3D Printing to Study Mechanical Load in Mollusks

While it’s easy enough to observe that nature has created some incredible materials, student engineers and researchers at Rice University are using digital design and 3D printing to make 3D models and attempt to replicate materials like the mollusk. They were even able to 3D print shells with similar mechanical load which exhibited stress points at exactly the same locations. The researchers see great potential for replicating the shell materials in 3D printing for use in automotive components and buildings. They've published their work in Science Advances. Read more about their process and findings in the full article: http://3dprint.com/66847/3d-printed-mollusks/
Below is a look at natural and modeled shells:
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload.../F1.large_.jpg