Traditional 3D printing uses the 'Fused Deposition Modelling' (FDM) technique, which prints layer-by-layer directly onto a static metal surface. The new prototype instead uses a programmable, dynamically-controlled surface made of moveable metal pins to replace the printed supports. The pins rise as the printer progressively builds the product.
The prototype was created by a team at the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Yong Chen, professor of industrial and systems engineering at USC and lead of the study, said that testing of the new prototype has shown it saves around 35 per cent in materials used to print objects.
“I work with biomedical doctors who 3D print using biomaterials to build tissue or organs,” Chen explained. “A lot of the material they use are very expensive – we’re talking small bottles that cost between $500 (£362) to $1,000 (£723) each.”
Chen added: “For standard...