Welcome to our latest series, The Week in 3D Printing. We’ll be rounding up the juiciest tidbits from the world of 3D printing, so you don’t have to scour the internet to keep up to speed. Without further ado….
The hottest 3D printing news this week’s roundup reads like a juicy episode of a Shonda Rhimes show — there’s sex, politics, and some scandal (okay, so maybe we’re being a little dramatic). Yes, yes, yes, let us tell you all about it.
The birds, the bees, and 3D printing
As Mashable’s Katie Dupere reported yesterday, 3D printing is helping to make sex ed more accessible to blind students, something which has been otherwise impossible through traditional teaching materials (photos, video, etc). Benetech, a nonprofit using technology to drive social change, is creating 3D printed anatomical models that can be used in the classroom — eventually aiming to make the files open-source for educators.
Maybe Benetech can make use of Obsidiana’s astro-naughty Venus De Space…
There’s definitely skin in this game
As covered by Aatif Sulleyman at The Independent, there have been some immense developments on the ability to 3D print lab-made skin — a serious game-changer in the medical field. There are two key components we’re particularly excited about. One is that the printed skin is comprised of three layers, taking full advantage of multi-material printing. Two, digital manufacturing is all about customized creation, so it enables the material to be developed from a patient’s cells, ensuring the resulting material isn’t rejected when transplanted. The full report is here, if you want to get seriously technical.
…and in related news
Folks are holding their breaths waiting to see how Trump’s hiring freeze could affect the FDA’s advancement in medical product development. Bloomberg BNA’s Jeannie Baumann explores the specific implications of the hiring freeze and what it means for key technologies like 3D printing, big data, informatics, and more.
Ending on a wheely well done idea
Writer Bianca Britton at CNN Tech documented how Layer is using 3D digital data and 3D printing to create bespoke wheelchairs, designed to individuals’ specific biometric data and needs. With customizable mattresses, shoes, and bikes already so accessible, it’s about time someone is making the same possible for such an important product.