Tag Archives: UK
Medical 3D Printing Breakthrough: Man Gets a New 3D Printed Face
Medical 3D Printing Breakthrough
In a medical 3D printing breakthrough, a man who suffered disfiguration from cancer gets a new prosthetic face and improved quality of life.
Four years ago, Briton Eric Moger was diagnosed with cancer when doctors found a tumor the size of a tennis ball growing inside his face. Moger immediately underwent surgery to remove the tumor, but the procedure also left him disfigured, literally missing part of his face.
In what is considered a first procedure of its kind, UK doctors have used medical 3D printing technology to create a new prosthetic face for Moger that matches the tone of his skin and includes a cheek, eye, and eyebrow.
The medical team used 3D scanning technology to develop a model of 60-year-old Moger’s face and then printed the prosthetic in nylon plastic.
In addition to giving Moger a more appealing look, the 3D printed face is also functional; it keeps water from spilling out of the cavity left behind from surgery when he drinks.
This is quite a medical breakthrough. In other examples, medical 3D printing techniques has been used to 3D print a new beak for a injured bald eagle and quickly fabricate a new titanium jaw for a woman inflicted with an infection.
The doctors hope that in the future these types of prosthetics can be printed in silicon for a more comfortable and even more natural look.
Via The Telegraph.
Photo credit: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph
Top 3D Printing News Last Week: Fashion, Fab Lab, Pricing, iPhone
3D Printing News
A roundup of the top 3D printing news from March 25 to March 31:
Sunday, March 31
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Video: 3D Printing Gives UK-Based Collcap Packaging Competitive Edge
Collcap Packaging in the UK is using revolutionary 3D printing technology to prototype cosmetics packaging for their many international perfumery and cosmetics suppliers. Using the Stratasys Objet30 Pro 3D printer, Collcap’s designers are able to turn 3D CAD designs into accurate prototypes using a choice of 7 different materials ranging from blue, gray, white and black to clear transparency, high temperature resistance and polypropylene-like.
The transparent material (Objet VeroClear) is particularly useful in simulating glass and PMMA. 3D printing allows Collcap to place precise transparent replicas in the hands of their customers only a few short hours after their initial design. Once the chosen 3D printed models are approved the designs are sent to glass cutting and then final manufacturing.
UK Retailer Sainsbury’s Sees Disruption to Retail in 3D Printing
Sainbury’s IT director Rob Fraser sees a disruptive shift on its way, thanks to 3D printing. Speaking at BETT, the UK’s largest trade fair for education technology, Fraser commented on the potential impact 3D printing would have on retail.
“We have to prepare for the fact that consumers may soon not want to buy pre-packaged iPhone cases of the shelf, but build and design their own,” said Fraser. ”The big challenge is we don’t know what’s coming but we have to prepare for it. Technology is changing at a rate we can’t predict, and if we can predict it, it’s already been established. The technologies we can’t predict will be with us in five years’ time.”
Sainsbury’s Fraser told UK publication V3 to expect more information about its 3D printing plans later this year.
Via V3.co.uk.
Sainbury’s photo by nogger used under Creative Commons license.
Team Great Britain Olympic Cyclists Fitted with 3D Printed Helmets
Team Great Britain has an edge above other teams, at least in cycling, thanks to 3D printing. UK Sport and British Cycling commissioned the design and production of custom cycling helmets, bespoke to each Olympic cyclist. Using laser scanning and 3D printing technology, the helmets were designed and prototyped in no time.
According to the company, the prototypes were physically used as part of the helmet fitting process; giving the athletes confidence that their helmet fit would be flawless.
Extensive testing found that aluminium honeycomb, often used within the aerospace industry, worked well as a material for the helmet core. When combined with the unique dual shell, it was said to outperform previous designs in terms of absorbing impact energy efficiently and ensuring deceleration forces weren’t transferred to the wearer.
Dr Scott Drawer, head of research and innovation at UK Sport, said: “Our job is to ensure our athletes make it to the start line among the best prepared and most feared in the world. Britain has a wealth of expertise in science, engineering and technology and by working with companies like Crux Product Design we can tap into a much wider network of skills and abilities from other industries to ensure we are leaving no stone unturned in our pursuit of sporting excellence.”
Via Eureka Magazine.
