Hardware

Flexible PLA is Available!

Following up on our earlier post, we’ve located a supply shop that can provide actual flexible PLA. This is not the same material that Vik Olliver is developing; he’s working on a formula to make PLA slightly “bendy”, able to take at least some level of shock, or perhaps a bullet or two. The material… Continue reading Flexible PLA is Available!

Flexible PLA?

There’s a lot to like about 3D Printing in PLA plastic: it’s recyclable, made from totally organic material, prints with a very elegant sheen, it doesn’t warp when printing, sticks well to properly prepared print beds and even has a fantastic sweet aroma too. And did we mention it doesn’t warp? It doesn’t warp!!   … Continue reading Flexible PLA?

MakerBot Takes A Bath?

Most 3D printing companies and services experiment by introducing new products from time to time, and MakerBot is definitely one of the most experimental of companies. This time they’ve introduced something quite radical that may revolutionize personal 3D printing in the future: Dissolvable print material.   How does it work? Their new polyvinyl alcohol plastic… Continue reading MakerBot Takes A Bath?

Molding a 3D Printer

The RepRap project attempts to design a printer that is capable of printing all the parts required to build another copy of itself. While they are quite successful in doing so, work continues – and much of that work is focused on optimizing the replication process. For some, this means simplifying the design so fewer… Continue reading Molding a 3D Printer

Laser Engineered Net Shaping

Printing metal? There are several ways to do this, mostly involving mixing fine metal powder with a sticky medium, then firing it to fuse the metal together and burn of the sticky stuff. But now we’ve run across a completely different way to print metal.    Optomec’s LENS technology (Laser Engineered Net Shaping) focuses a… Continue reading Laser Engineered Net Shaping

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MCOR Nominated For Award

MCOR, manufacturers of the paper-based Matrix 300 3D Printer have been nominated for the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG)/Irish Times technology company award. This will be the fourth annual award of this type, which honours Irish technology companies. The ITLG is a group of senior Irish-American tech execs from the US, who organized a “Silicon… Continue reading MCOR Nominated For Award

Lexus Invents New Form of 3D Printing

New Scientist reports on an innovative parts-making process invented by Lexus. It’s a kind of futuristic 3D Loom that essentially “weaves” parts together. The circular device pulls a series of carbon fibres into a desired shape and is capable of “weaving” highly complex parts much faster than traditional techniques. Curves, varying thicknesses and dimensions are… Continue reading Lexus Invents New Form of 3D Printing

The Ultimate Scanner?

University of Southampton researchers have a new tool available: a high-energy 3D scanner. The design of this scanner is fascinating: it’s actually five different scanners in one, each capable of handling different resolution levels. When combined in this integrated system, the scanner is capable of scanning down to an astonishing 200 nanometers. All this within… Continue reading The Ultimate Scanner?

Essential Calibration

You’ve assembled your 3D printer after great effort and are anxiously awaiting your first printout. It will be amazing. It will shock everyone watching. Printing an actual object!    But it turns out to be a sullen lump of misshapen plastic.    This is the dilemma of many who assemble their own 3D printer. The… Continue reading Essential Calibration

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The Different Flavors of Home 3D Printers

We’ve been reading a long thread on the MakerBot Operator’s Google Group initiated by Shawn M, who is considering purchasing a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer. He asks about the level of effort required to produce high-quality parts with this particular device.    As is often the case, a simple question led to some insights. A… Continue reading The Different Flavors of Home 3D Printers

Color 3D Printing At Home

It’s possible to buy a color 3D printer, but they’re currently very expensive, such as those from ZCorp. Meanwhile, typical home 3D printers are monochrome, at least until you change the input plastic filament. The good news is that the selection of filament colors continues to increase and now includes quite a variety beyond simple… Continue reading Color 3D Printing At Home

Breaking: Solido Folds

Very disappointing news today: desktop 3D printer manufacturer Solido appears to have ceased operating. Reports indicate they’ve laid off their entire workforce (some thirty people) and are being liquidated by receivers.    Solido had a very unique approach that we’ve written about several times: ultra-thin plastic sheets were glued and cut to patterns, gradually developing… Continue reading Breaking: Solido Folds

