RapidMade CEO Promotes STEM Careers to Skyview High School Students

RapidMade supports nConnect, a non-profit organization that connects professionals and schools, to promote career planning and college preparation. 

It's always great to get back into the classroom!  On Friday, RapidMade's CEO Renee Eaton  participated in nConnect's Speed Networking event at Skyview High School in Vancouver.  Students especially enjoyed seeing all of the 3D printed objects she brought.  And they loved hearing how additive manufacturing is changing the fields of medicine, aerospace, marketing and manufacturing - and how important STEM professionals are to the industry's growth and success.

These events are always a lot of fun for presenters and participants.  Based on the questions asked, there were many highly motivated first year students.

Afterward, Renee had a chance to meet the school's Manufacturing faculty and see their bank of desktop 3D printers.

Research Study Demonstrates Benefits of 3D Printing in Surgical Outcomes

Study confirms value of 3D printed models in planning wrist surgeries

If you read our blog, you know that we are especially interested in the medical applications of 3D printing.  I've written a few times about its adoption in surgery planning.  Now a recent published study conducted by Italian surgeon Dr. Nicola Bizzoto quantifies three advantages of 3D printing a patient's wrist (distal radius) fracture before operating.  

Having an exact replica of the broken bones allows the physician to thoroughly plan the surgery in advance, knowing where to place screws and which plate size to implant. This preparation reduces operating room and anesthesia times.  Shorter surgeries save hospitals money and less anesthesia improves patient outcomes.  The model can also be used to improve patient education.

I only wish this practice had become widespread before my wrist surgery in 2014. The operation took longer than planned because my wrist was worse than expected - there were bone fragments that had to be removed.  As a result, the anesthesiologist had to fully sedate me, and I ended up spending New Year's Eve in the hospital - not a Happy start to 2015, so while I hope to never go through a similar procedure again, I'm heartened by the increased popularity of 3D printing in medicine.

3D Printing Battles Animal Extinction

Ivory-look-alike artwork (Image Credit: 3ders.org)

3D printing enthusiasts are using additive manufacturing to combat animal extinction on multiple fronts.  One Italian-based artist, Andrea Pacciani, is creating exotic ivory-alternative objects that she hopes will entice patrons toward her "sustainable, animal-friendly pieces."  Not only do the items look and feel like ivory, because they are 3D printed, Pacciani is able to create designs that cannot easily be produced with traditional carving methods.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has also adopted the technology to create a graphic reminder that we won't be able to just 3D print more animal species if they are driven to extinction.  Its ad campaign, produced by Young and Rubicam, shows partially printed, like-like reproductions of an elephant, orangutan, and whale to communicate its dire message.

Other nonprofit firms, such as Paso Pacifico have used 3D printing creatively to advance their causes.  Paso Pacifico chose

“to create 3D printed decoy sea turtle eggs to track and take down poaching rings, and scientists at the International Centre for Birds of Prey (ICBP) have 3D printed vulture eggs embedded with micro-sensors to learn vital information about vulture nesting habits.”

These initiatives show the commitment and ingenuity dedicated to saving at-risk species and the potential and versatility of 3D printing.