Tag: Food

Upcoming 3D printer Chocotory showcases its designs at Bakery China 2015

Post author By ananya kondiparthy
Post date May 14, 2015
No Comments on Upcoming 3D printer Chocotory showcases its designs at Bakery China 2015

At Bakery China 2015

The 18th Annual International Bakery Exhibition, Bakery China, seemed to have great deal of surprises in store for all its spectators. This event, which was hosted in Shanghai, is one of the most sought-after events in China where companies and food manufacturers to showcase their latest products in front of 80,000 odd visitors.

What seemed to gain lot of attention was that of the chocolate bakeries by Chocotory 3D printer which is a creation of the China-based Nanjing Research Institute of Additive Manufacturing.

This event was an opportunity to showcase their good creations for the first time.

There were lot of delightful products made by the company like stencil arts, wedding series, high heels, etc. The taste of the food products by Chocotory have got rave reviews from the visitors who’ve tried their products, therefore making the 3D printer and its products a promising duo.

Tags 3D printed food, bakery, China, Chocotory, Food, Nanjing, Shanghai

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Various 3D Printing Materials

Post author By Raja Upputuri
Post date October 26, 2014
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3DPrinterOS

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If there is one aspect that sets apart 3D printing from other forms of manufacturing, then it is variety of materials that can be printed upon. A single 3D printer can print on multiple materials to create multiple types of objects. In traditional manufacturing, for each type of material a different machine is required, not so in the case of 3D printing. The materials available for 3D printing have evolved a lot in the last few years. Different kinds of materials are developed for different printing technologies namely powder, filament, granules, fillets, resin and so on. Also, at the industrial level there are very specific materials created for highly specific purposes. All this led to a wide variety of materials that can be 3D printed upon. In this article we shall look into the few commonly used materials for 3D printing.

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Plastics

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Plastics are one of the most commonly used materials for 3D printing, in particular for FDM technology based 3D printing which has become the most popular technology these days. Plastic material is available both in powder form and filament form. Powder form plastic is used for sintering process (mainly SLS) and filament form is used for FFF process (also called FDM process).

There are two types of plastics commonly used for FDM technology based 3D printing. One is ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and other one is PLA (Polylactic Acid). ABS is strong, flexible and durable. It is generally used for printing objects with curved edges. It is not so well suited for sharp edges. PLA is ductile and is well suited for sharp edges. ABS is naturally white in color but using various dyes during the filament extrusion process, various colored ABS filaments can also be created. ABS can be mixed with powdered aluminum to produce another common 3D printing material for sintering – Alumide. PLA is a bio-degradable plastic material that has gained wide acceptance within 3D printing community primarily because of its environmental friendliness. It can be used in resin format for DLP/SL processes as well as in filament form for the FDM process.

There are various other types of plastics developed by mixing plastic with other materials. These include LayWood – a wood/polymer composite, PET-G, HIPS, Nylon, PVA and so on. Plastics proved a low cost material to 3D printed on. With lot of research going on in the plastics for 3D printing area we shall be observing lot more developments in this area.

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Metals

Metals are another popular set of materials used for industrial grade 3D printing mainly for the material strength and durability. Two most common metals are aluminum and cobalt derivatives. Stainless in powder form is the most commonly used metal for 3D printing. It is used in Selective Layer Sintering (SLS), EBM (Electron Beam Manufacturing) processes primarily. Titanium is one of the strongest metal materials that has been used for 3D printing applications. There is lot of news coverage on how titanium is used to create a skull of human beings in medical field.

As with plastics, there is extensive research going on in metals space to come up with new metals to print on. Disadvantage with plastic is that it can’t be used for end product at the industrial level. The application of plastic is mainly limited to creation of prototypes. But with metals that issue can be resolved.

Ceramics

These days we are hearing quite a bit about Ceramics. Ceramics are a new group of materials developed for 3D printing. But as with traditional manufacturing process, 3D printed ceramics also have to go through firing and glazing before the products can be used for end purpose.

Paper

Paper (Standard A4 paper commonly available in the market) is another interesting yet highly affordable material used for 3D printing. A company called Mcor Technologies has built a proprietary process that uses paper for 3D printing. The concept is loosely based on LOM (Laminated Object Machining). 3D printed models made with paper are safe, environmentally friendly, easily recyclable and require zero post processing.

Food

Off late, we are hearing quite a lot about 3D printed food. With the launch of paste extruder, it has become very easy to 3D print different kinds of food. Chocolate (due to its properties) has become the most common food item to be 3D printed upon. But there are also printers that work with sugar and various experiments are done with pasta and meat. Food remains the most popular material to 3D print on and various new food materials continue to evolve over time.