Inventables – Materials for Inventors

We’re taking another look at maker material store Inventables, which we wrote about a year ago. At the Inventables hardware store, you won’t find very much that you could put through your 3D printer. Plastic filament is best purchased elsewhere. However, sheer amount of truly amazing materials available at Inventables is staggering.    While we… Continue reading Inventables – Materials for Inventors

Modular Desktop CNC Machine Needs Your Help

AJ Quick’s new Kickstarter project is an inexpensive but highly capable desktop CNC machine. The device was designed by University of Minnesota Mechanical Engineering students specifically for use by home operators or perhaps even light business use. While the original prototype was quite successful, they want to take the concept to the next level. To… Continue reading Modular Desktop CNC Machine Needs Your Help

StudioMill

It’s not a 3D Printer, but it is a very capable 5-axis CNC machine; the StudioMill, sold by A1 Technologies. Directed at academic institutions, the device will enable students to get their hands on serious CNC technology:   Studiomill is supplied as a complete educational CAD CAM solution with the purpose built PathingCNC software which… Continue reading StudioMill

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Gigantic Home-Designed 3D Printer

Troubled by a tiny build chamber size? Anxious to print those 13 inch custom-designed sandals in one operation? You might want to get your hands on Jim Smith’s new project at Grass Roots Engineering, where he’s designing a low-cost 3D printer with an incredible build volume of 403x403x322mm (15.86×15.86×12.70″). In addition to the build volume,… Continue reading Gigantic Home-Designed 3D Printer

PC Board Printed

We just noticed this development that was posted last July: a RepRap 3D printer was used to print a circuit board. Well, not completely – the 3D printer actually printed the etch resist, which protected the conductive bits from the acid bath. The resulting board was then cleaned up and had components mounted on it. … Continue reading PC Board Printed

Metal and Plastic Materials from EOS

It’s press release season at EuroMold, and here we see that laser sintering equipment manufacturer EOS has released some pretty amazing new materials, as you might notice in the image of a laser sintered automobile engine exhaust manifold made in nickel alloy. Here’s the new materials:   A flame-retardant polyamide, PrimePart FR, that is especially… Continue reading Metal and Plastic Materials from EOS

New 3D Modeling Interfaces Get All Touchy

The other week a surprise announcement from Interactive Fabrication described their “Beautiful Modeler”, essentially a touch-based iPad interface to a 3D modeling program. Nice!   Also recently the MakerBot Blog reported on Dries Verbruggen demonstrating a no-touch motion-detecting way to sculpt a vase – which was then 3D printed to the delight of onlookers. Also… Continue reading New 3D Modeling Interfaces Get All Touchy

Capture That Onion!

Last year artist David Bowen produced a fantastic kinetic artwork entitled “growth modeling device” in which a live onion plant is 3D scanned once every 24 hours, and then that scan is 3D printed. Amazingly, the 3D prints are then shuffled along a conveyor belt so you can see (and touch) the various stages of… Continue reading Capture That Onion!

The Ultimate Home 3D Printing Setup: Tools

Yesterday we described the foundation hardware you’d need for the ultimate home 3D printing setup, including printer, scanner and computer. But of course, you’ll need a variety of other minor items to actually make your ultimate printing life comfortable. Here’s our list, in no particular order:   Block of Wood: You’ll be working on cutting… Continue reading The Ultimate Home 3D Printing Setup: Tools

The MetraSCAN 3D Scanner

Creaform just announced a brand new ultra-high-end handheld 3D scanner, the MetraSCAN. This totally amazing 2Kg device can scan 3D objects up to 10m in size to an astounding resolution of only 0.05mm, at a rate of 36,000 measurements per second!   One of the key advantages of this device is that it’s completely handheld,… Continue reading The MetraSCAN 3D Scanner

