EPlus3D

3D Printed Beak to Save a Polish Penguin’s Life

Metal AM Markets

Share this Article

A Penguin at the Warsaw Zoo in Poland, was doomed to a slow death, after a fall or fight it had about a month ago. The penguin which was not given a name like the other furry creatures we have discussed on this site, broke penguin-feathis beak, leaving him unable to preen or feed himself. With the help of new 3D printing and scanning technologies, scientists hope to save this penguins life.

The scientists plan to scan a beak from a recently deceased penguin, using the 3D information obtained to print out a prothetic beak with high-tech eco-plastic.  An Omni 3D Printer will be the machine used to create the final prosthetic. The beak in which they will model the printed version from has begun to decompose, thus making this task a little more tricky than scientists had hoped. The team of scientists led by Bartek Jarkiewicz, of MTT Polska, plan to begin printing out several beaks next week, in case the first one falls off or doesn’t fit perfectly.

‘We had gone to the zoo to see if they could use any of our 3D technology, and didn’t know anything about the bird at first,’ Bartek Jarkiewicz stated, “Then they said they had a penguin with a problem and asked if we could come up with a new beak.”

We will keep our readers posted on the outcome of this project, and will be discussing this 3D printed prosthetic beak at 3DPrintBoard.  If the scientists are successful, this would be the second known case of scientists saving the life of a bird by 3D printing a prosthetic beak. Back in 2012, a bald eagle in the United States was the first known bird to receive such a prosthetic device.

Share this Article


Recent News

MELD Partners with Sumitomo to Expand Large-format Metal 3D Printing in Japan

3D Printing in Auto Repair Task Force Issues Final Report



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

Deutsche Bahn Certifies Essentium’s 3D Printing Platform for Rail Parts

Essentium, the Austin-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of additive manufacturing (AM) platforms, announced that its High Speed Extrusion (HSE) printer has been certified for use by Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany’s...

Toyota Taps SOLIZE to 3D Print Functional Parts for Lexus

Recently, Japanese reseller and 3D printing service SOLIZE has achieved notable success. In 2021, the company began manufacturing 3D printed components for Nissan’s NISMO brand, utilizing HP printers. Now, SOLIZE...

3D Printing News Briefs, September 2, 2023: Alloy Testing, Modular Buildings, & More

Today’s 3D Printing News Briefs run the gamut from defense 3D printing and research to 3D printed modular buildings and more. Read on for all of the details! AML3D Receives...

3D Printing News Briefs, August 26, 2023: Materials, Electroplating, Consumer Goods, & More

It’s all materials, all the time in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, starting with AddUp adding an aluminum alloy by Constellium to its materials portfolio. igus introduced an online service...