3D Printing in the News
3D printing is revolutionizing the way we make things. New developments and advancements are expanding the limits of what can be manufactured using 3D print technology. It seems like everyday someone’s coming up with a new application for 3D printing. Let’s take a look at a few of the more recent 3D print applications and developments.
3D Printing is Being Used for Wind Turbines, Movie Props, Batteries, Pepsi Bottles and More
- The Daily Mail features a story about how doctors in Poland saved the life of an infant girl born with parts of her skull bone missing. Precise 3D models of the girl’s skull to help doctor’s prepare for risky and intricate surgery required to replace the missing parts of the newborn’s skull. The subsequent operation was a success, although the child will have to undergo further treatment as her skull bones evolve.
- Fox 26 Houston broadcast a story about an anonymous man who claimed to have turned in 62 homemade 3D-printed “ghost” guns during a recent City of Houston gun buyback event. The anonymous man claimed that each gun cost him about $3 to make and he received $50 per firearm from the city. As a result, the City of Houston has said it will no longer accept 3D-printed firearms at future gun buybacks.
- Core 77 describes the advantages Pepsi discovered when they started using 3D printing to create new bottle molds. These advantages include:
- Reducing prototype tooling development time from 4 weeks to 48 hours.
- Reducing prototype tooling costs from $10,000 to $350 per mold set.
- Creating more durable tooling capable of producing more than 10,000 bottles per mold.
- 3D Natives about the Belgian association Waste to Wind that is using additive manufacturing to design wind turbines using recycled plastic.
- TCT magazine describes the challenges of creating 3D printed parts that can withstand the “extreme flow” stresses of hypersonic (Mach 5 +) flight, which can include extreme air pressure and heating. Researchers at Purdue University have succeeded, using 3D printers to produce fully dense, end-use parts with a robustness that surpasses traditional methods like casting.
- Engineering.com posts a feature describing how the special effects experts at South Africa’s Dreamsmith Studios used 3D printing to create some of the amazing props and make up effects seen in HBO’s sf series “Raised by Wolves.”
- Tech.Ein posts a press release about the increasing demand for 3D printed parts in the automotive manufacturing, healthcare sectors, military, and defense, as well as in consumer goods and services. According to a market report published by Sheer Analytics and Insights, the total 3D printing plastics market was valued at $2.3 billion in 2021 and is forecasted to reach $10.1 billion at a CAGR of 14.2% between 2022 and 2032.
- 3DPrint.com has posted a story about how researchers at Tohoku University have used 3D printed carbon microlattice electrodes to create more efficient and less expensive lithium-ion batteries.
ProTek Model’s Houston, TX 3D Printing Services
Located in Conroe, TX just north of Houston, ProTek Models is considered to be one of the leaders in 3D printing additive manufacturing. In addition to state-of-the-art FDM and SLA 3D print manufacturing capabilities, we also provide outstanding urethane casting, custom automotive printing and scale model building services as well. Some of our clients include Boeing, NASA, Raytheon, Mitsubishi, West Coast Customs, Saleen Automotive, Circor Energy, and the U.S Air Force.
Contact ProTek Models through our website or call us at (832) 968-6636 to speak with one of our engineers about your 3D print project.