3D Printing

Scientists 3D Print Functioning Human Heart | University of Minnesota | 3D PRINTech

by

At the University of Minnesota, researchers have 3D printed a functioning centimeter-scale human heart pump. Bioprinting techniques have developed tremendously in recent years, and research teams around the world are studying how such techniques could be used to cure heart conditions.
More precisely, the researchers had tried in the past to 3D print heart muscle cells that were derived from pluripotent human stem cells, in other words cells with the potential to develop into any type of cell in the body.

Scientists 3D Print Gunpowder Substitute, Achieve 420M/S Bullet Velocity

by

Researchers from the Xi’an Modern Chemistry Research Institute in China have 3D printed a functional gun propellant using SLA technology. The gunpowder-esque substance is a carefully constructed blend of photopolymer resin, RDX (a high explosive), and other reactive additives. Initial gun testing of the 3D printed propellant has garnered some promising results, as the scientists managed to achieve a more-than-lethal muzzle velocity of 420m/s. This, of course, depends on your definition of ‘promising’.

Read more…

Porsche Found a Way to 3D-Print Lightweight Pistons That Add Even More Horsepower

by

With select bucket seats from the 911 and 718 as well as various classic car parts—including clutch release levers for the 959—already being produced using 3D printing, Porsche is more familiar with the technology than most. Now, the automaker is taking things even further, 3D printing entire pistons for its most powerful 991-gen 911, the GT2 RS. 

Although it doesn’t sound like these 3D-printed pistons will actually be found in many production Porsches anytime soon, they represent a bit more than just an engineering flex. There are some very real mechanical benefits here. For starters, they weigh 10 percent less than their forged equivalents and feature an integrated and closed cooling duct in the piston crown that’s apparently unable to be reproduced using traditional manufacturing methods. The decrease in weight and temperature results in an extra 30 horsepower on top of the GT2 RS’s already mighty 700.

Read more…

Nerdiskerator 3D-Printed Disk Generator Created with Neodymium Magnets and Handmade Coils

by

This 3D-printed disk generator features a series of hand-wound coils and a pair of stator disks supported by a single ball bearing.

Disk generators are DC electrical generators that produce very high currents at low voltages for any number of applications, including welding, electrolysis, and, most recently, rail guns. Self-proclaimed full-time nerd and project maker Fab designed the Nerdiskerator (NERdiys DISK genERATOR) for his WinDIY (mostly 3D printed) HAWT Wind Turbine, which autonomously adapts to current wind conditions for generating wind power.

Read more…