Long-time 3D print artist Eric van Straaten of the Netherlands is attempting something unique for artists in this field: obtaining his own color 3D printer.
Kerry Stevenson
Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!
Automate Your 3D Printer’s Operations: Now Possible?
This is a big deal: a company has figured out how to perform automated operations on 3D printers.
WASP’s Diverse 3D Printing Ventures
Italy-based WASP’s medical arm has developed an orthopedic corset, demonstrating the company’s shift towards 3D print applications.
Do Daihatsu’s 3D Printed “Effect Skins” Herald Mass 3D Customization?
Stratasys has partnered with automaker Daihatsu to offer consumers the ability to customize their vehicle using 3D printing.
Local Motors’ Olli Concept is Amazing – Except for One Thing
Local Motors announced a new transportation concept based partly on 3D printing: Olli, the autonomous transportation solution.
3D Systems Completes Top-Level Management Changes
New 3D Systems CEO Vyomesh Joshi replaced the company’s Chief Financial Officer this week, seemingly completing a management switch out.
The Transformation Continues: MiiCraft Introduces Professional SLA 3D Printer
Taipei-based MiiCraft launched a new 3D printer last week, one that’s quite different from their original model.
Fabbaloo to Invade the Netherlands
Next week our team will be on the ground in Amsterdam to attend the AMShow at the RAI exhibition centre.
Could Brexit Affect 3D Printing? Oh, Yes!
This week an important referendum takes place in the UK. But could the “Brexit” hurt or harm the world of 3D printing?
Hands On With Autodesk’s Sculpt+
I’ve finally had a chance to check out Autodesk’s tablet-based Sculpt+ 3D creation app.
Life After Death: How To Support Aging Industrial 3D Printers
This week we proposed the idea of buying used 3D printers instead of new, but how can you keep them running?
M3D’s Vastly Improved M3D Pro 3D Printer
One of the most popular desktop 3D printers just got a lot better.
Stratasys Contemplates New 3D Printer Configurations?
Recently I observed an online survey from Stratasys whose questions may suggest something about their ideas for future 3D printers.
Formfutura’s Almost-Entirely Metal 3D Printer Filaments
Netherlands-based Formfuture announced a pair of new composite metal 3D printer filaments today, but there’s a surprising twist: they’re almost entirely metal!
Design of the Week: Avoid Chandelier
This week’s selection is the beautiful “Avoid Chandelier” by long-time 3D designer Janne Kyttanen.
What? “The 3D Printing Bubble Has Burst”
I’m reading a piece in Newsweek describing how the 3D printing bubble has “burst”, and wonder how such a thing could be true.
3D Printed Construction Milestone Achieved
Netherlands company Heijmans partnered with CyBe Construction to produce prototype concrete formworks. Apparently, they were successful.
That Supercharged HotRod Henry 3D Printer is Now Available
About a year ago, I saw an incredibly large, incredibly fast and quite stylish desktop 3D printer, the Hotrod Henry Supercharged.
Autodesk Forges Critical New APIs for Forge
Autodesk’s Forge cloud-based 3D initiative gained some new APIs this past week, and they’ll be of specific interest to 3D printing folks.
New 3D Printing Application Developed: Ankle Foot Orthosis
A project using 3D Platform equipment has successfully developed an interesting new 3D printing application: custom fit ankle foot orthosis, or “AFO”s.
Resurrecting an Extinct Chocolate Bar with 3D Printing
It’s now been proven: prehistoric chocolate bars can indeed be brought back from extinction!
A New Bio-Active 3D Printing Polymer Suggests Many New Applications
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have done something I’ve not seen before: mixed bio-active enzymes with 3D printing polymer.
Need a Vertebrate, a Tortoise, Antlers Or an Edible Dormouse 3D Model?
3D model repository service Threeding has announced a new partnership that’s resulted in a large number of animal anatomy 3D models.
Want to Finish Your 3D Print in Vantablack, the World’s Darkest Material?
