Floating on air: New 3D printer defies gravity

Spain – Researchers have created a gravity-defying 3D printer that draws objects in the air.

The Mataerial printer uses plastic made with thermosetting polymers, which solidify instantly as they emerge from the device, allowing the printer to create curves suspended in space.

Mataerial differs significantly from conventional 3D printers. Rather than requiring a smooth, flat base on which to lay down 2D layers, Mataerial can print on almost any angle or surface by extruding tubes of material from a nozzle.

Designers can customise the colour of the material and the width of the tube down to less than a millimeter.

The machine was created by students from Barcelona’s Institute for Advanced Archictecture of Catalonia, Petr Novikov and Saša Joki?, while they were interns at the Joris Laarman Lab.

For more on the future of 3D printing and what it means for your brand, read our recent 3D Printing Expo Overview.