China showcases large 3D printed metal frames for new generation of military aircraft

[cirr]

China showcases large 3D printed metal frames for new generation of military aircraft

July 17, 2015 | By Alec

The Chinese military has been known for experimenting with 3D printing technology for a while now, so it was hardly surprising that some interesting 3D printed innovations were on display at the first Chinese National Defense Science and Technology Industry Exhibition. Opening on the morning of 16 July, this exhibition is the first time that all military branches were presented as a single unit. But of all the innovations presented, the most interesting were seen at the booth of the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, where large 3D printed metal frame components suitable for a variety of aircraft were showcased.

Scientists from the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics have been developing 3D printed aircraft parts for some time. It was estimated that they have already successfully 3D printed nearly 50 large and key parts that have been declared suitable for large transport aircraft, large aircraft and carriers. Among their qualities are high strength steel structures and sufficient static, dynamic strength and adequate fatigue, shock and vibration qualities. All have obviously been developed with laser additive manufacturing technology.

The particular highlight of the booth was a part thatwas the largest critical titanium alloy load-bearing frame for an aircraft ever 3D printed. According to the booth’s staff, it is completely suitable for use, featuring high performance, low costs and quick manufacturing – especially when compared to traditionally manufactured components. In fact, they argued that the production cycle for the part only takes a fifth of the time necessary for traditional manufacturing, while it features higher strength and durability characteristics.

These impressive results follow a 3D printing announcement back in 2013, when Chief Architect Cong Sun revealed that 3D printing has been used to prototype, design and produce the J-15 aircraft, which was first successfully tested in October 2012. At the time, Sun revealed that the primary force-bearing structure of the J-15, including its landing gear, was formed by high-tensile titanium alloy powder sprayed from a 3-D printer.

 

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Also displayed at the expo is the hyperboloid cockpit window frames for the C919 aircraft, also made using the laser 3D printing technology. Some information about these crucial components was already unveiled at a workshop given by aviation materials specialist Professor Wang Huaming (Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences some months ago. He revealed that Chinese scientists now only needed just 55 days to 3D print four of these hyperboloid cockpit window frames for the C919.

That timeframe is especially impressive when compared to European manufacturers, who would need at least two years to do the same, with the mold alone costing $2 million USD. ‘The traditional aircraft manufacturing industry doesn't only need much more time, but also wastes too many expensive materials,’ Wang argued. ‘Normally, just 10 per cent of raw materials would be utilised, with the rest all cut and dropped during the processes of casting moulds, forging, cutting and polishing.’

That argument was further supported with an example from Lockheed Martin Aeonotics, who needed 2,796kg of titanium alloy to produce an F-22 fighter jet. According to Wang, only 144kg of the material was actually present on the plane itself. Wang has been studying 3D printable materials since 2000 with a team of researchers, and he further revealed that they reached the stage of mixing many different materials to imitate sophisticated, high-end components.

He firmly believes, he says, that 3D printing technology could help the Chinese government to overcome a long-standing technological bottleneck in the aviation industry. 'For me and many Chinese aircraft engineers, we all dream of 'printing out' all kinds of plane components we need one day,’ he said. One of the first results of that process are these huge titanium alloy structures as big as 5 square meters on display at the convention. It suggests that we can look forward to a lot more high-tech military applications in the near future.

3ders.org - China showcases large 3D printed metal frames for new generation of military aircraft | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News

 

[cirr]

Beijing University Unveils Enormous 3D Printed Aircraft Frames & More, Created with SLS Technology

BY WHITNEY HIPOLITE · JULY 17, 2015



We’ve known for quite some time that various aircraft parts have been and continue to be fabricated with the help of additive manufacturing (3D printing). However, this week at a Science and Technology exhibit in Beijing, the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics unveiled what they were able to create with the use of titanium based selective laser sintering 3D printing technology.

Previously, most of us viewed 3D printing as a means of creating smaller parts, with the exception of a few projects scattered here and there where people have been trying to utilize the technology in the creation of larger end-use products. For researchers at Beijing University, they decided to take things to the extreme, by unveiling 50 large titanium alloy printed parts for aircraft, aircraft carriers, and even new rockets. These large parts showed superior strength, durability and very good shock and vibration absorption.

In fact, the properties of these large aircraft components, which were each 3D printed in a single piece, were very much superior to other aircraft components which have been manufactured via more traditional subtractive methods. According to Chinese media, these parts were the largest laser sintered titanium alloy based objects ever 3D printed in one piece. This particular 3D printing method is also able to save quite a lot of time and money, as well as provide for stronger mechanical properties, due to the fact that the parts are printed in such large units rather than smaller units which need to then be assembled.



Staff on hand at the exhibition said that 3D printing of these components reduced the production cycle by a staggering 80%, as they showed onlookers a large laser sintered C919 aircraft cockpit window frame that they had printed. In fact, the entire window frame can be 3D printed in just 55 days. This is very impressive, considering an aircraft manufacturer in Europe takes 2 whole years just to develop the molds for making these same frames, and in doing so spends around $2 million.

This rather interesting breakthrough comes on the heels of other news released last year showing that the C-919, which is China’s first domestically built commercial aircraft, as well as the J-15, a carrier-based fighter; the F-16; the F-20 stealth fighter; the F-31 and other aircraft were all developed with the help of 3D printing technology, in one way or another.



Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences said that he believes that large scale 3D printing in China has exceeded the technology in the United States, as the U.S. is focused more on 3D printing “gadgets” and smaller parts.

3D printing has the potential of drastically reducing the cost of production for large aircraft while also reducing the waste created through more traditional means of manufacturing. At the same time it also lends itself to creating stronger parts which hold up better over time. While researchers in Europe and the US do seem to be focusing more on the 3D printing of smaller parts, which are then assembled together, China may actually be onto something by 3D printing these parts in larger sections.

