April 23, 2012
Can you 3D print a rubber balloon? A team of researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Disney Research in Zurich can answer this question: Yes, and you can 3D print it in any shape you like at home.
What these researchers have done is they take desired 3D shapes and create a program that calculates what empty balloon shape should be needed to produce the inflated-balloon design, and then they create a mold to make the uninflated balloon on a 3D printer.
"The system models the way a rubber balloon stretches as it inflates, then inverts this model to find the deflated shape that will most closely resemble the balloon when blown up. Some shapes are easier to replicate than others - flat regions or sharp edges pose particular difficulties, as air pressure tends to, well, balloon them outwards." said newscientist.com.
This means you can create a balloon in any shape with a 3D printer. So far, the team have 3D printed a variety of different balloon shapes including a rabbit, an elephant and Mickey Mouse's head. They will present their work at the Eurographics meeting in Cagliari, Italy, next month.
Source: NewScientist
Posted in 3D Printing Technology
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Hey! Still havn't got the finale work on weather or not balloons can be printed into any shape and which printer would be best for that. Thanks,