Though colleges have found a number of uses for 3D printers, from creating toys and art to building models of molecules, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is among the first to make strides in making the mainstream 3D printing process more organic.
Earlier this year, MIT researchers successfully 3D printed using cellulose, an organic compound that researcher Sebastian Pattinson called “the most abundant organic polymer in the world.”
“It’s biodegradable and inexpensive. It’s used in many applications — for example, anywhere wood is used — because it’s mechanically pretty robust and chemically very versatile,” says Pattinson.
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This is what makes 3d printers great!