Simplifying Mendel

The purpose of the RepRap project is to produce a 3D printer that can effectively reproduce itself. Fears of robot domination aside, this is a truly momentous project. However, it’s a difficult task to conceive of the most efficient machine design – the fewer and simpler parts required by the design means it’s easier to… Continue reading Simplifying Mendel

Veteran 3D Printers

i.Materialise reports they have some rather old 3D printers still in operation at their site. These stereolithography printers (3D Systems SLA 250’s) were apparently originally installed in 1990 – and are still used to produce parts for clients. To put it in perspective, these devices are so old you could buy them a beer –… Continue reading Veteran 3D Printers

A Rapid RapMan

How hard is it to build a RapMan? The very popular 3D printer DIY kit has been built by many people but here’s an opportunity for you to see it done in only 2 minutes and 53 seconds. No, it wasn’t actually built that quickly, but the video link below shows a time lapse of… Continue reading A Rapid RapMan

Junior Veleso’s Homemade High Resolution 3D Printer

Junior’s making his own hi-res 3D printer, and he has the experience to do it, having previously converted an inkjet printer into a 3D powder-based version. He’s been blogging this journey since July 2010 and is providing all the information and discoveries to the public, “you agree to not make use of it for commercial… Continue reading Junior Veleso’s Homemade High Resolution 3D Printer

LMN Tech Studio Reviews Objet Alaris

Seattle-based LMN Tech Studio recently received a new Objet Alaris 30 3D Printer, and they’ve written up an extensive report on their experience with the device. Here’s the highlights:    They’re impressed with the build quality, resolution and smoothness of the printed objects They like the “lack of mess” and ease of use over comparable… Continue reading LMN Tech Studio Reviews Objet Alaris

MakerBot’s Factory Option

There’s been many add-ons and upgrades available for MakerBot 3D printers, but the latest addition, the MakerBot Automated Build Platform is special. It’s an amazing addition to an already amazing device that replaces the troublesome default orange acrylic build platform and provides two key capabilities: a heated platform and an automated object removal mechanism.   … Continue reading MakerBot’s Factory Option

Capture Your Body – Or Someone Else’s!

You’ve probably heard of hand-held 3D scanners before, but CreaForm produces units specifically designed for “body capture”. No, they’re not ensnaring people in nets, but rather they take a 3D digital picture in the form of a 3D model. (Actually any of these formats: .OBJ, .FBX, .DXF, .STL, .VRML, .LWO, .MAYA, .HRC, .3DS). The awkwardly… Continue reading Capture Your Body – Or Someone Else’s!

Tweaking the Bot

Adam Mayer describes a fascinating experiment with the MakerBot Cupcake CNC. As readers may recall, the ‘Bot extrudes hot plastic (ABS or PLA) in a consistent manner. By moving the build platform along the X, Y and Z axes appropriately, the desired object is formed. However, not everything can be built in this manner. Overhangs… Continue reading Tweaking the Bot

The Zaggo Box

MakerBot operator extraordinary Zaggo has been designing a new filament box for his *second* MakerBot. As usual, Zaggo has taken this task as an opportunity to enhance the design he’s already made for the senior MakerBot.    The filament box neatly stores your input filament, be it ABS or PLA hidden underneath your MakerBot. Essential… Continue reading The Zaggo Box

BotMill!

There’s a new shop in town: BotMill. They’re addressing the growing DIY 3D Printing space:    At BotMill.com, we cater to the growing number of 3D DIY enthusiasts with quality products at discounted prices. We are constantly on the look out for new and innovative products…   They appear to market a wide variety of… Continue reading BotMill!

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MakerBot Extrudes The Mk5

At long last MakerBot has finally released their new extruder design: the MK5.    This design incorporates a number of learnings gathered from MakerBot operators’ experiments. Key features:    Greatly simplified filament drive that completely eliminates the troublesome idler wheel and replaces it with an easily adjustable chunk of Delrin, as well as a custom… Continue reading MakerBot Extrudes The Mk5

Calibration Mojo?

