, and then create it,” Watson said.
Moving on, Boff picked up an intricate 3D printed vine headpiece, flush with leaf and berry embellishments and finished with brass plating, and remarked that she was scared to even hold it. Posen told her not to worry, as the headpiece, worn by actress Julia Garner at the 2019 Met Gala, was made of nylon.
Garner wore a custom Zac Posen ombré silver to gold lamé draped gown with the headpiece, which was printed as a single piece with binder jet technology on an HP Multi Jet Fusion system.
The headpiece, which features a butterfly in the center, was the fastest piece of the collection to make: 3D printed with no supports, plated, and finished in just over 22 hours at Protolabs. It was a comparatively quick job, and the team commented that there is no way they could have made the headpiece through more conventional forms of manufacturing.
The final piece in the Met Gala collection was a custom Zac Posen metallic pink lurex jacquard gown, worn by Bollywood icon Deepika Padukone, that included delicate 3D printed embroidery which Posen described as “a little sci-fi” and was inspired by underwater creatures like sea urchins and anemones.
The 408 pink and silver embroidery pieces, 3D printed on an SLA system at Protolabs out of Accura 5530 plastic, were all different sizes, and were actually sewn on to the outside of the gown. But before that happened, the pieces were vacuum metalized and center painted with Pantone 8081 C; the 3D printing and finishing work on the embroideries took over 160 hours.
At the Met Gala, Posen and two of his other guests also wore 3D printed accessories – the designer added 3D printed lapel brooches to his ensemble that were essentially a scaled down version of the large palm leaves that made up the 3D printed neckpiece. 3D printed out of high resolution Accura 5530 material on both SLA and MJF machines, these brooches were finished in pearlescent purple and gold paint.
Additionally, Vito Schnabel and actor Andrew Garfield both wore 3D printed cuff links that integrated Posen’s logo and represented a scaled down version of the Rose Dress. The cuff links were 3D printed out of MicroFine Green material on an SLA 3D printer and dramatically finished with color-changing red and gold paint.
The four panelists then took some questions from the group, and one of the first people to get the mic wanted to know what had surprised each person about the collaboration. Posen said that all the partners began to learn one another’s vernacular during the process, while Utley stated that the evolution of the project was surprising and Watson continued, noting that “Zac wanted to go bigger and bolder than other 3D printed fashion.”
“It can be hard to conceptualize something like this,” Watson continued. “But this is a great demonstration of what the technology can really do.”
Utley stated that the fashion collaboration took advantage of two important things 3D printing can offer – lightweight designs and mass customization.
“Let’s give credit where credit is due – aerospace and medical get a lot of noise for adapting 3D printing, but like Zac said, he was using 3D printing ten-plus years ago, and it [fashion] is well-suited for those aspects,” Utley said.
Posen said that he was “very proud” of the partnership with GE Additive and Protolabs, and that he was able to work with the two companies to “bring motion and life to technology.”
“Had we not had a partner in Zac Posen, who literally thinks in 3D, this never would have happened,” Boff said about the Met Gala collection. “It was a project of tremendous joy and passion, and to see it come to life on the steps of the Met is a once in a lifetime experience. It was just incredible.”
When asked what she had learned from working with Posen, Watson stated that AddWorks and GE Additive will typically use CAD software for more industrial applications, but that they had needed to shift and become more familiar with using other software, such as Rhino and Blender, in addition to photogrammetry, for this particular project. Speaking of software, Posen was asked if the collaboration would change how he designed clothes from now on.
“I would love a software that will let you model fabric and draping,” he answered. “And we’re getting there!”
[Image: Protolabs]
Another person asked the question that is always on my mind when it comes to 3D printed clothing – what does the path look like to consumer 3D printed fashion? Many designers are working to use the technology to make wearable clothing that’s less of a novelty and more for everyday use, but that can sometimes be easier said than done. But Posen had a great answer, and stated that the next big challenge was dealing with closures for clothing.
“What’s the new zipper?” he asked.
