3D Printing Opportunities In Toy Design

A new development in loudspeaker design raises a number of possible 3D Printing Opportunities in the design of toys. We're all familiar with toys that talk or make other sounds. We also know that there is a speaker embedded inside that produces the sound. Because the speaker is inside the toy, the sound produced is muffled.

Disney Research has found a way to make the entire toy itself a loudspeaker through the use of 3D printing. They can also make selected parts of the toy the speaker such as its mouth. This makes the toy sound as if it is talking at you. With a large toy, different parts of it can be independent speakers.

The qualitative sound difference between Disney's design and the conventional embedded speaker is very striking. The fact that this new type of speaker can assume any shape, introduces a number of interesting possibilities in the design of toys.

There are many interesting studies to be made about how the shape of a speaker affects the qualities of its sound. While a cone shape produces directional sound and a sphere produces Omani directional sound, what about the infinity of possible shapes between the two? How does one exploit this new technology in the design of phones and musical instruments?

The principle behind the speaker is through electrostatics. There is an electrode inside the toy that doesn't vibrate and the vibrating speaker part that is the outside (or a part of the outside) surface of the toy. The electrode and the vibrating surface are separated by a small gap. A voltage signal applied to the electrode causes the outside speaker surface to vibrate which produces sound. This is distinctly different from ordinary loudspeakers that use electromagnets. The use of electrostatics in speaker design was first explored in the 1930s.

The toy and the vibrating part of it are 3D printed. A nickel-based paint is then sprayed onto the surfaces that will produce the sound. Currently, there is some sub assembly required but they are working on a design that will enable the 3D printing of the entire toy in one go.

READ MORE BLOG ABOTE 3d printing Technologies

Read more ...

3D Printing Opportunities In Archaeology

Archaeology

3D printing opportunities are opening up in the field of archaeology. When the public thinks about archaeologists, images of people brushing dust from old artifacts and bones come to mind. In addition to the brush, they will now have to add 3D scanners and printers to the picture.

It turns out that the combined technologies of 3D scanning and 3D printing are the perfect tools for the analysis of artifacts and remains. They are proving useful in the restoration of ancient artifacts as well. Artifacts are also being reproduced via 3D printing for the purposes of study, education, and the benefit of the pubic.

One of the more intriguing uses of the technology, is the printing of the skull of a 2,700 year old Egyptian mummy. The mummy is an exhibit at the Ohio Historical Society. A CT scan made by the Wexner Medical Center of Ohio State University, was used to print the skull. The skull replica will be used for teaching purposes and there are plans for using it to reconstruct the mummy's face, which is that of a woman.
A 3D printed replica of Tutankhamun’s tomb is now on display in Egypt. Tutankhamun’s tomb is the most well known of Egyptian burial sites. Every aspect of the tomb was reproduced including the wall murals. The reproduction was so perfect that several of the experts attending the unveiling broke into tears. The reason for making the reproduction is to protect the original tomb site from further wear and tear from the 1000 tourists who visit it every day.

3,000 Years ago, marauding Assyrians smashed a ceramic lion in a temple located in the city of Nuzi. Now a virtual restoration of the smashed up piece has been made by archaeologists at Harvard's Semitic Museum. The parts were virtually fitted together using 3D CAD software.

A physical restoration was then made using the original parts. 3D printed parts were used as substitutes for any missing pieces. This process of restoration is significant because most archaeological articles are nothing more than pieces of broken objects. There are literally thousands of other smashed and broken items in museums around the world that can be restored using this technique.

Although 3D printing has made possible a number of impressive breakthroughs in archaeology, its usefulness is far from tapped out. Further opportunities for advancing archaeology remain for those using 3d printing technology.

Read more ...

3D Printing Opportunities in retail

According to a recent article in Forbes, there are tremendous 3D printing opportunities in retail. Just as the technology promises to revolutionize how products are manufactured, it will also change the way that they are sold.

Imagine that a store, instead of having a warehouse filled with inventory, has a number of 3D printers capable of creating a number of products on the spot. These products could be from designs that exist in the “cloud” that can be created when a customer orders them or they can be made to order according to a customer’s specification.

This arrangement has two major advantages.

First, it reduces supply chain and inventory costs. Products sold in a retail store would not exist in a centralized warehouse, to be shipped to stores as needed. Instead they would exist as computer stored designs, to be created as needed at the point of sale.

Second, it expands the number and types of products that can be sold. Mass produced products tend to need a large customer base in order to be profitable. But with 3D printers, smaller customer bases can be serviced with on demand manufacturing.

3D printing technology will not likely entirely replace more conventional manufacturing techniques. The two technologies will likely coexist and even support one another. 3D printing can be used to “prototype” new products at low cost to ascertain what their market appeal is. Customer feedback can be used to refine and improve products on the spot. If there is enough demand for a new product, they can be mass produced and then distributed and sold. Thus both manufacturers and retail stores will save millions in product research.

Read more ...

3D Printing Opportunities for the Visually Impaired

A British company called OwnFone is developing a mobile phone for the blind. Their method of rolling out the product constitutes a 3D printing opportunities for the visually impaired.

One of the great advantages of 3D printing is that allows rapid prototyping to create products for a niche market. It also allows for customization of existing products for individual needs. Thus it is with the mobile phone that OwnFone is marketing for the visually impaired.

