3D printed models of small and large molecules, structures and morphologies of crystals, as well as their anisotropic physical properties

Three-dimensional (3D) physical models of atomic structures of crystals, their anisotropic properties and morphologies as well as models of small and large molecules were printed with support from 3D Systems Corporation. Structural information in Crystallographic Information Framework (CIF) files from the Crystallography Open Database and the Protein Data Bank was utilized. Computer programs were either newly developed (Cif2VRML) or enhanced by 3D print file export functions (WinXMorph and WinTensor) in order to design most of these models. Current 3D printing technologies are briefly reviewed. The literature on the impact on students’ comprehension and retention of structural information with access to such models is assessed. Our taking of a historical perspective in this paper illustrates that the usage of models has for more than 200 years been an integral component of crystallography.