As most of us aren’t lucky enough to have an army of people helping to dress us, or own clothing made to perfectly fit our bodies, this is a smart question to be asking. Posen also said that we have a long way to go in replicating fabric, and that further advancements in both scale and material are still to come in the future. Watson also chimed in and said that 3D printing could easily be used to make molds in the fashion industry.
Boff thanked the teams from GE Additive and Protolabs for their “remarkable” patience, flexibility, and commitment, and said that the project shows how 3D printing in any industry, fashion or otherwise, is really about “working your way back from a problem.”
“And in this case, that problem was dressing five gorgeous women,” Boff said as everyone in the room laughed. “But it is something that applies to so many different industries, and I just think for all of us, this can sound a bit fantastical, but 3D printing is real.”
3D printing is still growing faster than any other type of manufacturing technology at the moment, and the fashion industry, as well as other applications in consumer goods, can really use the technology to its advantage to help the market evolve. Posen has said that the 3D printed Met Gala collection is an example of fashion as an art form, and not the standard in terms of mass adoption. But, while we still can’t walk into Macy’s and purchase our own 3D printed Rose Dress just yet, I think that day is coming.
Check out some more pictures from my trip to New York below:
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Wisconsin-based Techniplas, with locations in Switzerland and California, is a global design and manufacturing provider of automotive products and services, and has been doggedly pursuing 3D printing for quite some time now. The company is committed to open innovation and brings other 3D printing companies together to offer benefits from their shared technologies; several of these companies, like Nano Dimension, DWS, Sharebot, ParaMatters, and Nexa3D, have also joined Techniplas’ open innovation program.
The latest of these partners is Apollo Robotics, which provides affordable, autonomous drone solutions for land surveys. Techniplas made the announcement just ahead of CES 2019, which opens this week in Las Vegas.
“We are pleased to welcome Apollo Robotics as a full member of our open innovation program. Today’s announcement is another step in our commitment to making the connected world,” said George Votis, the Founder and Chairman of Techniplas. “With a partner like Apollo Robotics on board, we are accessing and learning together how to integrate and scale high-speed multi-sensing data acquisition technologies faster into an ever-expanding portfolio of cognitive and connected products and services.”
For those who don’t know, autonomous surveying is time-consuming, costly, and requires highly sought after expertise. But by combining artificial intelligence with multi-sensing LiDAR, HD and thermal cameras, Apollo is able to quickly digitize and reconstruct worksites, with just a single scan, into actionable and accurate 3D models.
Apollo employs rapidly growing technologies, such as 3D digitization, breakthrough sensors, and deep learning to address the typical problems that come with autonomous surveying, and has developed the first completely automated solution which is able to completely get rid of the operating friction and complexity of current surveyors. Its drone is designed to fly unmanned, and is ready for surveyors to use both on-demand and on-site, so they can access premium aerial data in a more safer, more efficient and cost-effective manner.
In its new partnership with Techniplas, Apollo will bring its fully automated, industrial-grade 3D digitization platform and high-speed data acquisition to the table.
“We are thrilled to join the Techniplas open innovation program and learn with and from Techniplas how to scale our proprietary autonomous drone technology and services platform further. Together with Techniplas, we are democratizing access and accelerating adoption of autonomous automated professional solutions for the connected world,” said Apollo Robotics’ CEO Rob Cammack.
In addition to open innovation, Techniplas also has a broader strategy at play – 3D printing connected devices – which it focuses on in its digital business unit.
“At Techniplas Digital we assembled some of the most experienced additive manufacturing professionals and accessed several game-changing technologies that truly unlock the full potential of additive for the creation of lighter, stronger parts and connected products,” the company’s website states. “With 3D printing complexity is free so we can now design for greater performance while leveraging more complex designs that are simpler to manufacture.”
Techniplas is committed to making the world connected for its global customers, and possesses expertise at combining the traditional and exponential technologies into one connected, product-functional experience. By partnering with Techniplas, Apollo believes it will be able to revolutionize how professionals can gather, processes, and handle 3D data, improving the bottom-line and its customers competitiveness.
At CES 2019 this week, attendees to visit the Techniplas booth LVCC 9320 in the North Hall, in order to experience for themselves how the company is working with its newest partner, Apollo Robotics, to apply automated multi-sensing technologies.
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