Lifeboat Foundation

Made In Space has announced the completion of its three-part project focused on the additive manufacturing of radiation shields it launched earlier this summer, and tested them aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

TCT first reported the printing of the protective shields which are being used on NASA’s Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) – connected to the ISS – in May. Made In Space (MIS) used its Additive Manufacturing Facility to produce the shields, which grew in thickness as the testing phase went on. The first was made at 1.1mm thick, the second at 3.3mm and the third at 10mm, all in ABS plastic.

The shields include within them channels which hold Radiation Enclosure Monitors (REM), sensors being used on the BEAM to test for radiation, recording the measurements. Astronauts aboard the ISS would change these devices at regular intervals between April and end of June, when the project concluded.

Continue reading “Made In Space announces completion of 3D printed radiation shields project” »

In recent years 3D printing of aerospace components has made great strides with ever larger parts, faster production and synergy with other materials, including composites. AEROSPACE gets an update on the latest progress from Scott Sevcik, Head of Manufacturing Solutions at international 3D printing company Stratasys.

Scott Sevcik, Head of Manufacturing Solutions, Stratasys. (Stratasys)

Scientists aim to 3D print human tissue so they can better study how new drugs interact with our bodies. A recent advance? 3D printed blood vessels.

SGI-DNA has launched the world’s first DNA printer. The BioXp 3200 system is an automated personal genomic workstation that builds and clones DNA fragments virtually hands-free. Source: SGI-DNA. A Synthetic Genomics Inc. Company.

Firmamentum, a division of Tethers Unlimited Inc. in Bothell. Wash… says it has won $750.000 in NASA funding to build a combination 3D printer and plastic recycler for the International Space Station.

The device, known as the Refabricator, is due to be delivered to NASA next year, said Rob Hoyt, president of TUI/Firmamentum.

Continue reading “NASA picks Firmamentum to build a 3D printer/recycler for use in space” »

Body organs such as kidneys, livers and hearts are incredibly complex tissues. Each is made up of many different cell types, plus other components that give the organs their structure and allow them to function as we need them to.

For 3D printed organs to work, they must mimic what happens naturally – both in terms of arrangement and serving a biological need. For example, a kidney must process and excrete waste in the form of urine.

Our latest paper shows a new technique for 3D printing of cells and other biological materials as part of a single production process. It’s another step towards being able to print complex, living structures.

Continue reading “The Next Pharmaceutical Revolution Could Be 3D Bioprinted” »

A new report shows just how easy it is becoming to download designs for difficult-to-trace arms.

In the darker corners of the Internet where search engines cannot go, black markets offer pistols, machine guns, even explosives — and most worrisome to security researchers, computer aided design, or CAD, files for 3D-printed guns.

A new report from RAND looked at 811 weapons listings on a dozen dark-web markets, which continue to thrive despite the shuttering of sites like the Silk Road and, just this month, AlphaBay. Firearms were the top-selling category, with was 339 active listings, roughly 42 percent of the market. But the next-largest share, with 222 listings, was a variety of digital products, from build-it-yourself explosives manuals to CAD files.

Continue reading “3D-Printed Gun Designs Are Selling for $12 on the Dark Web” »