Quebec MakerBot operator Nicolas Gravel ponders better ways to calibrate his personal 3D printer. While he’s overcome all of the mechanical and technical difficulties in constructing his MakerBot kit, he’s stuck getting the calibration just right to permit great printouts. His idea:   Why not having a couple of test pattern related to some important… Continue reading Calibration Mojo?

3D Printing in Multiple Materials – at Home

There are many differences between commercial 3D printers and hobbyist equivalents, including build quality, size, ability to print in color, etc., but now there’s one item that might be crossed off the list: the ability to print in more than one material.    The RepRap team are working on a “head changer” that would enable… Continue reading 3D Printing in Multiple Materials – at Home

Hydrocolloid Printed Food

Researchers from Cornell University have been exploring a new angle on food printing: the use of hydrocolloids. What the heck is that? From their paper:   Using a novel combination of hydrocolloids (xanthium gum and gelatin) and flavor agents, texture and flavor can be independently tuned to produce printing materials that simulate a broad range… Continue reading Hydrocolloid Printed Food

Creaform Gets Certified

Handheld 3D laser scanner manufacturer Creaform has just achieved an interesting milestone: they’ve been certified by the Chinese National Institute of Metrology after extensive testing at NIM’s Beijing facility. What? You’ve never heard of NIM? Here’s what they are about:    Founded in 1955, the National Institute of Metrology (NIM) is China’s national metrological institute… Continue reading Creaform Gets Certified

Which Desktop 3D Printer Do I Buy? Part Two

Editor: This is a guest post courtesy of well-known 3D Printing blogger Joris Peels. Most recently Joris was the Community Manager for Shapeways, but these days he’s blogging at VoxelFab. This is part two of a two-part post. You may read part one here.      The Dimension uPrint Plus (a.k.a. HP Designjet)   Don’t get… Continue reading Which Desktop 3D Printer Do I Buy? Part Two

Which Desktop 3D Printer Do I Buy? Part One

Editor: We are totally tickled to present our very first guest post – and we’re greatly honoured to have it written by well-known 3D Printing blogger Joris Peels. Most recently Joris was the Shapeways Community Manager, and now he’s blogging at Voxelfab. Over the past few years Joris has written extensively on 3D printing helping… Continue reading Which Desktop 3D Printer Do I Buy? Part One

A Very Solido Blog

There are many personal blogs detailing adventures with one’s MakerBot or RepRap, but what about a personal Solido SD300 3D printer? That’s exactly what Scott Elliot does on his blog. The SD300 uses dry PVC sheets as its build material, fusing them together layer by layer. However:   Since the SD300 builds models inside a… Continue reading A Very Solido Blog

3D Printer Benchmark Results

As reported yesterday, T. A. Grimm & Associates has published a very extensive benchmarking report on a selection of common commercial 3D printers. We’ve been looking forward to something like this because we all too often hear statements from vendors such as: “lowest cost of materials” and “five times better resolution” or “suitable for office… Continue reading 3D Printer Benchmark Results

3D Printer Benchmark Announced

We’ve been waiting for this one: a real, honest to goodness benchmark for 3D printers. T. A. Grimm & Associates announced a new benchmark specifically designed for 3D printers. TAG’s approach is to produce four challenging and specifically designed models on each of the tested printers.     Each printer is then measured against a series… Continue reading 3D Printer Benchmark Announced

The Two Headed RapMan!

No, it’s not the title to this summers horror flick. Instead, the very popular RapMan 3D printer kit has a new feature: two heads! For only £149.50 (USD$230) you can purchase an upgrade kit for your RapMan to add a second print head through which you may extrude a material of different color or characteristics. … Continue reading The Two Headed RapMan!

