Not too long ago DARPA and NASA began hosting symposiums to discuss the possibility of interstellar travel. The brightest minds in the fields of technology, science, philosophy, sociology and economics all gathered to determine what it would take to build a 100 Year Starship. While some proposed massive spaceships reminiscent of the Starship Enterprise,… Continue reading 3D Printing the One Hundred Year Starship
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3D Printer Vaporware
Tom’s Hardware has a thought provoking article on the notion of 3D printer “vaporware”. “Vaporware” originally referred to software that was splashingly announced, but didn’t quite come through with the goods later. Scott Dunham of Tom’s Hardware believes the same phenomenon is now occurring in 3D printing. It’s not happening at the corporate level,… Continue reading 3D Printer Vaporware
How Did They Pay for MakerBot?
Earlier this year industry giant Stratasys struck a deal with MakerBot to acquire the rapidly growing startup. The deal was for an incredible USD$600M+. Did you ever wonder how Stratasys was able to come up with the cash for this maneuver? It’s a straightforward corporate move: they issued more shares for sale to… Continue reading How Did They Pay for MakerBot?
3D Printers at the Library
You can’t afford your own 3D printer, or are too timid to jump into the hardware to build one from a kit. You don’t want to use a 3D print service because you don’t quite understand what it’s all about. What do you do? Go to the Library! A growing trend is for local… Continue reading 3D Printers at the Library
The 3D Printer Cycle Time
At this time a new iPhone has been announced and is flooding stores in many countries. You’ll see people gleefully lining up to replace their 12-month old previous phone as fast as they possibly can. We don’t see this in the 3D printing world, but should we? A pattern of personal 3D printer… Continue reading The 3D Printer Cycle Time
Through a Scanner Fails, Then Succeeds
You might recall the Kickstarter project of one Cosmo Wenman of San Diego, who attempted to raise funds for a project to produce freely downloadable printable 3D scans of famous sculptures. Wenman required funds to arrange for travel and working expenses, but the fundraising campaign failed, having raised only USD$8,174 of the target USD$35,000. Sigh,… Continue reading Through a Scanner Fails, Then Succeeds
The Structure Sensor
The folks who developed Skanect, one of the best software solutions for 3D scanning with your Microsoft Kinect, have launched a new scanning venture: the Structure Sensor. Occipital, the company behind the sensor, bills it as “the world’s first 3D sensor for mobile devices.” The device attaches to iOS devices via the Lightning connector,… Continue reading The Structure Sensor
More ProDesk3D Details Revealed
You might recall the very mysterious ProDesk3D printer from botObjects that is said to be an inexpensive, full color personal 3D printer. A grand claim indeed, as no one can yet explain how an inexpensive 3D printer can manage multi-color printing. Many current 3D printers are multi-color in the sense of “switching” from one… Continue reading More ProDesk3D Details Revealed
3D Printed Guns at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Readers may recall the controversy earlier this year when DEFCAD produced and electronically distributed digital 3D models for the first working, 3D printable weapons. While the event was a milestone, it didn’t last long as the US Department of Defense Trade Controls seized the digital assets as they determined the digital weapons were not appropriate… Continue reading 3D Printed Guns at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Thing-a-ma-Print, A 3D Model Repository
We’ve noticed another 3D model repository dedicated to printable models: Thing-a-ma-Print. Currently the site holds only 50 or so 3D models, but each model is indeed 3D printable. The content of the site appears to be focused on 3D printer parts, such as the M5 Nut Thumb Wheel or the Hot-End Exit Duct for… Continue reading Thing-a-ma-Print, A 3D Model Repository
DEFCAD Morphs into a Search Engine
You might remember DEFCAD? It was a site dedicated to hosting “controversial” 3D models that underwent some difficulties when the US Government seized their inventory of 3D printable weapon models. We thought that might be the end for DEFCAD. Apparently not. A visit to DEFCAD shows they’ve changed the site into a meta-search engine… Continue reading DEFCAD Morphs into a Search Engine
The Zim 3D Personal Printer
It’s another week and obviously time for another new 3D printer launch on Kickstarter. This week the Zim 3D printer launched, hoping to raise funds for its first production run. With new 3D printers launch almost daily, it is very difficult for new entrants to distinguish themselves above the other offerings. What does Zim… Continue reading The Zim 3D Personal Printer
Design of the Week: Julia Vase #011 – Heatwave
This week’s selection is Virtox’s Julia Vase #011 – “Heatwave”. We previously selected a Julia Vase as the Design of the Week, but “Heatwave” is so beautiful we simply had to choose one again. Virtox, a.k.a. notable 3D modeler Stijn van der Linden, specializes in generated designs. Julia vases are created mathematically using complex algorithms.… Continue reading Design of the Week: Julia Vase #011 – Heatwave
3D Systems Acquires The Sugar Lab
If you happen to visit the Sugar Lab website today, you’ll notice a small addition: a 3D Systems logo on the top right of the page. It’s there because The Sugar Lab is the latest acquisition by 3D Systems. While 3D Systems has been executing a strategy of takeovers to broaden their 3D printing… Continue reading 3D Systems Acquires The Sugar Lab
The Extreme Redesign Contest Returns
Each year Stratasys sponsors a 3D print design contest for students at various levels of academia. Often the contest produces amazing innovations and we expect no less this year. They’re expecting STL files to be submitted that exhibit “creativity, practicality and mechanical function”. As in previous years’ contests, three categories of entry exist:… Continue reading The Extreme Redesign Contest Returns
Need to 3D Print a Striped Hyena Skull?