What do you think about this latest unveiling by researchers at Beijing University? Is this the future of aircraft manufacturing? Discuss in the 3D Printed Large Aircraft Parts forum thread on 3DPB.com. See more photos below.

Beijing University Unveils Enormous 3D Printed Aircraft Frames & More, Created with SLS Technology - 3DPrint.com

 

[TimeTraveller]

Nice........

 

[cirr]

Nice........

This is nicer：

3-Year-Old with Extremely Large Head Receives Groundbreaking Skull Replacement Surgery

BY WHITNEY HIPOLITE · JULY 15, 2015



Surgeons and medical experts in China really seem to be on a roll lately when it comes to 3D printing medical implants. Over the past few weeks we’ve reported on several very impressive surgeries that have taken place thanks to 3D printed titanium implants. However, none of these come close to comparing to the latest surgery performed at the Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province in China, on a 3-year-old little girl named Han Han.

Han Han, who had a condition known as congenital hydrocephalus, which causes a buildup of excess cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, originating at birth, was known by her friends and family as “Big Head” (translated from Chinese) because of the abnormally large skull that she had. The rare condition had caused her skull to grow to about 20x20cm (four times the normal size) and she had begun experiencing many medical problems. These problems included severe pressure in her head, poor blood supply, and ulcers on the thinning portions of her skull. Doctors told her that her skull could rupture at any moment, and decided that something needed to be done quickly.



Han Han reached a point where she had a difficult time lifting her head which weighed more than half of her entire body weight, and even faced the risk of having maggots develop in the ulcerated tissue. Her optic nerve was being squeezed so hard by the large amount of pressure that she recently almost went blind, and she had been bedridden since September of 2014.

Unfortunately for Han Han, her family did not have the money required to pay for the treatment that she needed. The original costs that doctors calculated for her family when she was diagnosed at the age of 6-months, was around 400,000 – 500,000 Chinese Yuan (approximately $64,000 – $80,000), but thanks to hundreds of strangers on the internet, enough money was raised to get her the treatment that she required.



“Han Han was just six months old when we took her to the doctor to get checked,” her grandmother Han Han Guo explained. “The doctor said she had hydrocephalus. We asked family and friends for donations, but were just able to scrape together 100,000 yuan. At 1-year-old, Han Han’s mother left, and her father Chen Youzhi had to go out of his way to do odd jobs in order to earn 100 yuan per day to buy her the anti-inflammatory drugs she needed.”

Recently when Han Han was brought into the hospital, doctors sent her home with various treatments to help her gain weight and better prepare for a potential surgery.

“CT results showed that Han Han’s brain was filled 80% with water,” explained Dr. Bo of the Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province. “If she was not sent to hospital for treatment, Han Han would not have survived the summer. We had to first eliminate the infection in Han Han’s head because the brain wound area was too large, and we needed to do skin graft surgery and insert a shunt to help eliminate the infection, and remove the fluid from her brain.”



Upon seeing Han Han, the medical team at the Hunan Province Brain Hospital elected to perform an unheard of life-saving surgery which they called (translated from chinese) “whole brain shrinking plastic surgery”. It would involve the removal of Han Han’s scalp, full 3D reconstruction and 3D printing of a new titanium skull, repositioning of her brain, and removal of the excess cerebrospinal fluid.

Surgeons and medical personnel used 3D data that they acquired as well as CT scanners to create models for 3D printing three titanium mesh skull implants which would together replace Han Han’s entire top portion of her skull.

Taking place on July 14 and 15, the surgery lasted an incredible 17 hours. Her scalp was peeled away from her skull and then adhered to protective saline pads. Drainage tubes were put in her head to slowly release the cerebrospinal fluid. Then surgeons took the three 3D printed titanium implants and inserted them into Han Han’s head to recreate a new skull for her.

Miraculously the surgery went better than expected, and doctors say that Han Han should make a full recovery. When surgery was complete, Han Han immediately opened her eyes and resumed breathing on her own before being sent to the ICU for postoperative treatment and recovery.



Over the course of the next few months and years, her normal bone growth should build up upon the titanium implants creating an entirely new, and smaller upper portion of her skull.

What do you think about this groundbreaking surgery? Discuss in the 3D Printed Entire Upper Skull Implant forum thread on 3DPB.com.





I say，little girl，speedy recovery！

3-Year-Old with Extremely Large Head Receives Groundbreaking Skull Replacement Surgery - 3DPrint.com

 

[cirr]

Chinese Company Introduces an Affordable 3D Printed Robot That Aids The Elderly

BY BRIAN KRASSENSTEIN · JULY 13, 2015



Two technologies which are sure to lead the way to a brighter future, as well as boatloads of profits for those developing them, are 3D printing and robotics. These two industries have the potential to change the way we do nearly everything from manufacturing products to interacting with computers on a daily basis. When you combine them both, however, that’s when things may get a bit scary.

That’s just what one group is trying to do in Eastern China. Jiangxi Investment Co., Ltd. has been working quietly on a 3D printed robot which is suited for aiding the elderly within their homes. With an aging population that’s bound to grow, and at-home healthcare costs rising through the roof, this robot may be just what the doctor ordered, quite literally.



The company, which began R&D on this robot back in 2012 as a means to capitalize on China’s growing elderly population, showed off a prototype last week. The body of the robot has been 3D printed to resemble Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. For those of you who are not living in the eastern part of the world, the Monkey King is a beloved fictional character, known by many within Asia. Basically he’s the Mickey Mouse of that region, and first became popular in a classic Chinese novel called Journey to the West. Most people in China regard this character as being lovable and friendly, therefore the company decided to design the machine in his likeness.

