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Nissan’s Delta Wing Testbed Utilizes Additive Manufacturing

  Efficiency is the name of the game when it comes to car design, and Nissan isn’t taking any prisoners with their Deltawing racer.   According to Nissan, the concept behind the Deltawing is “to half the aerodynamic drag, half the power, half the mass, half the fuel consumption, and half the tire consumption [while]… Continue reading Nissan’s Delta Wing Testbed Utilizes Additive Manufacturing

Wirelessly Tag Your 3D Prints

Shapeways announced a very cool feature offered by their 3D print service: NFC tagging. If you haven’t heard of it, NFC stands for “Near Field Communication“, a short-range wireless technology.   NFC is used in key fobs or other security devices. It simply receives a signal and responds with its own unique digital number. With… Continue reading Wirelessly Tag Your 3D Prints

NASA Gets Serious About 3D Printing

A post on Mashable describes the goings-on at NASA where they’re deeply investigating the possibility of using 3D printing technology on future space missions.    As we’ve said before, 3D printing in space could be massively beneficial, as you’d need only bring the printer and some print media with you into space, where you’d simply… Continue reading NASA Gets Serious About 3D Printing

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It’s In PrintaBase

What’s PrintaBase? It appears to be a searchable repository of 3D printing information. No 3D models here, just meta information. Their tagline is:    The most comprehensive database for everything 3D printing.     Like you, we’re wondering why their logo says “PrintaBit Beta”, when their site is “PrintaBase”. More than likely this will be… Continue reading It’s In PrintaBase

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The Mystery of Modelyst

In recent days we’ve observed several printable 3D model repository startups. Some are existing non-printable 3D model repositories hoping to get in on the 3D printing craze, but some are brand new and dedicated to 3D printable models.    Which brings us to Modelyst.    What is it? Well, we’re not exactly certain. They have… Continue reading The Mystery of Modelyst

Feet As Big As You Want

The University of Washington’s Solheim Additive Manufacturing  Laboratory has long experimented in radical approaches to 3D printing and now they’ve shown us another example technique for your 3D printing toolkit: Scaling.    They were approached by the VA Center of Excellence for Limb Loss Prevention and Prosthetic Engineering to assist in the production of a… Continue reading Feet As Big As You Want

The Mysterious Pirate3D Printer

We’ve been peeking at the website of Pirate3D, a new startup attempting to build an inexpensive 3D printer. The Palo Alto, California-based company is not revealing much about their project.   We don’t know the release date for the printer (although you can pre-order one in April). We don’t know the price of the unit.… Continue reading The Mysterious Pirate3D Printer

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A Whale of a 3D Print

It was near the end of a South American expedition for Smithsonian Natural History Museum’s Nicholas D. Pyenson, when he learned fossil whales had been uncovered nearby.    Examining the fossils, which had been uncovered by a road crew constructing a new highway across the Atacama Desert, Pyenson discovered the fossils were of a dozen… Continue reading A Whale of a 3D Print

An Interview With Neri Oxman

We’ve discovered a lengthy interview with 3D artist and research Neri Oxman of the MIT Media Lab, whose astounding explorations into radical structures using 3D printing have been featured here previously. In the 2200 word interview, published in Material Connexion, Oxman explains much of her 3D printing and artistic philosophy.   We noted some highlights: … Continue reading An Interview With Neri Oxman

Prehistoric 3D Printing Video

And now some 3D Printing history. This amazing historic TV clip originates with a show entitled, “Good Morning America” and is dated from 1989 – twenty-four years ago.    It’s so ancient they don’t even refer to the process as “3D Printing”, but use “Stereolithography”, the name of the process just then invented by Chuck… Continue reading Prehistoric 3D Printing Video

Design of the Week: Volta Necklace

This week’s selection is designer Phil Renato’s Volta, billed as “An evolving 3D printed necklace design with a serpentine linkage system.”   The necklace has indeed evolved since we featured Renato’s work many months ago. Today it is a refined design that is becoming a true product for consumers.    The design is based on… Continue reading Design of the Week: Volta Necklace

