Guinness World Records 2018

3D Printing

SCI-TECH & ENGINEERING

LARGEST

3D-PRINTED

PROSTHETIC BEAK

Grecia the toucan

was brought to

the Zoo Ave animal

sanctuary in Alajuela,

Costa Rica, on 7 Jan

2015 with half of his

beak missing. Thanks

to fundraising efforts,

Grecia was fitted with

an 18‑g (0.63‑oz)

full‑length prosthetic

beak around 19 cm

(7.48 in) long. Since

his operation in

Jan 2016, Grecia can

now feed himself and

preen his feathers.

He began singing

again just days after

receiving his beak.

In a 2016 survey of 102 aviation experts, 70% said they expected that

aircraft spare parts would be printed directly at airports by 2030.

First 3D printing patent

On 12 Jul 1967, Wyn Kelly Swainson

(USA) filed a patent titled “Method of

Producing a 3D Figure by Holography”

in Denmark. It envisaged a system

whereby a three‑dimensional object could be

scanned using a pair of laser interferometers

and its dimensions transferred to a computer.

The computer would then feed the data on the

object’s shape to a second pair of lasers, which

would reproduce it by selectively hardening a

3D shape in a tank of light‑sensitive plastic.

First dress made from 3D-printed fabric

In Jun 2000, designer Jiri Evenhuis (NLD) created

a “Drape Dress” out of 3D-printed fabric made

from nylon particles, in a process known as

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). The dress is in

the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, USA.

Heaviest object 3D-printed

using simulated lunar soil

On 31 Jan 2013, the European Space Agency

(ESA) revealed plans for a base on the Moon that

will be mostly 3D‑printed using lunar soil. To prove

its viability, the ESA consortium 3D‑printed a

1.5‑tonne (1.65‑ton) building block in a vacuum

chamber. The block, which has a honeycomb

structure, was created from simulated lunar soil

mixed with magnesium oxide and binding salt.

First 3D-printed car

In Sep 2014, designer Michele Anoé (ITA)

got to watch as the chassis and body of his

“Strati” car were printed in five days at the

International Manufacturing Technology

Show (IMTS) in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Anoé

had seen off more than 200 entrants to win

the “3D Printed Car Design Challenge”, the

brainchild of crowdfunded Local Motors

of Phoenix in Arizona, USA. Local Motors

completed the car’s design with help from

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (USA) and

Saudi manufacturing company SABIC.

First 3D-printed motorcycle

At 2015’s RAPID show, TE Connectivity

(CHE/USA) unveiled an orange and blue

replica Harley‑Davidson motorcycle; 76 of

its 100 components had been 3D‑printed.

The process used 4.32 mi (6.95 km) of ABS

plastic filament. Multiple printers worked

together for 1,700 hr to create the parts.

First 3D-printed pills

Produced by Aprecia (USA), Spritam is a

pharmaceutical drug designed to relieve

symptoms associated with seizures. In Jul 2015,

it was 3D-printed for the first time. The pills’

porous 3D structure allows them to dissolve in

just 4 sec, much faster than standard over‑

the‑counter medicines.

Smallest 3D-printed medical device

Researchers around the world are trying to

find pain-free alternatives to needles to make

injections easier for the recipient. One example

is the 3D‑printed micro‑needle produced by

teams at the University of Akron and University

of Texas (both USA). Measuring 1 mm across,

it is in fact an array of 25 needles made from

propylene fumarate. Each tip is 20 μm wide –

a fifth of the width of a human hair.

Longest object 3D-printed in metal

In Oct 2016, researchers at Cranfield University

(UK) announced that they had created a double‑

sided aluminium spar measuring 6 m (20 ft) and

weighing 300 kg (661 lb). It was printed on the

team’s 10‑m‑long (32‑ft 9‑in) Wire + Arc Additive

Manufacturing (WAAM) 3D printer.

Fastest 3D-printed robot

In May 2015, engineers at the University

of California, Berkeley, USA, used specially

3D‑printed components to build the

X2‑VelociRoACH – a robotic cockroach.

Thanks to its flexible parts, the artificial insect

can scuttle around at 11 mph (17.7 km/h).

This is faster than an average human jogging.

Most 3D-printed 3D printer

With 3D printers now printing everything from

car parts to food, it will come as no surprise to

hear that you can actually 3D‑print your own

3D printer. The open‑source RepRap Snappy 1.1c

printer, designed by Garth Minette (USA), was

made using 2.4 kg (5 lb 4 oz) of plastic filament

to print 86 of its 110 pieces.

Q: What percentage

of US hearing aids are

3D-printed?

A: 100%

3D printing has its

roots in the 1980s,

with the invention of

stereolithography: the

creation of objects from

layers of photopolymers

hardened by UV light

3D printers don’t

just print in plastic:

metal, glass, ceramics,

chocolate and even

cheese, hummus and

pizza dough can all

be printed

The first pop-up

restaurant to serve

exclusively 3D-printed

food (eaten with

3D‑printed utensils)

opened in Apr 2016

in the Netherlands

The Aston Martin DB5

in Skyfall (UK/USA,

2012) was made using

a VX4000 3D printer

The first Global

3D Printing Day was

celebrated in 2 013; for

the 2015 celebration,

The Culinary Institute

of America 3D‑printed

an edible Yoda

In 2014, Yoshitomo

Imura (JPN) was

jailed for 3D‑printing

a revolver

FIRST 3D-PRINTED AIRCRAFT

On 1 Jun 2016, at the Berlin Air Show in

Berlin, Germany, Airbus unveiled THOR, which was completely 3D‑printed

save for its electrical systems. Weighing just 21 kg (46 lb), THOR (which

stands for Testing High-tech Objectives in Reality) is an unmanned

demonstrator that had its first flight in Nov 2015. The aircraft is powered

by two 2‑hp (1.5‑kW) electric motors and is mostly printed from plastic

polyamide. Chief engineer Gunnar Haase, who conducted THOR’s

inaugural flight, said that it “flies beautifully [and] is very stable”.

Set to launch

in 2 020, European

Space Agency (ESA)

rocket Ariane^ 6 will

feature many 3D

‑printed

pieces, according to

Airbus. This process

may reduce costs by

as much as 50%.