The robot, which the company has named 好兒女 (translates to “Good Child”), is incredibly functional, able to monitor its owner’s health by measuring their blood pressure, glucose levels, body temperature and more. It also is able to track its owner, sending out location details to loved ones in case of an emergency. Besides its health capabilities the robot also acts as a companion for the elderly. It’s able to hold conversations, and provide a sense of friendship to those who may not regularly be able to get out and participate in social situations.



“What we need most is clear,” explained one elderly woman who had begun interacting with the robot just recently. “We need companionship when our children are away. Robots like this can talk to us and help us to do a lot of stuff. They are like guardians.”

Users are able to interact with the robot via voice, vision and touch, which means virtually anyone can use it, without a learning curve.

While the robot is currently in a beta stage, the company expects to commence production sometime in October of this year. The 140 cm tall, 22.5kg ‘Good Child’ will come in several versions once released, ranging in price from $800 to $3,000. This puts it in a range that’s affordable for most individuals in China as well as other nations.

Household robotics are the future, but whether or not a large portion of these robots will be 3D printed is yet to be seen; however, Jiangxi Investment seems to be on the right track with a low-cost, easy-to-use robot which through the use of 3D printing is able to resemble a character that most elderly individuals within China can relate to.

Let’s hear your thoughts on the robot in the 3D Printed ‘Good Child’ forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out the video below to see this machine in action: Chinese Company Introduces an Affordable 3D Printed Robot That Aids The Elderly - 3DPrint.com

3D bone printing project in China to enter animal testing stage

July 15, 2015 | By Alec

While makers often like to talk about the 3D printing manufacturing revolution, no one can deny that 3D printers are actually being used to develop revolutionary medical applications at an amazing pace. While most of these actually involve 3D printed surgical models or titanium implants, a team of scientists in Guangzhou, China, is already taking a biomedical project to the next level. The team from the Southern Medical University, led by university president Huang Wenhua, has been very successful in 3D printing bones from bone powder and are now ready to enter an animal testing stage.

This revolutionary project can be found in the biomedical building of the university’s huge campus, where a high-precision 3D printer is steadily manufacturing solid bone, one layer at a time, without metal components. So far remarkable successes have been achieved by 3D printing a combination of very fine bone powder and a biological glue, to form complete animal bones. As Huang said, they are now ready to start testing the structural differences between 3D printed bones and actual ones. ‘Optimistically, similar 3D printed bones can be clinically used within 5-6 years, though there is still a long way to go,’ said Huang.

This development is riding a wave of 3D printing innovation in Guangzhou. Last April, one patient in the nearby Zhujiang Hospital underwent surgery for a resection of his liver. Due to a complex spread of cancer of the liver, 60% of the organ had to be removed, though his life was possibly saved by Huang and his team. They developed a set of 3D printed models of the patient’s (a mr. Wu) liver, complete with veins, arteries and the cancer itself. Careful preparation with this 3D printed set enabled surgeons to complete the surgery while only removing 42.8% of the liver. Mr. Wu came back for a check up this week, and was doing well.

However, 3D printing bone is an entirely different step and requires a far more high-tech setup. As Huang argued, 3D printing is ready for the next medical step. ‘It should become a substantive tool, and not just one for referencing,’ he said. Key is a careful biomechanical system and a suitable material. Together with professors OuYang Jun and Qiu Xiaozhong, they came up with a system of 3D printing a bone powder made from actual human or animal bones.

As Huang Wenhua explained, he began considering the use of this Allograft bone powder as a 3D printed material because it was actually made from creatures in the same category as it is used for, theoretically increasing the chances of biological compatibility (especially in comparison to metal implants). His team has therefore been experimenting with the 3D printing of goat and rabbit implants made from ground up goat and rabbit bones. ‘This is the concept of Allograft bone powder, after all, they are the same species so its biocompatibility is higher,’ he explained. Logically, this will mean finding large quantities of human bones to use for the manufacturing of implants for humans.

The 3D printing process of these materials themselves is a very precise matter. Miniscule layers of bone powder (around 0.1 mm) are 3D printed, followed by a layer of bio glue, followed by more powder, and again by glue. And so on. While it depends on what bone you’re 3D printing, this will require thousands of layers to form a very detailed structure.

While testing has so far been quite successful, print sizes cannot yet exceed 15 cm so far. ‘At the present in our goat and rabbit bone experiments, we have made some interesting progress and achieved results, but the main problem still exists. This is the matter of bio-compatibility – it’s not this rabbit's own bone powder after all – as the rejection phenomenon still exists. There are also some biomechanical issues, as the 3D printed bones are certainly not as strong as the original bones.’ The team leader explained. This is also one reason why 15 cm has been set as the limit, as longer structures lose sturdiness.

More human and animal tests are thus necessary, especially in the field of what levels of rigidity are safe for implants and how impacts will affect these bone structures. ‘We all know that exerting enormous pressure on the human tibia (through impact), it cause comminuted fractures or even the tibial plateau fractures. But exactly how much force causes such harm, those kind of questions aren’t answered yet.’ These biomechanical tests could lead to a quest for a better, more durable biological material in the near future.

In the meantime, Huang Wenhua’s team are also working on a number of other 3D printing experiments. Professor Qiu Xiaozhong is working with a science team from Canada to develop a number of active 3D printable materials, suitable for applications as growing liver and kidney cells on scaffolding and other organ and tissue innovations.

At the same time, Huang Wenhua and colleagues are looking into options for helping patients whose fingers have been completely severed or amputated. One option would be to 3D print out sections of the palm and to take compound flaps from a patient’s toes to replace missing fingers. In the long term, however, Huang Wenhua is dreaming about using stem cells to induce growth and then to 3D print them into organs. In short, we will doubtlessly be hearing a lot more from Huang Wenhua and the Southern Medical University in the near future.

