Feature
Bone fractures fixed by 3D bio-printed
silk from spiders and moths
Seoul South Korea’s Rural
Development Administra-
tion and Hallym University
have collaborated to create
a 3D Silk-Printing System
that produces components
suitable for use within a liv-
ing organism. The new silk
‘f ilament’ is made from
fibroin protein that also con-
stitutes 75% of the silk
naturally produced by spi-
Silk cocoons in Dalat, Vietnam.
ders and moth larvae. The
fibroin will be used to recreate the plates and screws used to
fix broken bones. One problem this overcomes is that trad-
itional metal implants, at some point, may have to be removed
from the body. While there are other plastic polymer substi-
tutes trying to solve the same issues, the ‘silk ink’ in this
research could be a stronger, more durable and a lower-cost
option.
The world’s first 3D printing restaurant
The world’s first 3D printing restaurant opened its doors late
in July at Shoreditch in London, UK. A