3D Printing Question of the Week: What's your dream material?

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Morgon Mae Schultz

Welcome to the first 3D Printing Question of the Week! We're launching this new feature to spark conversation among engineers, designers and Stratasys experts. Please take a moment to add your two cents.

Last year, researchers at Exeter University began 3D printing with chocolate. A new system at MIT creates ice sculptures through additive manufacturing, with water the main consumable.

I bet every manufacturing engineer and designer has a fantasy 3D printing material — fun or practical, attainable or out-of-reach. What’s yours?

Comments for 3D Printing Question of the Week: What's your dream material?

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Lucio:: Transparent !!!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Nelix:: Food. I want a food replicator!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Morgon Mae Schultz:: Lucio and Nelix, let's combine yours: 3D printed Jell-O snacks?
Thursday, February 2, 2012 by Hiroyuki Maruoka:: Luminescence or phosphorescence; just for fun, or 3D-printed lightings.
Candle wax for lightning or fregrance could be nice as well!
Thursday, February 2, 2012 by Syuhei:: Apparel(fabric)!!! Current apparel made from 2D fabric but if 3D fabric will available, new apparel will born I think.
Thursday, February 2, 2012 by David del Fresno:: ABS with 24-bit continuous-tone colour
Thursday, February 2, 2012 by Morgon Mae Schultz:: These are so imaginative! Other comments from Twitter and Facebook include transparent PC and pasta dough. Keep 'em coming!
Friday, February 3, 2012 by Tomio Sugiura:: Earthenware and porcelain are the areas on the road in Japan and South Korea including China. There are a lot of article of cast metal parts though I have developed steam and the wind turbine robot, etc.I begin to use the technology of RP for them in 1990's. The robot and geometrical 3D modeling also simultaneously participated in the art of the space art etc.The thing which I expect of the technology of RP is shown below. operation to earthenware and the porcelain material art . Because I am an engineer, the difficulty is understood. Because the material becomes a soil. I think that I cut a new genre open of such a ceramic art with the ceramic art of Japan though cannot say.
Friday, February 3, 2012 by Jim McMahon:: I have been printing with inkjets since 1979. I designed jets to print many fluids. I have always said, give me the material and I will design a dispenser- I was focused on inkjets but with the invention of the glue gun by someone it is now possible to deposit anything and produce additive models. My 2003 dream after I was layed-off from Solidscape was to make ice models and in your introduction MIT is doing it. Ice models can be cast and then melted to form molds. I think this will be the next thing in printing 3D models. This Blog is an excellent idea. The consumer is your best resource for new ideas.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 by David M. Carey CPed Anaplastologist:: I've waited for one material since 1990, creating prosthetics that are very unique, I've wanted to eliminate certain casting techniques,,,, printing the Prosthetic itself out of the material I'm waiting for,,,,, MEDICAL GRADE SILICONES,,, multi durometers!!!!
Make it more interesting and give me Zcorp color!!!
Am I asking too much!!!! I don't think so, not after all these years!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 by Morgon Mae Schultz:: Tomio, I think combining ceramics with 3D printing could be fantastic, in industrial applications as well as art. Thanks for your comment.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 by Morgon Mae Schultz:: Jim, I like your idea of melting ice as mold positive. Thanks for your feedback on our blog, too!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 by Morgon Mae Schultz:: I just wanted to let everyone know that we appreciate your thoughtfulness on this topic, both fun and practical. We're sharing these ideas with our colleagues here at Stratasys headquarters.
Thursday, March 1, 2012 by rosa:: I'm a Stratasys reseller and, based on my clients requests I would say that my dream materials are rubber like materials (TPE's) and Polypropilene (PP).
Kind Regards!