The research found a 3D printed structure was up to 85% stronger by mimicking the criss-crossed layers typically found in the shell. The researchers, Grace Gu, Mahdi Takaffoli, and McAfee Professor of Engineering Markus Buehler, believe the material has potential application for use in body armor.

The full article, titled ‘Hierarchically Enhanced Impact Resistance of Bioinspired Composites’, has been published in Advanced Materials.

Advanced toughness

To begin the project, the MIT researchers evaluated a conch shell for toughness properties. Toughness, in relation to materials, relates to its ability to absorb and dispel energy without fracturing. Upon analyzing a conch shell’s characteristics, the research team found its superior toughness was contained in the layers of alternating grains. This three-tiered structure, according to the paper, means cracks and fractures find it difficult to spread through the layers.

Gif shows the material 3D printing on a Stratasys machine. Images via MIT.

The researchers subsequently sought out to replicate this structure using a 3D printer. Once simulating the shell’s structure on a computer, the team used a Stratasys Objet 500 3D printer to create a material which simulated a conch’s multi-layer structure.

MIT researchers have turned to 3D printing in the past by using the technology to showcase the intricate geometry of graphene.

Gif shows impact testing using a Drop Tower. Images via MIT.

Drop Tower testing

In order to evaluate the toughness of the 3D printed conch-like material, with a base material comparison, the researchers used a Drop Tower. Performing impact tests using the Drop Tower showcased the multi-layered material’s ability to dispel energy with minimal cracking or fracturing. These tests showed the conch structure was 85% better at resisting impact and 70% better than a traditional carbon fiber arrangement which uses interlocking threads.

Researchers at McGill University in Canada have also demonstrated positive results by 3D printing ABS materials in a jigsaw shape.

Conch shell applications

MIT’s researchers believe the material developed has the potential to create advanced body armor or helmets. Particularly since the use of 3D printing can be complimented with the use of 3D scanning. For this reason, the researchers explain the possibility of creating individualized helmets or body armor which would have both the optimal fit for the user and have advanced properties due to the conch-like layers of the printed material.

Similarly, American football equipment manufacturer Riddell has announced it will use 3D scanning technology to create bespoke ‘Precision-Fit’ helmets. As reported, the use of 3D scanning hopes to improve fit and performance by reducing pockets of air inside a helmet.

Perhaps in the future, for added resistance, the manufacturer could incorporate the conch-like structure of MIT’s 3D printed material.

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NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) team spotted the rock, now called Block Island, in the images downlinked to Earth after it had driven past the rock. The rover backtracked some 820 feet to study Block Island closer, eventually touching the rock with its robotic arm. The image showed a rock approximately 2 feet in length and half that in height, with a metallic bluish tint that distinguished it from other rocks in the area.

Upon further analysis scientists discovered that Block Island was a meteorite comprised of iron and nickel. A portion of Block Island’s surface indicated exposure when a meteorite is abraded, polished, and etched by windblown sand.
A Piece of Mars on Earth
JPL decided to 3D-print the meteor using its Stratasys Dimension 1200 printer. The final result was a realistic-looking, true-size facsimile of a Martian meteorite.
This 3D-printed meteorite is the first of its kind, made from precise measurements by a rover on Mars. It potentially opens the door to other detailed models of objects and terrain on Mars or elsewhere in the solar system.

Challenges in 3D Printing Block Island
Researchers leveraged software, generally used to help navigate the rover, to create depth meshes of the meteorite’s surface from six positions and combined them into a three-dimensional digital model. Block Island was much bigger than the 3D-printer’s build envelope, so JPL researchers broke the computer model of the meteorite into 11 sections.

It took over 305 hours to print the parts. Materials included 281.11 cubic inches of acrylic thermoplastic media, along with 37.29 cubic inches of plastic support media to form the support structure inside the rock model.
Researchers then assembled the parts and painted the model to match Block Island’s color based on images from the rover.
For the JPL team, it’s the next best thing to bringing real Martian rock samples back to Earth.

