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3-D DELIVERY [Mechanical Engineering](Mechanical Engineering Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) A CHILD IS AT HIS OR HER SMALLEST AND, ARGUABLY, MOST innocent while in the womb. What great irony, then, that nature has kept these prenatal wonders inaccessible to us, hidden from the bumps, knocks, and bacteria that life has to offer, yes, but also from our cuddling instincts. A mom-and-pop company out of California is hoping to put an end to any infantile hands-on yearnings. With the help of a 3-D printer, that is. Parents hoping to wrap their arms around baby ASAPand to keep a permanent copy of the tiny wonder for years to come-can now use 3-D ultrasound images to have their fetus printed in three dimensions. Katie Bessette and her husband, Gerard, were looking at baby pictures of their own children when the idea for 3D Babies popped into their heads. "Those memories are so poignant. and you forget so quickly how small they are," she says. "We started thinking of other ways to trigger those memories." Since the world has plenty of flat old images to look at these days, why not something that would elicit stronger, tactile feelings? "Why do we all have stuffed animals?" Katie asks, "Why do we have the need to touch?" Strictly speaking, the images are not printed directly from 3-D ultrasound files-in part because those images are all too often less than cuddly-never mind that the babies are rarely cooperative when it comes to getting the perfect shot. "Those things are not clear," she says. "They're quite grainy, and maternal artifacts are everywhere. Sometimes the ultrasound pictures can be kind of scary. I try to put a little bit of the cute factor back into it." ,etf0»page u» MAKING IT REALISTIC To make the fetus realistic, but still conform more to our idea of cuddly, and not seem like a specimen on loan from the Mütter Museum, Katie became something of a sculptor. "I turn it into something parents would want to turn to year after year, instead of something so scientifically correct that you wouldn't remember it as how your child was when it was first born." To make the final composite file that will be sent to the printer, she draws on the ultrasound images, pictures of the parents, general baby pictures in various poses, and, if the unborn child to be printed is a child already extant, later photos of the offspring as well. "The images go from my files into my brain, into 3-D modeling software." Katie Bessette, who received a Ph.D. in bioengineering, had some experience handling large image files of a biological nature. "It made it easier for me to transfer into this type of field. And the fact that we have our own two kids-you understand the love that's invested in the kid even before they're born." She went through 40-odd programs before settling on the one she thought was best for making babies. ENGINEERING CHALLENGES Gerard Bessette, having had previous mmmm experience matching engineers with manufacturers, handles the business side of 3D Babies. He also waded through the world of 3-D printers to find the perfect delivery machine. He tried plastic deposition printers, but the resolution was too low. He tried a printer that used a ream of paper-great for things with straight lines, which doesn't include babies. He even tried a ceramic. "It's nice, but the details are not there," he says. "And if you drop it, that's it." They eventually settled on using a Stratasys U-Print SE Plus, largely due to its support material. "It can be dissolved away with a wash buffer," Katie explains, "and it leaves you with only your designated material." Even with the ideal printer, finding the right process took some time. "Our first couple of models were boxy, instead of round," Gerard says. "We had to figure out how to smooth it out. That was one of the engineering challenges we came across." The biggest challenge, though, seems to be finding a market. Potential customers tend to find photos of the printed babies fascinating, but a bit on the creepy side. "1 realize that from just looking at the pictures, they have a point," Gerard says, "but when you show them the actual baby, it's one of the coolest things in the world." ME "THE IMAGES GO FROM MY FILES INTO MY BRAIN. INTO 3-D MODELING SOFTWARE." MICHAELABRAMS.ASME.ORG (c) 2014 American Society of Mechanical Engineers |