Everything can be '3D printed'

In August 2023, a female reindeer located in the Greater Khingan Range of Inner Mongolia suffered a comminuted fracture of her calf during her escape, resulting in her inability to move. Fortunately, tourists from Daxing'anling promptly rescued it and contacted local doctors to perform amputation surgery.

The amputation surgery was successful, but the amputated reindeer were temporarily unable to adapt to the wild life of the herd due to limited mobility.

After some discussion, everyone decided to replace this little reindeer with prosthetic limbs and use 3D printing technology to help it run again.

Xi'an Zhixiang Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd., located in Shaanxi Province, participated in the scanning of reindeer prosthetic limb models. Soon, reindeer with prosthetic limbs can return home.

We are no longer unfamiliar with 3D printing. Printing personalized prosthetics, human bones, aerospace components, cars, decorative vases, and ceramic products has been applied in many production and daily life fields, from niche to mass, from concept to reality.

In the era of intelligence, everything can be 3D printed.

3D printing technology has been widely applied in aviation, aerospace, automobiles, ships, medical consumables, and gradually expanded to multiple fields such as automotive, energy and power, rail transit, electronics, etc., becoming the source of driving technological breakthroughs in multiple industry chains.

The well-known 3D printing technology, also known as additive manufacturing technology, is a technique that builds three-dimensional objects by gradually stacking materials based on digital model files.

As a source of domestic additive manufacturing and remanufacturing technology and industrial agglomeration area, Shaanxi Province has held nearly 700 patents in the field of additive manufacturing in recent years, ranking first in the country in terms of quantity.

In the first half of this year, the additive manufacturing industry chain in our province grew by 38%.

Huang Xinbo, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Shaanxi Province, said, "Additive manufacturing is a disruptive technology in the manufacturing industry, and it is also a key industry for developing new quality productivity and opening up new fields and tracks

In 2021, the additive manufacturing industry became one of the 23 key industrial chains in Shaanxi Province. At this point, a large number of major scientific research achievements have successively landed and blossomed, and a series of extraordinary achievements have witnessed the gradual climb of our province's additive manufacturing industry.

(Platinum Intelligent Manufacturing Large Scale Equipment Factory)

The 3D printed satellite storage tank jointly developed by Institute 801 of the Sixth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology and Institute 800 of the Eighth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology has helped the Long March 8 Y3 carrier rocket successfully launch the "Magpie Bridge 2" satellite into its designated orbit.

The research team of Xi'an Jiaotong University uses molten electric fluid 3D printing technology for soft actuators of liquid crystal elastomers ranging from micrometer scale to centimeter scale and above.

The research team of Northwestern Polytechnical University has developed 3D printing technology for active biomimetic bone, allowing the manufactured biomimetic bone to "develop" in the body and ultimately grow together with natural bone, better integrating into the internal environment.

As the first domestic enterprise in metal additive manufacturing for 3D printing, Bolite has a metal 3D printing industry ecosystem that integrates raw materials, processes, design, and equipment.

It is reported that in the Kuaizhou 11 carrier rocket project, Platinum Technology optimized the design of engine components through integrated forming technology, which not only greatly shortened the manufacturing cycle but also improved the performance of parts, meeting the requirements of engine use.

In addition, in the Dongfang Space "Gravity One" carrier rocket project, Platinum Special has mass-produced more than 30 main binding related parts for the rocket, solving the problems of large size and easy deformation of traditional parts, and assisting the successful launch of Dongfang Space "Gravity One".

Metal additive manufacturing technology is rapidly changing the manufacturing methods in the aerospace industry. Through additive manufacturing technology, it can not only accelerate the development of components, but also significantly shorten delivery cycles, meeting the demand for customization and mass production in the aerospace industry.

With innovative technology and practical experience, leading enterprises in Shaanxi's additive manufacturing industry are driving China's aerospace industry to new heights.

(Additive manufacturing of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) skull defect repair prosthesis before and after implantation. Image source: Kangtuo Medical)

Facing complex products, traditional mechanical processing is difficult to achieve, but additive manufacturing can perfectly solve it.

A patient with left skull loss was treated with 3D printed polyetheretherketone (PEEK) bone plates, which not only restored the collapsed skull to its original appearance but also achieved a perfect match, reducing the risk of surgical infection.

Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) has gradually been applied in the medical field, and this "3D printed PEEK skull fixation system" is a product independently developed by Xi'an Kangnuo Medical.

Xi'an Kangnuo Medical is a high-tech enterprise specializing in three types of implantable medical device products. In November 2023, its self-developed product "3D printed PEEK craniofacial system" was recognized by the National Medical Products Administration as an innovative medical device and approved for market launch.

Li Fang, Vice President of Production and Operations at Kanto Medical, introduced: "The craniofacial repair system manufactured by polyetheretherketone (PEEK) additive manufacturing is simply a 3D printed bone plate. Its porous advantage can effectively release postoperative intracranial pressure, which not only reduces many adverse reactions in patients after surgery, but also combines well with scalp tissue

The human head is complex and diverse, and through 3D printing technology, doctors can create personalized artificial vertebral bodies that perfectly match the patient's bone shape based on their CT scan data. This customized implant not only better fits the patient's anatomical structure, but also improves the success rate of surgery and patient comfort.

As a leading enterprise in the field of three types of implantable medical devices in China, Xi'an Kangtuo Medical promotes the transformation and practical application of scientific and technological achievements in medical device product research and development. Its multiple products have filled the domestic gap and solved the shortcomings of high-end implantable medical device products in China.

It can be said that the emergence of additive manufacturing technology has broken many limitations of traditional manufacturing; It is no longer a simple accumulation of materials, but a precise construction based on digital design.

Professor Li Dichen accepted an interview with Shaanxi Net

Professor Li Dichen from Xi'an Jiaotong University said, "Since a long time ago, many universities in our province have been promoting research on 3D printing technology, which has also driven the gradual development of the industry. Over the years, our province's additive manufacturing industry has great advantages in science and technology, and has also been at the forefront of industrial development

At present, Shaanxi has formed an industrial innovation cluster with Xi'an Jiaotong University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and Northwest Nonferrous Metals Research Institute as the core, supported by innovation entities such as Additive Manufacturing Research Institute, Platinum Technology, and Tianyuan Manufacturing, integrating industrial software, materials, equipment, and application services.

3D printing technology provides a new path for high-end manufacturing, and our province is continuously exploring the deep integration of industrial chain innovation chain, injecting more momentum into the creation of a leading domestic and world-class billion dollar additive manufacturing industry innovation cluster.

At present, the largest metal additive manufacturing industrialization base in China will be completed and put into operation by the end of this year in Xi'an High tech Zone. After production, it will meet the rapidly growing demand for customized product printing services in application fields such as aerospace, medical dentistry, and automotive. (Reporter Wang Simin)