You won't believe these things were 3D-printed

[TechHive]

You made what with a 3D printer?When I hear "3D printing," my mind always jumps to TechHive's 3D printing lab, where we're constantly cranking out toys, gadget accessories, and spare parts for other equipment—all using either PLA or ABS plastic filament. But industrial 3D printers can create objects out of all sorts of materials, including steel, other metals, nylon, sugar, paper, and even stem cells. (Stem cells!)

3D printing has yielded groundbreaking medical developments, awe-inspiring art pieces, futuristic automobiles, and more—much more than the plastic trinkets that people usually associate with this technology. Here, we'll highlight an array of 3D-printed innovations that are sure to surprise you. Did that really come from a 3D printer? Sheila Munro's dragon claw braceletShapeways is a treasure-trove of cool 3D printed items, as their printers work with a wide range of materials besides PLA plastic filament. This dragon-claw bracelet isn't plastic painted with a shiny finish: It's metal, and you can order it in silver, gold, bronze, brass, or stainless steel.Fasotec model fetusOkay, this is a little on the strange side. Expectant mothers can ask for a 3D printed, scaled-down model of their unborn child. Fasotec and Hiroo Ladies Clinic in Japan offers this service, which they call "Shape of an Angel." First, they make a digital model of the mother's torso based on CT or MRI scans. Then they print that model, using a technique called Bio-Texture, which prints with two resins simultaneously. Afterward, mothers are presented with a model of their child-to-be encased inside a crystal-clear replica of their abdomen.

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