Q 01/05

3DBenchy, the torture-test model believed to be the world's most 3D-printed object, depicts what?

A) A rubber duck

B) A tugboat

C) A teapot

D) A chess rook

Answer · why

B) A tugboat

A tugboat packs awkward geometry into a tiny model: its curved sides, arched doorways and bridged cabin roof show up a printer's flaws at a glance.

Q 02/05

ABS, a tough plastic sold as 3D printer filament, replaced cellulose acetate as the material of which famous toy?

A) Barbie dolls

B) Frisbees

C) Lego bricks

D) Hula hoops

Answer · why

C) Lego bricks

Lego bricks have been moulded from ABS since 1963, with the plastic brought to about 232 °C until it reaches a dough-like consistency.

Q 03/05

Stratasys co-founder Scott Crump conceived filament 3D printing while making his daughter a toy frog with which tool?

A) A soldering iron

B) A piping bag

C) A caulking gun

D) A glue gun

Answer · why

D) A glue gun

A glue gun loaded with polyethylene and candle wax let Crump build the frog up in layers, an idea he automated and patented the following year.

Q 04/05

Which tool did the International Space Station's 3D printer make in four hours from a design file sent up from Earth?

A) A ratchet wrench

B) A claw hammer

C) A torque screwdriver

D) A pair of pliers

Answer · why

A) A ratchet wrench

A ratchet wrench was the only one of the first 20 objects printed in orbit whose design arrived after the printer did. It was built from 104 layers of...

Q 05/05

PLA, the most widely used home 3D printing filament, is a bioplastic usually made by fermenting starch from which crop?

A) Cotton

B) Corn

C) Hemp

D) Soybeans

Answer · why

B) Corn

Corn is the usual feedstock, though cassava, sugarcane and sugar beet also work, and PLA's low melting point makes it the easiest plastic to print at ...