A Spanish 3D Print Service

We’ve learned of a 3D print service based in Spain: Fabber.cc. This service provides basic 3D printing services, providing prints in ABS or PLA plastic.    The service doesn’t have an interactive pricing mechanism, but you can send in your 3D model and receive a quote for the work.    This service seems to follow… Continue reading A Spanish 3D Print Service

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3D Printed Human Replacement Parts Approved

Oxford Performance Materials announced that it’s finally received US Food and Drug Administration clearance for their OsteoFab™ Patient Specific Cranial Device. This is a 3D printed medical implant designed to replace missing bone structures.    The advantage of this approach, is of course that the replacement parts can precisely match the missing elements. Extreme personalization,… Continue reading 3D Printed Human Replacement Parts Approved

3D Print A Car In 2500 Hours

You might recall the Urbee – the world’s first 3D printed car, developed in 2011 by Kor EcoLogic? The design of this amazing car pioneered several important 3D printing techniques.    Now Kor EcoLogic is pursuing a second version of the Urbee, with intentions of going into production. Evidently they’ve “worked out the bugs since… Continue reading 3D Print A Car In 2500 Hours

CHART: Optimism for consumer-class 3D printers

A recent ENGINEERING.com survey revealed that our engineering and design readers are very optimistic about the future of the consumer-class 3D printers. But counter to the wishful claims made by those with a vested interest, they don’t believe that sweeping change is coming.     Read More at ENGINEERING.com

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Shapeways Meets Up

We’ve frequently seen notices from Shapeways (and other companies) announcing meetups. The problem is that these meetups are rarely happening in your city. Sure, if you are a Manhattanite or a Londoner, perhaps, but most people simply aren’t nearby.    Shapeways proposes to solve this dilemma by having a meetup – everywhere!    They’ve announced… Continue reading Shapeways Meets Up

Polychemy Offers More 3D Prints

As interest in 3D printing grows, so does the requirement for amazing 3D prints. One interesting source is Polychemy, who market a collection of eclectic 3D prints by notable 3D artists.    Their catalog is not particularly large, but there are some terrific models stored within, some of which we’ve actually covered earlier. Artists include… Continue reading Polychemy Offers More 3D Prints

Ultra-Lab Sells MakerBots

We’ve just discovered that MakerBot has yet another reseller, this time in Spain. Ultra-Lab sells the full line of MakerBot devices, including the Replicator Dual Extruder, Replicator 2 and the latest model, the Replicator 2X.    In addition to MakerBot products, we understand that Ultra-Lab also sells plastic filament for the printers, electronics kits, e-textiles,… Continue reading Ultra-Lab Sells MakerBots

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3Doodler – A 3D Pen Printer

It’s billed as the first “3D printing pen”, and we believe it is indeed the first handheld 3D printer that you can purchase.    Wait, “handheld 3D printer”? That’s precisely what it is. The device is held in your hand and slowly waved through 3D space. As it moves, it extrudes melted thermoplastic, just like… Continue reading 3Doodler – A 3D Pen Printer

Someone NEEDS to Buy MakerBot?

We’re reading this article on Inside Monkey entitled, “Someone Needs to Buy MakerBot Already, Stratasys, Ltd. (SSYS)?” Ok. Really?    The premise of the piece is that one of 3D Systems, Stratasys or Amazon (!) should acquire MakerBot. Wait, let’s correct that, one of these mega-corps should have ALREADY acquired little MakerBot. The author is… Continue reading Someone NEEDS to Buy MakerBot?

Point And Shoot 3D Scanning

The folks at Lynx Lab have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the initial units of their “Lynx A Camera”. It’s  designed to be a point and shoot 3D camera, capable of capturing 3D shapes as well as motion.    The Lynx A tries to put all the elements of 3D scanning in… Continue reading Point And Shoot 3D Scanning

Formlabs Forms Form 1’s

True to their pledge, Formlabs has begun production of their resin-based personal 3D printer, the Form 1. In an astonishing Kickstarter campaign last fall, Formlabs busted their speedometer in raising almost USD$3M.    Now they have to deliver on those and other subsequent device orders.    It’s obviously extremely challenging for a startup to begin… Continue reading Formlabs Forms Form 1’s

