Can teeth be “printed”?

Do you still remember the stunning opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics? That night, the main torch of the Winter Olympics was lit in the form of a tiny flame. It was simple, novel, and full of meaning, leaving an indelible impression on everyone.

Let me tell you, this main torch is "printed"!

Don't believe it? Actually, it's nothing. If someone loses a tooth, they can "print" a new one to replace it!

Can teeth be “printed”?

Yes! The magical "universal creation technology" - 3D printing, can help you copy a tooth just like the Monkey King's "72 transformations".

We first need to use a computer to draw a three-dimensional image of the tooth, and then "cut" it into layers, each layer has the precise shape of the tooth's cross section. Then, the computer sends instructions to the 3D printer, and the printer will print out the raw materials layer by layer according to the requirements, and the tooth will be made.

In fact, the working principles of 3D printers and ordinary printers are basically the same. The main difference is the printing material!

The printing materials of ordinary printers are mainly ink and paper, but the printing materials of 3D printers are much more, including metal, ceramics, plastic, sand, etc. Even flour, eggs, honey, chocolate, jelly, icing, puree, mashed potatoes, etc. can be used as raw materials for 3D printing, and various delicious foods such as chocolate mousse, thousand-layer cake and pizza can be printed out. Are you drooling just thinking about it?

Look, not only teeth, 3D printing can also help us print cups, eggs, cars, and even houses and bridges... In a sense, everything can be printed!

You must think that such a magical 3D printing should be a new technology, right? In fact, it has already appeared about 40 years ago.

my country's research and development of 3D printing technology began in the 1990s. In June 2005, my country's first 3D-printed titanium alloy part was installed on the Chinese Air Force's J-11 aircraft, completing a landmark step in 3D printing technology. China thus became the first country to break through this technology.

This iconic step is not easy to take!

Because at that time, some countries had announced that they would stop using 3D printing to manufacture large key components of aircraft, and believed that this approach was simply not feasible.

However, Wang Huaming, a metal 3D printing expert in my country, was not affected. He insisted that the direction of 3D printing technology was not wrong, and he insisted on walking on this "unworkable" road for 8 years.

In the past eight years, Wang Huaming has led his team to carry out experiments again and again. To do experiments, the equipment must be kept running 24 hours a day, and everyone can only take turns to monitor the machines.

There is a key member in the team who is in charge of the night shift, working from 8 pm to 8 am the next day, and has persisted for seven or eight years.

The principle sounds simple, but during the actual experiment, Wang Huaming encountered countless difficulties.

"Metal 3D printing is like kneading dough. Raw materials such as powder and silk are melted, alloyed, solidified, and prepared. Once the materials are prepared, they are already complex parts," Wang Huaming summed up vividly.

Once, a very difficult part took more than 10 days to print. Just when the team was breathing a sigh of relief, they suddenly heard an explosion.

The parts suddenly broke, so I had to find a way to find the cause and start from scratch...

Wang Huaming said: Solving major problems cannot be done in a day or two, you must calm down and study hard.

Persistence finally paid off. Wang Huaming still savors the sweetness of that experience. He said, "I never thought that I would be able to install my 3D printed parts on an airplane in my lifetime. Because most people who work in aviation may start working from college, and by the time they retire at the age of 60, their products won't be able to be put on an airplane. We were very proud at the time that we had done something record-breaking and milestone-making."

Wang Huaming and his team did not stop there, but set their sights on printing larger equipment. They succeeded again: using the 3D printing technology developed by the Chinese people themselves - laser stereo forming, they made the titanium alloy main windshield integral window frame of the nose of the domestically produced large aircraft C919.

How about this technology? Only by comparison can we make judgments.

If we use traditional technology, it will take us two years and cost $2 million to manufacture the main windshield window frame for the C919 nose. Using this technology, Wang Huaming's team can manufacture it within 55 days at one-tenth of the cost, and with excellent performance!

In 2015, Wang Huaming was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, becoming the first academician in the field of "metal 3D printing" technology in China.

Relying on 3D printing technology, my country has for the first time reached the world's advanced level in the manufacturing of major equipment such as aircraft and rockets.

Turning imagination into reality is exciting and fun. Technology changes life. With the popularization of 3D printing technology, we are gradually enjoying the changes and progress that technology brings to life.

Contributor: Chongqing Industry-University-Research Cooperation Promotion Association Author: Pan Fusheng, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Professor of Chongqing University, Chairman of Chongqing Association for Science and Technology

Review expert: Mao Yi, chief expert of Chongqing Science Communication Expert Group, professor of Chongqing Electronic Engineering Vocational College

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