To be truthful, we haven’t had the impulse to 3D print a Striped Hyena Skull. At least so far this week. But in case you do, we’ve found a repository that holds detailed 3D models of numerous biological items, mainly 3D scanned skulls. Digimorph, part of the National Science Foundation Digital Libraries Initiative, is… Continue reading Need to 3D Print a Striped Hyena Skull?
Pushing the 3D Printing Envelope
There’s a new 3D model pattern slowly emerging within the 3D print community that should lead to much more interesting printable objects. In the early years, 3D printers were not particularly reliable or capable. In fact, they still could be considered so, but they have improved somewhat in the past year as manufacturers tune… Continue reading Pushing the 3D Printing Envelope
Singapore Investing $30M in 3D Printing
Singapore’s Prime Minister and the country’s Economic Development Board (EDB) announced that Singapore will set aside $30M of its $500M “Future of Manufacturing” fund to create a new 3D Printing center. Housed at the country’s Nanyang Technological University the new $30M center will be a hub of innovation for students and industry alike. According… Continue reading Singapore Investing $30M in 3D Printing
The Thing Tracker Proposal
How many things are there? It seems like a silly question, but hear us out. There are many possible things. An infinite number of them, in fact. With the availability of 3D printers and 3D modeling software, it is now possible to create, literally, an infinite number of things. This is the problem facing… Continue reading The Thing Tracker Proposal
ZEUS: Another 3D Copy and Print Machine
It’s another week and another 3D print “all-in-one” device has emerged to join the likes of Radiant Fabrication’s Lionhead and the Mebotics Microfactory: the ZEUS by AIO Robotics of Los Angeles. This project delivers four functions: 3D Scan, 3D Print, 3D Copy and 3D Fax, simulating the existence of multiple devices in a single… Continue reading ZEUS: Another 3D Copy and Print Machine
DealExtreme Sells 3D Printers
Another major retailer sells 3D printers: Deal Extreme, one of the more popular online shops for electronics equipment, now sells the Heacent 3D printer kit. The Heacent 3DP02 kit is from a Chinese manufacturer and is based on the tried-and-true RepRap Prusa Mendel design. It’s specifications include a 200x200x100mm build volume equipped with a… Continue reading DealExtreme Sells 3D Printers
7 Things To Ask Yourself Before Buying a 3D Printer
You’re considering buying a 3D printer for your own use? There are things to think about before you take the plunge: Time. 3D printing anything takes much time. Not only the printing itself typically takes hours, but 3D model preparation and finishing also can take a lot of time. If you don’t have at… Continue reading 7 Things To Ask Yourself Before Buying a 3D Printer
NetFabb Private
NetFabb offers a software product specifically designed for personal 3D printing: NetFabb Private. It’s a lot more useful than their free NetFabb Studio product, which we and many others use for basic 3D model repairs. NetFabb Private offers these capabilities: Fix complicated file errors Make late design changes Combine parts into one Hollow out… Continue reading NetFabb Private
3-Sweep Creates 3D Models from 2D Images
In an incredible video presented at SigGraph Asia 2013, researchers demonstrated an amazing new method of deriving full 3D models from only 2D images. The 3-Sweep software appears easy to use: simply drag your mouse across an image to cue the software to create a 3D model. The specific motion of the mouse drags… Continue reading 3-Sweep Creates 3D Models from 2D Images
i.Materialise Keeps Their Rubber
Earlier this year 3D print service i.Materialise announced the temporary availability of an experimental flexible 3D print material. Now they say this material will be available permanently. The material is indeed flexible and permits 3D printing of a new class of objects leveraging the legendary rubber-like property. But there’s one fascinating catch. According… Continue reading i.Materialise Keeps Their Rubber
Captured Dimensions Captures Your Dimensions