3D printing: Interest Long Overdue, Enthusiasm Not Sustainable

On Thursday, we reported on a Seeking Alpha article and discussed the market volatility in 3D printing and the possibility of an over-exuberant market.   Seeking Alpha’s analysis appears to have created a self-fulfilling prophecy: On January 28, 2013, 3D Systems and Stratasys stocks fell 14% and 10% respectively. One day later they rebounded by… Continue reading 3D printing: Interest Long Overdue, Enthusiasm Not Sustainable

Necessity Causes Invention: A GoPro Scuba Mount

If you’ve never used a GoPro, perhaps you should. It’s an inexpensive but very specialized camera designed to be used outdoors in action situations. It’s the camera on the skydiver’s helmet or hanging from bike handlebars giving us those heart-stopping videos.     As you might imagine, there are an infinite number of possible mounting… Continue reading Necessity Causes Invention: A GoPro Scuba Mount

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3D Printing’s Effect on Retail

We’ve been reading Dalton Caldwell’s take on entrepreneur Marc Andreessen’s position that physical retail stores are in a bad position as they have to pay for not only inventory but also real estate, whereas online retail does not. Caldwell, who’s currently the CEO of app.net, believes that 3D printing could eventually affect physical retail as… Continue reading 3D Printing’s Effect on Retail

3D Printer Starves Astronauts

A science-fictiony proposal in Wired suggests future astro-colonists could feast on dishes prepared by 3D food printers.    The concept seems like a good one; current astronauts are subjected to freeze-dried packets of former food, brought back from the dead by injection of lubricating water. While astros put on a brave face when describing their… Continue reading 3D Printer Starves Astronauts

Obama Likes 3D Printing

During last night’s annual State of the Union address, US President Obama actually mentioned 3D printing and positioned it as one of his key strategies for reinvigorating the US manufacturing industry.    Specifically, he’s extending the experiment begun at the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute experiment, launched in August 2012. This institute attempts to speed… Continue reading Obama Likes 3D Printing

Ping Fu Doesn’t Break

Ping Fu is very well-known in the 3D printing community, as she created Geomagic, maker of powerful 3D software tools enabling freeform design, scan handling, metrology and most notably, haptic-based design (that’s using a touch interface). Recently Geomagic was acquired by 3D Systems, where Ms. Fu now becomes their Chief Strategist.    Her journey to… Continue reading Ping Fu Doesn’t Break

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Micrometer Scale 3D Printing

German-based Nanoscribe announced a new micrometer-scale 3D printer, the Photonic Professional GT, billed as the “world’s fastest commercially available 3D printer for micro- and nanostructures”.    The Photonic Professional GT uses a highly accurate, mirror-guided laser system to polymerize photosensitive material into solid objects of incredibly tiny size. The machine is capable of producing fine… Continue reading Micrometer Scale 3D Printing

Controversy At 3DLT

You may not have heard about 3DLT. It’s an online “innovation hub” that attempts to provide 3D creators a web presence for marketing their designs. If you’re a designer you can join their program and create a mini-marketplace for your designs or receive requests for custom work.     But where’s the controversy?   Wired… Continue reading Controversy At 3DLT

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3D Printed Fish Tags

Perhaps you might not need tags for your fish, but the folks at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) do. They’ve developed a way to 3D print titanium tags for tracking larger fish including Marlin and Tuna.    Titanium was chosen as it does not react to salty ocean water and can withstand… Continue reading 3D Printed Fish Tags

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Design of the Week: The Lost Boys

This week’s selection is artist Sean Dabbs’ “The Lost Boys”. It’s actually a small collection of designs related the the movie of the same name.    We specifically liked the rendering of Kiefer Sutherland’s frightening vampire character, especially the teeth. Also included in the collection are vampire-like hands and feet.    Dabbs is a UK-based… Continue reading Design of the Week: The Lost Boys

Advanced Manufacturing Seminars

Tuesday is the opening day of the Advanced Manufacturing Seminars. This event includes rapid prototyping content, specifically focused on 3D printing. The three-day event takes place in Anaheim, California at the Anaheim Convention Center.    The speaker list includes some interesting folks, including:    Jason Dunn, CEO of Made In Space. These are the guys… Continue reading Advanced Manufacturing Seminars

3D Systems Splits!

