Open Source 3-D Printers: An Appropriate Technology for Developing Communities

International audienceThe recent introduction of RepRap (Self-Replicating Rapid Prototyper) 3-D printers and the resultant open source technological improvements have resulted in affordable 3-D printing, enabling low-cost distributed manufacturing for individuals. This development and others such as the rise of open source-appropriate technology (OSAT) and solar powered 3-D printing are moving 3-D printing from an industry specific technology to one that could be used in the developing world for sustainable development. In this paper, we explore some specific technological improvements and how distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printing can provide sustainable development by creating wealth for developing world communities through the ability to print less expensive and customized products. Conclusions on the technical viability of 3-D printing to assist in development and recommendations on how developing communities can fully exploit this technology have been outlined

Recent Trends, Opportunities and Challenges in 3D Printing Technology for Personalize Medicine

The scrutiny of medical devices industry as well as pharmaceutical industry for its application in health care industry on different platform is captured the 3D printing technique.  3D printing technology withstand for a very long duration only because of the approval of medical devices, 3D printed tablets and also with the advent of USFDA guideline on technical consideration. This technology is specific to devices utilizing preservative manufacturing. Many thoughts are triggered by 3D printing this technology and for successful delivery of intended product which is necessarily take into a consideration. In this review paper expectation limitations of some regulatory companies, Advantages, disadvantages, what type problems are arises while establishing this setups for drug product production, method, application, and manufacturing risk are represented. It also gives information about the current status of 3D printing technology in research and development of drug products.  For the fabrication of novel solid dosage form a number of 3D printing technology have been developed. This review is mainly focused on describing different technology used for the application of 3D printing in pharmaceutical industry.  Keywords: - 3D printing technology, recent trend, Opportunities, personalize medicine, challenges, future

Four Wheeler Robot Construction using 3D Printing Technology

3D printing technology have been developing rapidly in the last 30 years, and indicate great potential for future development. It has already traversed through many disciplines such as medical science, architecture and even robotics. Integration of 3D printing into robotics is relatively new considering the recent popularity of 3D printing. This paper briefly discusses the construction steps of a four wheeler robot which is controlled wirelessly using smartphones

Influencing interaction: Development of the design with intent method

Persuasive Technology has the potential to influence user behavior for social benefit, e.g. to reduce environmental impact, but designers are lacking guidance choosing among design techniques for influencing interaction. The Design with Intent Method, a ‘suggestion tool’ addressing this problem, is introduced in this paper, and applied to the briefs of reducing unnecessary household lighting use, and improving the efficiency of printing, primarily to evaluate the method’s usability and guide the direction of its development. The trial demonstrates that the DwI Method is quick to apply and leads to a range of relevant design concepts. With development, the DwI Method could be a useful tool for designers working on influencing user behavior

INNOVATION IN EDUCATION - Inclusion of 3D-Printing Technology in Modern Education System of Pakistan: Case from Pakistani Educational Institutes

On this research, the traditional education system of Pakistan has been analyzed in comparison to international modern education system with 3D printing technology. Also how this technology results in revolutionizing current education system and its future aspects. The study adopted semi-structured interviews to solicit an understanding of teachers, students and 3D printing service providers on the inclusion of this prototyping technology in Pakistani education system. Content analysis technique was used to analyze the data and verbatim texts were applied in discussing the emergent themes. The findings indicate that teachers and students are really motivated and convinced that prototyping technology will bring another revolution in education system of Pakistan near future, just like computers. They rely so much on modern learning techniques to present innovative ideas in tangible forms. They were influenced by this technology in their current practices and mentioned that primary and basic education should adapt this technology to create better understanding to innovative minds. The paper identifies key contribution of 3D printing technology as a factor in state development. This study will be significant and gainful for educationist, understudies and individual working in the field of prototype development and customization who wish to see how the field has developed and evolved as well as the individuals who are occupied with way for future research. Keywords: 3D printing technology, prototyping, traditional education system, Pakistan.