3ders.org - 3D bone printing project in China to enter animal testing stage | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News

 

[cirr]

China's Winbo creates a full-scale 3D printed engine using 18 3D printers

Jun 17, 2015 | By Simon

When it comes to showing off the latest and greatest in additive manufacturing capabilities, leave it up to the 3D printer manufacturers themselves to create some of the wildest and most jaw-dropping 3D prints that you’ve likely ever seen.

While seemingly anybody with some 3D modeling know-how and access to a 3D printer could create any number of wild and crazy objects, the 3D printer manufacturers not only have an endless supply of filament and other resources, but also a need to show off the capabilities of their 3D printers in a highly-saturated market.

More recently, China’s Winbo Smart Tech Co.,Ltd, a 3D printer manufacturer that has multiple product lines of all multiple sizes and prices, took it upon themselves to create a full-scale working Toyota 4-cylinder engine using their own 3D printers.

The company, which is based in Guangzhou City, previously made headlines in December of last year after launching the world’s first specialized 3D printing university in Guangzhou - Baiyun Winbo 3D Printing Technology College - which features a design center, a 3D printing center, a 3D printed products display center, a training center and study facilities for students looking to move forward with a career in additive manufacturing technologies.

To create the engine, which was sourced from Thingiverse user ericthepoolboy’s ‘Toyota 4 Cylinder Engine 22RE, Complete working model’ and used to highlight the turnaround time of 3D printed parts, design engineers at the company spend three full days printing the parts on multiple FFF and FDM-based 3D printers.

The resulting functional 3D printed engine, which is made from a total of 130 individually 3D printed parts that were printed on 18 of the company’s various 3D printers, required just over 8 kg of PLA filament at a cost of $95.92. The final measurements of the assembled engine comes in at 55 cm x 49 cm x 46 cm.

According to Ms. Suki, a representative of the company, aside from highlighting just how fast it takes to get plastic 3D printed parts made for prototyping purposes, the use of 3D printed engines can also help engineers and even students better understand them before sending new designs to factories for more formal traditional manufacturing orders; if desired, the engines can also be made to work for testing functions through automation or via hand-powered methods.

Considering that the $95.92 130-piece 3D printed engine only took three days to print and assemble versus five months and thousands of dollars via traditional methods, it’s clear that not only has Winbo created a great example of what can be done with their 3D printers, but also just how powerful 3D printing can be when put to good use.

3ders.org - China's Winbo creates a full-scale 3D printed engine using 18 3D printers | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News

 

[TimeTraveller]

This is nicer：

3-Year-Old with Extremely Large Head Receives Groundbreaking Skull Replacement Surgery

BY WHITNEY HIPOLITE · JULY 15, 2015


Surgeons and medical experts in China really seem to be on a roll lately when it comes to 3D printing medical implants. Over the past few weeks we’ve reported on several very impressive surgeries that have taken place thanks to 3D printed titanium implants. However, none of these come close to comparing to the latest surgery performed at the Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province in China, on a 3-year-old little girl named Han Han.

Han Han, who had a condition known as congenital hydrocephalus, which causes a buildup of excess cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, originating at birth, was known by her friends and family as “Big Head” (translated from Chinese) because of the abnormally large skull that she had. The rare condition had caused her skull to grow to about 20x20cm (four times the normal size) and she had begun experiencing many medical problems. These problems included severe pressure in her head, poor blood supply, and ulcers on the thinning portions of her skull. Doctors told her that her skull could rupture at any moment, and decided that something needed to be done quickly.


Han Han reached a point where she had a difficult time lifting her head which weighed more than half of her entire body weight, and even faced the risk of having maggots develop in the ulcerated tissue. Her optic nerve was being squeezed so hard by the large amount of pressure that she recently almost went blind, and she had been bedridden since September of 2014.

Unfortunately for Han Han, her family did not have the money required to pay for the treatment that she needed. The original costs that doctors calculated for her family when she was diagnosed at the age of 6-months, was around 400,000 – 500,000 Chinese Yuan (approximately $64,000 – $80,000), but thanks to hundreds of strangers on the internet, enough money was raised to get her the treatment that she required.


“Han Han was just six months old when we took her to the doctor to get checked,” her grandmother Han Han Guo explained. “The doctor said she had hydrocephalus. We asked family and friends for donations, but were just able to scrape together 100,000 yuan. At 1-year-old, Han Han’s mother left, and her father Chen Youzhi had to go out of his way to do odd jobs in order to earn 100 yuan per day to buy her the anti-inflammatory drugs she needed.”

Recently when Han Han was brought into the hospital, doctors sent her home with various treatments to help her gain weight and better prepare for a potential surgery.

“CT results showed that Han Han’s brain was filled 80% with water,” explained Dr. Bo of the Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province. “If she was not sent to hospital for treatment, Han Han would not have survived the summer. We had to first eliminate the infection in Han Han’s head because the brain wound area was too large, and we needed to do skin graft surgery and insert a shunt to help eliminate the infection, and remove the fluid from her brain.”



Upon seeing Han Han, the medical team at the Hunan Province Brain Hospital elected to perform an unheard of life-saving surgery which they called (translated from chinese) “whole brain shrinking plastic surgery”. It would involve the removal of Han Han’s scalp, full 3D reconstruction and 3D printing of a new titanium skull, repositioning of her brain, and removal of the excess cerebrospinal fluid.

Surgeons and medical personnel used 3D data that they acquired as well as CT scanners to create models for 3D printing three titanium mesh skull implants which would together replace Han Han’s entire top portion of her skull.

Taking place on July 14 and 15, the surgery lasted an incredible 17 hours. Her scalp was peeled away from her skull and then adhered to protective saline pads. Drainage tubes were put in her head to slowly release the cerebrospinal fluid. Then surgeons took the three 3D printed titanium implants and inserted them into Han Han’s head to recreate a new skull for her.

Miraculously the surgery went better than expected, and doctors say that Han Han should make a full recovery. When surgery was complete, Han Han immediately opened her eyes and resumed breathing on her own before being sent to the ICU for postoperative treatment and recovery.



