What are the Odds of Having 3D Printing Services on Human Skin?

Over the years, we have successfully expanded the breadth of our 3D printing services. It is now being enjoyed and taken advantage of in many industries. 

 

3D printing3D printing, sometimes referred to as additive manufacturing technique, is a groundbreaking method of production that is also instrumental to a handful of innovations – particularly in the medical and scientific communities. 

Did you know that it is now possible to 3D print electronics directly onto the human skin? This is not a figment of the imagination. And not even a scene from a sci-fi movie, but it is real. People from the University of Minnesota made use of a custom-built 3D printing machine for this purpose. 

Their work received much acclaim from the medical sphere throughout the globe and was even published in the Advanced Materials academic journal in April.

This major innovation in 3D printing technique is also taking pride in one thing. The computer system used in this method of 3D printing is utilizing another technology known as computer vision. It allows you to keep track or monitor the movement of the printing head and make necessary adjustments whenever needed in real-time. 

Now, who wouldn’t feel so excited about this new development in 3-dimensional printing when it only calls for a lightweight and 3D-printer machine which costs only about less than $400. 

This promising development in 3D printing services does have great potential in many different applications. One can even imagine a soldier pulling this type of printer out of his backpack. And right there and then, he can print out a chemical sensor, even several types of electronics that they need, directly on the skin. Now, this makes your 3D printer the future “Swiss Army Knife”. 

To make this newfound technique work, they came up with a way that will enable the 3D printer machine to make necessary adjustments when dealing with small, minute movements during the printing. 

The system they came up with makes use of temporary markers which they strategically place on the skin. This feature allows the 3D printing machine to make a comprehensive scan of the surface during the printing process. The 3D printer machine makes use of this “computer vision” in implementing necessary adjustments with regard to the surface movement done in real-time.  

Even when the subject person for skin 3D printing will try very hard his extreme best effort to just stay still while the 3-dimensional printer is doing its work on him, a slight and inevitable moment will always occur.

The tad movements on the skin surface can disrupt the process and may bring about an adverse impact on the accuracy and quality of the 3D printing work. Hence, this type of bioprinters was designed with this kind of special functionality feature that allows it to keep track of the printing head with the help of the markers, allowing it to make proper adjustments to the sudden small movements on the skin and its contours. This allows the printing of the electronics possible in terms of retaining its intended circuit shape.  

This particular technique in 3-dimensional printing is utilizing a specialized type of ink. It is made of silver flakes which conduct and cures even when you are just at room temperature. But there is debate on this as to whether this can become part of the 3D printing services to which the general public can have access. 

Other types of inks used for 3D printing purposes require extremely high temperatures to cure, from around 100℃ or higher. Temperatures of this magnitude are hot enough to burn one’s hand. When it comes to effacing the 3D printed features you may have on your skin, you can just simply peel them off with the help of a handy tweezer. Sometimes, you could even wash them off using water alone.