The Benefits of 3D Printers
By now, most of you know what a 3D printer is. But do you know exactly how they work? A 3D printer uses material like ceramic, glass, metal, and even human flesh to make three dimensional objects from a digital file. With every passing day people are finding ways to put the printers to good use and here are a few:
Bioengineers have spent decades trying to invent a way to grow organs from a patient’s cell. Making a mass of flesh was simple, but scientists needed a way to create blood vessels in order to pump nutrients throughout the flesh. By using a 3D printer, scientists are able to create a mold out of sugar in order to grow stable blood vessels.
Photo via YouTube.
The power of 3D printing has the capability of helping millions. One way that 3D technology helps people is by creating affordable prosthetics. Prosthetics are often expensive and most insurance companies won’t cover the cost of receiving an artificial limb. YouBionic is a company who is the process of creating affordable prosthetics out of printed material. Instead of using cables and wires that run on a pulley type system the YouBionic hand will operate by muscle movements. Jose Delgado was born without part of his left hand. Jose was using a prosthetic hand that had cost him $42,000,of which a fraction of the cost was covered by his insurance. Jose needed a prosthetic that was inexpensive and could lift heavy objects without the fear of breaking a part. The YouBionic hand was his first choice simply because of the technology and the ability to print off spare parts.
In this video provided by 3D Universe, Jose compares both prosthetics:
Chinese company,WinSun Decoration Design Engineering, creates buildings with the use of giant 3D printers. The company mixes different materials with GRG to create different colors and textures. GRG is glass fiber reinforced gypsum that is able to mold into any shape. The buildings are designed in way to withstand environmental forces in a cost effective way.
Photo via Youtube.