The recent development of three dimensional printing has enabled a number of revolutions in different industries, from firearms, to medicine, and everyday items that just make life a little bit more comfortable. For those of you who are not familiar with the concept of 3D printing, it is pretty self explanatory. It is a printer that uses digital technology to print objects in three dimensional shapes. This technology has given people access to what looks to be an unlimited number of possibilities. It has been under development for a while, since 1981, but has only recently boomed into popularity, and is being used to achieve great success in so many different industries.

 In the medical sense for example, 3D printer is proving to be a game changer in different areas throughout the field. Recently, a New Zealander student at Victoria University named Jake Evill has used 3D printing to design an exoskeleton cast, which is a huge improvement from the pre-historical plaster casts, which anyone who has ever been unfortunate enough to be in one knows how itchy and smelly it can get. Not to mention the stress of having to spend roughly twice longer taping a plastic bag around the thing, than in the actual shower, only to realise that the cast ended up getting wet anyway.

 

(Source: NZ Herald)

The new 3D-printed exoskeletal cast uses data from X-rays and a 3D scan of the patient’s fractured area to create a cast which is much lighter, fully ventilated, shower friendly, hygienic, recyclable, and just happens to look awesome.

That is only one of the many things 3D printing has revolutionised in the medical industry. Another innovation has seen 3D printing being used to create bionic ears. These will not only help people with hearing difficulties to hear better through an aid that looks natural, but in the future, the developers believe they can link the it to connect directly with other gadgets such as cell phones and laptop devices.

 

(Source: NZ Herald)

The 3D printer uses a combination of silicone and bovine tissue to create the bionic ear, which is still in the early stages of development, but serves as a good example of the potential this technology possesses.

As I briefly mentioned before, the 3D printing revolution has affected many different fields, and for very different reasons. In what is perhaps the furthest from a medical enhancement perspective, 3D printing has also being used to print guns. Yes, fully-functioning, bullet-shooting firearms. And what is perhaps even scarier, the materials to create what is being referred to as “The Liberator” cost around U$25.

 

The 3D printer used to make this gun retails for U$1,725, and is very easily accessible. The file needed to print this gun is available online for free to download. This means that for under U$2000, one can now create a number of untraceable handguns.

These examples represent a very small group of things amongst the endless projects the 3D printing technology is being used for. But they do a good job at showing how versatile the technology is, and I can’t say I am not excited to see what the next big thing to come out of this revolution.