Scanning Submarines

When you’re capturing a 3D scan of an object, you are typically limited by the size of the scanner, if the scanner requires you to put the scanned object inside it. But there’s also hand-held scanners that can overcome even that limitation. But how big an object can you scan?    Creaform is going to… Continue reading Scanning Submarines

MakerFaire Video

Take a look at a great video from the recent MakerFaire where:  Bre Prettis of MakerBot provides a brief explanation of their hobby 3D printer Jeffrey Lipton of the Fab at Home project explains the unique features of their printer, which is capable of printing electronics or even batteries.  Max Freeman of Alibre – demonstrates… Continue reading MakerFaire Video

Glowing Objects

Nicholas Lewis has discovered that the Blue PLA filament build material he’s been using glows when illuminated by black-light. The picture above tells the story. Imagine the build possibilities!   The PLA is available from UltiMachine at the link below. From the description:   This is Natureworks PLA4042D extruded into 3mm filament. This is a… Continue reading Glowing Objects

Objet Patents a New Print Material

We’ve just been going through a rather lengthy patent application submitted by Eduardo Napandensky and Diana Ravich – and the patent is assigned to Objet Geometries, one of the top line commercial 3D printer manufacturers. The patent describes a mysterious new print material that has new color and strength properties.   Specifically, this is the… Continue reading Objet Patents a New Print Material

Do You Need an Atomic Force Microscope?

Sure, everyone needs an AFM! But what is it? From Wikipedia:   Atomic force microscopy (AFM) or scanning force microscopy (SFM) is a very high-resolution type of scanning probe microscopy, with demonstrated resolution on the order of fractions of a nanometer, more than 1000 times better than the optical diffraction limit. The precursor to the… Continue reading Do You Need an Atomic Force Microscope?

Visiting a FabLab

There’s a great photojourney of a visit through Aachen’s FabLab at lekernel’s scrapbook, including images of their 3D printer, laser cutter and milling machine. What exactly is a “FabLab”? Here’s the Wikipedia definition:   A Fab Lab (fabrication laboratory) is a small-scale workshop with an array of computer controlled tools that cover several different length… Continue reading Visiting a FabLab

A 3D Design Alternative

We received a follow up comment regarding our post “Poor Man’s 3D Printing: The Design” from A1 technologies, marketers of a variety of 3D gear. They wished to point out one of their products, the Chameleon, might be considered as an inexpensive design alternative.    What is the Chameleon? It’s a hardware/software combination that enables… Continue reading A 3D Design Alternative

The Vitraglyphic Process: Revealed

A wonderful video from Doctoral Student Meghan Trainor and Professor Mark Ganter of the University of Washington shows the entire process of producing 3D printed ceramics. The initial fragile print made from a glass powder formula is placed into a furnace for firing and solidification.    An ongoing issue with the process, which is still… Continue reading The Vitraglyphic Process: Revealed

A1’s Subtractive UNIMAT Series

A1 Technology, sellers of a variety of additive 3D equipment including the low-cost BfB 3000 3D printer and RapMan 3D printer has introduced an entirely new line of products: The UNIMAT series, a collection of subtractive manufacturing tools.    The premise is UNIMAT’s extremely low pricing and modular design that should enable the technology to… Continue reading A1’s Subtractive UNIMAT Series

DeviceKnit Discovers Good Uses

We were approached by John Ganotis, developer of DeviceKnit, a unique way to think about gadgets. Here’s how it works, according to John:   We’ve been describing it as a “cookbook for gadgets.” In its first, simplest form its all about sharing applications for different electronics and gadgets people have. Users submit “implementations” as responses… Continue reading DeviceKnit Discovers Good Uses

HP 3D Printers Rolling Out

NeBusiness reports on the new HP 3D printer that’s now in the hands of another UK reseller: Standing Stone. They’ve been selling it since the first of May. The firm’s national sales director, Simon Buckton, says of the £16,500 3D printer + cleaner combo:   We’ve shown some architects, who are very excited about it,… Continue reading HP 3D Printers Rolling Out

Stratasys is Savoring

That’s according to their CEO, Scott Crump, who in a recent blog post described the moment when HP announced it entered the 3D printer market – using machines made by Stratasys. Crump:   It’s a sweet feeling to see Stratasys reach this point. I’ve envisioned an event like this for more than 20 years.  … Continue reading Stratasys is Savoring

