This week in 3D printing, we tried to contain our excitement about the possibilities of 3D printed cheeseburgers, gawked at some science-y shoes, explored 3D printing-enabled facial reconstruction, and tried to rewrite the book on… printing books.

Cheez Whiz, anyone?

As Gizmodo reported, scientists at University College in Ireland tried to think as American as possible, and explored how (scientifically) processed cheese might be altered when put through a 3D printing process. Using a desktop FDM printer fitted with a “cheese syringe,” solid cheese was extruded through a custom-designed nozzle, heated to 167 degrees Fahrenheit.

Is it edible? Decide for yourself.

Step into a new form of tech

Courtesy of Bryan Hinkle -YouTube

Support is a familiar word to sports giant Under Armour, and these shoes are no different — but their manufacturing process is. At the heel of the shoe, a 3D printed “dynamic lattice network” is matched to a compression lace system that integrates into the rest of the shoe, forming around your foot. This system is supposed to be steady and sturdy enough for strength training, but ready to tackle whatever you can.

Does that include mud? There’s nothing like losing your $300 shoes to a Spartan race.

Face/Off

A funeral home in Beijing has introduced a new process to cover any facial or head damaged of the deceased that come through its doors. Family members provide a headshot of the deceased, a facial reconstruction is generated, and the  able to produce either a full or partial mask, depending on the needs. This process takes up to 10 hours, replacing a process that could potentially take up to a week — and be less-than-accurate.

I guess it was about time for a 21st-century version of the death mask.

The printing press just got punked

The weirdness here is pretty intense: Popular Science reported on a huge challenge for 3D printing. It’s one that even we wouldn’t want to take on. But it’s one that was first solved over 500 years ago— with the invention of the printing press. That’s because, for… reasons… Ron Arad is printing a magnum opus, a book about Einstein, in a single, 3D printed piece. This is a weirdly hard thing to do, making it all the more worth doing.

Hey, taking on challenges just because they’re there? We’re into it.

We think he’d be into it, too