3D printing giant 3D Systems announced plans to split their stock. In the scenario described, owners of 3D Systems stock will receive additional shares. For every two shares owned on February 15th, share owners will receive an additional share. It’s a three-for-two split.     Companies typically split their stock when the value grows significantly.… Continue reading 3D Systems Splits!

Three Dead 3D Printers

With numerous inexpensive 3D printers continually emerging, many won’t survive. But the latest wave of failures is not the first. Indeed, several bold attempts at creating revolutionary 3D printers came and went before the days of crowd funding. Today we’ll remember three notable 3D printers of the past.    Desktop Factory was the original commercial personal… Continue reading Three Dead 3D Printers

Edinburg Scientist Print Stem Cells

Although controversial in the US, stem cell research offers some of the best opportunities to produce breakthrough medical discoveries, including growing tailor made replacement organs.   In a new development for bioprinting, Dr, Will Shu of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh said,   “We found that the valve-based printing is gentle enough to maintain high stem… Continue reading Edinburg Scientist Print Stem Cells

Dongiverse

Oh dear. This was bound to happen. There’s now a parody of 3D model repository Thingiverse called, “Dongiverse”. As you might expect, it appears to hold actual 3D models related to its eponymous title.    The site seems to be a layer on top of Thingiverse, as it simply links visitors to selected items in… Continue reading Dongiverse

3D Modeling? Where Do I Start?

Once you’ve got your personal 3D printer working and you’ve exhausted the usual sources of printable models, your faced with a dilemma: how do I create my own 3D models?    You might ask someone trained in 3D modeling, but we think that’s probably not a good idea. We’ve found that pro 3D modelers tend… Continue reading 3D Modeling? Where Do I Start?

Type A Machines

Type A Machines produces the Series 1 personal 3D printer. It’s claim to fame? Bigness. They say:    We were tired of building things that could fit into little boxes so we designed the Series 1 to fit really large objects without a drastic increase in overall machine size. Forget having to redesign your ideas… Continue reading Type A Machines

The Robo Personal 3D Printer

Yes, Robo is another one of those new 3D printers that appear on crowdfunding sites, but what makes it different? For one thing you’ll immediately notice that it’s got a very attractive case – and that’s just the start.    Each new filament-based 3D printer startup focuses on a particular aspect to make them stand… Continue reading The Robo Personal 3D Printer

Hod Lipson’s book

3D printing afficiando Hod Lipson has just published a new book on 3D printing entitled, “Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing”. Co-authored with Melba Kurman, the book “tells the story of 3D printers”.     Lipson, Professor of Engineering at Cornell, is well known within the 3D printing community for his work developing concepts… Continue reading Hod Lipson’s book

The Future is 3-D Counts Down

We’ve been looking at The Future Is 3-D’s website and found they’ve been working on a new model to join their existing Glacier 3D printer: it’s called the “Avalanche”.    We don’t know much about it, other than there’s a countdown page to the launch. We do know that their existing machine, the Glacier, is… Continue reading The Future is 3-D Counts Down

3D Printing Resources

We’ve spent some time updating our 3D resources page. If you haven’t seen it, the page contains our list of key 3D printing resources. Areas of coverage now include lists for:    Do It Yourself Options Hobbyist 3D Printers Commercial 3D Printers Popular 3D Print Services Popular 3D Print Related Books 3D Print Crowdsourcing Notable… Continue reading 3D Printing Resources

Global TV Features 3D Printing

Chief Correspondent Carolyn Jarvis of Canada’s Global TV presented a very comprehensive look at today’s state of 3D printing on their current affairs show, “16×9”. We bring this to your attention as this is perhaps the most mature examination of the technology we’ve recently seen by the media, which recently has tended towards the spectacular,… Continue reading Global TV Features 3D Printing

3D Printing Trade Shows in 2013

After wearing out several pairs of shoes walking through this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas checking out the increasing number of 3D printing booths, we thought we’d tell you which other conferences and trade shows might include 3D printing content. Here are the major events involving 3D printing, aside from local Maker Faires. … Continue reading 3D Printing Trade Shows in 2013

