In December as we prepared for Christmas, we celebrated Global 3D Printing Day with YouTubers and the maker community, saw new research involving 3D printing dog noses, Audi looking into vehicles for the moon and heard about engineer Enrico Dini’s 3D printing story.
3D printing day
Global 3D printing day occurred on the 3rd December and as part of our coverage, 3DPI caught up with YouTubers and other Makers who explained how they were celebrating the occasion. The team at Fargo 3D printing told us about their success on YouTube with how-to videos and we also spoke to two other YouTubers about 3D printing and their 3D printing day plans.
3DPI also explored how the rest of the maker community celebrated the annual event on the 3rd December which included a heart-warming 3D Printing Day miracle involving the arrival of a hot-end. If you’re a Maker using 3D printing, get in touch: we want to hear from you!
Enrico Dini
At the beginning of December, engineer Enrico Dini opened up about how 3D printing ‘ruined his life’. Dini created the D-Shape printer back in 2005 by modifying machinery at the shoe factory where he worked, using a robotic arm to 3D print with resin and sand. The steps that Dini took following this event may have shaped the future of 3D printing, but it also ruined his marriage and financial situation. In the interview it was clear that Dini still has a wonderful imagination and it showed as he spoke about grand ideas which included 3D printing houses on the moon.
3D printed dog noses
Researchers at NIST explored the properties of dog noses with 3D printing and how they benefit the animal’s sense of smell. In order to detect “explosives, narcotics, pathogens, or even cancer.” An article published in December recorded the experiments with the artificial dog nose in a quest to determine what makes the animal so good at smell detection, and to better harness this ability to solve real world problems.
Gif shows the 3D printed nose in action. Gif from NIST.
Audi bringing 3D printing microwave to the moon
It was revealed in December that German automotive manufacturer Audi were working with the Part Time Scientists group on a space vehicle in pursuit of the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE. They completed the design for the ALINA lunar lander and the Audi Lunar Quattro Rover. The Quattro being an off-world vehicle designed to complete the challenge of driving 500 meters across the moon and sending back photos. The PT Scientists being a “Berlin Germany based team of scientists and engineers working with the AUDI AG on the first private Mission to the Moon.”
It was also announced in December that 3DPI would be hosting the first annual 3D Printing Industry Awards and nominations are open now.
Featured image of a 3D printed ‘Screwable two-part globe earth in 3D by nathansquire67 on thingiverse.
