3D Printing

As 3D-printed construction becomes more common, it's being used for everything from housing to schools and bridges. Advanced Intelligent Construction Technology offers another use for the tech with what it says is the world's first 3D-printed park.

If you wanted to 3D-print an object that was magnetic in some areas only, you'd have to print two items out of different metals, then join them. A new technique, however, allows for the printing of single objects with gradient magnetic qualities.

NASA has commissioned high-profile architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) to design a 3D-printed simulated Mars habitat, and is accepting applications from would-be participants willing to live in it for a year.

MX3D has finally realized its ambitious plan to install the world's first 3D-printed steel bridge over a canal in Amsterdam. The public bridge features integrated sensors to collect data on its structural integrity, crowd behavior, and more.

Orange peels certainly are compostable, but Milan-based startup Krill Design has come up with an interesting alternative use for them. The company is incorporating orange waste into its 3D-printed Ohmie lamp, which is currently on Kickstarter.

For some time now, we've been hearing about scaffolding-like implants that encourage bone tissue or cartilage to grow back into areas where it's missing. Now, scientists have developed a method for more quickly and easily 3D-printing such implants.

Thanks to a steady rise in vinyl sales of late, turntables are returning to the living room hi-fi setup. But if you're a maker looking for something a bit different, Frame Theory 3D has just launched a 3D-printable turntable kit on Kickstarter.

The University of Alberta has developed a new technique for 3D printing cartilage in custom shapes. This can be used to repair the noses of skin cancer patients, saving them the trouble of having cartilage samples taken from other parts of the body.

The ivory trade has been banned for over 30 years now, which means that technicians restoring ivory artifacts have to get creative in finding alternative materials. A new 3D-printable substance known as Digory appears to fit the bill nicely.

When objects are being 3D printed, they often have to include supportive structures that are subsequently discarded. A new print bed, however, is designed to eliminate the need for such structures, thus reducing both waste and printing time.

On most consumer 3D printers, the print head moves by sliding horizontally along rails, and vertically along rods. The Plybot is different, though, in that it "holds" its head in two robotic arms.