Could Santa be 3D printing your presents next year? Potentially - academics from the University of Birmingham have created a festive family of penguins using 3D laser printers.

The Penguins were made using a technique called Stereolithography (SLA), which creates a 3D model slice by slice using a UV-curable liquid resin that hardens when struck by a laser beam. They were created by Dr Parastoo Jamshidi, a Research Fellow in the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham. A snowflake was also made at the University using 3D printers.

3D laser printed Penguins and Snowflake

Dr Moataz Attallah, Professor of Advanced Materials Processing at the University of Birmingham said: ‘Thanks to 3D printing technology, Christmas shopping will be made easier in the future. Christmas presents, especially toys and other items could be 3D printed. It will be possible to print unique items without waiting days for them to be delivered!’ 

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