Over the course of the next few months and years, her normal bone growth should build up upon the titanium implants creating an entirely new, and smaller upper portion of her skull.

What do you think about this groundbreaking surgery? Discuss in the 3D Printed Entire Upper Skull Implant forum thread on 3DPB.com.





I say，little girl，speedy recovery！

3-Year-Old with Extremely Large Head Receives Groundbreaking Skull Replacement Surgery - 3DPrint.com

Yes Definitely Great i must say...............Hope that child recovers soon.............

Chinese Company Introduces an Affordable 3D Printed Robot That Aids The Elderly

BY BRIAN KRASSENSTEIN · JULY 13, 2015



Two technologies which are sure to lead the way to a brighter future, as well as boatloads of profits for those developing them, are 3D printing and robotics. These two industries have the potential to change the way we do nearly everything from manufacturing products to interacting with computers on a daily basis. When you combine them both, however, that’s when things may get a bit scary.

That’s just what one group is trying to do in Eastern China. Jiangxi Investment Co., Ltd. has been working quietly on a 3D printed robot which is suited for aiding the elderly within their homes. With an aging population that’s bound to grow, and at-home healthcare costs rising through the roof, this robot may be just what the doctor ordered, quite literally.



The company, which began R&D on this robot back in 2012 as a means to capitalize on China’s growing elderly population, showed off a prototype last week. The body of the robot has been 3D printed to resemble Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. For those of you who are not living in the eastern part of the world, the Monkey King is a beloved fictional character, known by many within Asia. Basically he’s the Mickey Mouse of that region, and first became popular in a classic Chinese novel called Journey to the West. Most people in China regard this character as being lovable and friendly, therefore the company decided to design the machine in his likeness.

The robot, which the company has named 好兒女 (translates to “Good Child”), is incredibly functional, able to monitor its owner’s health by measuring their blood pressure, glucose levels, body temperature and more. It also is able to track its owner, sending out location details to loved ones in case of an emergency. Besides its health capabilities the robot also acts as a companion for the elderly. It’s able to hold conversations, and provide a sense of friendship to those who may not regularly be able to get out and participate in social situations.



“What we need most is clear,” explained one elderly woman who had begun interacting with the robot just recently. “We need companionship when our children are away. Robots like this can talk to us and help us to do a lot of stuff. They are like guardians.”

Users are able to interact with the robot via voice, vision and touch, which means virtually anyone can use it, without a learning curve.

While the robot is currently in a beta stage, the company expects to commence production sometime in October of this year. The 140 cm tall, 22.5kg ‘Good Child’ will come in several versions once released, ranging in price from $800 to $3,000. This puts it in a range that’s affordable for most individuals in China as well as other nations.

Household robotics are the future, but whether or not a large portion of these robots will be 3D printed is yet to be seen; however, Jiangxi Investment seems to be on the right track with a low-cost, easy-to-use robot which through the use of 3D printing is able to resemble a character that most elderly individuals within China can relate to.

Let’s hear your thoughts on the robot in the 3D Printed ‘Good Child’ forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out the video below to see this machine in action: Chinese Company Introduces an Affordable 3D Printed Robot That Aids The Elderly - 3DPrint.com

3D bone printing project in China to enter animal testing stage

July 15, 2015 | By Alec



While makers often like to talk about the 3D printing manufacturing revolution, no one can deny that 3D printers are actually being used to develop revolutionary medical applications at an amazing pace. While most of these actually involve 3D printed surgical models or titanium implants, a team of scientists in Guangzhou, China, is already taking a biomedical project to the next level. The team from the Southern Medical University, led by university president Huang Wenhua, has been very successful in 3D printing bones from bone powder and are now ready to enter an animal testing stage.

This revolutionary project can be found in the biomedical building of the university’s huge campus, where a high-precision 3D printer is steadily manufacturing solid bone, one layer at a time, without metal components. So far remarkable successes have been achieved by 3D printing a combination of very fine bone powder and a biological glue, to form complete animal bones. As Huang said, they are now ready to start testing the structural differences between 3D printed bones and actual ones. ‘Optimistically, similar 3D printed bones can be clinically used within 5-6 years, though there is still a long way to go,’ said Huang.



This development is riding a wave of 3D printing innovation in Guangzhou. Last April, one patient in the nearby Zhujiang Hospital underwent surgery for a resection of his liver. Due to a complex spread of cancer of the liver, 60% of the organ had to be removed, though his life was possibly saved by Huang and his team. They developed a set of 3D printed models of the patient’s (a mr. Wu) liver, complete with veins, arteries and the cancer itself. Careful preparation with this 3D printed set enabled surgeons to complete the surgery while only removing 42.8% of the liver. Mr. Wu came back for a check up this week, and was doing well.



However, 3D printing bone is an entirely different step and requires a far more high-tech setup. As Huang argued, 3D printing is ready for the next medical step. ‘It should become a substantive tool, and not just one for referencing,’ he said. Key is a careful biomechanical system and a suitable material. Together with professors OuYang Jun and Qiu Xiaozhong, they came up with a system of 3D printing a bone powder made from actual human or animal bones.

As Huang Wenhua explained, he began considering the use of this Allograft bone powder as a 3D printed material because it was actually made from creatures in the same category as it is used for, theoretically increasing the chances of biological compatibility (especially in comparison to metal implants). His team has therefore been experimenting with the 3D printing of goat and rabbit implants made from ground up goat and rabbit bones. ‘This is the concept of Allograft bone powder, after all, they are the same species so its biocompatibility is higher,’ he explained. Logically, this will mean finding large quantities of human bones to use for the manufacturing of implants for humans.

The 3D printing process of these materials themselves is a very precise matter. Miniscule layers of bone powder (around 0.1 mm) are 3D printed, followed by a layer of bio glue, followed by more powder, and again by glue. And so on. While it depends on what bone you’re 3D printing, this will require thousands of layers to form a very detailed structure.



