Graphene Flexes its Muscles
Graphene is amazing. Things it makes possible will seem like miracles. (See prior stories about graphene in the Attitude LLC blog.) In combination with 3-D printing, graphene may accelerate the possibilities for printing human tissues, including organs. A team of biomedical, electrical engineering, and materials science PhDs published an article about how graphene foam can be a scaffold for […]
3-D Printing with Stem Cells
The ultimate potential for 3-D printing is printing large tissues and organs. People die waiting for an organ transplant, and 3-D printing could ultimately prevent lost lives. The potential may be sooner than expected. An Israeli 3-D printer firm, Nano Dimension, has successfully lab-tested a 3-D bio-printer using human stem cells as the ink. 3-D printers are […]
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 […]
Artificial Kidney Made from Nanofilters
At Vanderbilt University scientists are building an artificial kidney. The scientists envision the device will become the standard of care and eliminate traditional dialysis. The prototype device was made using a silicon nanotechnology filter chip, embedded living kidney cells, and 3-D printing. The chips and cells work together to mimic the functions of a healthy kidney. The breakthrough device will be […]
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 […]