We recently listed three types of 3D print businesses you probably shouldn’t try to launch, but we thought we’d list some factors that we believe could make your 3D print business venture a lot more successful. Uniqueness. You can’t do the same thing as other companies; you must offer something different and unique to… Continue reading 7 Success Factors For Your 3D Print Business
Ideas
Three 3D Print Businesses You Probably Should Not Launch
Over the past couple of years, interest in 3D printing has exploded. Today more than at any time in the past, more people are aware of 3D printing. It’s the perfect time to launch a new business in the 3D print universe, right? Not necessarily. We’ve seen so many new businesses… Continue reading Three 3D Print Businesses You Probably Should Not Launch
3D Printing Arrives in Argentina with Kikai Labs
3D printing is now inexpensive and this means its use can become widespread very rapidly. Argentina-based Kikai Labs hopes to carry 3D printing forward in South America, with their own locally produced 3D printer design. While their virtual store currently operates in Argentina, they apparently will open up sales in neighboring Uruguay soon. … Continue reading 3D Printing Arrives in Argentina with Kikai Labs
Watch: 3D Print Smoothing with Acetone
Bracken Dawson and James Bruton of So Make It, the Southampton Makerspace, demonstrate the acetone smoothing technique for ABS prints in a recent video. The technique is well-known, but can be tricky and is also potentially dangerous if you’re not careful. Nevertheless, the duo walk you through the acetone process, demonstrating issues such as… Continue reading Watch: 3D Print Smoothing with Acetone
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Will Apple Get Into 3D Printing?
We think no. Apple will not get into 3D printing anytime soon. There’s several reasons we take this view. First, remember that Apple’s mantra is to produce “insanely great” products, products that have an ease of use that is significantly better than previous offerings from competitors. Can Apple achieve this goal in 3D… Continue reading Will Apple Get Into 3D Printing?
3D Printed Hermit Crab Cities
It’s not a city “of” hermit crabs, it’s a city that a hermit crab can carry around. Japanese artist Aki Inomata developed a 3D printed replacement shell for hermit crabs that includes a tiny model city on its back. Thus, when the crab wanders, it takes the city with it. Inomata says: I… Continue reading 3D Printed Hermit Crab Cities
How To Deal With An Old 3D Printer
Personal 3D printing has been evolving at a very rapid rate over the past 3-4 years. It’s been proceeding so fast that you might find yourself equipped with a few older, obsolete models that idle powerless in the corner of your workshop. What should you do with these ancient, no-longer-useful 3D printers? Here’s some… Continue reading How To Deal With An Old 3D Printer
It’s Time For Filament Standardization
Some 3D printer manufacturers have moved to proprietary filament cartridges, but many 3D printers are still capable of using generic plastic filament. Why go proprietary? Aside from the obvious solidification of plastic revenue, manufacturers want to ensure a more reliable and consistent printing result by using filament that meets their requirements. Meanwhile, generic… Continue reading It’s Time For Filament Standardization
The Biggest and Fastest Growing Industry: 3D Printing?
An infographic from MyCorporation proposes a list of the “Biggest and Fastest Growing” businesses of 2013. Included on the list are: Green and Sustainable Energy Personal Care Social Network Games Mobile Apps Generic Pharmacy and, of course, 3D printing. The list makes sense to us. Everything points to green, especially those wind… Continue reading The Biggest and Fastest Growing Industry: 3D Printing?
Should Test-Tube Burgers Be 3D Printed?
Should the new test-tube hamburger meat be 3D printed? Short answer: yes. Long answer: hold on, what are we talking about here? This week marks the debut of lab-cultured meat. It’s real beef, but the difference is that it did not come from cattle. It was produced by growing beef muscle tissue… Continue reading Should Test-Tube Burgers Be 3D Printed?
Should 3D Systems Acquire Formlabs?
We recently noted a pause until September 3rd in the lawsuit between 3D Systems and Formlabs (and Kickstarter) regarding potential violation of 3D Systems patents in Formlab’s Form 1 personal 3D printer, which was massively launched on Kickstarter some months ago. Formlabs took quick advantage of expiring basic patents on the initial 3D print… Continue reading Should 3D Systems Acquire Formlabs?
Would You Actually Wear 3D Printed Fashions?
It’s easy to imagine using 3D prints. Print a doorstop and hold a door open. Print a coathook and hang up your jacket. Print a replacement gear and fix your whatever. But fashions. We’ve seen several truly fascinating 3D printed fashion shows in past months, including one from notable 3D fashion designer Iris Van… Continue reading Would You Actually Wear 3D Printed Fashions?
i.Materialise’s Size Charts
A confusing aspect of using 3D print services is the constraints you’ll find when selecting material for your 3D print. You may wonder why “this” is allowed, while “that” is not. The answer lies behind the curtain. The 3D print services may want you to think of them as a kind of “black box”… Continue reading i.Materialise’s Size Charts
What Does A Big Company Do With 3D Printing?