WaveWash From Stratasys

One of the big challenges with 3D printers is the clean up process. Unlike 2D printers, where you can use the output immediately, most 3D printers produce objects that require various types of post-processing, and this is especially true for support media. While some printers simply use the same print material for support sections that… Continue reading WaveWash From Stratasys

DIYLILCNC

The DIYLILCNC is a do-it-yourself CNC machine. Much like open source 3D printer designs, this one is instead for a CNC machine. This one can be built for approximately USD$700. From the site:   Plans and instructions for building the DIYLILCNC are distributed freely and intended for wide distribution and modification with few restrictions. The… Continue reading DIYLILCNC

The Most Popular 3D Printer Brands & Manufacturers?

A strange post appeared last week on Red Chill Media where they listed their thoughts on the “Top 4 Most Popular 3D Printer Brands & Manufacturers”. Their list included: Objet Z Corporation Desktop Factory (!) Dimension/Stratasys We’re not sure we’d agree with this list, particularly item 3, Desktop Factory. While DT was highly touted and… Continue reading The Most Popular 3D Printer Brands & Manufacturers?

SpaceNavigators Are Free!

We’re a big fan of SpaceNavigators, those pleasant-feeling 3D controllers that are most often found in your not-the-regular-mouse hand. The SpaceNav is compatible with a long list of 3D software, ranging from most modelling tools to 3D games.   There’s several types of SpaceNavs available from maker 3DConnexion, including more advanced models with many buttons,… Continue reading SpaceNavigators Are Free!

Solido Pricing Update

We were contacted by Valori Pagone, VP Technical Support at Solido USA Solido USA, after she read our post from last week examining a sample print from a Solido 3D printer.    In the article we posted pricing we found at typical resellers, but according to Valori:    Consumable kits are $359 USD for any… Continue reading Solido Pricing Update

Make Anything!

That’s the tagline for the new Fab@Home website, just unveiled in the past few days:   Fab@Home will change the way we live. It is a platform of printers and programs which can produce functional 3D objects. It is designed to fit on your desktop and within your budget. Fab@Home is supported by a global,… Continue reading Make Anything!

3D Printing Aids Biohacking

These days people are fiddling with anything that can be made digital, and one of the more interesting digitizations recently is biology! DNA, those tiny molecular strands that define us all, are increasingly being investigated by, well, hackers. BBC News reports on this phenomenon, which has grown recently aided by technological developments.    The idea… Continue reading 3D Printing Aids Biohacking

Stratasys Reduces Support Material by 40%

Stratasys, makers of the Dimension series of commercial 3D printers has announced a breakthrough in support technology. For those who don’t know, support material is frequently used in 3D printing to overcome the problem of printing overhangs. If there’s no support material to hold it up, the printer can’t properly deposit the build material. Support… Continue reading Stratasys Reduces Support Material by 40%

Ponoko Makes MakerBots!

What does a personal manufacturing service from New Zealand have to do with a 3D printer kit manufacturer from New York City? A lot more now, apparently. The two organizations have teamed up to leverage each other’s strengths.    MakerBot has opened a Showroom on Ponoko, where you can purchase and customize not only your… Continue reading Ponoko Makes MakerBots!

RepRap – MakerBot Controversy!

Controversy erupted over the past few weeks where someone was providing an assembled electronics kit for RepRap based on the MakerBot electronics board. The controversy stemmed from the maker’s (kymberlyaandrus) alleged lack of posting the required files with the electronics kit.    The way it’s supposed to work, according to basic open source concepts, is… Continue reading RepRap – MakerBot Controversy!

Ceramic 3D Printer?

Unfold is experimenting with printing ceramics. They’ve acquired a RapMan 3D printer kit and “Currently we are working on a toolhead that can extrude clay.” This is not something the RapMan was originally designed to do, but what are kits for if not to modify?    The test vase, shown above appears impressive, but it may… Continue reading Ceramic 3D Printer?

