“My differentiator is that I’m able to create blood vessels with geometries that are more closely matched to those found in the body. This will allow for patient-specific vascular graft designs, improved surgical options, and provides a unique testing platform for new vascular medical devices for those suffering from cardiovascular disease-which is currently the number one cause of death worldwide. His research uses high-precision desktop stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing to enable the production of tissue-engineered blood vessels with a variety of geometries. Sam Pashneh-Tala from the University of Sheffield is leading the way. While it remains in its early stages, the use of the 3D workflow to produce organic tissue eligible for transplant is bearing early fruit.ĭr. 3D printed organs is one of them.īeing able to easily create new organs has for decades been a dream for scientists working in regenerative medicine.
We wanted to introduce it to our manufacturing processes, not only to reduce costs, but to give the customer more diversity with their designs and their ideas,” said Design Engineer Anthony Barnicott.
Industrial design studio Vital Auto has put all of this technology to work creating high-fidelity prototypes and concept cars, rapidly working through iterations using a variety of advanced tools, including a large fleet of in-house 3D printers. New, resilient 3D printing materials are opening opportunities for the production of high precision, functional 3D prints that can stand in for final parts, offering customization opportunities that help designers radically push the boundaries of high-performance cars. The technology is growing more workable and affordable, with companies able to bring additive manufacturing in-house to support processes on the factory floor. 3D printing can add enormous value to supply chains, unlocking a broad spectrum of production applications.