○ 3D PRINTING INCREASINGLY PRECISE

Source: creativeapplications

3D printing is not just a way to build toys, it s much more. It is already widely used to develop prototypes and in manufacturing. How can make it more precise?

Scientists regularly work with three-dimensional data, for medical images like MRI scans to maps of glaciers produced by lasers, but most scientists use flat displays like computer screens which can't fully represent 3D datasets. So researchers are looking for newer better ways to display 3D data. Virtual and augmented reality systems, for example, can display patient's medical images to help doctors better plan surgery, but 3D printing can also be used to print out physical and held copies of data. These models can easily be shown to large groups without VR headsets which makes some people feel nauseous.

3D data needs to be converted into a computer model before it's printed, these models are made up of tiny connected triangles with a covered surface, but this process can make for awkward images. For example, MRI images of the fine white matter tracts in the brain are converted into bulky tubes. This kind of printing also has trouble creating objects where solid parts or data points are separated by empty space.

Now scientists have developed a method called voxel printing which allows high-resolution printing of 3D data without the need to convert it into a computer model first. The 3D dataset is sliced up into hundreds of horizontal images each made of thousands of boxes or three-dimensional pixels. Each voxel is printed using droplets of colored resin which are hardened with UV light, different resins can be combined to produce new colors and a transparent resin is used to represent empty space. Each layer is printed out one on top of the other to gradually build up a 3D structure (layers can be as thin as 12microns). The final high-definition model can contain billions of individual boxes. So far the researchers have used their technique to print out copies of tissue samples, laser scans statues and graphical maps of the moon.

(voxel printing) Source: creativeapplications

The ability to faithfully reproduce 3D data in a physical form that have a range of applications, from conserving historical artifacts to helping patients understand their medical scans. The team says that they hope one day scientists will be able to print off 3D datasets with just the press of a button.

What could be other uses?

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