A new, sophisticated and highly specialized 3D print service has launched: Captured Dimensions. This 3D print service focuses on producing full-color 3D figurines based on human and similar subjects. The crown jewel of Captured Dimensions is this incredible 3D scanning setup, involving dozens of high-res cameras. The subject merely sits in the center of… Continue reading Captured Dimensions Captures Your Dimensions
It’s A Thingiverse Survey
The P2P Foundation, who recently issued their annual 3D printing survey, have come up with another survey specifically to analyze Thingiverse. Thingiverse has become the most notable 3D-model-for-3D-printing free repository, now boasting over 100,000 3D models. But with that size comes questions. Are these things publicly viewable or private? Why upload things? Have you… Continue reading It’s A Thingiverse Survey
Ancient Tudor Sculptures 3D Printed
First they were 3D scanned, then they were 3D printed. Researchers at the University of Leicester, University of Oxford and Yale worked together to replicate a tomb monument originally designed for King Henry VIII’s illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond by Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk in the 16th century. You… Continue reading Ancient Tudor Sculptures 3D Printed
Not Quite a Nuclear 3D Print
Some 3D models are lousy for 3D printing – they may be difficult to print, expensive or just plain dull. But this one is interesting. As you can see, it’s a mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion. With an LED light installed in a version printed in plastic of the correct translucency, it looks great.… Continue reading Not Quite a Nuclear 3D Print
Design of the Week: Four Jaw Self Centring Chuck
This week’s selection is the Four Jaw Self Centring Chuck by UK Thingiverse creator hexitex. The Four Jaw Self Centring Chuck is not a new item, having been designed in 2011, so we’ll classify it as an “oldie”. The purpose of this design is literally its name. It’s a chuck used to… Continue reading Design of the Week: Four Jaw Self Centring Chuck
Iris van Herpen’s Beyond Wilderness Shoes
If there is a fashion designer pushing the envelope of 3D printed design, it is Dutch designer Iris van Herpen. Her frequent exhibitions often shock viewers with radical concepts enabled by 3D printing. We could write many things about van Herpen’s work, but today we examine the shoes designed for her latest exhibition, Wilderness Embodied… Continue reading Iris van Herpen’s Beyond Wilderness Shoes
Expect Superior 3D Depth Cameras in 2014
NetworkWorld reports that Intel is actively developing a “depth sensing camera”, which will be capable of detecting “movement, track emotion, and even monitor reading habits of children.” We already have inexpensive depth cameras available such as the common living room Microsoft Kinects found everywhere. But while the Kinect was revolutionary in its time, its… Continue reading Expect Superior 3D Depth Cameras in 2014
Radiant Fabrication’s Lionhead and Li
It could be trend: all-in-one 3D printer/scanner devices seem to pop up daily this week. We’re looking at Radiant Fabrication’s Lionhead device, which boasts 3D printing and scanning functionality. Radiant Fabrication’s strategy seems to be simplification. They believe more sales are possible if machine use is easy for use by general consumers, embodied by… Continue reading Radiant Fabrication’s Lionhead and Li
TTP’s Multimaterial 3D Print Head
Perhaps the most significant technology barrier in 3D printing today is the limitation of materials. Most 3D printers can produce only a single material at a time. Some manufacturers have short-circuited this problem slightly by adding additional print heads to enable more than one material, and only one (Stratasys) has the technology to mix… Continue reading TTP’s Multimaterial 3D Print Head
ExOne Under Fire After Scathing Report
In a recent article at Street Sweeper, Sonya Colberg has accused 3D Printer company ExOne of “diluting investors’ shares to raise millions just six months after its public offering”. In the article, Colberg accuses CEO Kent Rockwell of mismanaging the firm and using it as his own “piggy-bank”. According to the report, within the… Continue reading ExOne Under Fire After Scathing Report
The Factors You Pay For In A 3D Printer