Design of the Week: Spiralis

This week’s selection is Spiralis by Shapeways designer Emm@nuel. There are actually two variations of Spiralis in the Shapeways catalog, the Spiralis+0,025-7cm and the Spiralis+0,025, which appear to differ only in size.    Designer Emm@nuel describes Spiralis as:    Mathematical oddity composed with 20 triskelions (triskelion, triskele) and 12 spirals.   Definitely!   You can… Continue reading Design of the Week: Spiralis

Nokia’s 3D Printing Adventure

Nokia has long used 3D printing internally to design cases and shapes for their handsets, but now they’re permitting customers to do the same.    Nokia has released the 3D model files required for designing your very own back cover for their new Lumina 820 handset. The model includes the structures required to match the… Continue reading Nokia’s 3D Printing Adventure

makexyz Makes Your Stuff

You’re interested in 3D printing, but don’t have a 3D printer. You also don’t want to pay a high price to a 3D print service to obtain a print of your own 3D design. What do you do?    One option, aside from finding a buddy with a 3D printer, is to use the makexyz… Continue reading makexyz Makes Your Stuff

Testing the Customizer

The magic of 3D printing is that you can make something totally unique that has never existed before; something that’s just right for you.    But how do you get the models to do this?    One way is to make use of Thingiverse’s new Customizer feature. It’s an add-on to certain models that permits… Continue reading Testing the Customizer

CHART: Readers predict 3D printing’s future

Strong, steady growth for the entire 3D printing industry is what our survey results show. According to our readers, that growth will be driven by advances in materials, output quality, speed and overall performance.   What they aren’t accepting are the extremes: no growth or explosive growth.    Read More at ENGINEERING.com

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Advanced Manufacturing Seminars in February

Don’t forget to check out the Advanced Manufacturing Seminar conference that’s taking place in Anaheim, California from February 12-14th. It’s only a couple of weeks away so if you’re planning on attending, you’d best make some reservations.    This conference is part of a rather large event involving thousands of manufacturing exhibitors. We understand that… Continue reading Advanced Manufacturing Seminars in February

New Space-Based 3D Printer

You might not realize it, but there are actually two companies pursuing asteroid mining today. One is Planetary Resources, backed by notables such as James Cameron, Larry Page, Eric Schmidt and more. The other company is Deep Space Industries.    And they’re making a space-based 3D printer.    Their purpose is to seek out asteroids… Continue reading New Space-Based 3D Printer

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iRobot Moving Into 3D Printing?

A very detailed patent was recently issued to iRobot and Raytheon for a “Robot Fabricator”.    iRobot is well-known for their Roomba series of household cleaning ‘bots, but they’re also manufacturers of many commercial and military robots. Raytheon is a long-time high-tech industrial focusing on military and electronics markets. Together they bring a huge amount… Continue reading iRobot Moving Into 3D Printing?

A DIY BioPrinter

Not satisfied with printing in plastic? Why not print ACTUAL LIVING CELLS? You can today if you can execute the Instructable created by BioCurious, which you can build for the incredibly low cost of USD$150. Simply acquire the necessary parts and follow all the assembly steps.     This hack involves combining parts from a… Continue reading A DIY BioPrinter

FormFutura Sells Wood Filament

Most personal 3D printers require plastic filament of some kind or another. Recently some manufacturers have moved to use factory-certified cartridges, but many devices still can use “any filament” that meets the necessary dimensions.    There are several online stores ready to sell you such filament, some trying to distinguish themselves by offering wider varieties… Continue reading FormFutura Sells Wood Filament

Questions About Skanect

Manctl’s new version of Skanect should permit easy 3D scanning by anyone with a Microsoft Kinect and a computer. However, we wondered about several aspects. We asked Manctl’s Nicolas Burrus a few questions about the new version.    Fabbaloo: The new release seems to be Windows only. Any hope of a Mac or Linux version… Continue reading Questions About Skanect

A New Version of Skanect

Readers may recall Skanect, a software tool that uses an inexpensive Microsoft Kinect to produce 3D scans of room-sized areas. Now creator Manctl has released a new version of Skanect that’s much more powerful.    The new version is capable of taking 3D scans of objects instead of rooms. They’ve re-engineered the program to include… Continue reading A New Version of Skanect

