Printing Human Tissue
3-D printing has come a long way. I first saw it in an IBM laboratory in the early 1990s. It was huge and costly. The cost has plummeted. Now I have one in my workshop. I print objects using filament made from Polylactic Acid (PLA). The PLA is 1.75mm in diameter. That is about seven one-hundredths of […]
FDA Approves First 3-D printed Pill
If you are a believer in the future of 3-D printing, as I am, you believe just about anything can be printed. At the 3D Printing Conference and Expo in New York earlier this year, I saw printed shoes, chocolate pretzels, jewelry, teeth, and the fenders of a car. I have to admit, I had not […]
A Surgical Robot Stitching A Grape
One year ago this week, I had a robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, followed by 39 days of intensity-modulated radiation treatment. The combination of the two has almost certainly cured me of prostate cancer. I wrote a chapter in Health Attitude about my personal experience and about 3-D printing and robots in healthcare. They will play an increasingly larger […]
3-D Printed Teeth
EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, a German high technology company, is using 3-D printing to change the way dental prosthetics are made. The company has a direct metal laser sintering process to print durable false teeth. Instead of plastic, the EOS 3-D printing process uses a proprietary powder made from a cobalt-chrome-molybdenum-based alloy powder. The teeth are […]
Want To Borrow An Apple Watch?
If you aren’t sure about the Apple Watch and want to try it out, become a patron at the North Carolina State University Libraries. Students are borrowing the watch, learning how to use it, and sharing their experience in the NCSU Libraries News. Libraries are not just about books. They play an important role in helping students […]
