Posted on Saturday, July 14th, 2012

It’s All in the Eyes: Creep Factor Built into 3D Printed MAKIES

You may remember a post I had put up a few weeks ago on TCT Magazine’s Top 20 Influential People list but, then again, you may not—in which case, here it is. You may also recall me mentioning how Alice Taylor, co-founder of MakieLab, made it to TCT’s illustrious list. And, if you’re particularly perspicacious, you may even remember the word “creepy” had been bandied about to describe the 3D printed, customizable MAKIE dolls that MakieLab sells. But, then again, you may not…

A bit creepy, but endearing

If you can get past the creepiness (it’s all in the eyes, I tell you, it’s always in the eyes), there really is an interesting 3D printing story here, and it’s not for no reason that TCT ranked Taylor among those most likely to move and shake the industry.

Taylor—formerly the commissioning editor of education at Britain’s public service broadcaster Channel 4 and, now, CEO of MakieLab—together with CTO Luke Petre, COO Jo Roach and CDO Sulka Haro, had founded the company back in March of this year. Based in London, MakieLab alpha-launched MAKIES.me in May, with plans for an open beta slated for October.

The MAKIES themselves are 10 inches tall and fully poseable; customers can customize their MAKIES by choosing their feet, hands, facial features and clothes (to an extent). For now, they only come in one color: porcelain white, which lends to the overall creepiness. According to MakieLab, early testers likened the look and feel to unglazed porcelain (sort of), though the dolls are actually 3D printed in a bioplastic. By removing a panel in the head, the doll’s eyes are moveable, and the body has been purposefully designed to fit a LilyPad Arduino, so that really intrepid MAKIES makers can further customize their dolls with LEDs, RFIDs, voice chips, even Bluetooth. Interestingly enough, these action dolls are intended for ages 14 and up, due largely to child safety standards of 3D printed products. The company is currently testing MAKIES and hopes to be able to market a product that’s safe for children age 3 and up.

At £99 (that’s around $150), these dolls aren’t exactly cheap. In MakieLab’s FAQ, Taylor wrote, “So they’re more expensive than a mass-produced Barbie, or American Girl (just), but less expensive than a collectible Blythe or Pullip.”

As the MAKIES product line broadens, so too will the price range; going forward, price points will range both higher and lower depending on the degree to which the customer wants his or her MAKIE customized. On a somewhat positive note, if creepy is what you’re looking for, you will certainly get what you pay for, and then some.

Whether you’re as creeped out as I am, or you think I’m completely off base, 3D Printer Hub welcomes your comments. And if you’ve got a hot tip from the world of 3D printing, or you’d just like to make a suggestion for future articles, feel free to drop me a line at dfujiwara@3dprinterhub.com. Until next time, keep on pushing those dimensions.

Posted on Sunday, July 8th, 2012

Short and Sweet: 3D-Printing Overcomes Tissue-Engineering Obstacle

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may just have cracked a riddle that has, until now, stumped the collective minds in the tissue engineering field. The research team, headed up by Penn postdoctoral fellow Jordan S. Miller, Professor Christopher Chen of U Penn’s Bioengineering Department, and MIT Professor Sangeeta Bhatia, has come up with a short and sweet solution to the problem of keeping cells alive in engineered organs. And the best part? They used 3D printing to do it.

You see, “3D printing” tissue is the easy part; it’s vasculature that’s the problem. Vasculature refers to the circulatory system by which oxygen and nutrients are delivered to cells and waste is removed. Flat layers of engineered tissue have ready access to oxygen and nutrients, but in the case of larger, three dimensional masses—such as organs—without that circulation, cells in the middle will die off.

