Taking cues from nature, breakthrough ‘cellular fluidics’ technology could have sweeping impacts

Inspired by the way plants absorb and distribute water and nutrients, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have developed a groundbreaking method for transporting liquids and gases using 3D-printed lattice design and capillary action phenomena.

CU VET’s “3D Dog Eye Anatomy Model for Self Learning” Wins a Gold Medal at IWA 2020, Morocco

The 3D Dog Eye Anatomy Model for Self–learning, an innovation by the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University (CU VET) recently received the Gold Award at the International Innovation Week Africa (IWA) 2020 in Rabat, Morocco.

Chula Unveils World-Class Innovative Prosthesis Made by Thais

April 9, 2021 – Chula holds the 4th CHULA the Impact Seminar entitled “World–Class Innovative Prosthesis Made by Thais” showcasing the capabilities of Chula researchers from Chula Engineering Enterprises

Marine Animals Inspire New Approaches to Structural Topology Optimization

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) have uncovered a new approach to structural topology optimization is outlined that unifies both design and manufacturing to create novel microstructures. Potential applications range from improved facial implants for cranial reconstruction to better ways to get materials into space for planetary exploration.

Story tips: Urban climate impacts, materials’ dual approach and healing power

ORNL identifies a statistical relationship between the growth of cities and the spread of paved surfaces. // ORNL successfully demonstrates a technique to heal dendrites that formed in a solid electrolyte. // ORNL combines additive manufacturing with conventional compression molding.

FRESH 3D-Printing Platform Paves Way for Tissues, Organs

Research into 3D bioprinting has grown rapidly in recent years as scientists seek to re-create the structure and function of complex biological systems from human tissues to entire organs. In APL Bioengineering, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University provide perspective on the Freefrom Reversible Embedding of Suspended Hydrogels 3D bioprinting approach, which solves the issue of gravity and distortion by printing within a yield-stress support bath that holds the bioinks in place until they are cured.

3D-Printed Smart Gel Changes Shape When Exposed to Light

Inspired by the color-changing skin of cuttlefish, octopuses and squids, Rutgers engineers have created a 3D-printed smart gel that changes shape when exposed to light, becomes “artificial muscle” and may lead to new military camouflage, soft robotics and flexible displays. The engineers also developed a 3D-printed stretchy material that can reveal colors when light changes, according to their study in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Advances in Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine Highlighted in New Regenerative Medicine Essentials Course Co-Located with 2021 World Stem Cell Summit

Leaders in stem cell science and regenerative medicine will combine two separate courses into one in June 2021.

Technion Harvey Prize Honors Pioneers in Chemical Engineering and Medical Sciences

The prestigious prize for 2019-2020 goes to Professor Joseph DeSimone of Stanford University for significant contributions to materials science, chemistry, polymer science nano medicine, and 3D printing; and to Professor Raphael Mechoulam of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for the discovery of the active molecules in cannabis

UCI materials scientists discover design secrets of nearly indestructible insect

Irvine, Calif., Oct. 21, 2020 – With one of the more awe-inspiring names in the animal kingdom, the diabolical ironclad beetle is one formidable insect. Birds, lizards and rodents frequently try to make a meal of it but seldom succeed. Run over it with a car, and the critter lives on. The beetle’s survival depends on two key factors: its ability to convincingly play dead and an exoskeleton that’s one of the toughest, most crush-resistant structures known to exist in the biological world.

Researchers 3D print unique micro-scale fluid channels used for medical testing

In a groundbreaking new study, researchers at the University of Minnesota, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, have 3D printed unique fluid channels at the micron scale that could automate production of diagnostics, sensors and assays used for a variety of medical tests and other applications. The team is the first to 3D print these structures on a curved surface, providing the initial step for someday printing them directly on the skin for real-time sensing of bodily fluids.

FDA Guidance Fails to Ensure Security of 3D-Printed Masks and PPE

New Brunswick, N.J. (Sept. 16, 2020) – FDA guidelines for making 3D-printed masks, face shields and other personal protective equipment (PPE) in the COVID-19 era fail to defend against cyberattacks, according to Rutgers and Georgia Tech engineers. Due to the…

Researchers 3D print lifelike heart valve models

Researchers from the University of Minnesota, with support from Medtronic, have developed a groundbreaking process for multi-material 3D printing of lifelike models of the heart’s aortic valve and the surrounding structures that mimic the exact look and feel of a real patient.

