3D printer brings kids’ dreams to life
FORGET drones, this year’s Christmas toy wish list may just include a 3D printer – any child’s dream in creating their heart’s desires.
At the House and Garden show this week, children were kept entertained with a 3D printer that they used to create all manner of toys, such as little buddhas, containers figurines and helmets.
The technology – in which a three-dimensional solid object can be created from a digital file on 3D modelling software, using plastic and the special machine – is sweeping across the globe.
“Everyone loves it, especially because you can see the item come to life. Also, you’ll never run out of a part,” said Luca Ruggier, who works in 3D printing.
Parts of his own 3D printer were literally made by itself.
“There are thin layers of plastic that are laid down over one another to create the item. Solid items take longer, sometimes up to three hours, while hollow objects take less time,” he said.
3D printing has swept across the world, with many uses, for instance, vintage car collectors are able to create parts that are no longer manufactured.
There’s also a new medical buzzword, bioprinting, which involves the 3D printing of human tissue, using cells for “parts” such as blood vessels, valves and ears.
“Technology has improved so vastly, that we are able to make things we weren’t previously able to.
Right now, kids are getting interested in what this entails and it stimulates interest in science and technology,” said Ruggier.