3D Printing

Most cyclists probably don't give much thought to what sort of water bottle cage they use. If you're one of those people who just has to have the best of everything, though, you might want to check out Alptitude's 3D-printed titanium Superleggero TI.

Australian scientists have created the world’s smallest moustache, tiny enough to be modeled by a single red blood cell. Measuring just 5 microns wide, the micro-mo was designed to raise awareness for men’s health.

Surfers seem like a fairly eco-minded bunch, which is why it's ironic that most surfboards are made of petroleum-based, non-recyclable expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. The Sea Mink is different, in that it's made of 3D-printed recycled plastic.

A team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge has developed a new technique that uses high-energy lasers to fine tune the properties of 3D-printed metal without compromising the complex shapes it forms.

3D-printed construction continues to grow in popularity, and the latest example is an ambitious apartment building in Germany. The project will incorporate cutting-edge 3D printing tech and timber, and will host affordable social housing.

If you can 3D-scan it, you can 3D-print it – and Matter and Form has announced a super-versatile new way to do so. The Three system creates photorealistic, high-detail, full-color 3D scans of objects from coins to cars, and potentially beyond.

Cement company Progreso has completed Guatemala's first 3D-printed building. It's designed to withstand local seismic activity and combines modern 3D-printing construction techniques with traditional local craftsmanship in the form of a thatched roof.

Prostheses that replace fingers are typically complex, expensive devices, the cost of which often isn't covered by medical insurance. The student-designed Lunet, on the other hand (no pun intended) is simple and can be made from open-source plans.

MVRDV has completed work on a retail store for jeweler Tiffany's in Singapore's Changi Airport. It aims to catch the eyes of weary travelers with a 3D-printed coral-inspired facade made using recycled plastic partly sourced from fishing nets.

Researchers have used human neural stem cells to 3D print functional brain tissue that mimics the architecture of the cerebral cortex, the brain’s outermost layer, and has the potential to provide individualized repairs to brain injuries.

In a major step towards creating new organs on demand to alleviate donor waitlists, Stanford scientists have now received a contract and funding for experiments to 3D print human hearts and implant them into live pigs.

Though a lot of 3D-printed architecture we see nowadays involves the creation of high-end housing, this post office in India offers a reminder of the technology's potential to produce low-cost buildings within a short time frame.