Monocolor 3D prints are so dull-looking; that’s why many people paint or finish them. But what if you could do so with the world’s darkest material?
The Time is Getting Ripe to Attempt Large, Complex 3D Printed Structures
It seems that the elements required to enable the 3D printing of incredibly complex structures we’ve all long imagined are slowly coming together.
The Lost Wax Casting Method, In Video
You may have heard of the “lost wax” method, but I found a video that demonstrates the process in great detail.
Why Not Buy a Used 3D Industrial Printer?
A very practical method of acquiring a high-power industrial 3D printer is to buy one on the used market.
Searchers of Google Tell a Pessimistic Attitude Toward 3D Printing
For fun I used Google’s famous search autofill to see what people are searching for when specifying a number of 3D printing companies. The results are very clear.
The Commercial Dangers of Open Source 3D Printers
While an open source business approach is desired by many, there are certain existential threats that may result.
The RGB STEEL Low Cost 3D Printer
RepRapAlgarve has released a design and kit for a powerful multicolor 3D printer, the RGB STEEL.
Simplify3D v3.1 is Overflowing with Printer Support
Simplify3D announced and released a new version, 3.1, that includes support for a ridiculous number of new 3D printers, and also some very interesting enhancements.
Software Catchup: Type A Machine’s Radical 3D Print Infill
In the world of 3D printing, much has been accomplished in increasing hardware capabilities, but it seems that software often lags behind.
Design of the Week: Pulmonary
This week’s selection is the peculiar “Pulmonary” earrings by British designer William Stanley.
Entering The Turnaround Zone: Could 3D Print Stock Prices Have Hit Bottom?
There’s been so much doom and gloom regarding 3D print stocks in the past two years it’s hard to see any light. But perhaps there is.
Kudo3D’s New Titan 2 DLP 3D Printer
3D printing startup Kudo3D has announced a new DLP-based resin 3D printer, the Titan 2.
Are Boutique 3D Print Shops the Correct Path for Artists?
What’s a 3D print artist to do? Bury their works in a gigantic 3D print service? Or is there another route to sales and exposure?
3D Hubs Tells the Whole Story
3D Hubs has just published a rather good – and long – piece introducing 3D printing to newbies.
What is Going On in Dubai’s 3D Printing Project?
There’s been some buzz coming from Dubai about 3D printing, but does this make any sense?
How to Generate Business for a Startup 3D Print Service
One company has come up with an interesting angle to generate business for their fledgling 3D printing service.
Finally A 3D Printed House That Looks Like One!
Architecture Firm WATG Urban has released a design for a 3D printed home that is far cooler than one could imagine.
Sculpteo Releases Their “State of 3D Printing” Survey Results
3D print service Sculpteo undertook a comprehensive survey of their clients earlier this year and today they publish the results.
Major Changes at 3D Systems This Week
Well, that didn’t take long. After the installation of 3D Systems’ new CEO Vyomesh Joshi two months ago, two top executives have abruptly departed.
Interesting Rocketry Application: 3D Printed Fuel
The WARR group from Germany has been 3D printing experimental solid rocket fuel.
Tinkerine’s Financial Results Demonstrate the Challenges Facing Small 3D Printing Companies
A small 3D printer company’s financials show how difficult it can be to operate in today’s 3D market.
3D Foot Scanning Now Reality: 3D Printed Orthotics to Follow
Fuel3D and Cryos Technologies announced a new, custom designed 3D foot scanner using Fuel3D’s scanning tech. There are some very interesting implications of this development.
Dangerous 3D Printing: A Compressed Air Tank
A group of Swiss students has done something previously thought impossible: 3D printing a tank of compressed air.
Autodesk Remakes Autodesk Memento Into Autodesk ReMake
Autodesk continues shuffling their 3D products around, with the popular Memento system being renamed as “ReMake”.
How Can We Solve the 3D Model Search Problem?
There’s an insidious problem growing in the 3D model marketplaces: search. And it sucks.
Design of the Week: Waterscapes
This week’s selection is the amazing set of aquarium structures by Japanese artist Haruka Misawa.