While testing has so far been quite successful, print sizes cannot yet exceed 15 cm so far. ‘At the present in our goat and rabbit bone experiments, we have made some interesting progress and achieved results, but the main problem still exists. This is the matter of bio-compatibility – it’s not this rabbit's own bone powder after all – as the rejection phenomenon still exists. There are also some biomechanical issues, as the 3D printed bones are certainly not as strong as the original bones.’ The team leader explained. This is also one reason why 15 cm has been set as the limit, as longer structures lose sturdiness.

More human and animal tests are thus necessary, especially in the field of what levels of rigidity are safe for implants and how impacts will affect these bone structures. ‘We all know that exerting enormous pressure on the human tibia (through impact), it cause comminuted fractures or even the tibial plateau fractures. But exactly how much force causes such harm, those kind of questions aren’t answered yet.’ These biomechanical tests could lead to a quest for a better, more durable biological material in the near future.

In the meantime, Huang Wenhua’s team are also working on a number of other 3D printing experiments. Professor Qiu Xiaozhong is working with a science team from Canada to develop a number of active 3D printable materials, suitable for applications as growing liver and kidney cells on scaffolding and other organ and tissue innovations.

At the same time, Huang Wenhua and colleagues are looking into options for helping patients whose fingers have been completely severed or amputated. One option would be to 3D print out sections of the palm and to take compound flaps from a patient’s toes to replace missing fingers. In the long term, however, Huang Wenhua is dreaming about using stem cells to induce growth and then to 3D print them into organs. In short, we will doubtlessly be hearing a lot more from Huang Wenhua and the Southern Medical University in the near future.

3ders.org - 3D bone printing project in China to enter animal testing stage | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News

..........Wow.......Nice .....................India must do some research...........

 

[cirr]

Chinese aerospace industry successfully tests rocket engine with 3D printed parts

Apr. 23, 2015 | By Alec

It definitely looks like 3D printing technology has a bright future in aerospace industries. Over the last few months we've seen the development of numerous 3D printed parts are not just intended as prototypes, but that might actually even go to space. Just this week we've seen a 3D printed engine by NASA, but it looks like Chinese developers are definitely not staying behind. For engineers from Institute 41 (part of the China Aerospace Science and industry Corporation) have already successfully tested an engine ignition device that has been created using 3D printing technology.

This is reportedly the first time Chinese engineers tested a 3D printed rocket component, but it seems to be very suitable for the job. Shell structures typically used for the ignition components in rocket engines are very difficult to design and produce, and are very costly and time-consuming to create. Engineers felt themselves bottlenecked, so a team from the ignition technology research laboratory of Institute 41 began incorporating 3D printing into their R&D process.

In collaboration with local manufacturers of 3D printing equipment, these engineers eventually and successfully 3D printed the first set of shells for ignition devices. To ensure these shells met all design requirements, researchers produced hundreds of 3D printed test samples, which were submitted to various extensive testing sequences.

These excellent results, and the reduced costs, have already convinced Institute 41 to direct their focus to design optimization and to make full use of the advantages of 3D printing. According to Chinese media, it is expected that the use of 3D printing technology will be expanded to other aspects of ignition production as well, and even to the manufacturing of other engine components.

3ders.org - Chinese aerospace industry successfully tests rocket engine with 3D printed parts | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News

 

[TimeTraveller]

Chinese aerospace industry successfully tests rocket engine with 3D printed parts

Apr. 23, 2015 | By Alec

It definitely looks like 3D printing technology has a bright future in aerospace industries. Over the last few months we've seen the development of numerous 3D printed parts are not just intended as prototypes, but that might actually even go to space. Just this week we've seen a 3D printed engine by NASA, but it looks like Chinese developers are definitely not staying behind. For engineers from Institute 41 (part of the China Aerospace Science and industry Corporation) have already successfully tested an engine ignition device that has been created using 3D printing technology.

This is reportedly the first time Chinese engineers tested a 3D printed rocket component, but it seems to be very suitable for the job. Shell structures typically used for the ignition components in rocket engines are very difficult to design and produce, and are very costly and time-consuming to create. Engineers felt themselves bottlenecked, so a team from the ignition technology research laboratory of Institute 41 began incorporating 3D printing into their R&D process.

In collaboration with local manufacturers of 3D printing equipment, these engineers eventually and successfully 3D printed the first set of shells for ignition devices. To ensure these shells met all design requirements, researchers produced hundreds of 3D printed test samples, which were submitted to various extensive testing sequences.

These excellent results, and the reduced costs, have already convinced Institute 41 to direct their focus to design optimization and to make full use of the advantages of 3D printing. According to Chinese media, it is expected that the use of 3D printing technology will be expanded to other aspects of ignition production as well, and even to the manufacturing of other engine components.

3ders.org - Chinese aerospace industry successfully tests rocket engine with 3D printed parts | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News

...........................................

 

[cirr]

Surgeons in China successfully implant world's first 3D printed full-sacral prosthesis

July 10, 2015 | By Alec

With the number of 3D printed medical successes continuing to rise, it’s fantastic to see that very serious and usually deadly complications can now also be dealt with. Only yesterday, we saw a Chinese woman with a tumor in her sternal successfully receive a 3D printed implant, and now we are happy to report that a patient in the People’s Hospital of Peking University received the world’s first 3D printed full-sacral prosthesis after a dangerous tumor was removed.

The sacrum bone defect reconstruction surgery in question took place on 8 July, and it is believed that it’s the first time 3D printing technology was ever applied in the very complicated and problematic sacral field. The patient in question is Wang Li from the Guangxi province. Having been diagnosed with a rare type of cancer known as sacral chordoma, he had already undergone tumor removal surgery twice.