These patient-specific organ models, which include 3D-printed soft sensor arrays integrated into the structure, are fabricated using specialized inks and a customized 3D printing process. Such models can be used in preparation for minimally invasive procedures to improve outcomes in thousands of patients worldwide.

AI software enables real-time 3D printing quality assessment

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have developed artificial intelligence software for powder bed 3D printers that assesses the quality of parts in real time, without the need for expensive characterization equipment.

Magnum Venus Products licenses ORNL co-developed additive manufacturing technologies

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has licensed two additive manufacturing-related technologies that aim to streamline and ramp up production processes to Knoxville-based Magnum Venus Products, Inc., a global manufacturer of fluid movement and product solutions for industrial applications in composites and adhesives.

Laser Inversion enables Multi-Materials 3D Printing

Selective laser sintering is one of the most widely used processes in additive manufacturing, but it is limited to printing with a single material at a time. Columbia engineers have used their expertise in robotics to develop a new approach to overcome this limitation: By inverting the laser so that it points upwards, they’ve invented a way to enable SLS to use—at the same time—multiple materials.

Bristol innovation challenges regular touchscreens with new spray-on technique

A team at Bristol has challenged the idea that touchscreens are limited to 2D and rectangular shapes by developing an interactive display that can be sprayed in any shape.
Inspired by the way an artist creates graffiti on a wall and using a novel combination of sprayable electronics and 3D printing, the technique, called ProtoSpray, allows the creation of displays on surfaces that go beyond the usual rectangular and 2D shapes.

As ORNL builds novel reactor, nuclear industry benefits from technology

Scientists at DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory working on the Transformational Challenge Reactor, a microreactor built using 3D printing, find their work may revolutionize manufacturing in the nuclear industry — and in other industries, too.

3D-printed nuclear reactor promises faster, more economical path to nuclear energy

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are refining their design of a 3D-printed nuclear reactor core, scaling up the additive manufacturing process necessary to build it, and developing methods to confirm the consistency and reliability of its printed components.

Layer by layer

Metal additive manufacturing is an emerging industry projected to be worth nearly $10 billion within the next seven years. Oregon State Engineers Brian Paul and Somayeh Pasebani have secured more than $6.3 million in funding from the National Science Foundation and other sources to bring a number of metal additive manufacturing technologies to market.

A Great New Way to Paint 3D-Printed Objects

Rutgers engineers have created a highly effective way to paint complex 3D-printed objects, such as lightweight frames for aircraft and biomedical stents, that could save manufacturers time and money and provide new opportunities to create “smart skins” for printed parts. The findings are published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

UCLA Biodesign Fellow Focuses Surgical, Medical and Biomedical Engineering Insights on a Weak Link in COVID-19 Testing: Swabs Shortage

When the COVID-19 outbreak became a pandemic, and the scarcity of testing supplies became a crisis, the leaders of UCLA Biodesign saw the experience and background of Gabriel Oland, MD, as the ideal combination to help reinforce one link in the strained supply chain: the nasopharyngeal swabs used to collect patient specimens for testing.

Children Ages 5 to 18 Create Hundreds of 3D Printed PPEs and Donate Them to Local Hospitals

Over the last month, FAU elementary and high schools students ages 5 to 18, along with two faculty members, have worked tirelessly to create 3D printed face shields, intubation chambers and ear savers for several local hospitals in Palm Beach County. So far, they have produced more than 650 face shields, more than 500 ear savers and 36 intubation chambers and expect to collect another 350 face shields by the end of the week.

UCI-led team designs carbon nanostructure stronger than diamonds

Irvine, Calif., April 13, 2020 – Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions have architecturally designed plate-nanolattices – nanometer-sized carbon structures – that are stronger than diamonds as a ratio of strength to density. In a recent study in Nature Communications, the scientists report success in conceptualizing and fabricating the material, which consists of closely connected, closed-cell plates instead of the cylindrical trusses common in such structures over the past few decades.