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3-D Bio Printer Swaps Ink for Cells

3D Printer Store — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:16:59 +0000

Print-on-demand technology — utilized by companies like Vistaprint and CafePress — has become widely implemented over the last decade as digital printing has steadily replaced costly letterpress plates and other complicated methods. At the same time, 3-D printers (like our favorite, the MakerBot) have become more commonplace in the manufacture of products and prototypes. And, now, biotech outfit Invetech has merged the two technologies, replacing printer ink with living cells. That’s right: a 3-D, on-demand human tissue printer.

Developed for bioprinting company Organovo, the printer contains software that allows bioengineers to build model “scaffolds” on which to place, say, liver cells for a patient in need of a transplant — all before the structure is constructed by laser-calibrated print heads. The printer then builds the tissue layer by layer, much like a traditional 3-D printer.

This will undoubtedly change the game for biotech in years to come. The technology proposes a future in which patients do not need to wait for transplants from other human hosts; instead, medical technicians will simply have tissue models ready to be customized and printed on-demand. And, of course, this will be tons of fun if it ever hits the consumer market (not likely), as we’ve already started fantasizing about printing out real teeth and eyeballs for next year’s Halloween ghoul-fest.

Via: switched.com

What Can A 3D Printer Do For You?

3D Printer Store — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:35:48 +0000

Printers for the office have come a long way since their initial conception. No longer are companies restricted to only experimenting with ink printers that produce exceptional looking documents, photographs and pristine presentation materials. These days, companies have the exciting and innovative ability to experiment with 3D printers that actually allow them to create 3D models “in house” which they can use to take their presentations to the next level. There is no better or more effective way in which you can go about impressing a client at your next meeting!

3D printers allow a company to produce a 3D model based on a design which they have completed on their own. They simply load this design into a 3D printer and it will immediately begin fashioning a 3D representation based on the design you have programmed.

If you were to attempt to use a third-party company to execute these types of model designs you could have to wait days or even weeks to receive your finished product. But with 3D printers you can now limit this wait time to hours! This will allow you to produce the 3D models that you need in the time that you dictate.
Additionally, this will also save you the expense of hiring a third-party model building team. In fact, a 3D printer will generally pay for itself within the very first year of use! That is why many companies are now investing in 3D printers in order to save themselves time and money.