3d-Printed vasculate network

The solution as developed by Miller’s team is relatively simple: they 3D printed a mold—or template—with rods running through, so that when the living cells are poured into it, the cells form around the rods. Once the cells have set, the gel is broken out of the mold, and water is passed through, dissolving the rods and leaving channels that act as vasculature. In order for this to work, the mold would have to be constructed of a material that was structurally rigid, water soluble and extrude-able through a 3D printer. The researchers concluded that the best material would be sugar. The mold itself is composed of sucrose and glucose, with a little dextran thrown in for structural strength. As Miller explained, “We tested many different sugar formulations until we were able to optimize all of these characteristics together. Since there’s no single type of gel that’s going to be optimal for every kind of engineered tissue, we also wanted to develop a sugar formula that would be broadly compatible with any cell type or water-based gel.”

Results have been positive, so far: blood vessel cells injected throughout the channels sprouted new capillaries which would go on to extend the network, and a gel made up of liver cells showed improved functionality and survivability in cells around the vascular channels. The liver cell experiments show promise, but the work is still in its infancy. The clinical results are a long way’s off from a fully functional liver, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Plus, this work can double as a springboard for yet more research into engineered organs and their function. As Bhatia attested:

“The therapeutic window for human-liver therapy is estimated at one to 10 billion functional liver cells. With this work, we’ve brought engineered liver tissues orders of magnitude closer to that goal, but at tens of millions of liver cells per gel we’ve still got a ways to go… More work will be needed to learn how to directly connect these types of vascular networks to natural blood vessels while at the same time investigating fundamental interactions between the liver cells and the patterned vasculature.”

Perhaps the most intriguing angle to this story is the fact that, rather than having used a powerful, high-end 3D printer, the Penn team did it all on a RepRap. According to Miller, “We launched this project from innovations rooted in RepRap and MakerBot technology and their supporting worldwide communities. A RepRap 3D printer is a tiny fraction of the cost of commercial 3D printers, and, more important, its open-source nature means you can freely modify it.”

Miller plans to hold a workshop this summer to teach the construction and use of 3D printers, as well as moving forward with innovating new designs. He concluded by saying, “We want to redesign the printer from scratch and focus it entirely on cell biology, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.”

Like this story? 3D Printer Hub welcomes your comments. And if you’ve got a hot tip from the world of 3D printing, or you’d just like to make a suggestion for future articles, feel free to drop me a line at dfujiwara@3dprinterhub.com. Until next time, keep on pushing those dimensions.

Posted on Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

A Busy Month for 3D Systems

Last week, we talked about how two big names from 3D Systems made it to TCT Magazine’s Top 20 Most Influential People list. In case you missed it, 3D Systems’ founder, Chuck Hull, made a repeat appearance in TCT’s top 20, while Abe Reichental—the company’s current president and CEO—was ranked second on the list of movers and shakers in the AM/3DP industry. Indeed, just in the last month, 3D Systems has been pretty busy doing a bit of moving and shaking of its own.

The Industry Goliath

This week, the 3D powerhouse showcased its content-to-print solutions at two separate tradeshows, both here and abroad. 3DS is showing off their latest ProJet and RapMan 3D Touch printers, as well as the recently launched Cube, at the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) 2012 show, going on now through June 27 in San Diego. And, at the Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions (DMS) Expo in Japan, 3D Systems demoed its ProJet and ZPrinter product lines and the iPro 8000 stereolithography production system.

Leading up to the tradeshows, 3D Systems was the object of some rather important industry accolades. In mid-June the TechAmerica Foundation bestowed upon 3DS’ new Cube printer the American Technology Award (ATA) for outstanding achievement in Technology Manufacturing. That same week, the company also announced it would sell some $100 million in common stock, ostensibly to fuel its M&A activity, as well as provide working capital. Shortly afterward, analyst firm JPMorgan initiated coverage of the stock (NYSE : DDD) with a Neutral rating and price target of $34.

