For my research, I scrubbed the internet for the most obscure and bizarre 3d printers I could find. In this essay, I want to highlight what these technologies mean to me and why I am excited to see the technology taken further. So without further, let’s list off the printers.
I wanted to start with what is arguably the most normal on the list which is the world’s largest 3d printer. The world’s largest 3d printer was developed at the composites center at the University of Maine. This 3d printer has a build size of 60 x 20 x 10 feet and its nozzle size is 10 mm. What makes this 3d printer so interesting beyond its gigantic size is the fact that despite its size it still prints with the same material as any old desktop FDM 3D printer, this being plastics such as PLA, ABS, PETG, etc though the preferred material seems to be carbon fiber abs. Personally, I’d like to see more sized 3d printers because I feel as though large 3d prints are something that’s not often considered when discussing 3d printing as a cosplayer I’m constantly 3d printing pretty large props, and beyond that, I could see large 3d prints being used for replicating large machinery at a more domestic scale using cheaper material, in other words in other words I want 3d printed mini tank vehicles and more things like that.
Our 2nd 3d printer is the so-called “food 3d printer” though that title doesn’t seem to be a bit misleading, regardless the Foodini is a kitchen appliance that allows the user to reorganize their nonsolid foods into cool 3d shapes or you can make the worlds neatest sandwich whatever floats your boat. The printed sports a build size of 250 × 165 × 120 mm and has a nozzle size of 0.4mm. To curb my cynicalness the Foodini actually does offer some cool possibilities for the kitchen. The material that the foodie accepts is surprisingly diverse and comes with loads of uses. The materials that excited me most were cookie dough, chocolate, and pasta dough. These materials allow themselves to some very interesting 3d applications when it comes to food art chocolate most closely resembles plastic filaments due to its ability to harden by just cooling which allows for some cool “chocolate sculpture but the other mediums when 3d printed allow even the most novice of bakers to make interesting and detailed baked goods as well as making extremely specifically shaped pasta dishes allowing for vastly new culinary experiences and dishes.
“3D printed” food
Wow, a sugar 3d printer? Before I go into Sugar Labs‘ sugar 3d printer I wanted to go over a third type of 3d printer that oftentimes goes unmentioned when discussing 3d printers sure you have FDM printers and SLS printers but have you ever heard of pdf or powder bed fusion printers? Neither have I until researching these printers. Pbf printers use laser printing technology to melt parts of metal or plastic powders together on a layer-by-layer basis to form complex shapes without the need for support or worry about overhangs in general. The sugar labs printer takes this technology and replaces the powders with sugars and seasonings and uses water to harden each layer to make very intricate sugar cubes or seasoning bombs. While I like the idea of intricate sugar cubes I wonder if this can be used to make even bigger and more permanent art I’d like to see more sugar printers to see what people beyond sugar labs would make out of sugar but as of printers go in general there isn’t much new that I can say other than I want to make a sword or any kind of metal prop on one.
3d printed day of the dead sugar cubes
Next up are 3d bioprinters these printers are extremely precise since the nozzles tend to be literal needles. 3d bioprinters print using a multitude of bio-inks that can be comprised of an array of different organic materials such as collagen, gelatin, alginate, fibrin, and hyaluronic acid and are printed on a layer-by-layer basis like most other FDM printers. The structures of the prints usually are made to directly imitate natural tissues and bone structures since oftentimes 3D bioprinters are used to 3d print human organs and other natural structures. I like many others wish to see the day when transplants are no longer needed by other humans and instead, people can use 3d printed organs to replace their own as well as make even more natural prosthetics that are just like having the lost limb back. Another great use that I’ve seen for 3D bioprinters is 3d printing meats such as the ones produced at Steakholders. This company uses plant-based bio-inks to 3d print vegan meats that supposedly replicate the real thing pretty spot on. The process allows them to customize all aspects of the meat such as fat, marbling, and tenderness. As someone who is both concerned for the environment but too broke to afford vegan foods I look forward to seeing the expansion of meat 3d printing technology since by 3d printing more meat we can kill fewer cows and lower the amount of methane going into the atmosphere.
3d printed heart using human tissue
3d printed steaks
Finally, we have the instant 3d printer or as it’s called “The Replicator” Out of the printers I’ve discussed thus far, this is the most obscure. This is a new type of printer invented at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that prints in mere minutes due to the ways it works. It uses a process called computed axial lithography, the process works much like a CT scan. In a CT scan, a patient has multiple images of them taken at many different angles, the images are put together and used to form a 3d model. Computed axial lithography takes these images and instead creates this 3d model and puts it into a vile of rotating light reactive resin using a projector. To make it simple a series of images of an object at different angles are beamed and a rotating vile of light-reactive resin allows the object to materialize all at once within the resin. So far the biggest print using this met has been just under 6 inches but according to some one of my sources, there is room for growth. That leads me to my hopes and excitement on this 3d printer. I hope to see this become way bigger and more detailed so that one day it will be possible to make instant resin sculptures also the guy’s description sounded so casual that I can’t help but imagine that the process is quite cheap compared to other means of manufacturing, this leads me believe that this technology could one be trickled down to the consumer-level and give machines such as SLA 3d resin printers a fierce competition.