Shopping for a 3D printer? What should you look for? Everyone knows how to shop for common items, such as cars or computers (well, perhaps excepting your grandparents), but what do you look for in a 3D printer? What are the key characteristics that define the device? Process: How does the printer work? Is… Continue reading The Factors You Pay For In A 3D Printer
The iDecoLamp
The iDecoLamp is a remarkable combination of 3D printing technology and smartphone app. It’s basically a night light powered by a specially designed app. The designers realized there was an opportunity being lost: every night your smartphone sits charging, typically by your bedside. But why have it sit idly by doing nothing? The iDecoLamp… Continue reading The iDecoLamp
Print Bigger: The gMax 3D Printer
A Kickstarter project is launching the gMax personal 3D printer. It’s claim to fame is a whoppingly huge build volume, hence it’s name. gMax is designed by Architect Gordon LaPlante of Brooklyn, a hotbed of 3D printerness. His story: As much as I loved the RepRap, I found myself being limited by the… Continue reading Print Bigger: The gMax 3D Printer
When 3D Printing Shoes, Start with the Heel
We’re reading a post by i.Materialise on the work of Physics PhD student Katrien Herdewyn on developing a 3D printed shoe as part of the Shoe Design program at Academy of Fine Arts, Sint-Niklaas in Belgium. She says: The main theme of these shoes is nano technology. The inspiration came from my studies: I… Continue reading When 3D Printing Shoes, Start with the Heel
HOG Scrubber Saved by 3D Printing
You probably don’t know what a HOG Scrubber is. We didn’t either. It turns out it stands for “Hang On Glass” aquarium filter. Ok, wait a minute, don’t aquariums already have filters? They do, but they are mechanical in nature and simply clog up, requiring cleaning or replacement. They also don’t get rid… Continue reading HOG Scrubber Saved by 3D Printing
The da Vinci Personal 3D Printer
There’s very few details available about the XYZPrinting da Vinci F1.0 3D printer, made by the team of Taiwan-based Kinpo Electronics and Cal-Comp Electronics, subsidiaries of the Kinpo Group. We do know that the device will sell for only USD$499, one the absolute lowest-priced filament-driven personal 3D printers available today. The new machine… Continue reading The da Vinci Personal 3D Printer
Exclusive: Inside the CubeX Factory
Hidden in the sleepy coastal town of Clevedon, UK, lies the secret factory that produces 3D Systems’ CubeX 3D printer. We recently toured the factory to find out how these popular machines are created. Aside from a modest research and development unit, the entire facility is dedicated to production of CubeX’s. It is indeed… Continue reading Exclusive: Inside the CubeX Factory
Sculpteo’s New Materials
Last week Sculpteo announced the availability of two new materials for their 3D print service: Sterling Silver and Wax. It’s an arms race between 3D print services; each adds new materials and features to keep up with or gain a lead on the others. The most frequent battlefield is materials. This announcement is just… Continue reading Sculpteo’s New Materials
3D Printer History: The Festo iFab 3D Printer
We ran across an experimental 3D printer developed years ago by Festo, a German industrial conglomerate. The iFab was designed in 2009 by Festo’s Bionic Learning Network, but seems to have never been marketed publicly. The iFab is an early example of a non-cartesian 3D printer. “Cartesian” 3D printers use standard “X-Y-Z” movements as… Continue reading 3D Printer History: The Festo iFab 3D Printer
SpiderFab Weaves Massive Space Structures
Tethers Unlimited hopes to enable inexpensive construction of truly massive structures in outer space by leveraging 3D printing and robotics. The company is developing a “Trusselator” as a first step under a NASA experimental contract that will be able to build large trusses in a weightless environment. The machine spins out a completed… Continue reading SpiderFab Weaves Massive Space Structures
Inexpensive, High Quality 3D Printer Resin?
Most personal 3D printers are filament-fueled extrusion machines, but there are a number of resin-based machines, such as the Form 1, the Nautilus, the mUVe 1, the B9 Creator and others. There’s also several open source plans for resin-based machines. But there could be a problem. Resins used by some of these machines can… Continue reading Inexpensive, High Quality 3D Printer Resin?