Bio Materials

There is a lot of research being conducted into the potential of 3D printing bio materials for a host of medical applications. 3D printed kidney, 3D printed ear tissue and all such products come under this category. Lot of research is being conducted on living tissue at various leading institutions. The idea is to 3D print human organs for transplantation and also for replacement body parts. If this proves successful, this is going to revolutionize the entire medical industry.

Others

The above mentioned materials are the most popular materials in usage now. Otherwise there are many more materials under research and development by various companies. Stratasys is one such company that has a unique & proprietary material offering. It offering a varied set of materials which can be mixed in differing proportions to create new set of materials with unique properties. Up to 140 digital materials can be realized from combining these primary materials in different ways.

Summing it all, materials hold a very prominent place in 3D printing industry. As the industry evolves and as the R&D matures, many new materials emerge. There is a huge scope for innovation in 3D printed materials space and lots of funding is flowing into 3D printed materials space.

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Tags 3d Printing Materials, ABS, Bio Materials, bio printing, Ceramics, Food, Materials, Metals, Paper, PLA

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Industries 3D Printing will soon be Disrupting

Post author By Christina Canton
Post date July 23, 2014
No Comments on Industries 3D Printing will soon be Disrupting

With the dawn of 3D printers the traditional ways of manufacturing are changing with leaps and bounds. A few years back 3D printing was an important technology for the creation of proto-types but now 3D printing seems to have captured the entire consumer market right from electronics to toys, healthcare to space. There is a long list of industries that are bound to be disrupted by the large scale usage of 3D printers. In this article we will see some of the industries that are greatly affected by the adaptation of 3D printers.

3D Printing effect on traditional Manufacturing

3D printing will very soon replace the traditional manufacturing industry. The production of parts at a faster rate with the help of 3D printers is something that is attracting a lot of manufacturers to switch to this technology. The various mass production manufacturing industries that will sooner or later experience the 3DP are: electronic production, jewelry industry, manufacturing of the various automotive parts and the manufacturing of toys.

Healthcare Industry:

Bio-printing is growing at a very rapid pace and now it is also being considered as the fastest growing form of 3D printing. In this form of 3D printing ink jet style printers are used to make living tissues. Organovo plans to commercialize 3D printed liver tissues. They have amalgamated their efforts with the National Eye Institute and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences to print eye tissue.

With the help of 3D printing now medical solutions can be more personalized as per the needed of the patients. The implanting of soft tissue organs such as ear, finger or kidney can be easily done by 3D printing and will soon be done widely.

The other applications of 3D printing in this sector would be metal hip implants, skull implants, orthopedic insoles, body braces, and jaw transplants have already been manufactured on 3D printers.

The recent development made in this sector with aid from 3D printing is that of the origin of a new process known as the Block Cell Printing. In this process 100% of the cells are living as compared to the earlier process in which only 50%- 80% of the cells would survive.

Defense Industry:

The equipments that are used in this sector are either very complex or very dangerous to use. So the quantity in which it is produced is not very high. The volume of production is relatively low. The parts of these equipments are mostly custom made and a there will be a frequent need for replacing them once they are worn out. With 3D printers the replacement parts can be built on site which results in saving a lot of time and money in ordering the replacement parts.

3D printed guns have also been done last year. The defense departments of countries like US and Australia are thinking of installing 3D printers in their respective departments. A platoon that would be solely 3D printing the parts that are needed by the soldiers will be seen very soon.

Education Sector:

3D printing has proved the positive impact that it can create on students by the various experiments that were done in many schools and colleges around the globe. Some colleges and universities such as University of Michigan have already started using this technology in their regular curriculum.

MakerBot one of the biggest 3D printing company has recently announced the establishment of the MakerBot Academy. It is a crowdfunded plan which will enable the entry of 3D printers in every school in America. The company also plans to establish MakerBot Innovation Centers in the various colleges and universities starting from the State University of New York at New Palz.

Culinary Industry

Chocolates are something that are loved and enjoyed by people of all age groups. Customization of chocolate has been something that has lately overpowered this industry. Chocolates of different shapes and sizes have attracted many people who want to gift their loved ones something sweet. Chocolates that are shaped like logos of companies, names and other objects are being widely printed all over the world with much ease as compared to the traditional methods. 3D printing has become so versatile that anything can be printed that can exist in powder or liquid form. In other words things that can be extruded from a nozzle or a syringe can be 3D printed. Sugar sculptures are something that is just another miracle that can be done by 3D printing.

The other materials that can be 3D printed are cheese and sauces. In one of the recent developments in this sector is the 3D of pizza, an egg plant dish, corn pasta and panna cotta.