The DeltaMaker 3D Printer

Aha! Another Kickstarter project has launched the DeltaMaker 3D printer. Recent 3D printer launches on Kickstarter have suffered from an inability to distinguish themselves from each other, but we believe DeltaMaker may not have that issue.    Why? Because they’re using a very different design for their device: instead of the traditional 3-axis rail design,… Continue reading The DeltaMaker 3D Printer

Incredible 3D Fashion Video

There’s an increasing interest in 3D printed fashions, perhaps because of the novelty of 3D printing, but we suspect also because you’re able to create fashions that could otherwise not be manufactured. As wonderful as such fashion may be, it has been difficult for the public to understand it as 3D printed fashion shows are… Continue reading Incredible 3D Fashion Video

3D Printed Fashion In Paris Show

\As part of Paris Fashion Week, 3D printing giants Stratasys and Materialise collaborated with noted 3D fashion artist Iris van Herpen on her “VOLTAGE” haute couture show. van Herpen has previously produced fascinating 3D printed fashions and this show continued with some startling and revealing designs.    Two of the eleven pieces made by van… Continue reading 3D Printed Fashion In Paris Show

The MendelMax 2.0 3D Printer

Open source 3D printers tend to evolve quickly, and the MendelMax personal 3D printer is no exception. Version 2.0 was recently announced by MakersToolWorks, the folks behind the MendelMax line.    The Max2.0 is actually available now in kit or assembled form from MakersToolWorks – but it’s a beta version. The beta testers will “receive… Continue reading The MendelMax 2.0 3D Printer

Another 3D Print Retail Shop – In Paris!

After the initial experiments in retail storefronts for 3D printing products in places such as New York, we now see another retail operation has opened in Paris: PROTOSHOP.   It seems the focus of PROTOSHOP (opened by the rapid prototyping company Multistation) is to provide Parisians with an opportunity to see, touch, ask questions about… Continue reading Another 3D Print Retail Shop – In Paris!

Thoughts On That 3D Printed Building

Widespread media reports describe a project by Dutch architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars, who plans to build a home using 3D printing. He’s actually going to 3D print a house.    The project will use the D-Shape 3D printing technology from Enrico Dino, who previously used this approach to produce a huge sculpture. The D-Shape 3D printer… Continue reading Thoughts On That 3D Printed Building

ProtoExchange Seeks a Decentralized 3D Printing Network

We were contacted by Jonathan Placa, who’s setting up a distributed 3D printing network called ProtoExchange.    ProtoExchange will attempt to create an online bidding system, in which those desiring a 3D print will be connected with amateur 3D printer owners who will do the job. The advantage appears to be that the printer operator… Continue reading ProtoExchange Seeks a Decentralized 3D Printing Network

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The Rho Test

In a world with many 3D printers to choose from and no easy way to compare them, what should you do? They use different materials in different ways, are priced differently and produce objects of differing quality.    This dilemma has been taken on by researcher Shane Ryan, who proposes what he calls, “The Rho… Continue reading The Rho Test

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LeapFrog Sells 1000 – But How Many More 3D Printers Exist?

We received a note from Netherlands-based Leapfrog 3D Printers who, among other notable achievements, said they’ve sold their 1,000th 3D printer. It was a LeapFrog Creatr, evidently sold to someone also in the Netherlands.    This is quite an accomplishment for the small manufacturer, but it leads us to ponder: exactly how many personal 3D… Continue reading LeapFrog Sells 1000 – But How Many More 3D Printers Exist?

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Emerging Personal 3D Printer Business Patterns

There seems to be patterns emerging among the major personal 3D printer manufacturers. It seems that in order to be a “player” in the space, you’d better have a few of these features in your business:    Produce your own plastic in your own factories. This permits complete control over the formulation, which a manufacturer… Continue reading Emerging Personal 3D Printer Business Patterns

Want a Free Up! 3D Printer?

Who wouldn’t want one? Now’s your chance to get one by entering PP3DP’s Instructables contest. The contest is pretty straightforward: post an Instructable (a set of detailed instructions on how to make something) on the Instructables site between January 7th and April 1st that “shows off your skills as a maker”. You’ll then be eligible… Continue reading Want a Free Up! 3D Printer?