While on the subject of acquisitions, Triple-D continued its multi-year shopping spree with last month’s buyout of San Francisco startup, Bespoke Innovations. Bespoke, which specializes in personalized prosthetics, orthotics and orthopedic gadgets, is a particularly strategic addition to 3D Systems’ healthcare product line. In the company’s press release, Abe Reichental said, “Bespoke products can deliver extraordinary individualization and style to an underserved audience through its extraordinary designs and proprietary scan-to-print technology. We plan to fast-track additional Bespoke products to market and to enhance their affordability and availability through our technology and manufacturing infrastructure.”

Considering what his company has been up to, is it any wonder Reichental made TCT’s illustrious list? It is exactly this blend of business and tech savvy and tireless PR that put 3D Systems at the top of the AM/3DP food chain in the first place.

Shares of DDD closed up 0.25% today to $31.75.

As always, 3D Printer Hub welcomes your comments. And if you’ve got a hot tip from the world of 3D printing, or you’d just like to make a suggestion for future articles, feel free to drop me a line at dfujiwara@3dprinterhub.com. Until next time, keep on pushing those dimensions.

Posted on Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

3D-Printing’s Movers and Shakers: Top 20 Most Influential People

In its June Issue—celebrating its twentieth year in print—TCT Magazine published its Top 20 Most Influential People list, lauding those thought leaders of the additive manufacturing and 3D printing industry. Heading up the Top 5 is Wilfried Vancraen founder and CEO of Materialise, followed by 3D Systems President and CEO, Abe Reichental. Coming in third was Terry Wohlers, president of AM consulting firm Wohlers Associates, and MakerBot Founder and CEO Bre Pettis and Shapeways CEO Peter Weijmarshausen came in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Wilfried Vancraen: Top of the list

TCT Editor Jim Woodcock wrote:

“Fried Vancraen is a worthy winner—having met him several times I am Always struck by his thoughtful nature and quiet manner as much as his vision, passion and commitment to Materialise and the wider industry. The other names on the Top 5 are also truly representative of AM and 3D printing now. From Abe Reichental’s ever-growing 3D Systems empire to Bre Pettis’ open-source MakerBot operation, these individuals and their companies are shaping the industry today and for the future.”

TCT compiled its Top 20 People list from the results of a reader poll, their last such poll having taken place back in 2007. According to Woodcock, the industry—or, at the very least, readers’ perceptions of the industry—has changed so drastically that many of the A-Listers (or would that be I-listers?) five years ago didn’t even make the top 40 this time around.

Notables who rounded out the Top 20 include:

Chuck Hull, founder of 3D Systems and inventor of sterolithography, was one of few who made both the 2007 and 2012 lists
Adrian Bowyer, originator of the worldwide RepRap Project
David Reis, who will take over as CEO of the combined Stratays/Objet later this year
Kai Backman, Tinkercad founder and CEO
Scott Crump, president, chairman and CEO of Stratasys
Ping Fu, cofounder of 3D software and technology firm Geomagic
Todd Grimm, president of independent consulting firm T. A. Grimm & Associates
Lisa Harouni, cofounder and CEO of 3D printing software firm Digital Forming
Hans Langer founder and CEO of EOS
Alice Taylor, a cofounder of MakieLab, which recently alpha-launched makies.me, an online 3D printed “action doll” service (these are a little creepy for my taste, but don’t let me sway you; see for yourself)

Finally, Woodcock’s pick for Editor’s Choice was Graham Tromans—president of AM/RP consulting firm G.P. Tromans Associates—of whom, Woodcock writes, “Throughout my two years on TCT, Graham has always been on hand with advice, information and support. We’ve closed a few bars together too…”

Which makes it sound like this should have been the Top 20 Under the Influence list.

Posted on Wednesday, June 13th, 2012

Designer of Burrito 3D-Printer Serves up Some Food for Thought

In today’s 3D print news: how one NYU grad student, budding entrepreneur and soi-disant“digital gastronome” developed a prototype 3D printer that fabricates burritos. Last month, Marko Manriquez—a grad student at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts—showcased his thesis project, the aptly named BurritoB0t, at the university’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) end-of-year show. Not only does the BurritoB0t serve as a platform for the rapid prototyping of burritos, but it’s also Manriquez’ attempt to reconcile the socioeconomic relevance of the lowly burrito with its status as Don of handy finger-foods.