Design of the Week: Dequan Li Attractor
This week’s selection is the very beautiful Dequan Li Attractor by programmer and artist Nicolas Serouart. The design is entirely mathematically generated and presents a beautiful sweeping shape, as if the complex motion was captured in an instant. We’re not certain of the tools Serouart used to create this incredible shape, but he… Continue reading Design of the Week: Dequan Li Attractor
Patent Issued for Digital Manufacturing
After years of process, US patent number 8,515,826 has been issued to Bryan Norman of KraftWurx fame. While there are billions of patents appearing, many of which are related to 3D printing, this one bears mentioning. Here’s the abstract of the patent: Methods and systems for designing and producing a three-dimensional object selection of… Continue reading Patent Issued for Digital Manufacturing
New Ventures Focus on 3D Printing
We’ve seen multiple examples of companies starting up that make use of 3D printing for a specific purpose, be it artificial legs, figurines or automotive items. But now we’re seeing design firms emerge that are dedicated solely to 3D printed designs. One such firm is Innovation Factory of Chicago, who can design, prototype, fund… Continue reading New Ventures Focus on 3D Printing
It’s a Grey Day at Formlabs
But really, it’s ok! Formlabs has finally announced the availability of grey resin. This means your Form 1 3D printer can now punch out grey objects. Previously they had only offered “clear” resin. Now you have a choice of two colors. They say: Similar to Clear, our newest material has properties engineered for fine… Continue reading It’s a Grey Day at Formlabs
The Mebotics Microfactory
It’s billed as “the world’s first machine shop in a box”, and it very well might be. The Mebotics Microfactory is an enclosed unit that holds not only a CNC cutter but also four (yes, FOUR) extruders on its 3D printing head. The idea is to produce a portable, safe-for-the-office small manufacturing facility.… Continue reading The Mebotics Microfactory
3D Printing Stocks Get a Boost from CitiGroup
In early trading this week 3D Systems (DDD) and Stratasys (SSYS) stocks took a dramatic jump as analysts from Citigroup gave the two companies a “buy” ratings. By midsession on Monday 3D Systems’ stock was up 8% garnering a $52.41 price per share. Nearly mirroring DDD’s performance, Stratasys’ stock rose 5% to a whopping $111.07.… Continue reading 3D Printing Stocks Get a Boost from CitiGroup
The 3D Printing Retail Scenario
Not that many years ago the personal 3D printing market was populated entirely by sales from obscure online websites, typically in kit form. At the time this type of sales approach matched the early adopters who used personal 3D printing at the time. However, as interest increased, some manufacturers sought to increase their sales… Continue reading The 3D Printing Retail Scenario
3D Systems Acquires CDRM
Another week, another acquisition for 3D Systems. While last week they picked up TeamPlatform, a service for aiding 3D model projects, this week they’ve acquired CDRM, a 3D print service bureau located in the UK. 3D Systems has an extensive network of print service bureaus located across the world. These centers are integrated together… Continue reading 3D Systems Acquires CDRM
Coca Cola 3D Prints Mini-Me’s
Here’s an interesting marketing angle: Coca Cola Israel recently launched their new “mini bottle”. To promote it they offered a free 3D print of the winners. Yes, “of the winners”. A contest selected a small number of winning entrants, who were then invited to Coca Cola Israel’s factory, where sophisticated full-body 3D scanners captured… Continue reading Coca Cola 3D Prints Mini-Me’s
3D Printing at the London Design Museum
If you happen to be in London, head to the south end of Tower Bridge, follow a narrow alleyway and you’ll soon be at the London Design Museum. It’s by no means the biggest museum in London, but it is the one with a pretty decent presentation of additive manufacturing on display this year. … Continue reading 3D Printing at the London Design Museum
Four MakerBot Digitizer Implications
We’re certain most of you have heard of MakerBot’s latest device: The Digitizer. It’s a relatively inexpensive 3D scanner designed for prosumer use. As the first 3D scanner that could hit a mass audience, we pondered what it might mean. What happens when large numbers of people own a 3D scanner. Here’s our predictions: … Continue reading Four MakerBot Digitizer Implications
It Does Everything: The FABotum
A new Indiegogo project hopes to develop the FABotum, a multidiscipline manufacturing device. Actually, it’s full name is the “FABtotum Multipurpose Desktop Personal Fabricator”. Wait, what kind of a machine is that? This machine is actually a combination of several manufacturing processes, including 3D printing. The FABotum also includes CNC (cutting) capability and 3D… Continue reading It Does Everything: The FABotum
How Big is the Space 3D Printing Market?
At the moment there are no 3D printers in space, so you’d think there’s no market for such things. We disagree. It’s possible that one of the biggest future markets for 3D printers will be beyond mother Earth, in space where the future will be built. By 3D printers. The single, most important… Continue reading How Big is the Space 3D Printing Market?