Hitherto developing products for niche markets such as the visually impaired has been often prohibitively expensive. Very often products like mobile phones for the visually impaired are just not available.

3D printing has changed all of that. For 60 British pounds, about $100, a blind or visually impaired person can have the names and phone numbers of his or her most frequent contacts entered on the OwnFone website. Then a custom made phone will be printed out with that contact information rendered in braille on speed dial buttons on the front.

Those who have some sight can have the same information in raised text, images, or large print. The mobile phones thus created are pretty basic, with six buttons, one for answer, one for hang up, and the four speed dial buttons. If a contact changes his or her number, the contact can enter that change in instantly. Changing a contact garners a 10 pound fee.

The OwnFone for the visually impaired is currently sold only in the United Kingdom and by all accounts it is selling briskly. The company is planning a crowd funding campaign to expand its service internationally in the near future.

Read more ...

Where 3D Printing and The Avant-Garde Meet

By now we are aware of the amazing 3D Printing opportunities that are applicable for commercial use, but let's keep in mind the creative possibilities this amazing tool is opening up in the art world.

A recent article by Digital Trends.com chronicles the astounding art piece created with 3D bio printing techniques which pushes the envelope of art and science. Printed with living human cells derived from a relative of the late master Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch artist Diemut Strebe has printed a living facsimile of Van Gogh’s severed ear. Amazingly the living reconstruction also has the ability to hear! The creation employs microphones and is connected to computer technology that converts and interprets sounds. This "Frankenstein" creation is currently on display at the The Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Germany and will travel to the United States in 2015.

Since their arrival on the scene 3D printers have become a tool that is impossible to ignore in the art world. They have the ability to dispense accuracy in the micro, with repetition. While implementing computer design software and matrices, creations that baffle the imagination are within the realm of possibility. The computer has the ability to anticipate problems regarding gravity and physics, which at times eludes the eccentric and dynamic sculptor. In addition, it opens drafting wide open, allowing the artist to replicate creations with ease, while easily tweaking design flaws.

Note the case of Arup, a global structural engineering and design firm, recently documented archaically.com. With the use 3D Printing Technology they were able to design attractive steel joints that are created with efficiency, durability and "real world, hard-hat" applicability. This research work has the potential to revolutionize the engineering and architecture professions, providing lessons in cutting costs and diminution of carbon footprints and waste. 

3D Printing is unlocking the potential of creatives by providing them with a tool the can physically bring their dreams to life. It is as revolutionary as the induction of the computer into every design sector. It changes our ideas of what the creative mind can achieve, like the first time Van Gogh's avant-garde painting "Starry Night," was unveiled back in 1889. A revolutionary awakening of new perceptions.

Read more ...

How 3D Printing Technology Will Affect Package Delivery by the Postal Service

According to a recent report, the United States Postal Service may use 3D printing technology to revive its ailing business. The new technology would be a financial boon in a number of ways, but in the USPS's traditional business of shipping packages and by having the government own mail service branch out into 3D printing items itself.

The idea is that 3D printing will lead to more single item parcels being shipped over shorter distances rather than hundreds of thousands of identical items being shipped over longer distances. This will lead to less fuel consumption and less emissions.

The USPS maintains a massive "first mile" and "last mile" delivery network that fits perfectly into a model in which businesses make 3D printed items close to their customers. As the technology matures and more people begin making 3D printed items at home, they will still need a way for materials like powders and binding materials. The USPS believes that its delivery network and its expertise in shipping lightweight packages will fit perfectly to satisfy this need.

The postal service could go even further by partnering with businesses to actually install 3D printers on site at its various post offices along with micro warehousing. This would cut costs for the 3D printing manufacturer and would open up a new revenue stream for the USPS.

To maintain the security of files which may have copyrighted designs, the postal service could provide its own network or even deliver the designs on physical media, providing a level of security that the Internet cannot meet.

It short the postal service is thinking about how 3D printing could benefit its business and is planning to react accordingly.

Read more ...

3D Printing With Fungus

One of the more intriguing ways that 3D printing is being used to create art has been developed by a Dutch artist named Eric Klarenbeek. He has gone beyond using the standard heated plastic or powdered metal to create 3D printed objects. He has found a way to use fungus to create objects like chairs that are not only durable, but also compostable.



The way it works is that Klarenbeek grinds up straw and mixes it with Mycelium fungus. The result is a filament that can be used just like any other material in a FDM printing, but with a twist. Unlike plastic or metal, the combination straw/fungus material does not need to be heated as it is used in the additive manufacturing process.

Once the object is printed, Klarenbeek soaks it with water and sets it aside. The fungus grows, replacing the water, and creates an object that is much like cork.

The next step is to create an outer shell using bio plastic and then placing the straw/fungus object in it. The Mycelium continues to grow and, in a couple of days, creates a structurally sturdy object.

Klarenbeek claims that this technique can be used to 3D print just about any object, from small figurines, to furniture such as tables and chairs, to eve an entire house. The results are literally manufactured products made with a living organism.

A house made of what is essentially the same stuff that mushrooms are made of would be a fascinating thing to see. In any case Klarenbeek may have found a way to create products for people who are both technologically savvy and environmentally sensitive.

For more 3d printing News Visit http://3dprinting.org/3dnews

Read more ...