cool places you can find 3D printed products

Just 10 years ago, you could still dream of a 3D printer. He was a replicator from Star Trek or Arthur Clarke's crazy prediction. However, it turned out that Clark was right (since he had a lot of things) and now a 3D printer is sold at Staples. So he starts saving on his own copyright-infringing miracle, but for now, watch out for 3D-printed products making their way into the mainstream in some very cool places.

1. At the cinema

Photo courtesy of wikia.nocookie.net

You may not know this, but if you've seen the 2013 Wolverine movie, you've already seen 3D printing in action. The Silver Samurai armor was 3D printed. In fact, in movies, 3D printing technology has been introduced in many fascinating ways.

Obvious uses include the production of special costumes like the one worn by Silver Samurai, movie props and collectibles, and even animated characters. But there are also less obvious uses: Manufacturing companies are now using 3D printers to reproduce the perfect trick. In this process, the actor's face and the stunt stuntman's face are digitally scanned. Then a mask is created in the image and likeness of the actor with internal contours corresponding to the double side of the acrobatics.

2. On a rocket

Private company SpaceX has already started by means of 3D laser reproduction technology to create components for its rockets. They used 3D printing in conjunction with modern virtual reality software. (The whole process seems to come straight out of Hollywood science fiction.) And now that SpaceX offers real competition to the Pentagon's more traditional vendors, the majors are eager to follow suit.

Here's a good example: Lockheed Martin just announced plans to use in-house 3D printing to cut manufacturing costs for its flight components. A large defense contractor is already printing titanium parts for satellites. In the long term, the idea is to use 3D printing to create a complete working satellite in great circulation. Even NASA has tested rocket print nozzles, which, by the way, have completely outperformed their traditional production counterparts.

3. At the table

Someone had to do it; it was almost inevitable. But Foodini definitely doesn't cook your food for you. It flattens it in layers like any other 3D printer. And although the food he makes is not exactly haute cuisine. But you can use it to brand a clothed dessert, fancy chocolates, or stuffed pasta like ravioli.

Foodini uses a system of six distinct capsules to store the many elements in your recipe. The contents of each capsule can stay extruded at different temperatures and pressures. There is a built-in heater to keep food warm while stacking. It's a complicated process though, and right now it seems more unfinished than your next new kitchen appliance.

4. Under construction

Photo courtesy of 3Dprint.com

The design/engineering company Arup is working on the production of structural steel components (beams, support beams, etc.) using 3D printers. The production process allows them to create these components with less waste and with true structural integrity while firmly inserting them into the joints. They are currently producing prototypes that look like sculptures, but they hope to produce large-scale components within a year.

The company uses martensitic steel, a high-strength, low-carbon steel alloy that is lighter and stronger than traditional structural steel. They hope that by printing structural components rather than mass-producing them, they will allow for more sophisticated architectural designs and lower manufacturing costs.

5. In the head

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The medical community is chiefly excited about the possibilities of 3D printing. Researchers have already created hand prostheses with 3D printers and are working to create replacement human organs. But one of the coolest prosthetics ever made is the living, functional human ear. It only takes 15 minutes to type hearing aid, but the process takes about a week before the cells, made up of the backbone of animal collagen, have developed enough to implant the ear on a person's head.

But wait! There is something else. Demuth Strebe, an intrepid German artist, took this piece to the next level. He used the DNA of Vincent Van Gogh's great-great-grandson creates a 3D-printed copy of the venerable artist's left ear. That's right, it was Van Gogh who cut his head off during one of his horrible psychotic episodes. The ear is presently on display at the Karlsruhe Art Museum, Germany. Museum visitors are encouraged to whisper into a microphone connected to a disembodied ear.

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