Stratasys Makes a Move, But So Does David Reis
Stratasys suddenly announced the departure of CEO David Reis and the appointment of a new CEO.
Seeking Practicality: The BeeHex 3D Pizza Printer
The BeeHex is a specialized 3D printer designed to do only one thing: print pizzas. But why?
Why You Need to know What an MSDS is Today
Those new to 3D printing and making might encounter the word “MSDS”, and it’s extremely important to know about.
Electric 3D Printing? New Adhesive Method Could Enable a New Form of 3D Printing
A new adhesive is triggered by electricity, suggesting the possibility of a new form of 3D printing.
ANTCLABS’ Useful 3D Print Bed-Leveling Sensor
Korea-based ANTCLABS has released a very inexpensive sensor that could enable your 3D printer to include auto-leveling.
A Low-Cost, Open Source Resin 3D Printer: INCUBE3D Start
There’s multiple plastic extrusion 3D printer open source projects, but very few resin-based equivalents. Now there’s one you can try.
Let’s Add More To ZMorph’s List of 3D Printing Misconceptions
ZMorph listed three common misconceptions about 3D printing. I’m adding three more to their list.
Leapfrog’s Xcel: The Tallest 3D Printer Of Them All
One of Leapfrog’s new products seems to hit a milestone by offering what might be the tallest build volume yet seen in 3D printers.
Reading Between the Lines in 3D Hub’s Latest Report
Community network 3D Hubs has once again released their monthly report, but I realized something very interesting when reviewing it.
FORMBOT’s Massive T-Rex Desktop 3D Printer
There’s an interesting option available for those requiring a large-format desktop 3D printer: the T-Rex from FORMBOT.
Prusa Updates The Prusa: The i3 MK2 Lives
One of the most popular desktop 3D printers is the Prusa i3, but now it may become even more popular with its latest iteration.
Fascinating Vector-Driven Metal 3D Printing From Harvard
Researchers at Harvard have developed a truly fascinating 3D printing technique that shows the limitations of current technologies.
The Bibo 2 Touch 3D Printer & Laser Engraver’s Price Will Surprise You
Yes, there are far more 3D printer brands and models than you can possible keep track of, but I thought I’d bring this one to your attention: the BIBO2.
Is That 3D Printed Mega-Groot For Real?
Earlier we published a story on the massive CoLiDo Mega 3D printer, but some believed the print was faked.
Design of the Week: Crater Lake
This week’s selection is the brilliantly finished Crater Lake topographical model by Australia’s Conor O’Kane.
CGTrader Hits a Milestone, But are They Really The Biggest?
Good news! CGTrader announced they’ve now accumulated over 500,000 users and 500,000 3D models.
Stratasys Suddenly Solves A Ton Of 3D Printing Problems
It seems Stratasys won’t stop with the interesting announcements; now they’ve solved yet more workflow problems in 3D printing.
Is It Really Time To Buy 3D Printing Stocks?
There’s been a ton of gloom and doom among 3D print stock brokers recently, but is this the opposite of what should happen?
Microsoft Now Supports Network-Based 3D Printers
Microsoft has been quietly building support for 3D printing for some years, and now they’ve announced networked printing support.
BCN3D’s Very Open Source Strategy
BCN3D may have just set the standard for open source 3D printer companies with their latest release.
Stratasys’s Very Focused FDM Enhancements Keep With The Theme
There seems to be an interesting theme emerging from Stratasys these days, and it’s not simply announcing hardware.
Hard Questions To Ask About A USD$49 3D Printer
Why does this keep happening? A ridiculously low-cost 3D printer with a low probability of succeeding continues to attract buyers on Kickstarter.
Arcam’s Recent Moves In Materials Suggest Growth
Sweden’s Arcam is a company on the move, it seems, as they’ve been making a series of deals to solidify their metal materials providers.
Big Changes In 3D Print Tradeshows: AMShows Lights Up
There’s a new 3D print tradeshow in the works and it could become one of the leading venues for the industry.