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Andrew Wheeler from 3D Printing Industry

3D printing for vintage car restoration? Yep.
UK-based KW Special Projects (KWSP) and its sister company KW Motorsports have teamed up to restore a historic 1927 French sports car to peak condition using additive manufacturing.
The 1927 Amilcar C6 in question was built with an extended selector housing, an upgrade from the original design of the car, possibly reworked in order to make driving more comfortable for the owner. When the restoration experts at KW Motorsports and KWSP were confronted with only a old black and white photo of a missing gear selector housing, engineers used their engineering expertise and 3D printing systems to design and manufacture the missing parts.

“This was a unique project that demanded not only technical know-how of the latest AM techniques, but also creativity and intuition” , says Kieron Salter, managing director of KWSP.
He continues, “Using Additive Manufacturing instead of conventional manufacturing methods, our engineers were able to design and make parts quickly and cost effectively using 3D printing technology. This approach enabled us to fit a printed prototype into the actual vehicle to ensure it met with the design brief, fitted perfectly into the cockpit and also gained the owner’s approval.

Using Solidworks CAD software, we converted the scan data into useful CAD files that gave us the mechanical interfaces and geometry to begin designing the new cover. Because the original castings were manufactured from handmade patterns, there are not many exact features within the cover that can be predicted. Also, the new ergonomic position of the gearshift via the remote linkage was not easy to predict, so we not only had to reverse engineer the casing, but also its installation in the car and the hard objects such as the dash bulkhead and steering wheel in order to get the positioning correct.”

The combination of technologies used to print these parts involved not only 3D printing but also an innovative use of aluminum casting and CAD design. Without the flexibility of 3D printing technology and design these parts would likely have been too costly and complex to attempt. This unique effort is an excellent example of the use of creative technological solutions to restore, reproduce or repair valued objects from our past.

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Michael Molitch-Hou from 3D Printing Industry

While we’ve covered numerous stories about 3D printing used to get prostheses to those in need, including exoskeletons, the field of 3D printed-based human augmentation for the abled community (and disabled community alike) is only just beginning. And Alex Czech, based in Melbourne, Australia, wants to be a pioneer in this field by creating a full-scaled 3D printed exoskeleton. But, before he can create an entire suit, he’s beginning with a 3D printed exoskeleton hand.

Alex tells me that, when he isn’t working in Investor Relations, he has been spending his time on a 3D printable exoskeleton hand, “I was working on designing my own universal joint which developed into the hand. I had the idea to create it because no one else had yet designed a complete exoskeleton that you could 3D print (that I am aware of).” In addition to the screws used to hold it together and metal washers used for strength, the hand is made up of 13 unique parts, some printed multiple times, which Alex fabricated in ABS on his Up Plus 2. In total, the entire hand took 18 hours to print with a material cost of only $8.16, including support material. Altogether, the hand weighs 173 grams.

At the moment, the hand is in the nascent stages, Alex says, but, really, it’s just the beginning, “Currently the hand is just for looks but the future design will incorporate DC motors. My ultimate goal is to design a complete exoskeleton body suit that can be 3D printed.” So, what might look like a piece of cosplay in the video below, is really a platform for augmenting the human body. You’ll see attachments for the hand, including claws and protective shielding, but such modules open up a new look at human development, often envisioned by transhumanists.

In the industrial world, real attempts at developing exoskeletons are underway, with some firms envisioning the ability to increase the strength of firefighters and soldiers. Though Alex may ultimately release a similar suit, his hand itself could be used for labor of all types. One might imagine a shovel module for landscaping or clearing debris, added fingers/claws for gripping more objects at once, or carabiners for mountain climbing. And Alex’s exo-hand might work in tandem with Onyx Ashanti’s exo-foot. As more stories like Alex and Onyx’s find their way into the public, the 3D printing transhumanist community may start to flourish, paving the way for a very different sort of human evolution than what we’ve seen up until now.