Innovation in Education - Inclusion of 3D-Printing Technology in Modern Education System of Pakistan: Case from Pakistani Educational Institutes

On this research, the traditional education system of Pakistan has been analyzed in comparison to international modern education system with 3D printing technology. Also how this technology results in revolutionizing current education system and its future aspects. The study adopted semi-structured interviews to solicit an understanding of teachers, students and 3D printing service providers on the inclusion of this prototyping technology in Pakistani education system. Content analysis technique was used to analyze the data and verbatim texts were applied in discussing the emergent themes. The findings indicate that teachers and students are really motivated and convinced that prototyping technology will bring another revolution in education system of Pakistan near future, just like computers. They rely so much on modern learning techniques to present innovative ideas in tangible forms. They were influenced by this technology in their current practices and mentioned that primary and basic education should adapt this technology to create better understanding to innovative minds. The paper identifies key contribution of 3D printing technology as a factor in state development. This study will be significant and gainful for educationist, understudies and individual working in the field of prototype development and customization who wish to see how the field has developed and evolved as well as the individuals who are occupied with way for future research. Keywords: 3D printing technology, prototyping, traditional education system, Pakistan

Possibilities in Production of 3D Printed Contact Lenses

Contact lenses have been used and manufactured for decades now, but recently 3D printing technologies were introduced as a new way of production. As a rapidly developing technology, 3D printing offers new possibilities for development and advantages in the manufacturing process of lenses, due to easy customization and geometry modelling. Standard production is not leaving much space for individual demands, concerning different ophthalmic diagnoses and unique patients’ eye characteristics. In this paper, the main emphasis is on the further development of the design and characteristics of lenses fabricated by this technology that can satisfactorily overcome the drawbacks of production approaches used until now. Areas of possible improvements are significant, meeting the individual demands of patients, customizing needed parameters for better therapy, biocompatibility, the possibility to integrate different optical sensors for diagnostics, even making the smart lenses, etc. There are a very limited number of studies dealing with 3D printing and examination of printed contact lenses, which leads to the conclusion that this is the research area of the future

A State-of-the-Art Review of Laser-Assisted Bioprinting and its Future Research Trends

Bioprinting is an additive manufacturing technology with great potential in medical applications. Among available bioprinting techniques, laser-assisted bioprinting (LAB) is a promising technique due to its high resolution, high cell viability, and the capability to deposit high-viscousity bioink. These characteristics allow the LAB technology to control cells precisely to reconstruct living organs. Recent developments of LAB technologies are reviewed in this paper, covering various designs of LAB printers, research progresses in energy-absorbing layer (EAL), the physical phenomenon that triggers the printing process in terms of bubble formation and jet development, printing process parameters, and major factors related to the post-printing cell viability. The latest studies on LAB technologies are highlighted, expounding their advantages and disadvantages, and some potential applications are presented. The potential technical challenges and future research trends for LAB technologies are also discussed

Analysis of Printing Substrate, Ink Age and Number of IR Drying Influence on Electrical Resistance of Conductive Inks

As a result of availability of new technologies, functional printing as a segment has become one of the most interesting directions of research and development in graphic technology. Conductive inks are not a novelty and they already have broad possibilities in production of everyday products. There is still a big market for the broadening of their use, as well as a possibility of further enhancing their properties. This paper analyzes the influence of printing substrate, age of ink and the number of IR drying on the electrical resistance of the conductive inks. In the paper, subject of analysis was the change of electrical resistance in the line that was 9 cm long and 10 typographic points wide. The semi-automated screen-printing machine was used for printing. Three types of printing substrates were used; uncoated, coated and recycled paper. Two types of inks were used; newly opened ink and ink that was out of date for half year. After the printing, prints were dried using the IR dryer. Prints were dried once, and then additional three times. After the first and last drying, multimeter was used to measure electrical resistance of the lines. Analysis of the data shows that the older ink produces prints with higher electrical resistance. There are also notable differences in the electrical resistance based on the printing substrate