AMS 2025

Red-Crowned Crane Receives 3D Printed Beak

AM Research Military

Share this Article

beak-implant-before-and-afterWith the exception of the infamous cock-fighting rings, bird fights aren’t normally those associated with guts and gore in the animal kingdom. However, I’ve come to believe that this is only because most of us haven’t spent a great deal of time observing avian behavior as these creatures can be just as vicious, albeit in some ridiculous looking ways, towards each other as the fiercest big cat or toothiest piranha. Sometimes these aggressive tactics are used to drive away outsiders from the flock and other times they occur between creatures struggling for dominance over territory and, of course, over females.

Any doubt over the grave nature of these conflicts can be laid to rest by examining the wounds and injuries that the animals often sustain during a real battle. Sometimes the offending party is driven away just by the pre-fight posturing of the other bird, but when things get serious, the loser can fly away seriously hurt. This is what happened when Lili, a red crowned crane living in the zoo in Guangzhou, China, got into an altercation with another one of her zoo mates.

As if it weren’t bad enough that Lili lost the fight, she also lost part of her beak and the damage was so extensive that she was unable to feed herself. In the wild, this type of injury would have been a sentence of certain death, but on the watch of the caretakers at Guangzhou Zoo, no such thing could be allowed to happen. Instead of giving her up, the zookeepers called in a 3D printing expert to help create a new beak for Lili so she could get back to happily fishing for her own meals.

3d-printed-beak-implant-2To start with careful measurements of the fragment were taken, along with data that was gathered from other healthy bird beaks among the zoo’s collection of red-crowned cranes. A number of models were printed in plastic in order to ensure good fit and function. Once the design was finalized, a version was printed in titanium to be attached to the remaining portion of Lili’s upper beak. Titanium was the material of choice because of its strength and resistance to corrosion, an important factor as the cranes spend a great deal of time with their beaks in the water looking for fish and other tidbits. Lili could have as much as 50 years of life ahead of her and so a beak that could stand the test of time was of the utmost importance.

3d-printed-beak-implant-1This isn’t the first time that an injured bird has been helped through 3D printing and it won’t be the last; this versatile manufacturing method makes it ideal for customized interventions such as this one. A cockatoo in Nanjing Zoo received a 3D printed prosthetic beak earlier this year after other bird bullying, as well. Of course, now that Lili is the only bird in her flock equipped with a titanium beak, let’s just hope that she uses her new found strength for good. Otherwise, the keepers at the Guangzhou Zoo might see themselves needing to produce a great deal more of these in the future. Discuss this story over in the 3D Printed Crane Beak forum at 3DPB.com.

[Source/Images: Shanghaiist.com]

 

Share this Article


Recent News

3D Printing Webinar and Event Roundup: December 8, 2024

3D Printing News Briefs, December 7, 2024: Acquisition, Serial Production, & More



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

Featured

Printing Money Episode 24: Q3 2024 Earnings Review with Troy Jensen, Cantor Fitzgerald

Welcome to Printing Money Episode 24. Troy Jensen, Managing Director of Cantor Fitzgerald, joins Danny Piper, Managing Partner at NewCap Partners, once again as it is time to review the...

Will the UnitedHealth Assassination Lead to 3D Printed Suppressor Blowback?

A security camera footage shows a man in a blue blazer walking along a New York street, followed by a figure in a dark hoodie carrying a large white backpack....

Formnext 2024: Sustainability, Large-Format 3D Printers, & More

The doors have closed on Formnext 2024, but we still have more news to bring you about what was introduced on the show floor this year. WASP had several product...

Materialise Updates Magics and Partners with BLT at Formnext 2024

At this year’s Formnext, 3D printing software and services pioneer Materialise unveiled a series of software updates designed to enhance customization capabilities in 3D printing for its users. The announcement included...