The files for Alex’s hand are available for download, so if you want to beat the rest of us to the next stage in human evolution, you can begin here.

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Michael Molitch-Hou from 3D Printing Industry

Last year, 3DPI got an on-the-ground look at the Strati 3D printed car as it took its first test drive around the IMTS trade show in Chicago. While not the first 3D printed car, Local Motors’ Strati demonstrated a proof of concept for their direct digital manufacturing model, in which consumers might design custom vehicles to be 3D printed by large format 3D printers designed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Cincinnati, Inc. And, with Oak Ridge ready to push the size, speed, and cost savings of their original machine, Local Motors is ready to begin rolling out their business model with two car printing facilities this year.

As we’ve seen with house printing, China is not one to be outdone. Seeing the US and other countries 3D print large structures, a company called WinSun went on to 3D print an entire apartment building and mansion. Now, according to ChinaNews.com, a company called Sanya Si Hai 3D Technology, Ltd. has 3D printed the country’s first car, dubbed “Shuya”, after the city in which it was made. The frame of the car was 3D printed with a composite material in just five days in color with the colorful name “Tyrant Gold”. Weighing approximately 500 kg, including the car’s non-printed components, the Shuya is capable of reaching speeds up to 40 km/hr, driven by an electric motor.

The car required 500 kg of the Tyrant Gold material to fabricate. At about 10 yuan per kg and with 1000 yuan for electricity and labor, the total cost of the vehicle was about 11,000 yuan ($1770) to create. The auto measures 3.6 meters long, 1.6 meters wide and can seat two passengers.

Sanya Si Hai 3D Technology’s own 3D printed car took more than twice as long as the Strati, which the BAAM hybrid 3D printer and CNC router was able to fabricate in just 44 hours. Still, the company’s equipment is pretty heavy duty and was big enough to 3D print an entire boat. And, anyway, who can resist a car that can be printed in Tyrant Gold?

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Now flash floods can be deadly in any case, but developed countries that could be facing these floods typically implement weather stations in at-risk areas that will alert its citizens in times of trouble. Countries in the third world cannot afford these luxuries – that quickly cost tens of thousands of dollars and need to be replaced regularly – resulting in the deaths of 22,000 in 2013 alone, affecting the lives of 97 million people and causing $118 billion in damages. Fortunately this new initiative by the USAID is 3D printing weather forecasting stations for just $200 or so.
The initiative to use low cost 3D printing manufacturing has been spearheaded by Kelly Sponberg, and is being realized with the help of engineers from the Joint Office for Science Support (supported by the National Science Foundation). As he told reporters, weather is very accessible in the west. ‘You can turn on the news, look online, or use an app on your phone. It’s easy to take for granted the ability to check the weather. But in many developing countries, weather forecasting has been limited because of the high cost of weather systems. I wanted to change that by finding an affordable way for countries to predict and prepare for weather.’

Martin Steinson, a mechanical engineer has developed and 3D printed the plastic components for these low-cost weather stations. Thanks to a series of sensors, this low-budget station collects data from factors such as temperature, pressure, humidity, rainfall and wind. All that data is stored in a Raspberry Pi and sent to weather experts who can make predictions as accurately as possible.

Parts for a test station being printed.

It is, in short, a 3D printing project that we so many of, but USAID engineers argue that this is all that it takes to save lifes. ‘Not only can they provide countries with the ability to more accurately monitor for weather-related disasters, the data they produce can also help reduce the economic impact of disasters,’ Sezin Tokar from USAID argues. If successful, larger budgets for stronger and more efficient sensors will hopefully become available, which could even take soil samples to optimize farming yields.
This remarkably simple, but potentially life-saving project is set to be showcased at the 3^rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction this week, which is held in Sendai, Japan. Once it meets international standards for safety, a series of pilot tests can be launched in one or two developing countries. As it stands, Zambia might be the first country to benefit from these low budget 3D printed weather stations. Its National Weather Service is set to receive laptops, 3D printers and all other necessary components this summer.

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