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Ford's new hybrid transmission was developed on a 3-D printer that costs about $300,000 and which can turn a pile of aluminum powder into a working prototype in a day or two.
Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital model. 3D printing is accomplished utilizing additive processes, where an object is created by laying down successive levels of material. 3D printing is considered distinct from traditional machining methods which mostly rely on the exclusion of material by drilling, chopping etc.
And indeed Contractor’s company, Systems & Materials Research Corporation, just got a six month, $125,000 grant from NASA to create a prototype of his universal food synthesizer. But Contractor, a mechanical engineer with a background in 3D printing, envisions a much more mundane—and ultimately more important—use for the technology. He sees a day when every kitchen has a 3D printer, and the earth’s 12 billion people feed themselves customized, nutritionally-appropriate meals synthesized one layer at a time, from cartridges of powder and oils they buy at the corner grocery store.
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