Advanced Burrito Interface

The RepRap-inspired BurritoB0t prototype employs an array of syringe extruders based on Makerbot’s Frostruder MK2 and loaded with classic burrito condiments, such as sour cream, salsas and guacamole. The syringes are mounted on a rotating gantry and users can print on-demand a burrito with their choice of condiments and the amounts thereof via an iDevice burrito control app, which is also in the prototype phase.

If you’re like me, you’re thinking, “He had me at ‘burrito.’” But, for Manriquez, the BurritoB0t is so much more than a 3D burrito printing machine; according to him, it was a means of exploring social issues that may not be readily apparent to most of us while in the throes of fast food consumption. Manriquez opines:

“Mexican fast food is emblematic of the assembly line, mass produced era of modern consumables—appropriating the authenticity of the ethnic food sensibility it purports to embody while masquerading as an [sic] edible like substance. Because the burrito is a mass market consumable, it lends easily as a way for examining and stimulating discussion on various aspects of the food industry, including how and where our food is grown, methods of production, environmental impact, cultural appropriation and—perhaps most importantly—what our food means to us. By parodying the humble burrito’s ingredients and methods of production, we can shed light on these exogenous factors and interconnected systems surrounding the simple burrito.”

Now that was a mouthful! While it may be a bit much to digest, the sentiment itself seems in keeping with a trend among tech startups, where the adoption of a socially responsible stance—or, at the very least, the donning of the mantle of social responsibility—acts as an added selling point for new products or services. Apparently, fast food is no exception to this. Marketing ploy or no, we are sure to hear more from Manriquez in the months to come. He has already embarked on a campaign to raise capital on Kickstarter, and he’s got this nifty video to go along with it.

To find out more, check out burritob0t.com.

Posted on Sunday, June 3rd, 2012

The Met Presents Its First 3D Printing Hackathon

Not only is New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art the most visited institution for the arts in the United States (and second only to the Louvre worldwide), it represents a unique marriage of art with America’s own brand of democracy. You see, back in 1870, the Museum’s founders envisioned it as a means to bring art and art education to the American people and, today, in keeping with that ideal, the Met has embraced 3D printing which, itself, embodies the democratization of innovation.

: Bridging the old and new

On Thursday, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced it has teamed up with MakerBot Industries to host the Museum’s first ever 3D printing Hackathon. This weekend, the Museum hosted Met 3-D, a two-day, invitation-only event in which some 25 digital artists and programmers used portions of “the Museum’s vast encyclopedic collections” as a springboard for the creation of new objets d’art, but with a 3D twist. According to the Museum’s Now at the Met blog, this groundbreaking workshop is meant to assess the potential of 3D scanning and replicating technologies to “engage artists and visitors with the Museum’s collections.”

The Museum opened up a good portion of its collection—the American Wing, Asian Art, Oceanic Art and European Sculpture and Decorative Arts sections—to the visiting artists. Members of the Museum’s digital media, education and curatorial staves, as well as MakerBot artists and employees, were on hand to talk shop with the attendees.

Armed only with simple digital cameras, the lucky artists photographed “select objects” and converted those images into 3D models using Autodesk 123D Catch. And then, “finally, through alteration, transformation, and combination, the artists [created] new works, which will be printed on MakerBot’s low-cost, open-source Replicator printer.”

This isn’t the first instance where a venerable art institution has engaged 3D printing. Back in April, we reported on the Smithsonian’s efforts to preserve its collections through 3D modeling and replicating. But what stands out about Met 3-D is that it strives for the creation of new art out of old. It’s pretty exciting news for 3D printing, and no one is more excited than the folks over at MakerBot. According to them, “This entire operation is the product of months of targeted planning and training. In fact, we have been working toward this day since the beginning of MakerBot as a company.”

