- Made for a 23-year-old African penguin named Yellow Purple, or 'Purps'
- The bird suffered an ankle injury during a scuffle with another penguin
- But her new boot is flexible and lightweight allowing her to walk and swim
With the help of her new 3D-printed footwear, Purps the African penguin can walk again.
The 23-year-old bird lives at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, and suffered an ankle injury during a scuffle with another penguin.
Now, she’s been suited with a boot that is flexible and sturdy, and will allow the penguin to walk and swim like all the others.
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With the help of her new 3D-printed footwear, Purps the disabled African penguin can walk again. The 23-year-old bird lives at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, and suffered an ankle injury during a scuffle with another penguin
The new boot came about through the collaborative efforts of Mystic Middle School students, the aquarium’s veterinary staff, and 3D Systems partner ACT Group.
Purps – short for ‘Yellow Purple’ – had previously been fitted with a mouldable plastic cast, which was cumbersome and time-consuming to build.
The 3D-printed boot improves upon this earlier design, making it far more efficient for both the penguin and her caretakers.
‘The students truly amazed us in how their creative thinking, imagination and intuitiveness led this process,’ said Nick Gondek, Director of Additive Manufacturing and Applications Engineer, ACT Group.
The boot was printed in one piece using the multi-material 3D printer, 3D Systems ProJet MJP 5500X. The resulting design is lightweight and more durable than the original cast. Now, Purps can walk and swim like all the other penguins
To create the boot, the middle school students scanned the existing cast using 3D Systems’ Capture 3D Scanner. This data were then imported into Geomagic Sculpt to be altered and customized
‘It was rewarding to provide them with a technology that could keep up with their ingenuity, and to watch them pick up the software so quickly.
'It further demonstrates the need to have students learning to digitally design and manufacture at a younger age.'
To create the boot, the middle school students scanned the existing cast using 3D Systems’ Capture 3D Scanner.
This data were then imported into Geomagic Sculpt to be altered and customized.
Then, the boot was printed in one piece using the multi-material 3D printer, 3D Systems ProJet MJP 5500X.
After Purps’ initial injury, the veterinarians at the aquarium determined that the flexor tendon in her ankle was no longer functional. But now, the flexible boot has provided a way for the penguin to walk more easily
The resulting design is lightweight and more durable than the original cast.
‘Our goal is to inspire people to care for and protect our ocean planet through conservation, education, and research,’ said Kelly Matis, Vice President of Education and Conservation, Mystic Aquarium.
‘In this project we achieved each of these desired outcomes while benefiting the health and well-being of one of our endangered species.’
After Purps’ initial injury, the veterinarians at the aquarium determined that the flexor tendon in her ankle was no longer functional.
Purps – short for ‘Yellow Purple’ – had previously been fitted with a mouldable plastic cast, which was cumbersome and time-consuming to build. The 3D-printed boot improves upon this earlier design, making it far more efficient for both the penguin and her caretakers
But now, the flexible boot has provided a way for the penguin to walk more easily.
‘This project not only helped a member of an endangered species, but it gave our students a hands-on understanding of the 3D printing process and how to carry an idea through from a concept to a design to a usable object,’ said Sue Prince, Library Media Specialist, Mystic Middle School.
‘This project demonstrates how our end-to-end 3D printing solutions provide a seamless workflow that can enable enhanced results from the classroom to the lab to the factory floor,’ added Derek Johnson, Director, Product Management, Professional Printers, 3D Systems.
‘With the right tools and the right focus, no problem is too big or too small to solve.’
The new boot came about through the collaborative efforts of Mystic Middle School students, the aquarium’s veterinary staff, and 3D Systems partner ACT Group.
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