Due to continuous recurrence, the number of symptoms kept increasing, including bladder dysfunction and lots of pain. After a series of failed treatments, he was sent to Beijing to see a doctor at the University Hospital of bone tumors, Professor Guo Wei. Professor Guo Wei and his team carried out a full analysis of all available clinical data, and after a series of discussions they determined an ambitious surgical plan for the implementation of complete sacral resection.

But this plan was not without its complications. Professor Guo Wei: ‘The sacrum is an important bone structure that is connected to the torso and the limbs, and together with the upper lumbar it forms the lumbosacral joint, and with the pelvis on both its sides it forms the sacroiliac joint. A full sacrum bone defect after resection can therefore cause the loss of that connection between the human torso and pelvis. After the operation, the patient may not be able to stand and walk, and he cannot even take care of himself. Sacrum bone tumor resection and reconstruction is therefore a major obstacle in the international academic field.’

Fortunately, 3D printing technology has been opening new doors previously unimagined of in the medical field. In order to maximize the accuracy and functionality of the reconstructed sacrum bone defect and to ensure full lumbosacral continuity and quality of his life after surgery, Professor Guo Wei and his team therefore decided to make artificial full sacral prosthesis using 3D printing technology.

This model would be very closely modeled after how the spatial structure should look like after resection of the defect sacral bone, and even featured a very unique surface covered with a metal pore structure to enable bone cells to grow into the voids. This would further strengthen the connection with the spine and pelvis to start to fully match the biomechanical structure.

Professor Guo Wei

Fortunately, the entire surgery was successfully completed after lasting about four hours. All sacral tumor cells were completely removed, after which the 3D printed prosthesis was perfectly aligned and securely attached to the lumbar spine and pelvis. This spectacular reconstructive success, the professor argues, has opened the way for new reconstructive conventions in the removal of malignant tumors in the sacral region. '3D printed prostheses has advantages unmatched by the previous treatment methods and they should therefore be strongly promoted as the future of surgical treatment of sacrum treatment,' Guo Wei said. Hopefully, this will take surgical success and survival levels to an unprecedented number. In short, a complete 3D printed medical revolution.

 

[TimeTraveller]

Surgeons in China successfully implant world's first 3D printed full-sacral prosthesis

July 10, 2015 | By Alec

With the number of 3D printed medical successes continuing to rise, it’s fantastic to see that very serious and usually deadly complications can now also be dealt with. Only yesterday, we saw a Chinese woman with a tumor in her sternal successfully receive a 3D printed implant, and now we are happy to report that a patient in the People’s Hospital of Peking University received the world’s first 3D printed full-sacral prosthesis after a dangerous tumor was removed.

The sacrum bone defect reconstruction surgery in question took place on 8 July, and it is believed that it’s the first time 3D printing technology was ever applied in the very complicated and problematic sacral field. The patient in question is Wang Li from the Guangxi province. Having been diagnosed with a rare type of cancer known as sacral chordoma, he had already undergone tumor removal surgery twice.

Due to continuous recurrence, the number of symptoms kept increasing, including bladder dysfunction and lots of pain. After a series of failed treatments, he was sent to Beijing to see a doctor at the University Hospital of bone tumors, Professor Guo Wei. Professor Guo Wei and his team carried out a full analysis of all available clinical data, and after a series of discussions they determined an ambitious surgical plan for the implementation of complete sacral resection.

But this plan was not without its complications. Professor Guo Wei: ‘The sacrum is an important bone structure that is connected to the torso and the limbs, and together with the upper lumbar it forms the lumbosacral joint, and with the pelvis on both its sides it forms the sacroiliac joint. A full sacrum bone defect after resection can therefore cause the loss of that connection between the human torso and pelvis. After the operation, the patient may not be able to stand and walk, and he cannot even take care of himself. Sacrum bone tumor resection and reconstruction is therefore a major obstacle in the international academic field.’

Fortunately, 3D printing technology has been opening new doors previously unimagined of in the medical field. In order to maximize the accuracy and functionality of the reconstructed sacrum bone defect and to ensure full lumbosacral continuity and quality of his life after surgery, Professor Guo Wei and his team therefore decided to make artificial full sacral prosthesis using 3D printing technology.

This model would be very closely modeled after how the spatial structure should look like after resection of the defect sacral bone, and even featured a very unique surface covered with a metal pore structure to enable bone cells to grow into the voids. This would further strengthen the connection with the spine and pelvis to start to fully match the biomechanical structure.

Professor Guo Wei

Fortunately, the entire surgery was successfully completed after lasting about four hours. All sacral tumor cells were completely removed, after which the 3D printed prosthesis was perfectly aligned and securely attached to the lumbar spine and pelvis. This spectacular reconstructive success, the professor argues, has opened the way for new reconstructive conventions in the removal of malignant tumors in the sacral region. '3D printed prostheses has advantages unmatched by the previous treatment methods and they should therefore be strongly promoted as the future of surgical treatment of sacrum treatment,' Guo Wei said. Hopefully, this will take surgical success and survival levels to an unprecedented number. In short, a complete 3D printed medical revolution.

I'm being very jealous.....

 

[itachiii]

I have a bad feeling towards 3d printing, don't know why .. anyway congrats to chinese..

 

[cirr]

Chinese Unveil Mysterious 3D Printed Houses – Built Out of Unique Material, Able to Withstand Devastating Earthquakes

BY BRITTNEY SEVENSON · JULY 17, 2015



In the past, we’ve covered many unique uses of 3D printing being utilized in China. Whether it is the 3D printing of titanium medical implants, the creation of large scale 3D printed aircraft parts, or entire houses and apartment buildings fabricated through the use of 3D printers, the country certainly believes that this technology is the future of manufacturing. While we’ve reported on a company called WinSun in the past, who has developed a method of 3D printing large buildings, apparently they aren’t the only Chinese company trying to do this.



