Mac Otakara have managed to 3D-print several iPhone XI mock-ups based on the current leaks, and the most notable difference from its predecessors is a square camera bump in the rear that houses a triple-lens camera setup. The new handset is also rumored to feature a nearly square battery and re-positioned logic board. “We previously saw on Weibo claimed photos of molds for iPhone XI and iPhone XI Max cases , and we have now found 3D printed samples on Alibaba prepared from CAD data. There are two kinds of 3D printed mockups, iPhone 2019 6.1 OLED and iPhone 2019 6.5 OLED,” said Mac Otakara. Read more for a video and additional information.
Let’s face it, rock stars have been smashing guitars for decades, including Swedish-born guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen. Global engineering company Sandvik decided to test their cutting-edge techniques by 3D-printing the world’s first all-metal, smash-proof guitar and then letting Malmsteen try it out. “We don’t make products for consumers, so people don’t realize how far in the forefront our methods are. Creating a smash-proof guitar for a demanding musician like Malmsteen highlights the capabilities we bring to all complex manufacturing challenges,” said Klas Forsström, President of Sandvik Machining Solutions. Read more for a how it’s made video, additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: Reddit
Always wanted a cool stand or mini arcade cabinet for your Nintendo Switch? Well, if you have a 3D printer, then look no further than this custom creation. Created by Zach on Howchoo, you simply print all the parts, glue them together, and then install the optional electronics. These optional electrical parts charge your Switch while you play, as well as provide additional cooling to help keep the console cool. You can also plug in USB controllers up front since all of the electronics connected directly to a powered USB hub. Read more for a video tutorial, additional pictures and information.
Scientists from Tel Aviv University (TAU), Israel have created the world’s first 3D vascularized, engineered heart with real human tissue and blood vessels. “This is the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart replete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers,” said professor and the study’s lead researcher Tal Dvir of TAU’s School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and the Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology. Read more for a video and additional information.
Industrial engineer Guillermo Martinez purchased his first 3D printer for $172 in 2017, and them promptly started watching YouTube tutorials that showed how to build robots and other devices for fun. One day, he stumbled upon a tutorial for a prosthetic hand, and that video changed his life forever. “I started making many 3D-printed hand prostheses for fun…then I thought to myself, ‘what if this can actually help someone?’ I had already prepared my trip to Kenya and I contacted the NGO Bamba Project, as well as one of the orphanages that operates in Kenya. I didn’t think I was going to find anyone,” said Martinez. Read more for a video and additional information.
Open Meals has partnered with marketing firm Dentsu to open a restaurant in Tokyo next year that will offer 3D-printed sushi catered to individual dietary needs. How does it work? After making a reservation, the restaurant sends a “health test kit” where you send back a biological sample — saliva, urine, stool — and they analyze what kinds of nutrients best suits your body’s needs. “Then we add those specific nutrients to your food to 3D print out those sushi for you,” said a representative. Read more for more unusual 3d-printer creations.
Photo credit: Hossein Heidari / UC Berkeley
Most 3D printers add material together (such as liquid molecules or powder grains being fused together) layer by layer, but this new invention can materialize just about any object using light. Developed by a research team at UC Berkley, the process begins with a 3D computer model of an item, which is then converted into a series of light patterns, and then using a standard video projector connected to a laptop, those are projected into a rotating glass cylinder with a light-sensitive resin (liquid polymers, photosensitive molecules and dissolved oxygen). Last, but not least, the light-activated molecules deplete the oxygen in specific three-dimensional areas of the resin, and once depleted, the liquid polymer transforms into a solid by forming molecular cross-links. Read more for a video and additional information.
For those who haven’t heard of this, the Toybox 3D Printer basically combines custom hardware with a child-friendly app to offer push button operation. Its patented print bed can bend for easy removal of models and prints at a resolution of 200 microns, while pre-calibration makes setup very quick. That’s not all, the app offers a library of over 500 ready-to-print designs, and also lets you draw your own creations. Read more for a hands-on video demo and additional information.
China wants to be the first country to officially establish a moon base, and they’ll accomplish this monumental task using 3D printing technology. Before this happens, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) plans on returning to the moon by the end of 2019 on the Chang’e-5 mission as well as Mars in 2020. “Chang’e-5 will return mission sampling from the surface of the moon around the end of this year. Our country’s first Mars exploration mission will take place before and after 2020,” said Dr. Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the National Space Administration and deputy commander of lunar exploration projects. Read more for a video about the 3D-printed bricks they’ll use to construct the base and additional information.
University of Minnesota researchers have, for the first time, fully 3D-printed an array of light receptors on a hemispherical surface, or in other words, a significant step toward creating a “bionic eye” that could someday help the vision impaired. The researchers started with a hemispherical glass dome to see if they could overcome the challenge of printing electronics on a curved surface, and did so successfully with a custom-built 3D printer. The dispensed ink stayed in place on a base ink of silver particles, and dried uniformly instead of running down the curved surface. Then the team used a semiconducting polymer materials to print photodiodes, which convert light into electricity, with the entire process taking about an hour. Read more for another video and additional information.