Iranian researchers succeeded in the production of raw materials for 3D printing of complicated medical prostheses and made the country self-sufficient in this regard.
"This material which can be applied for precise simulating of body's hard tissues and is a prerequisite to producing complicated medical prostheses and has training applications as well has passed tests successfully and used in the 3D-print machines," Managing-Director of the knowledge-based Nokhbeh Mehvar Fars Company Amiri said on Saturday.
He said that the new 3D printing material is now being produced in Iran at a price one-sixth of the costs that the country incurred when it imported the materials from foreign states.
3D Printing, as the name suggests, is a process wherein a solid three-dimensional object is printed layer by layer from raw material, which could potentially lead to a whole new era in manufacturing. The process is also known as additive manufacturing or desktop fabrication.
Firstly, a three-dimensional design is created and saved in STL format, which is then sent to a 3D printer. The design is then printed layer by layer to fabricate a real object.
ABS and PLA plastic are the cheapest raw materials you can use in a 3D printer. To change colors, you simply switch out one color of filament for another.