A company called Zhuoda Group has developed a very unique form of 3D printing buildings, so unique that not only have they applied for over 22 patents for the technology, but they also are reluctant to divulge the exact process. Unlike other forms of 3D printing of large structures, which use a cement base for construction, Zhuoda does not. In fact, the material that they use is being called a “secret”, although they have many parties interested in purchasing it.

The buildings that they are fabricating are strong enough to withstand 9.0 magnitude earthquakes, stand up to harsh weather, and provide for superior insulation. Better yet, the material that these houses are constructed with also generates negative ions on a permanent basis, a feature that many Chinese will be quite happy with. On top this, the buildings are also fireproof, waterproof, and virtually corrosion-proof.



The houses are built from individual 3D printed modules, 90% of which are all fabricated in a factory setting and then transported to the construction site. Because of this, very little information regarding the exact techniques being used for their creation have been revealed. However, this morning in China reporters gathered to witness the construction of a 2-story villa being built with 6 of these 3D printed modules, each weighing approximately 100kg (220 pounds) per square meter. Using cranes, the individual modules, consisting of a living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and more, were all lifted and stacked on top of each other, resulting in a fully constructed home. The process took just 3 hours to complete, upon which the public and the media were permitted inside.

Testing has shown that these buildings can withstand average wear and tear for at least 150 years in virtually any environment here on earth. The company says that a typical 500 square meter villa could completely be constructed in just 15 days time.



As you can see in the photos, obviously these modules are not entirely 3D printed. Various forms of decor are available, such as wood, marble and jade, to meet the requirements of individual tastes. The technology is able to be used to fabricate both interior and exterior walls, as well as decorative elements within a home.

While very little information was divulged on the process, it should be interesting to follow Zhuoda Group as they continue to construct more of these homes. What do you think about this unique construction method? Discuss in the Mysterious 3D Printed Chinese Homes forum thread on 3DPB.com. Be sure to check out some additional photos below.

Chinese Unveil Mysterious 3D Printed Houses – Built Out of Unique Material, Able to Withstand Devastating Earthquakes - 3DPrint.com

 

[cirr]

38-year-old Chinese man receives 3D printed titanium mandible implant after being shot in the face

July 16, 2015 | By Simon

It’s no secret that within the past year, 3D printing has exploded in the medical industry for a range of applications due to the ability to manufacture custom physical objects on demand at a low cost.

While we’ve previously seen how doctors are using a combination of 3D scanning and additive manufacturing methods to produce physical study models of a patient’s ailment prior to operating and even entirely new body parts, very few of these use cases have been related to what is arguably one the human body’s most sensitive areas: the face. Yet for one Chinese man who was shot in the face while working in Ethiopia, 3D printing recently helped provide him with nearly an entirely new face.

The 38-year-old man, Mr. Zhou, had been working and living in Ethiopia when he was unexpectedly shot in both his right leg and his face by an undisclosed suspect this past May.

Although he was in very rough shape, a local hospital was able to give Mr. Zhou a tracheotomy however the resulting incident still left him with a severe mandibular defect on the right side of his face. Due to the significant loss of his mandible and teeth, Mr. Zhou was unable to eat properly nor move his jaw like he was once able to.

Fortunately, Mr. Zhou was soon after able to be admitted into the Red Cross Hospital in Xi’an, China where doctors took a more refined look at his condition in an effort to determine a better course of action for repairing his mandible.

After taking X-rays and CT scans of Mr. Zhou’s existing mandible, the Xi’an Red Cross Hospital’s ENT specialist, Gong LongGang, determined that they would be able to recreate Mr. Zhou’s mandible with a digital 3D model that would subsequently be 3D printed out of titanium.

Just yesterday, Mr. Zhou received the implant surgery for the new 3D printed jaw that was created using his X-ray and CT scan data. According to Gong, the surgery was a success and Mr. Zhou is expected to make a full recovery, including the ability to eat properly again once doctors replace his missing teeth.

Thanks to doctors like Longgang Gong, China has since become one of the fastest adopters of 3D printing to date when it comes to medical applications and is only likely to keep turning towards the technology as we move into the future of healthcare.

Chinese Companies Now Adopting 3D Printing

Nimfa May Idea | Jul 03, 2015 07:55 AM EDT

As the 3D printing technology sector becomes more appealing to many firms, the China Food and Drug Administration recently held a conference on 3D-printed medical equipment and related regulations in Beijing, June 25.

The Chinese food and drug regulator's two-day seminar aimed to boost the understanding of the said technology and the regulatory facets concerning its use.

In the paper issued by the administration, it confirmed that a few Chinese corporations have entered the 3D printing business.

Only a handful of firms were curious just three years ago, according to the press release.

According to a report, the 3D printing sector filed a fair annual growth of 27.4 percent over the past three years.

The 3D printing sector is set to become a $6-billion business in 2019.

Sichuan Languang Development is now working on the development of biomaterials that can be used in 3D printing.

Another company, the Silver Age Holding, is moving from desktop applications to industrial 3D printing. It unveiled earlier this year polyamide (PA) powder that can be used in industrial 3D printers.

Tan Songbin, chairman of Silver Age, said that the firm also plans to propose polyether ether ketone (PEEK) materials for medical uses later this year, and is promoting the use of metals, including titanium, in 3D printing.

State-owned aircraft maker AVIC's subdivision, AVIC Laser, also intensified the use of 3D technology aviation and space manufacturings.

“The aviation and space sectors are expected to be the first companies to benefit from progress of 3D printing technology, which will help reduce production costs,” said Luo Jun, CEO of the World 3D Printing Technology Industry Alliance.

Luo added that the auto industry is also set to see the benefit of reduced costs, as well as higher production efficiency and shorter development time for new products.

Chinese Companies Now Adopting 3D Printing : Tech : Yibada