3D Printing News
A note of caution to our viewers: many of these products are only available for pre-ordering and have yet to be manufactured. Others are only hopes/dreams. Hyperbole is the language of choice, so be careful!
A new 3D bioprinter builds soft tissue using sound waves. The new printer, developed in Australia, can also output harder body parts like bone. Previous bioprinters print several cells at a time, and there is currently no way to produce the highly-precise configurations needed to make natural tissues. The new printers, created at Melbourne's Collins Biomicrosystems Lab, allow engineers to print just one cell at a time, using sound waves to position them in exactly the right place. The new method is called dynamic interface printing (DIP). Additionally, it is 350 times faster than the earlier models since layer-by-layer printing takes much longer and is less precise. The earlier method also requires handling and moving, increasing the risk of damage or contamination.

CERIA, a new ceramic printer developed in France, has AI embedded into it. The AI detects errors in the print file or manufacturing process immediately and can be used in both small and industrial size projects.

Using advanced physics-based AI, a German company called 1000 Kelvin has shortened the expensive trial-and-error method currently in use. Called AMAIZE, an AI Co-pilot, the software can also eliminate the need for support structures in some cases. The AI algorithm can identify the proper orientation, and offer an accurate cost-estimate. The company claims that its process can reduce redesign cycles by 40%, improve cost-estimate by 30%, and save material costs by 20%. It also ensures first-time correct prints that cut costs by 50%.

Scientists at the School of Pharmacy and Chemical Engineering at the University of Nottington in the U.K. have transformed blood into a regenerative material based on blood. Called a "biocooperative" material, it can repair bones, leading to expectations of personalized treatments for injuries and diseases. Most of our body tissues are good at repairing fractures or ruptures so long as they are fairly small in size. The new method mixes synthetic peptides with blood from the patient, creating a material that combines key cells and molecules that not only copy the natural process but enhance its capabilities. These new materials can be put together and 3D printed while still keeping the natural blood functions like platelet behavior, and recruiting the cells necessary for healing.

Nike has worked with Zellerfeld to fabricate a futuristic Nike Air Max. The sneaker looks nothing like previous versions of the Air Max: it is laceless and sleek. No one yet knows if or when the new shoe will come to market.

Another discussion of the 3D printed sneaker field refers to some of the smaller brands venturing into innovative solutions. Hilos, for example, uses powder-bed fusion to make parts like soles for its 3D printed shoes. Koobz of California has been selling its 16kW sneaker since 2023, while Elastium, based in Los Angeles, has just announced its Orca sneaker. The Swiss shoemaker On offers the laceless Cloudboom Strike LS racing shoe, made from a sprayed-on 3D printing method, using a bio-based plastic sprayed by a robotic arm. There is also Peak Sport, a Chinese shoe brand that has been domestically selling 3D printed sneakers for 3 years. Zellerfeld itself offers breakthrough designers a place on its website, with a royalty cut per print. These innovative shoes have low-volume runs for upscale brands like Louis Vuitton and tend to attract celebrity clients. Zellerfeld says that 80% of their customers choose personalized sneakers made from smartphone scans of their feet. An expo called Footwearise is planned for early December in Barcelona, Spain.

The Self-Assembly Lab at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has created a 4D printing method by adding the dimension of time to 3D printing. The result is an object that can self-change either shape or functionality over time, much like a living organism. The materials employed self-assemble with the assistance of embedded geometric codes. These codes dictate the changes that can be made when exposed to certain environmental conditions. The potential of 4D printing in fields like medicine, aerospace, and soft robots, is huge.

We have previously written of the innovative 3D printing work of Neri Oxman. Her design lab OXMAN is now using proprietary biomaterials, digital design and robotic manufacturing to create fabrics and clothing that are biodegradable. The lab's first products are a collection of shoes. Unlike standard shoes, which can demand as many as 40 different materials, the OXMAN shoes are made of just one biomaterial and are do not use any petrochemicals or glues. The new material is called a polyhydroxyalkanoate, described as a thermoplastic derived from bacteria. The process includes hot melt spinning, 3D knitting, and 3D printing. When the new shoes decompose they create no microplastics - instead they decompose into the bacteria they were formed from, in Oxman's words "becoming one with the environment".

One note of caution: many companies are using high-tech and confusing language to disguise the fact that plastics are part of their product or their process, especially in the food industry. Buyer beware. Demand an easy-to-understand explanation before you eat or buy.

We review many hundreds of articles each month, culling the most significant for you. We also welcome suggestions from our viewers for products and processes that we may have missed.

c.Corinne Whitaker 2024