Photos: Awesome things you didn’t know were 3D printed

3D printed heart model

A 14-month old boy needed heart surgery to save his life, as he was born with four heart defects. Doctors at Kosair Children’s hospital partnered with University of Louisville physicians and engineers to create a 3D printed model of his heart using images from his CT scan. It was 1.5 times the size of his heart and cost $600 and 20 hours to make. The little boy’s heart was repaired with one operation.

For more on 3D printing, see: 

–Photos: 3D printers, a tour of the top models 

–The dark side of 3D printing: 10 things to watch 

–10 facts on 3D printing: Understanding tech’s next big game-changer

3D printed jawbone

In 2012, a woman who suffered from a chronic bone infection was given a new jawbone — one made by a 3D printer. It was made of titanium powder, and only took a few hours to print, according to researchers at the Hasselt University in Belgium, who had the idea. A company called LayerWise printed it. The jawbone was successfully implanted and within a day, the woman could talk and chew.

3D printed plane parts

Boeing has been using 3D printers to produce parts for its planes for some time. The company uses Stratasys printers to make certain components, and has even printed an airplane cabin using the machines. A of 2012, Boeing has printed over 20,000 parts. For instance, the Dreamliner has about 30 3D printed parts.

3D printed car

Urbee is a car with a body made from a 3D printer. It’s the first of its kind, made to be the greenest car in the world. Right now, the car is considered a motorcycle in some places because it has three wheels. The Urbee 2, which the designers are trying to pay for through a crowdfunding project, will have interior elements created by a 3D printer as well.

3D printed homes

Contour Crafting is a 3D printing technology that can build a 2,500 square foot home in 20 hours using a 3D printer. It is ideal for slums and other low-income areas or places affected by natural disasters because of its versatility. The designers, out of the University of Southern California also said NASA is interested in using the technology to build lunar labs or habitats.

3D printed buildings

D-Shape is a robotic building system that makes free-form large scale buildings and structures using sandstone. The UK-based company designed the system with the idea of revolutionizing the field of architecture and providing low-cost buildings for people around the world. 

3D printed drill bits

At the end of last year, BlueFire Equipment Corporation announced a finalized digital model for 3D printed drill bits. The bits, used to drill shale, limestone, and sandstone in the US. This is supposed to dramatically reduce costs and expand the production of drill bits, as it is faster and cheaper than the traditional, complex method of producing the equipment.

Disney's 3D printed costumes

For a parade, Disney 3D printed various pieces of costumes. Here, the “Seashell Girl” from “The Little Mermaid” poses in her elaborate costume. The headdress was made using a 3D printer.

3D printed historical statues

Afghanistan had two of the largest standing Buddha statues in the world, which lasted through centuries of war, but they were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. So the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) are working with a group to rebuild the Buddhas of Bamiyan. As of January, they were using a ProJet 3D Systems printer to create small scale versions of the statues before they start work on the real things.

3D printed bikini

To demonstrate the creative, beautiful objects 3D printers could create, Continuum Fashion designed the first 3D printed bikini in 2011. It was the first affordable piece of clothing made with a 3D printer available for commercial purchase. It’s made with Nylon 12, which is waterproof, and supposedly becomes more comfortable as it gets wet.

3D printed Super Bowl cleats

Nike created the Vapor Carbon Elite Cleat, which was designed for bursts of acceleration, for the athletes in the 2014 Super Bowl. Many parts on the show were made with a 3D printer, specifically the cleats on the bottom.

3D printed vinyl

Listening to your favorite music on vinyl may get easier soon. Researchers from Instructables created the first playable record last year and displayed it at SXSW in Austin, Texas. The technology transforms any audio into file into a 3D file, then prints it on one side of a record stiffer than traditional vinyl.

3D printed wheelchair ramps

Using a MakerBot Replicator 2, a man named Raul Krauthausen, who uses a wheelchair, printed mini ramps small enough to fit in his bag. The ramps can be placed next to sidewalks or any other raised surface where there is no ramp available. They are available on Thingiverse.

Tiny 3D printed batteries

A Harvard materials scientists created a way to produce “ink” using nanoparticles of lithium titanium oxide. Mixed with water and ethylene glycol, the substance makes up the anodes for lithium ion batteries. The ink is distributed through a 3D printer with custom-made syringes at room temperature, rather than the extremely high temperatures that the machines normally work at. The idea is these could replace traditional battery cells in the near future.