Open3DP Gets Gummi

Those researchers at the University of Washington took a break from casting ceramics, glass and other inedible substances to experiment instead with more tasty material using “food friendly molds”.    Unfortunately their choice for shape was, um, themselves! They carefully captured full-body scans using a Microsoft Kinect and designed a negative mold and 3D printed… Continue reading Open3DP Gets Gummi

Design of the Week: Caged Heels

This week’s selection is London-based shoe designer Bryan Oknyansky’s Caged Heels.    Oknyansky runs Shoes By Bryan, a bespoke designer of very unique shoes, operating since May 2011. The award-winning designer begins a shoe design by analyzing the physics of the shoe. He uses personal orthopedic dimensions and ergonomic measurements in the parametric 3D CAD… Continue reading Design of the Week: Caged Heels

ExOne Goes Public!

There are very few 3D printing companies that you can invest in. Most are privately held, with the major exceptions of 3D Systems and Stratasys – but now we hear that ExOne has “filed a registration statement for an initial public offering”. That means they intend on issuing shares to the public, pending various approvals… Continue reading ExOne Goes Public!

123D Offers Premium Memberships

We’ve seen Autodesk offer several incredibly (and totally free) useful web-based 3D tools, such as 123D Make, Catch and Design. Free tools are always welcome in a space where professional tools can cost many thousands of dollars.    But you gotta wonder how Autodesk hopes to recover their investment in the 123D suite. How will… Continue reading 123D Offers Premium Memberships

Fabbaloo Makes The List

We were quite surprised today to discover that Machine Design has named our blog as one of their editor’s picks for the “best 3D printing web sites”.    Also named were Shapeways, Solidoodle, Fab@Home, Thingiverse, PrintIn3D (3D Systems’ site) and RepRap, all excellent sites providing different angles on 3D printing. Our thanks go to the… Continue reading Fabbaloo Makes The List

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Bre Pettis Authors a Book

MakerBot Chief Bre Pettis is now an author – he’s just published a new book on 3D printing and specifically on doing so with a MakerBot. We had a chance to get a copy from Pettis himself at CES (above). Jointly written by Pettis, Anna Kaziunas France and Jay Shergill, the book could become quite… Continue reading Bre Pettis Authors a Book

Neri Oxman’s Mediated Matter Lab at MIT

Neri Oxman, founder of the Mediated Matter Group at MIT’s Media Lab, believes that one day everything will be designed by nature.    The Mediated Matter Group’s mission statement reads something like a manifesto.    The Mediated Matter group is dedicated to the development and application of novel processes that enable and support the design… Continue reading Neri Oxman’s Mediated Matter Lab at MIT

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MakerBot’s Plastic Farm

If you can’t get what you want, just do it yourself. That’s the approach MakerBot has taken on plastic. Previously they’d have to do extensive searching for vendors able to provide appropriate plastic for their line of 3D printers. They’d have to ensure quality of color, sizing consistency and deliver availability. Lots of work!    … Continue reading MakerBot’s Plastic Farm

KraftWurx Launches

The mysterious Kraftwurx finally appeared publicly last week at CES, where they showed off their new 3D print service. We spoke with founder Chris Norman, who explained they’ve recently received a patent award for his complex and detailed vision of a 3D print service.    The concept is to combine an online “storefront” containing a… Continue reading KraftWurx Launches

Mainstream 3D Printing?

An article on Business Insider by Dylan Love entitled “This Is What It Will Take For 3D Printing To Go Mainstream” proposes a shift in machine capability may lead to deeper mainstream use. He says:    Up until now, much of desktop 3D printing revolved around simply getting the machines up and running, just to… Continue reading Mainstream 3D Printing?

Thingiverse Breaks Out In Apps!

It started as a simple free repository for patterns for personal making and then exploded into an overwhelming cacophony of 3D models. Thingiverse provides free content for 3D printing not only on MakerBot’s own line of 3D printers, but for any printer.     That changes significantly as MakerBot CEO announced Thingiverse now includes programming… Continue reading Thingiverse Breaks Out In Apps!

Cubify’s AppCreate

Over the past few months we’ve noticed that 3D Systems has relentlessly built features in Cubify to provide generative models to print on their (and other’s) personal 3D printers. You can quickly get a customized 3D model of rings, pictures, bracelets, space aliens, earrings, crowns and probably a few more things after we’ve written this… Continue reading Cubify’s AppCreate