While film fanatics are awaiting the upcoming Oscars, our readers are selecting candidates for the 3rd Annual 3D Printing Industry Awards.
The black-tie event, which will be held at Regent Park’s Nuffield Hall in central London on June 6th, will once again celebrate institutions and major figures in additive manufacturing from around the world.
Humanitarian projects in particular have been seen to incorporate additive manufacturing to increase the well-being of communities worldwide. Here is an update on some of the nominations made by our readers.
And remember, nominations are still open for you to highlight the companies and additive experts that stand out.
3D printed crisis supplies
Illinois-based non-profit organisation, Field Ready, is one of the many humanitarian figures nominated. Last year, its team worked on the “Hidden Incentives Initiative,” which used 3D printing to create toys that go inside soap. The overall goal of this project was to encourage children from the Sharia Camp in Iraq – a large group of internally displaced people (IDP) fleeing terrorism – to wash their hands.
Prior to this, Field Ready frequented the mountainous Nepal district of Sindhupalchowk to address such logistical problems caused by an earthquake. With 3D printers at their disposal, the team manufactured various medical tools, including a 3D printed otoscope, to treat the villagers.
Conserving marine life with additive manufacturing
Recognised for its work in marine life conservation, SECORE International have been nominated for its novel coral restoration concept project. The non-profit organisation is working with Boston Ceramics, a member of the FIT Additive Manufacturing Group, to 3D print ceramic seeding units for coral reefs.
SECORE, an abbreviation of Sexual Coral Reproduction, have placed these seeding units to encourage asexual corals to repopulate seabeds in Mexico. This is said to promote a more diverse sea bed of differing coral types.
3D printed helping hands
e-NABLE, a global additive manufacturing volunteer network, have been nominated as a result of its 3D printed prosthesis. Last year, the network’s local chapter, Handing the Future, provided Floridian amputee, Francisco Piedra, with a pair of 3D printed hands.The prosthesis, created using FFF 3D printing, are integrated with wrist-controlled wires that function like tendons hands.
With these hands, Piedra can now handle and grip objects, whilst also supporting himself on a pair of donated prosthetic legs.
Similarly, Atomic Lab, an additive manufacturing network based in Argentina, has been nominated. This organisation have donated over 1000 3D printed prosthesis for amputees all over world.
Honorable additive manufacturing humanitarian projects
As well as the nominees, there still remains ambitious humanitarian projects that are using 3D printing technologies that are yet to be nominated.
For example, in November, SPARK, an architectural studio based in Singapore, Shanghai, and London, began developing a transportable 3D printed toilet module to combat open defecation in India.
Prior to this, WASP, the Italian manufacturer behind DeltaWASP 3D printers, unveiled the Crane WASP construction 3D printer which will be used to accelerate the development of the technological village of Shamballa – a project to develop 3D printed eco-friendly houses.
Furthermore, students from the University of Warwick developed a 3D printed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to aid in mountainside rescue as part of the UK government sponsored program Horizon (AM).
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Featured image shows Protolabs at the 2018 3D Printing Industry Awards.
