3D Printing News Unpeeled: 3D Printed Basketball, Chocolate and Drones

Wilson has worked with EOS, Dye Mansion, General Lattice and EOS´ consultancy Additive Minds to 3D print a basketball out of a proprietary material and specific design using powder bed fusion. The ball is said to have adequate rebound and handling characteristics although is possibly playable but not yet conformal to all regulations and standards in professional basketball. This is an inspiring 3D print project and illustrates what is possible in programmed structures in sports equipment.

Professor Qingrong Huang of Rutgers University’s School of Environmental and Biological Sciences has made a lower sugar and fat chocolate through replacing cocoa butter with an emulsion of coca butter water and gum arabic. He hopes to design more tunable functional foods using 3D printing.

The UK has quickly developed and tested a number of 3D printed drones for use by Ukraine. Defense contractor QinetiQ worked with the Defense Equipment and Support (DE&S) Future Capability Group, Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), the Royal Navy, the RAF’s No. 56 Squadron, Royal Artillery, Defense Science and Technology Laboratories (DSTL), U.K. Strategic Command, and the British Army HQ to rapidly iterate and develop drones. Tested at Bosombe Down these were developed in weeks and were specific to the conflict.