It feels like every time I look away for five minutes, 3D printing technology leaps forward again. People keep finding new ways to push the limits, and some of what’s been printed so far is honestly mind-blowing.
We’re talking prosthetic limbs for animals, full-sized houses, and yeah, even a wearable superhero suit. Here are five of the most jaw-dropping things anyone’s ever created with a 3D printer.
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5. Dark Knight Superhero Costume
We’ve all thrown on a cheap cape for Halloween. But in the cosplay world? Accuracy is everything. The closer to screen-accurate, the better.
A guy named Stevie Dee decided to merge his 3D printing skills with his love of cosplay, and he absolutely crushed it. He printed a full replica of the Dark Knight suit from Batman — piece by piece, completely from scratch.
Everything in the picture was 3D printed except the cape, some of the under-layer clothing, and the boots. If you want to be the undisputed winner of any costume contest, well, now you know how.
You can actually order one of these online now, which is wild.
And they’re already working on plans for more superhero suits.
Image credit: Order 66 Creatures and Effects
4. Electric Car - The Strati
The Strati electric car can be 3D printed in just two days. Right now it runs about 11,000 British pounds, though the team behind it says that price should drop considerably as the technology scales.
The trick was radical simplification. Your average car has thousands and thousands of individual parts.
The Strati? Forty-nine. Total.
Let that sink in for a second.
Obviously some things like the engine, tires, and suspension had to be sourced the old-fashioned way. But every other piece was printed from carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic, one of the strongest 3D printer filaments you can buy. If stuff like this makes you want to try 3D printing for yourself, our beginner’s walkthrough covers everything from picking a machine to running your first print.
It tops out around 40 mph and gets about 120 miles on a charge. The long-term plan is bringing it to market so anyone can own an electric, 3D-printed car.
Image credit: Local Motors
3. Houses
A company in China built 10 full-sized houses in 24 hours using a massive 3D printer. They printed the walls with a mix of construction waste and cement, layering it the same way a desktop printer lays down filament — just on a much, much bigger scale.
Since the process barely needed raw materials or manual labor, each house came in under $5,000. They say they can print whatever design you want, so forget house hunting and forget the mortgage. Breakthroughs like this are exactly why owning a 3D printer at home keeps getting more appealing every year.
You pick the layout, they print it, and it costs a fraction of traditional construction. The only question left is where you’re putting the thing.
They’ve got ambitions to print skyscrapers eventually, but Chinese law doesn’t currently allow multi-story buildings to be 3D printed.
Image credit: WinSun Decoration Design Engineering
2. Socket Wrench From NASA
This one still blows my mind. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station needed a socket wrench, and NASA figured out how to get them one without launching a rocket.
They designed the wrench in CAD down on Earth, emailed the file up to the station, and the astronauts printed it right there in orbit. First object ever printed in outer space.
No supply rocket needed. No months of waiting. Just an email and a printer.
NASA says this kind of capability will make astronauts dramatically more self-sufficient on long-duration missions.
Image credit: NASA / Made In Space
1. Prosthetic Legs For Derby
Derby was born with severely deformed front legs. He couldn’t walk, couldn’t run, and his original owners eventually surrendered him to a shelter.
Then Tara Anderson came along. She happens to run a 3D printing company, so she brought Derby home and immediately started prototyping prosthetic legs for him.
It took several iterations and plenty of failed attempts, but they finally printed a set of front legs from rubber and rigid plastic that actually worked.
Derby now goes on walks and lives a completely normal, happy life. Go ahead, try not to smile at that. If stories like this inspire you to start printing your own stuff, our 10 3D printing tricks will save you a ton of frustration getting started.
Image credit: 3D Systems
