3D printing researchers are working in collaboration with universities to success in innovation. In the last days many 3D printing research team signed agreements with universities. A team of researchers at Michigan Technological University created an open source library of 3D printable device files for the medical industry. Engineering students at the University of Toronto created a 3D ‘Bioprinter’ that creates new skin for burn victims from their own skin cells. The first photographs taken by the world’s first 3D printed telescope, built at the University of Sheffield, were unveiled. A 3D printed water filtration membrane that promises to make water filtration cheaper and more effective was developed by students at Nanyang Technological University.
The last one 3D printing researcher is Graphene 3D Lab, otherwise known as Graphene 3D, which announced a joint venture with Stony Brook University in New York to conduct quality control testing of 3D printing materials enhanced with graphene and other materials. Graphene 3D will pay the Research Foundation for SUNY $137,713 in exchange for Stony Brook University’s analytical services and a fully-equipped research laboratory to use in the investigation. Graphene 3D conducts research on the use of graphene as filament for 3D printing and how how to augment it with other materials currently used by 3D printers. The company is a spinout of Graphene Laboratories, Inc., a leader in manufacturing graphene and other advanced materials. The partnership will involve working with researchers at the Stony Brook Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (Sensor CAT) to test the performance and quality control parameters of 3D printer filaments provided by Graphene 3D.
“Sensor CAT’s testing of Graphene 3D materials will ensure an impartial review of the materials functional attributes by project personnel,” said Daniel Stolyarov, CEO of Graphene 3D. “This joint venture also allows Graphene 3D to access Stony Brook University’s world-class facilities and personnel, thereby shortening the development time of our materials and reducing overall R&D costs.”
There’s no telling what the collaboration will result in, but if previous examples of universities’ research in the 3D printing industry are anything to go by then we may be seeing graphene 3D printer filament in the near future.
