The unthinkable has happened. Researchers have managed to develop a 3D printer that is capable of bioprinting tissues to be used in transplants. These transplants can include muscle, bone, cartilage and even an entire human ear, which is precisely what the team has achieved.

The study has been published by researchers at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and has provided modern medicine with a 3D printer called the integrated tissue-organ printer (ITOP). It is the first of its kind printer capable of printing human-scale tissue constructs.

Even though the technology has still not been tested on humans, the team has tried it with lab rats where 3D printed [...]

Welcome to the world of 3D printing food technology. Yes, you heard it right, 3D printed food. Candy-maker Katjes has created sweets in Berlin using a 3D printing technique in a first of its kind attempt. Called The Magic Candy Factory, it employs heated fruit gum mixture to create miniature octopuses and pyramids, among other things.

Customers are given a range of fourteen designs to choose from on a tablet. The candy costs 5-10 euros and hopes to draw attention using the technology. We recently reported about 3D doodling pens which allows the user to create art in thin air. From doodling to candies, the world of 3D printing is bent on taking audiences by storm. We [...]

What had initially begun as an Ultra Clean Holdings (UCH) office in Singapore in late 2008 materialised into the first 3D printing factory of South East Asia on Monday. This office also has a second function of operating as the Asia Pacific head-quarters of the company.

The printing factory had been made semi-functional by November of last year. Now it is fully prepared for commercial, and consumer and business related 3D printing. Printing would be possible in 17 different kinds of materials including precious and semi-precious ones like gold, ceramic and brass.

UCT decided to work on its 3D printing technology in Singapore in order to meet with the demands of its [...]

A collaboration between Stratasys’ Education, R&D departments and MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab has led to a breakthrough in the realm of printing. Because 3D printers were simply not fancy enough, developers decided to create a 4D printer which allows the printed objects to change their physical state with the right temperature as stimuli.

A self-folding object created with 4D technology.

Creating self-assembly technology for large scale structures is the underlying goal for this research and its results. The project is led by Skylar Tibbits, Self-Assembly Lab Director and trained Architect, Computer Scientist and Artist, and has showcased to the [...]