Avi Reichental at TED2014 |

3D printing pioneer Avi Reichental is nostalgic for a time he never quite experienced — a time of hyper-local, made-to-order, personalized craftsmanship. While the industrial revolution did a lot to advance humanity, says Reichental, it eradicated local manufacturing that people like his grandfather, a cobbler, excelled in. It atrophied society’s craftsmanship skills.

But, says Reichental, there’s a revolution coming: a 3D printed one. And what’s interesting about it is not how it’s “going to catapult us into the future, but rather how it’s going to connect us to our heritage — into a new era of localized, distributed manufacturing.”

Reichental mentions a few of his favourite projects from the 3D printing world:

A beautiful body suit

Amanda Boxtel, who is paralyzed from the waist down, could already stand and walk thanks to her exo-bionic legs and suit, but she wanted something inspired by her body, made to measure. She challenged Reichental to make something more elegant, feminine and lightweight, so he built her a beautiful suit. Amanda finally had an opportunity to regain her symmetry and her authenticity.

Personalized medical devices

Reichental shows custom-made 3D-printed ventilated scoliosis braces, dental restorations and in-ear hearing aides. He holds up a sleek and beautiful 3D-printed brace for a leg amputee.

Food

For the first time it’s possible to print incredible (and edible!) delights, like a TED(dy) bear Reichental presents on stage. He says, “What if we could begin to put ingredients, colours, flavours in every taste?” Says Reichental, that means the promise of personalized nutrition is right around the corner.

The most exciting thing about 3D printing is that complexity is free. Says Reichental, “The printer doesn’t care whether it makes the most rudimentary or most complex shape.” And hopefully, it will make manufacturers out of all of us.

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Objex Unlimited

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Objex Unlimited is a 3D printing studio located in Toronto.  We take pride in all of our products and services, offering the newest, and highest quality methods of production. With a highly skilled team of trained individuals we have no doubt that we can offer your business alternatives, which will save you work, time, and money. We use advanced 3D Printing Technology to produce Rapid Prototypes and highly detailed Concept Models directly from CAD Drawings. We can bring your CAD designs to life by creating real parts you can use and models that you can hold in your hand. Our commitment to you is to deliver in DAYS. Don’t let prototype production hold up your design cycle. Objex Unlimited is an Authorized Distributor of Artec 3D Scanners and 3D Systems Professional 3D Printers.

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