Your average 3D printer functions by moving its print head across a stationary plate, slowly building up layers of filament until a 3D object is created. Sometimes it's the plate that moves, but the result is the same: a 3D-printed object produced from three axes of motion. But now, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have developed a 3D printer with twice the standard range of motion.
If a 3D object can be printed easily enough with a print head that only moves up, side to side and front to back, you may be wondering just what use all the extra flexibility is really good for. Happily, the answer to that is "plenty". Having a 6-axis 3D printer means that you can align a print head with an angled surface, or even a curved one.
USC's 3D printer can actively adjust the angle at which it prints filament, meaning that curved objects like a water bottle or a piece of fruit are all of a sudden fair game for printing onto. As with any new technology, the six-axis 3D printer isn't what you might call cost-effective just yet, especially considering that the costs of traditional 3D printers have been plummeting as of late. In the future, however, maybe a whole new generation of 3D printers will come equipped with this impressive innovation.
Check out the video below to see USC's awesome six-axis printer in action.
YouTube, via Geeky-Gadgets