For Bre Pettis—MakerBot’s co-founder and CEO—Met 3-D is a “dream coming true.” In a post on the company’s blog, Pettis, a former art teacher, gushed poetic:

“I’m so proud of the Met. It’s my town’s museum, and it’s a brave and bold institution, and it is so forward thinking that they’ve invited us in to scan, hack, and make things. When I started Thingiverse, I knew that I wanted the classic sculptures of the world to be in the universal library of things, but I imagined that someone would have to pull off the ultimate heist to make that happen. Instead of having to steal the art, the Met shares the future vision of MakerBot where the greatest artworks of the world are accessible to everyone and they’ve invited us in to make history and share the art with the world.”

Posted on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

A Long Time Ago in Someone’s Mother’s Basement Far, Far Away…

Star Wars fans, rejoice. There is now one more piece of Star Wars merchandise you can plop down a hundred of your hard earned dollars for, and then subsequently decry your own victimhood in George Lucas’ exploitive marketing strategy. That’s right. Now, you can be immortalized/imprisoned in carbonite just like everyone’s favorite galactic picaroon, Han Solo. The Carbon-Freezing Chamber is the newest feature at Disney Hollywood Studios’ annual Star Wars Weekends, going on this weekend and next.

Steven Miller, merchandise communications manager at Disney Parks, explained the process in a blog post earlier this month:

“Using state-of-the-art imaging technology, this experience casts your likeness as a three-dimensional, eight-inch figurine. At the Carbon-Freezing Chamber, several cameras will capture multiple angles of your face. The images are then reconstructed in a computer for processing, and in approximately four weeks, the completed figurine is shipped directly to your house.”

This new bit of geekiness is part of Disney’s “D-Tech Me” product line, which consists largely of Disney-ized cases and covers for connected devices and laptops and, according to Miller, “uses technology to take personalization to a whole new level.”

The figurine will run you a cool $99.95 plus shipping, and you can order additional carbonite copies for $74.95 (though I’m not sure why you’d need more than one). Guests will also receive light-up Star Wars wristbands that will likely engorge the many waste baskets throughout Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

While Miller doesn’t actually come out and say that the Carbon-Freezing Chamber employs 3D printing, it sure looks and smells like 3D printing to me. Whatever the case, we could be looking at the next hot application of 3D printing: customized recreations of great movie moments! They could even be from movies that aren’t Star Wars (yes, there are a few). Think of the possibilities. It could be you, instead of Cary Grant, fleeing from that crop-duster in North by Northwest. It could be you, instead of Orson Welles, on your deathbed, muttering, “Rosebud.” Or, conversely, it could be your head on Marlon Brando’s bloated body, sweating and murmuring, “The horror. The horror.”

If my girlfriend had her way, she’d be backlit by that glorious Technicolor sunset, her fists covered in dirt, vowing, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!”

As for me, I’d have to go with that scene from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory—to which I had also alluded in my first 3DPH blog post—where Augustus Gloop got sucked through those chocolate pipes. So, here’s my challenge to you 3DPHers: who will take up a project to put my head on Auggie’s body?

So, what great movie moment can 3D printing customize for you? As always, if you’ve got a hot tip from the world of 3D printing, or you’d just like to make a suggestion for future articles, feel free to drop me a line at dfujiwara@3dprinterhub.com. Until next time, keep on pushing those dimensions.

Posted on Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Feds to Fund $30M for 3D Print Institute

The U.S. government has embarked on a $60 million project to form a 3D printing institute. On Tuesday, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)—acting as contracting agent for the Department of Defense—issued a Broad Agency Announcement soliciting proposals from non-profit research organizations to create an Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. The purpose of this Pilot Institute would be “to increase the successful transition and scale-up of additive manufacturing through advanced manufacturing innovation, further increasing domestic competiveness.”

