How Video Articles Help Us Understand 3D Printing Techniques

Jialan Zhang, Ph.D.
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Read about three-dimensional printing techniques published in JoVE Video Journal with three different focuses – fabrication, measurement, and design of physical models.

With the surge in popularity of three-dimensional (3D) printing, it is important to understand how techniques in the field are being developed. The advent of video publishing has presented us with an excellent opportunity to learn from experts worldwide by providing us with visual access to 3D printing labs. In this article, I have compiled 3D printing techniques published in JoVE Video Journal with three different focuses – fabrication, measurement, and design of physical models.

In November 2012, Nicholas X. Fang’s group at MIT published the first 3D printing focused Video Article in JoVE. This article has been viewed more than 13,000 times in the past five years. It demonstrates a simple and rapid digital-projection-based 3D printing technique using a commercially available digital data projector and photocurable polymers with appropriate absorbance in the visible wavelength range.

In June 2016, Greg A. Voth’s group at Wesleyan University published a Video Article on 3D printing in JoVE. This article presents a step-by-step procedure for designing and fabricating anisotropic particles and measuring orientation and rotation rate of the particles in turbulent fluid flows. This technique has broad applications as it makes fabricating particles with a wide range of shapes and the 3D tracking of these particles possible.

Designing and fabricating anisotropic particles.

 

More recently in March 2017, Ian Roy’s group at MakerLab in Brandeis University published a 3D printing Video Article highlighting the design of physical models of biomolecules. This article is a concise tutorial on how to design and construct physical models using low-cost software and desktop 3D printers, with examples of 3D-printed biomolecular models.

We have seen fast-paced development in 3D printing methodologies in the last three decades. As human expertise in the field continues to grow, we now see the emergence of 4D printed materials – 3D printed materials that can transform over time. This opens an exciting new avenue for 3D printed materials with much more flexibility than before.