Space industry

The venturing of 3d printers in this industry has been something that is very recent. One of the most logical usages of this technology is the 3D printing of the various parts, tools and gadgets that are needed on board of a space ship. This makes the crew which is onboard very self sufficient.

3D printing can also accelerate the building of parts for the International Space Station. NASA has collaborated with the Marshall Space Flight Center to launch the very first 3D printer in space. This printer will manufacture parts in zero gravity. In another effort to make these printers an active member on space ships an engineer has won a grant from NASA for creating a machine that would print food for the astronauts who are on board.

These are few examples which clearly indicate how 3d printing is slowly changing the way manufacturing is being done today. Moreover it shows the potential that this technology carries. It also gives us a sense that it can serve important civic purposes and also become an engine for economic development.

Environmental Effect of 3D Printing

The traditional methods of mass production are very wasteful and dirty. In more than one way 3D printing lowers down the level of waste and also the carbon footprint that the manufacturing industry can have on the planet. Some of the benefits of using 3DP over the traditional manufacturing techniques are:

Fewer wasted materials
Possibility of longer life span of the object that is created.
Cutting down the transportation cost
Fewer unsold products as production is done only when there is a demand. (no warehousing)

Image Credit: Luke Peterson (flickr handle: lukepeterson)

Tags 3d printing, 3D Printing effect on industries, defense, education, Food, health care, MakerBot, manufacturing, space

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5 interesting applications of 3D printing

Post author By Raja Upputuri
Post date June 15, 2014
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It is a given fact that 3D printing is a revolutionary technology. While some naysayers say there is more hype than content surrounding 3D printing, we believe there are concrete ways in which this technology can impact our day to day lives and make this world a better place. Below listed are seven ways 3D printing could impact our lives.

1. Food:

Printed food may not sound appetizing to the ears, but very soon we are going to see the concept of printed food. And printing food has various advantages. Currently, there is lot of food wastage happening as restaurants have to prepare various food items upfront. With printed food concept, restaurants can print the food as and when customers order food. This brings down the cost and wastage. Chefs can create elaborate chocolate designs as per customer taste. NASA has also been looking into pizza printers for its hungry astronauts and other printers dedicated to pasta, corn and candy hint at the possibilities for food fabrication.

2. Body Parts:

Many believe 3D printers can save and change lives by printing organs on demand. Current approach of transplantation is highly ineffective. There are millions of patients across the world waiting for organ donations. Also, storage and transportation of organs is a very complex process. So, if 3D printers can print the organs, it can significantly shorten the waiting time period. So far, scientists have printed ears, kidneys and bones. Although, organ functionality is a work-in-progress, it is very likely that 3D printing will make huge contributions to the field of medicine over the next few decades.

3. Personal Figurines & Gifts:

One major current application of 3D printing is the creation of personal figurines & custom gifts. A few years from now, one needn’t go to a gift shop to buy a nice gift. All one needs to do is to open a website, select the kind of gift one wants to print and then just print the gift. One can thus choose from a wide variety of items and present a custom gift. Also, one can have personal figurines printed to cherish one’s precious moments. All customers have to do is strike a pose for 15 minutes while the scanner takes a digital model.

4. Toys:

One major application of 3D printing can be printing custom toys. Many would love to have printed models of characters in various games like Minecraft. There are some application that allow you to take objects from in-game world and convert them into ready-to-print 3D models.

5. Homes:

So far we have heard of building homes. But what about printing homes. Looking at the way some Chinese companies are already printing 3D houses, we believe 3D printing of houses will soon be a reality. One Suzhou-based construction materials firm Winsun is responsible for this 3D printing of houses. The firm took standard CAD designs for buildings and printed out their walls by using a machine that extrudes a mix of high-grade cement and recycled glass fiber, layering it until the wall is finished. In a similar fashion, the firm also printed various fittings that would be needed to bring the building up to standard. All parts were then moved from the factory to the building site and the buildings are assembled on-site. Once 3D printing of houses get standardized, it will solve one major problem various governments are facing – Housing for all.

6. Jewelry:

By using 3D digital and 3D printing technology, the transformation from the traditional production model to digital and rapid jewelry production solution in jewelry industry could be realized.

7. Education & Research:

3D printing, and open-source 3D printers, in particular, are the latest technology making inroads into the classroom. 3D printing allows students to create prototypes of items without the use of expensive tooling required in subtractive methods. Students design and produce actual models they can hold. The classroom environment allows students to learn and employ new applications for 3D printing.

Image Credit: Creative Tools (flickrhandle: Creative_Tools)

Tags 3d printing, Food, Homes, Miniatures, Toys