The 3D printing program would be the first of up to 15 such institutes launched under the auspices of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), as proposed by President Barack Obama back on March 9. According to an NNMI public announcement made back in April, “These institutes will serve as regional hubs of manufacturing excellence that will help make U.S. manufacturers more competitive and encourage investment in the United States.” The AFRL envisions such an institute will be financially sustainable within five years of initiation.

Government funding for the pilot institute will run some $30 million from fiscal year 2012 through 2014, $18.8 million of which will be paid in the first year alone. The government has expressed that it “strongly desires to have cost share applied at a rate of 50/50.”

The DoD is spearheading the project and, together with the Department of Energy, is footing most of the bill. The Commerce Department and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, even NASA, are also pitching in for it. The ARFL will hold a Proposer’s Day on May 16. All proposals are due by June 14, with funding expected to be awarded by Aug. 15.

Of course, we’ve known for a while the value of 3D printing and, apparently, the government is starting to pick up on it, too. From the NNMI public announcement:

“Additive manufacturing is of strong interest to the DoD, DOE, and other participating civilian agencies, and is ripe with potential for technology transition. This pilot NNMI institute will help to address warfighter requirements at the best value for the taxpayer that also have relevance in the commercial sector, and will transition advanced manufacturing technology into the DoD and commercial supply chains. Particular attention will be focused on those areas with the greatest impact in terms of reduced unit cost, improved lead times, and enhanced performance, across multiple defense platforms and those with impact on reducing life-cycle energy cost of products and processes to support the DOE mission of energy efficiency and renewable energy.”

In his article for Manufacturing & Technology News, Richard A. McCormack points out that “The military is a sizable potential market for parts made using additive manufacturing techniques, given that it has low-volume purchases, and it deals constantly with problems of obsolescence.”

Posted on Sunday, May 6th, 2012

London to Host ’3D Print Show’, World’s First 3d-Printer Consumer and Trade Show

It’s time to clear your calendars, get your passports in order and bate your breath, because London in October will be where it’s at for 3D-printer enthusiasts.

MakerBot, i.Materialise, LaserLines and UK marketing firm TeamAwesome have partnered to bring you the world’s first consumer and trade 3D-printing show. 3D Printshow 2012 will take place Oct. 19 – 21 at The Brewery in London and is expected to draw some 3,500 people in its inaugural year.

Hot Tickets!

More than 70 exhibitors will be on hand, including such companies as i.materialise, Econolyst, Anarkik 3D, and MakerBot, which will be hosting its very own VIP exhibition room. 3D Printshow will also host over 50 seminars and workshops, featuring high-level industry roundtables, as well as educational and 3D design workshops. Just a head’s up, tickets for the workshops will need to be pre-booked, as demand is expected to run high. One highlight of the show will be ARTS: 3DPrintshow, a gallery of works from conceptual artists and designers in the 3D print world, including Eva Poulopoulou; Rachel Harding and Max Klaentschi; Tobias Krawutschke; Andreia Chaves; Jordan Hodgson from House of Jonn; and Lynne MacLachlan. You’ll also be able to gawk at collaborative 3D-printer works from jeweler Silvia Weidenbach and architect Tobias Klein. A Live Show will run throughout the three-day event and will feature a fashion show of 3D printed haute couture (replete with a 3D printed catwalk) and live music played on 3D printed instruments.

3D Focus quoted Kerry Hogarth—founder of both 3D Printshow and Team Awesome—as saying, “3D printing is waiting in the wings, but thus far most consumers don’t know what it is, and the industry hasn’t managed to communicate how impactful it will be. The 3D Printshow will bring together manufacturers, industry specialists, media and consumers to tackle both of those issues head on and produce a Manifesto.”

According to Hogarth, one objective of the show will be the drafting of a 3D Printing Manifesto, which “will help raise awareness of the technology, bridging the gap between the advancement of the technology and consumer awareness.” Hogarth went on to say, “We want [3D Printshow] to be more than just a showcase—we want it to be a driving force in the development of the industry.”

