2015-11-21

Shapeways: Making 3D printing a reality


Hello all you lovely people.
Today I want to talk about a technology that is being used in many areas, amongst them my favourites of medical science and fashion. I was contacted by Shapeways, which is a 3D printing service based in New York to write about the technology, and I think it is a very innovative and cool thing.

The technology of 3D printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing are various processes used to create three dimensional objects. Additive Manufacturing refers to the method of which the three dimensional object is created, by adding layer after layer of material until you have your object, whatever it may be. The process however starts by creating a design in a 3D modelling software. At Shapeways anyone can upload designs, and you don't even need to have any experience with 3D modelling. I'm quite intrigued myself and only need some inspiration to come up with a design to try it out. After the file is created with the 3D design, the Additive Manufacturing Machine (a 3D printer) reads the file and produce layer after layer of material to produce the 3D object. A whole range of different materials can be used, among them plastics, metals and ceramics.

This technology can be used in many different areas and is very popular in design and architecture. For someone like me who is working in medical science I can see this technology being used for numerous different things in our scientific discipline. In fact 3D printing has already been used to create implants for patients, everything from hips to jaws have been produced as well as full on prosthetics. How cool is that!

Another area where 3D printing is becoming very big is in fashion and style. Everything from accessories (many of which I want) to a completely 3D printed dress now exist to my excitement. The designer duo Nervous System has design a fully movable dress that has been printed by Shapeways. You might wonder how it is even possible to create a dress out of plastics, metals and ceramics, I sure wondered. But look at this dress! It is completely functioning and it moves like any beautiful cloth would.


The design is super interesting, because they've created interlocking parts which results in a complex structure of moveable, kinematic wearables. Basically they've used little moveable pieces that together form something like a fabric. And what is even more amazing is that a dress is "too big" to be able to create in a 3D printer, but with the help of a physics simulation their moveable design could be folded into a small enough object that could be printed by the 3D printer. When it is then taken out of the machine the folded piece of fabric can be unfolded into a dress. This technique enables the creation of new "fabrics" that can have all sorts of different properties depending on how they are designed, such things like the stretch, flexibility, warmth and colours of the new fabrics can be altered and mixed.

The technique may also be used to create super custom-fit clothing and accessories by body data. It truly sounds like something out of science fiction. But the dress is real and located at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. If you want to see the dress actually worn and moving look at this amazing video that explains a little more in detail how the dress was created:


Shapeways want to make 3D printing accessible to everyone, which I think is a very honourable mission, as it allows people like you and me to create incredible things, making ideas into reality, only hindered by our imagination. Shapeways is a marketplace where designers can upload and sell their 3D designs, for example this lovely DNA pendant caught my eye immediately (being the science nerd that I am and working with DNA), but just thinking about how it was made makes it that much cooler.

DNA necklace by the shop somersault18:24 (here)

In Shapeways I have definitely found a place where I will shop for myself (I really want that DNA pendant) and friends, and just being able to say that a gift has been 3D printed makes my mind boggle with excitement. The fiction of it all is no more - it is true and real science that is being used to create the coolest accessories and designs.

Much love!

2015-11-15

Looking back


Hello everyone!
Thought I'd disappeared for good?

I am finally back to blogging after more than a week of silence, and really there hasn't been much to it other than that life happened. I've been ridiculously busy with life and work and blogging unfortunately took a back seat. But now I am back, and I will work hard to try and post regularly.




It has been a tough week for the world, with terrorist attacks in various countries around our globe. The attacks have not left me untouched and my heart goes out to all the people affected. The attacks that really shook me was the ones in Paris. An attack on Paris is not just an attack on France, but on Europe. It is an attack against the democratic way of living that we have in the west and it is an attack on freedom, justice and brotherhood. I don't pray, but my thoughts are with the people of the world! Here's hoping for peace in our lifetime.




I took these pictures more than a month ago, when the leaves were still green, and autumn had just about begun. I bought the dress when I was in London from House of Fraser, which is such a magnificent place if you like clothes the way I do. We spent a good couple of hours in House of Fraser, and I managed to find this dress that I had seen on ModCloth from Yumi in the sale section, so I instantly bought it even though it's original mustard belt was missing. I am however on the look out for a mustard coloured belt, so if anyone knows of any place that has a mustard belt, please let me know!



Dress: Yumi from House of Fraser (old)
Cardigan: H&M (old)
Belt: Asos (old)
Tights: Primark
Shoes: Ecco (here)



Take care of each other! And keep love and hope alive!
Much love.

2015-11-07

Chocolatey kind of day


Today, the 7th of November, is a special day in Sweden. It is one of my favourite days, it is - Kladdkakans dag!

Kladdkaka literally translates to "sticky cake", but I have taken it upon myself to translate the kladdkaka to "Sticky Chocolate Cake", which I feel describes what it is a little more in detail. There is no actual chocolate in the cake, but cocoa powder, and it really is one of the simplest bakes ever!

The kladdkaka was the first cake I ever made on my own without the help of an adult when I wasn't even a teenager. It's that simple. And for something so easy to bake it really tastes amazing. The rich cocoa flavour and stickyness of it really hits the spot!

You traditionally serve it with whipped cream and it is just heaven in a slice.



Sticky Chocolate Cake


INGREDIENTS

  • 100 grams butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 225 grams sugar
  • 105 grams flour
  • 35 gram cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ml baking powder

DIRECTIONS

Heat your oven to 175°C. Mix the melted butter with the eggs and sugar. In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Pour into a 20 cm baking pan. Bake for about 18 minutes.



Much love!

2015-11-04

Grasping at straws


There is something about autumn that makes you want to wear warm tones in clothes. Your mustards and burgundies, dark forest greens and earthy browns. That makes sense in autumn when the world turns colourful and the leaves shine in a million radiant colours, but autumn is well over where I live. The trees are bare and the ground looks naked. The warm colours have all disappeared and there is nothing but gloom left. The days turn dark in the early afternoon, and there is no snow to make the grounds a little brighter. Still I want to wear the autumn colours. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws, trying to keep autumn a little while longer when I know that it is over.



Dress: Mod Dolly (here)

This dress is an attempt at keeping autumn for a little while longer. I have been smitten with this dress from Mod Dolly for ages, and only recently did they release it and in an instant I bought it. I've been after a mustard corduroy dress for a while, and this has the comfortable shape and pretty sleeves to boot. I couldn't be happier with this dress, it's warm and nice, and enables me to hold on to my favourite season a little bit longer.



Much love!