HP Ready to Ship 3D Printers

In an update to the blockbuster announcement in January, DesignNews reports that HP will very soon begin shipping their new 3D printers to five selected European countries, eventually widening their market to the entire globe. The printers are being manufactured by HP’s partner and 3D printing leader, Stratasys at their Minnesota plant.    DesignNews believes… Continue reading HP Ready to Ship 3D Printers

Another Inexpensive 3D Printer Kit Emerges

Competition for Makerbot? Cubely jumped into the 3D printing scene this week at an Arizona Hackerspace meetup. Cubely, a RepRap derivative, hopes to produce a superior hobbyist 3D printer at low cost.    Cubely consists of four major components: Electronics, which they recommend purchasing from MakerBot, as they are “unfortunately” the sole supplier; Stepper motors… Continue reading Another Inexpensive 3D Printer Kit Emerges

Laser Scanning Sale!

Laser Design has a special offer on for those requiring a full-scale commercial 3D scanner: 30% discount. This is a substantial amount, given the normal prices for such equipment.    The device in question is the Surveyor WS-Series system:   Surveyor WS-Series scans parts from all orientations, then easily rotates the data back into a… Continue reading Laser Scanning Sale!

Purple Platypus

As the 3D printer market grows, the sales model changes, too. At first we see manufacturers selling directly, but once established they expand their coverage by partnering with hardware resellers. Resellers are a very effective way to market products within a fixed geographical area because they can be much more attuned to local conditions and… Continue reading Purple Platypus

ProMetal’s Experience

ProMetal is an innovative manufacturing company that uses advanced techniques such as additive manufacturing to get an edge. In a wide-ranging interview and analysis, RapidToday profiles ProMetal and their recent challenges: Identifying the right sales channels to meet the market Enabling customized versions of products Keeping consumer costs low It seems that selling 3D items… Continue reading ProMetal’s Experience

Two Metallic Announcements

In recent days two announcements regarding 3D metal printing have emerged: Shapeways announced a new material and Materialise released new software optimized for metal additive manufacturing. Firsrt, Materialise released the “Magics Metal SG” software package that should make life a little bit easier for 3D designers: Magics Metal SG provides metal AM professionals with a… Continue reading Two Metallic Announcements

Who Is The RapMan?

We’ve covered the very popular RapMan 3D printer kit on several occasions previously, but there’s something a little mysterious about them. We noticed their website and branding changed. We see a new name: “Bits From Bytes”. What’s going on? Clarification arrived from their spokesperson, Rachel Park, who explains: Bits from Bytes (BfB, is how they… Continue reading Who Is The RapMan?

The Homemade 3D Printer

Those new to the concept of 3D printing are often even more amazed to find out that it’s entirely possible to actually build a 3D printer yourself! It’s not particularly easy and you must have very reasonable hardware talent, but definitely possible.   You’ll need to select a method of depositing print media from many… Continue reading The Homemade 3D Printer

Wallpaper Magazine Awards “R-O-B” Best Builder Award

Normally we who follow the 3D printing world expect to see a (probably) beige printer-like box containing a steamy build chamber from which excellent 3D objects are extracted. But the R-O-B is a very different kind of additive “printer”. It’s actually a full-scale industrial robot that’s mounted inside a standard shipping container. The shipping container… Continue reading Wallpaper Magazine Awards “R-O-B” Best Builder Award

CubeSpawn

Another very cool KickStarter project has appeared: CubeSpawn, by James Jones. The project’s concept is to establish a standard approach to linking personal manufacturing machines together based on the common cube shape. In this vision, 30cm square cubes are placed adjacent to one another, and each contains some type of manufacturing machine. Results from one… Continue reading CubeSpawn

New Image Plastics

Need some plastic for your 3D printer? Unsatisfied with your current choice of print media? There’s another option for you to consider: New Image Plastics, who manufacture a variety of different thermoplastic rods: We manufacture and stock a vast inventory of the finest quality, zero porosity (voidless) plastic welding rod and welding wire for all… Continue reading New Image Plastics