The Amazing 3D Printed Designs of Rob Elford
We’ve been perusing the works of UK-based artist Rob Elford, who specializes in wearable 3D printed items. Any one of his works could easily qualify for our Design of the Week feature, but we felt it necessary to show his new collection, “Ephemeral Delusions in a Motionless State”. Elford says: The inspiration for Ephemeral… Continue reading The Amazing 3D Printed Designs of Rob Elford
OpenFab’s Visionary Goal: Multi-material Objects
Developed by MIT and presented at this year’s SIGGRAPH conference, OpenFab proposes a way to more easily produce incredibly complex milt-material objects. OpenFab is not a 3D printer; it is a software “pipeline” of steps that enable the creation of complex, multi-material 3D models that can then be printed on a 3D printer capable… Continue reading OpenFab’s Visionary Goal: Multi-material Objects
Designing A 3D Printed Character
Ryan Boyle of The Hive has produced a tutorial showing the process of designing and 3D printing a unique character using Cinema 4D 3D modeling software. Most of the video walks through the design process in Cinema 4D. It’s a high-powered 3D modeling tool that is not often mentioned by those in the 3D… Continue reading Designing A 3D Printed Character
Yet Another 3D Printing Pen: swissPen
After the monstrous success of 3Doodler, others hope to duplicate their success, including the 3D Printed Pen that replicated much of 3Doodler’s design. Now we see another: swissPen, made by Groupe JL Monnin, based in, of course, Switzerland. The swissPen, which sells for CHF 95.00 (USD$103), is a handheld extruder that accepts PLA and… Continue reading Yet Another 3D Printing Pen: swissPen
Design of the Week: Grmpff
This week’s selection is “Grmpff” by German-based designer Kai Bracher. The piece is entirely ornamental, displaying a figure exerting strong force on a sack, which is apparently pinned down by a wall peg. In reality, of course, the figure simply slides onto the peg. You can also apply a magnet to the base for… Continue reading Design of the Week: Grmpff
TeamPlatform Joins 3D Systems
3D Systems has added to their growing list of acquisitions by striking a deal with TeamPlatform to join the 3D Systems team. Last year TeamPlatform launched to provide 3D modelers with a central hub for sharing 3D projects. It’s a cloud-based sharing facility where designers separated by distance can efficiently work together on 3D… Continue reading TeamPlatform Joins 3D Systems
3D Printing an Injection Mold?
The traditional process for making plastic parts is to first create a metal mold into which hot plastic is injected. After the plastic cools, remove the mold and you have your plastic part. This is called, “injection molding”. People owning a 3D printer have wondered how to print a injection-capable mold, but it’s obviously… Continue reading 3D Printing an Injection Mold?
Apple’s Tiny Step into 3D
Shortly after we suggested Apple won’t be 3D printing anytime soon, they took a teeny tiny step in that direction. According to a report on AppleInsider, Apple has patented a system for accepting 3D input. As you can see in the diagram (and much more available at AppleInsider), hand gestures would capture 3D movements… Continue reading Apple’s Tiny Step into 3D
Formlabs’ PreForm Goes OS/X
Formlabs, the makers of the Form 1 resin-based 3D printer, released a Macintosh-capable version of their PreForm printer management software. Their strategy going forward is to maintain “feature parity” between the two versions and even release them simultaneously. We believe this to be an important step into OS/X space, which has been traditionally very… Continue reading Formlabs’ PreForm Goes OS/X
Japan’s Push for 3D Metal Printing
While American and European companies currently dominate the 3D printing market, a joint venture between the Japanese government and the country’s private sector looks to compete soon. While most 3D printers use plastic print material, the Japanese plan is aimed at printing metals. Starting in 2014, the Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry plans… Continue reading Japan’s Push for 3D Metal Printing
The MakerBot Digitizer: Now Available
As expected, MakerBot released their newest product today: the MakerBot Digitizer. It’s an inexpensive turntable-based 3D scanner directed at consumers and professionals. MakerBot has taken steps to simplify the process of using the scanner itself. You simply drop an object on the turntable and start the process. The turntable rotates slowly, exposing the object… Continue reading The MakerBot Digitizer: Now Available
Behind the Scenes at the 3D Printshow
We happened to be in the city of St Albans, north of London where we had a behind the scenes look at the organization operating the 3D Printshow, which is rapidly becoming the go-to event for personal 3D printing. The mastermind behind the 3D Printshow is Kerry Hogarth, seen above in her master control… Continue reading Behind the Scenes at the 3D Printshow
The Flashforge Creator 3D Printer
If you think the Flashforge Creator looks quite a bit like MakerBot’s original replicator, you’d be correct. It seems that Flashforge has used the Rep’s open source design to produce their version, the Creator. But there are some differences as we’ll see. The Creator is sold in two models, the Creator, which includes two… Continue reading The Flashforge Creator 3D Printer
A Visit to the iMakr 3D Printer Store
On our recent visit to the UK we happened to drop by the iMakr store, which is one of the very few, perhaps the only, true retail store focused entirely on 3D printing. It’s tagline is “The World’s largest 3D Printing Store”, and we think they could be right.
