BBC recently did a special on 3D printing, and Jeremy Paxman was on hand to ask a lot of patronizing questions. During the interview, Paxman asked if a Objet’s Paul Webber if a 3D printer could make a ship in a bottle. Webber said it could be done, and now Objet has done it.
Objet used its multi-material 3D printer to create a close approximation of what the traditional ship in a bottle looks like. It’s not an exact replication, mind you, as 3D printers can’t create glass just yet. Here’s what Objet has to say about it:
This short video shows how an Objet Connex Multi-Material 3D Printer is used to create a classic ‘ship in a bottle’ model. The Objet Connex system is able to jet two distinct materials (clear transparent and flexible black) within the same print session and then selectively place each material according to the 3D CAD design. Objet Connex is the only 3D printing technology of its kind in the world able to combine different material properties within a single, consistent prototype or model.
I assume Objet took Paxman’s question as a challenge of sorts, and the company has come through with stellar results. I’m consistently with the work that Objet does, and this just further cements its machines as some of the finest 3D printers in the world.