What Is Stratasys Doing With Thingiverse, Anyway?
In 2013, Stratasys acquired MakerBot and all its assets. Besides the printer company, the deal also included Thingiverse.
3D Hubs Adds Another Professional Capability And Confirms Their Strategic Shift
Hmm, my speculation about 3D Hubs’ intentions the other month seems to be continuing with their latest announcement of carbon fiber capability.
The Short But Instructive Life of CLAWZ, A 3D Printing Startup, Part 1
This is part 1 of a two-part series exploring the fate of a 3D printing startup.
Here’s Why 3D Printing Patents Don’t Mean Much
Oh! Look! Someone’s patented SOMETHING about 3D printing! This changes EVERYTHING!
How To Survive Short Filament Spools: Keep Those Empties!
If you’re like me and 3D print a lot, you may find your work area piling up with empty filament spools. My advice: Keep Them!
Are 3D Printed Cars A Sensible Thing?
I’ve heard a few stories about folks developing 3D printed cars, and I must say I’m a bit skeptical.
Ideal For Educators: Monthly 3D Printing Projects?
UK-based Laykanics is an interesting service that offers monthly 3D print-based project kits that I think could be very suitable for educators looking to expose students to 3D printing.
Materialise Packages Up All The 3D Printing Software You Need In One Bundle
Materialise is perhaps best known for their 3D printing services to industry, but they also create very powerful software, too. Now they’ve bundled it all together.
One Of The Four Models Of CreateBot Could Meet Your Needs
There are four different models of the CreateBot 3D printer, one of which could likely meet your requirements.
Print-Rite’s Massive CoLiDo Mega 3D Printer
Another giant-sized 3D printer has appeared, this time from Print-Rite, the CoLiDo Mega. And mega it is.
Leapfrog’s Mystery “Bolt” 3D Printer To Be Released In June
Netherlands-based Leapfrog 3D Printers is developing a new more capable 3D printer called the “Bolt” and they’re beginning to leak some information about it.
A Pasty Option For Ultimaker 3D Printing
Strucur3D announced they’ve established an intimate relationship with Ultimaker to enable plug-and-play paste extrusion on Ultimaker equipment.
What’s New At Prodways?
Prodways, a lesser-known French 3D printing company, has been quietly growing over the past three years.
iMakr Slides Further Toward Industrial 3D Printing
iMakr has begun selling higher-end 3D printing equipment designed for industry. I think this is a significant change.
A Flurry Of Questions Around The HP Jet Fusion 3D Printers
HP finally announced details about their new Jet Fusion 3D printers, but I have a number of questions.
Airwolf’s Intimate Approach To Introducing 3D Printing To Corporations
As the emphasis on 3D printing shifts from poorly adopted consumer applications to industrial uses, 3D printer companies must find ways to make this shift. Airwolf has found a very effective and fun way to do so.
The Very Low-Cost Anvil 3D Printer Is A Bit Suspicious
An extremely low-cost desktop 3D printer is available for pre-order: The Anvil.
As Expected, HP Shows Off Their New 3D Printer With A Very Unusual Print Process
HP revealed more details about their first in-house developed 3D printing products, the HP Jet Fusion 3D 3200 and 4200 Printers.
Another 3D Printing Management System: 3D Printer ERP
I’ve seen a couple software solutions to the difficult problem of managing a 3D printer farm, and now another launches this week: 3D Printing ERP.
Could E3D’s New Edge Material Top PLA and ABS?
The folks at E3D are most well-known for their very popular hot-ends, which are installed on many desktop 3D printers. Now they’ve taken a step out of bounds to produce a pretty amazing filament.
3DPrinterOS Gains Some Portability
One of the leading cloud-based 3D printing services just made life a lot easier by supporting the Raspberry Pi 3.
More 3D Print Financial Results: VoxelJet and ExOne, And They’re Not Great
Earlier I commented on 3D Systems and Stratasys’ first quarter financial results. Today it’s VoxelJet and ExOne.