Unboxing a Type A Machine Series 1
Andrew Mazzotta from 3DHacker has released another video, this time of him unboxing the Series 1 personal 3D printer from Type A Machines. This printer is known for its relatively large build volume very high resolution.
The unit Mazzotta puts together is a pre-assembled version, otherwise the video would be a bit longer.
The unit Mazzotta puts together is a pre-assembled version, otherwise the video would be a bit longer.
Lexus Creates 3D Printed Car-Mice For iPads
This is one of the more unusual uses of 3D printing we’ve seen. Apparently car maker Lexus exhibited their current vehicles at the recent 2013 Seoul Motor Show in Korea. At their display was an “Interactive Table” holding several bolted-down iPads.
Will MAKEWithMOTO Visit Your City?
It’s a summer-long road trip for several folks from Motorola, who are promoting the idea of “making” by driving a kind of mobile makerspace around the USA. They say: This summer, Motorola is hitting the road in a velcro-clad Sprinter van full of the latest prototyping tools (3D printers, laser cutters, soldering stations, etc)… Continue reading Will MAKEWithMOTO Visit Your City?
7 Things You Probably Won’t 3D Print At Home Any Time Soon
Some people, usually those just introduced to 3D printing, often believe the technology is capable of printing “anything”, in the manner of a Star Trek replicator. That, of course, is not the case. There are many limitations in the technology and indeed within each type of 3D printing process. This means there are things… Continue reading 7 Things You Probably Won’t 3D Print At Home Any Time Soon
The Isis One 3D Printer
There’s quite a story behind the design of the Isis One personal 3D printer. The creators of this just-released device recognized the numerous problems inherent in current RepRap machine designs: first layer adhesion, bed leveling, Z-axis stability, noise, support structures, extrusion skipping and much more. Their engineering team methodically pursued each issue, gradually building… Continue reading The Isis One 3D Printer
A 3D Printing Workshop AND Cafe in Buenos Aires
The neighborhood of Palermo in Buenos Aires is known for its restaurants, but this one is somewhat unique: The 3D Lab Fab & Cafe offers patrons not only coffee and food, but also access to 3D printing technology. They say: In 3DLab Fab&Café we provide you the cutting edge technology of digital fabrication in… Continue reading A 3D Printing Workshop AND Cafe in Buenos Aires
MakerBot and Stratasys Close
No, no – they haven’t ceased business! We mean the deal between them has “closed”. This means that as of August 15th, 2013, MakerBot is officially part of Stratasys. The other implication is that while the leaders of the organizations have been obviously talking and planning for the past while, today all levels of… Continue reading MakerBot and Stratasys Close
Design of the Week: Super Mario Mobius Strip
This week’s selection is the Super Mario Mobius Strip, by Shapeways creator Joaquin Baldwin. While endless, one-sided Mobius strips are fascinating unto themselves, Baldwin has made this one even more interesting by infusing Super Mario culture on its surface. The entire level 1 scenario is included on the strip. He says: All the… Continue reading Design of the Week: Super Mario Mobius Strip
HBO Clips a 3D Print Artist
HBO has squashed a new 3D printed product by nuPROTO 3D print artist Fernando Sosa. The product, “Throne Dock” is an iPhone/Android docking station inspired by the hugely popular HBO series, “Game of Thrones”. At first, it seems like a good idea: “Let your friends and coworkers tremble at the sight of your Throne… Continue reading HBO Clips a 3D Print Artist
Cubify Announces Cubify Sculpt
Those software wizards at Cubify are at it again. After generating who-knows-how-many 3D model generators this year, they’ve now released another new tool: Cubify Sculpt. The new tool hopes to simplify the process of creating 3D models for printing on (presumably) 3D System’s Cube and CubeX personal 3D printers. The theme of this software:… Continue reading Cubify Announces Cubify Sculpt
Fuel3D’s Harker Offering
We wrote recently on Fuel3D’s new 3D scanner, just launched on Kickstarter. While the project has been quite successful, gaining more than three times their goal of USD$75,000, they’ve created even more reason to buy one of their devices: Fuel3D has teamed with noted 3D print artist Joshua Harker, who has produced a unique design… Continue reading Fuel3D’s Harker Offering
