Dec 12, 2017 | By Benedict
3D LifePrints, a UK-based 3D technology company with a focus on medical solutions, has designed a range of 3D printed Mine Risk Education products. The 3D printed replicas of land mines and explosives can be used as potentially live-saving educational tools.
When you read that somebody has 3D printed a weapon or munitions, it’s usually surrounded in some degree of controversy: while many makers support the freedom of designers to make any share 3D printable firearms, governments and media outlets have been quick to condemn the practice.
Fortunately, a range of new 3D printed mines and explosives from Britain’s 3D LifePrints can stir no such controversy. That’s because they’re entirely inert replicas, made only to educate people about the serious risks of land mines and other explosive devices.
By using 3D scanning and 3D printing technology, 3D LifePrints says it is able to replicate almost any type of “Anti-personnel land mines, Anti-tank land mines, Sub-munitions, & Ordnance.” The replicas can be 3D printed in a range of durable plastics, customized, and optimized for use in challenging environmental conditions.
The life-size 3D printed models aren’t cheap, with most costing a few hundred dollars each, and a rugged, foam-padded box can be added to an order for $400. But with the intention of informing training sessions about the dangers of land mines, many will see the 3D printed models an excellent investment. After all, lives could be saved.
There’s a wide range of replicas on offer, too. The UK company currently lists a large number of explosives it cant print on its online catalogue, including the S-5 Rocket, PTAB 2.5, and NATO 81 mm Mortar. However, the company will print any requested mine or UXO, using either 3D scan data or 2D photographs to generate a 3D printable digital model.
It is estimated that landmines claim a life every 20 minutes, there being around 100 million of the explosive devices around the world. And while training videos and lectures do a lot to help communities avoid the dangers of mines, something like a tangible 3D printed model could vastly improve the practice.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the fact that these 3D printed models could easily be mistaken for the real thing. 3D LifePrints addresses this in several ways: firstly, each model is clearly marked with the words “inert replica”; secondly, the company works—where possible—with local 3D printing shops to print the models. This means the replica explosives don’t always have to be shipped across borders, a process that could obviously cause alarm to security agencies.
Despite this cautious approach, 3D LifePrints still says it can deliver its 3D printed replicas to virtually anywhere in the world.
To aid the cause, 3D LifePrints has also set up its own 3D printing facilities in Mali, South Sudan, and other areas where there is a need for the company’s products. The company uses its own filament, a mix of PLA and ABS, to make the 3D printed replicas at these facilities.
3D printed land mines are, however, just one aspect of 3D LifePrints’ business. The company also designs 3D printed medical tools, including anatomical models, surgical guides, and implants, as well as a range of 3D printed prostheses and prosthesis covers.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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fucking expensive!
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