Image from ironklad-studios | Showcase

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One of the most amazing technological marvels of the last decade is the invention of the 3D printer. For decades, computer printing was limited to a flat, two-dimensional surface. The idea that you would be able to create virtually any item in your own home was a dream of the future straight out of Star Trek or The Jetsons. However, with the availability of increased scanning technology, and the ability to share specs via the internet, 3D printing is increasingly becoming commonplace, as the price of these machines decrease as more and more people embrace the technology. Three-dimensional printers are now being used to create tools, art, medical supplies, and even monsters.

This week on One Cell One Light Radio, Dr. Hildy welcomes Justice Joseph, Art Director of  Ironklad Studios, a Los Angeles-based collective of creatives specializing in creating entire worlds for all formats of entertainment including features, games, advertising, cartoons, VFX and toys. Their team offers a diverse range of talents and skill sets, helping to form the building blocks of a project from initial concept to release date.

In the first hour hour of the show, Justice and Dr. Hildy will discuss Ironklad Studios and their role in creating worlds in entertainment. Ironklad has done work on such films as the iconic creature work for Goosebumps, the visual language and look development Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and creature and look development for Disney’s Maleficent. As Art Director, Justice is directly responsible for the visual aspect of their work, and his conversation with Dr. Hildy will focus on Ironklad’s increased use of 3D printing as a tool to help them visualize work for their clients.

In the second hour of the show, Dr. Hildy and Justice will return for a discussion on the advancing role of 3D printing in the medical field.

Already, 3D printing has been used to print patient-specific implants and devices. Successful operations include a titanium pelvis implanted into a patient, a titanium lower jaw transplanted to another, and a plastic tracheal splint for an infant. The hearing aid and dental industries are expected to be the biggest area of future development using the custom 3D printing technology. As of 2012, 3D bio-printing technology has been studied by biotechnology firms and academia for possible use in tissue engineering applications in which organs and body parts are “built”.

Join Dr. Hildy and her guests this week as they discuss 3D printing on One Cell One Light Radio!