The State of Medical 3D Printing
Viktorija Samarinaite of CGTrader has published a detailed overview of the current state of 3D printing as applied to the medical and biological fields. The long post covers a wide spectrum of recent 3D printing medical miracles, including 3D printed hearing aids, dental work, prosthetics, casts, bioprinting and more. We’ve covered most of this… Continue reading The State of Medical 3D Printing
3D Printing Spinal Implants
A new era of orthopedic surgery is taking shape at Peking University. Armed with an Electron Beam Melting (EBM) 3D printer, doctors are able to create titanium implants that fit perfectly with a patient’s body. Over the course of the last four years, Dr. Liu Zhongjun has been using EBM 3D printing to develop new… Continue reading 3D Printing Spinal Implants
Follow the White Rabbit, the 3D Printed One
In the classic movie, The Matrix, Neo is challenged by a mysterious online message to “Follow the White Rabbit”. Such a rabbit appears before Neo who follows it all the way to the famous quote from Morpheus: “You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole… Continue reading Follow the White Rabbit, the 3D Printed One
MakerBot’s Digitizer Nearing Release
Evidently MakerBot blasted out emails to their mailing list indicating that their new Digitizer personal 3D scanner will be on sale next week. This is a bit of a milestone for MakerBot, who now will branch out into a second type of complex product, beyond their 3D printers. Yes, they’ve sold parts, filament and… Continue reading MakerBot’s Digitizer Nearing Release
D3D’s Unusual Extruder
While some develop 3D printers, others work diligently developing subcomponents. The extruder is particularly devilish, as it must withstand the most force and temperature of any part of a filament-based 3D printer. Wait, why re-invent the venerable extruder? The answer lies in the challenges with multi-color 3D printing. Current 3D printer manufacturers simply “add… Continue reading D3D’s Unusual Extruder
A Collaborative 3D Printed Sculpture
Calgary-based PrintToPeer is experimenting with what could be the world’s first crowd-printed sculpture. Anyone with access to a 3D printer can participate. The idea is quite simple: each participant signs up and is able to customize a single piece. The customized piece is converted into a 3D model and downloaded for you to print.… Continue reading A Collaborative 3D Printed Sculpture
5 Things To Make With Your 3D Printer
You’ve got your first personal 3D printer. You’re excited to make things, and have already finished printing a few samples that came with the device. Now what? Here’s some ideas you might consider making: Art: There is a surprising amount of fascinating artwork you can 3D print at home. While we don’t know… Continue reading 5 Things To Make With Your 3D Printer
L’Altrome Launches
We’ve been directed to a new Italian service that can produce full-color 3D printed figurines based on your own image. The service is similar to others we’ve seen, but is very simple to use. You must provide two color images of your (or someone’s) head: a front view and a side view. These images… Continue reading L’Altrome Launches
Stratasys Expects More Revenue
This is interesting: 3D printing giant Stratasys raised their revenue expectations for the year 2013 following the merger with MakerBot. The change moved expected full-year revenue from “only” USD$430-455M to a larger USD$445-480M, a rise of USD$15-25M. We suspect a chunk of this new revenue is from MakerBot’s sales of personal 3D printers, as… Continue reading Stratasys Expects More Revenue
The Smells of 3D Printing
Everyone is fascinated by the process of 3D printing. Objects seem to appear (albeit slowly) right out of thin air. Beyond the visual experience, most people also note the sounds of 3D printing, which in today’s 3D printers are much less evident than earlier models. But there’s another experience: smell. While your 3D printer… Continue reading The Smells of 3D Printing
He’s 3D Printing a James Bond Car!
New Zealander Ivan Sentch must be a big Bond fan as he’s undertaken a spectacular project to 3D print a life-size replica of James Bond’s 1961 Aston Martin DB4. To be clear, he’s not actually 3D printing the car itself, but rather a mold from which he will produce fiberglass body sections. These will… Continue reading He’s 3D Printing a James Bond Car!