Tickets for 3D Printshow 2012 will be available online, starting June 1. For more information, be sure to check out 3dprintshow.com.

Excited? 3D Printer Hub invites you to comment on this post. And if you’ve got a hot tip from the world of 3D printing, or you’d just like to make a suggestion for future articles, feel free to drop me a line at dfujiwara@3dprinterhub.com. Until next time, 3D printers.

Posted on Sunday, April 22nd, 2012

Glasgow Professors Turn 3D Printer into DIY Drug Lab

Glasgow Professor Turns 3D Printer into DIY Drug Lab

Scientists in Scotland have hit upon the idea that 3D printing can be used to fabricate pharmaceuticals, as well as the labware in which to mix them.

That’s right. Findings of research conducted by University of Glasgow Professor Leroy Cronin and colleagues were published last week in Nature Chemistry, under the title “Integrated 3D-printed reactionware for chemical synthesis and analysis.” In it, Cronin outlined the process by which his team used a commercially available, low-cost 3D printer “to initiate chemical reactions by printing the reagents directly into a 3D reactionware matrix, and so put reactionware design, construction and operation under digital control.”

The 3D printer in question was based on Fab@Home open-source hardware, an alternative to the more widely recognized RepRap technology. To realize his vision of DIY medication, Cronin had enlisted the aid of Turlif Vilbrandt, co-founder and CTO of Uformia, the Norwegian 3D modeling software developer noted for its Symvol Rhino 3D plugin.

Cronin’s system really consists of two separate processes: The first involves custom fabricating application-specific labware—called “reactionware”—from polymer gel (in this case, common goop for sealing bathrooms), in which different chemicals can be combined to form drug compounds; the second entails adding those chemicals to a gel injected by the 3D printer. As a corollary, Cronin and company incorporated printable technologies—like electronics and fiber optics—to further customize labware with data-gathering sensors, which can reduce the number of experiments researchers need to conduct on a given product line.

Said Cronin, “It’s long been possible to have lab materials custom-made to include windows or electrodes, for example, but it’s been expensive and time-consuming. We can fabricate these reactionware vessels using a 3D printer in a relatively short time. Even the most complicated vessels we’ve built have only taken a few hours.”

Cronin & His Team

The project is still in its infancy, but Cronin’s team—which includes researchers from the University of Glasgow’s Schools of Chemistry and of Physics and Astronomy—is looking at the long-term promise of 3D printing. Cronin predicts, “It’s entirely possible that, in the future, we could see chemical engineering technology—which is prohibitively expensive today—filter down to laboratories and small commercial enterprises. Even more importantly, we could use 3D printers to revolutionize access to healthcare in the developing world, allowing diagnosis and treatment to happen in a much more efficient and economical way than is possible now.”

However, in taking custom pharmaceuticals one step further, we may find ourselves walking right into some pretty murky waters. Cronin maintains that, “We could even see 3D printers reach into homes and become fabricators of domestic items, including medications. Perhaps with the introduction of carefully-controlled software ‘apps’—similar to the ones available from Apple—we could see consumers have access to a personal drug designer they could use at home to create the medication they need.”

But, consider: for every diabetic who DIY’s his own insulin treatments, how many closet chemists will be 3D printing their own meth labs? The merits of democratized medicine are immediately evident but, writing as someone who lives in the country currently waging (and, arguably, losing) a war on drugs, I see no way this notion of homespun pharmaceuticals will sneak past lawmakers without immediately raising a big red flag of controversy. And that’s not even taking into account the reaction of Big Pharma itself.

So, what are your thoughts? 3D Printer Hub invites you to weigh in by commenting on this post. And if you’ve got a hot tip from the world of 3D printing, or you’d just like to make a suggestion for future articles, feel free to drop me a line at dfujiwara@3dprinterhub.com. Until next time.

Pushing Dimensions:

Charting the 3D-Printing Landscape

Author Archives: Don Fujiwara