We’re reading a very interesting interview by Joris Peels, who spoke to Prabhjot Sing, General Electric’s Manager of GE Additive Manufacturing Lab at GE Global Research. The thought we had was: how does a very large company make use of 3D printers? Readers who have personal devices obviously have very different usage patterns. Here’s… Continue reading What Does A Big Company Do With 3D Printing?
The Coney Island Scan-A-Rama
If the title of this project, the Coney Island Scan-A-Rama, sounds suspicious, consider that the person behind it is called “The Great Fredini”. In reality, Scan-A-Rama is a project by Brooklyn-based Fred Kahl, who hopes to build an inexpensive 3D Scanning Portrait Studio in, where else, Coney Island. We’ve seen several experiments in… Continue reading The Coney Island Scan-A-Rama
Safety of 3D Printing Questioned
A new report has examined the propensity of personal 3D printers to emit ultrafine particles. “Ultrafine Particle Emissions from Desktop 3D Printers” by Brent Stephens, Parham Azimia, Zeineb El Orcha and Tiffanie Ramosa of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago and the National Institute of Applied Sciences in… Continue reading Safety of 3D Printing Questioned
Where Did AMF Go?
Every once in a while you’ll run into a problem when 3D printing After some diagnosis you’ll realize the root cause of your issue was STL, the prehistoric file format most commonly used by the personal 3D printing industry. There’s no other way to say it, but STL sucks. It permits invalid 3D models… Continue reading Where Did AMF Go?
Extremely Rare 3D Printed Sugar Cube
A strange social experiment is underway, in which a plain sugar cube has been created using advanced 3D sugar printing technology. This apparently rare beast is currently on sale on eBay. Wait, what? Who would buy a 3D printed sugar cube? Who would buy any sugar cube? That’s exactly the experiment being undertaken… Continue reading Extremely Rare 3D Printed Sugar Cube
There’s More to the 3D Printing Revolution
We’re reading a piece in Forbes that describes what they call the “3D Printing Revolution You Have Not Heard About”. They refer to the less visible industrial application of 3D printing in the hearing aid market. A hearing aid must fit precisely into the patient’s ear and therefore must be custom made. Custom made… Continue reading There’s More to the 3D Printing Revolution
Pay for 3D Printer? or Pay for 3D Materials?
While it’s easy to see a vast number of 3D printers emerging recently, there are some patterns beginning to emerge. Today we’re thinking about the business model. Everyone is familiar with the Razor-blades business model: give away the razor, charge for the blades. But is this approach used in 3D printing? Yes. And… Continue reading Pay for 3D Printer? or Pay for 3D Materials?
TorrentFreak Contemplates 3D Piracy
TorrentFreak, a blog covering happenings in the BitTorrent world, forecasts doom for some manufacturers when 3D printing becomes widespread. BitTorrent is a file sharing protocol often used for pirating digital media, most notably music, movies and ebooks. TorrentFreak focused on the scenario of replacing a sink plug by personal 3D printing and realized plug manufacturers… Continue reading TorrentFreak Contemplates 3D Piracy
The Perfect Cast is 3D Printed
Designer Jake Evill has done something good. Something truly amazing that could change the future. He’s produced a custom-fit 3D printed exoskeleton piece that can be used as a cast for broken limbs. The “Cortex” cast is a sparse model that perfectly fits the exterior shape of the limb, while providing adequate support for… Continue reading The Perfect Cast is 3D Printed
3D Printing and Painting – Together At Last
Artist Ioan Florea has developed a new technique for linking the new technology of 3D printing with the ancient art of painting. The recent immigrant to the USA has developed a line of fast dry oil pants, but we’re most interested in the way in which he integrated 3D printing. The process begins with… Continue reading 3D Printing and Painting – Together At Last
3D Model Captured With Google Glass
Google Glass is a set of glasses that include processing, networking and sensory elements. It’s an experimental platform upon which developers many now invent new kinds of applications. One such experiment is Todd Blatt’s 3D scanning project. The glasses themselves do not have the processing capability to generate a 3D model, nor do the… Continue reading 3D Model Captured With Google Glass
Cura: An Unusual Slicer
3D Hacker has posted an interesting video interview with David Braam, the developer of Cura. What’s Cura? It’s a new 3D printing management program designed to drive the Ultimaker personal 3D printer. Braam used his own Ultimaker for some time but noticed problems in the software environment, specifically around time delays. 3D printing is… Continue reading Cura: An Unusual Slicer
African Jumpstart With 3D Printing?
Many years ago we wondered how Africa could ever catch up to the West in telecommunications. The cost of installing cabling would have been tremendous, but something happened to change the picture. Wireless technology emerged and Africa didn’t have to come up with cash to install wires. They simply leapfrogged over the old technology and… Continue reading African Jumpstart With 3D Printing?
3B Printing?
Yes, we said “3B” printing. It’s definitely not a technology like 3D printing, but we thought you’d be interested in seeing it. Created by liquor manufacturer Dewars, 3B printing was used for a promotion for their new “Highlander Honey” Scotch. It’s a relatively straightforward process: a custom-shaped form is filled with honeybees, who build… Continue reading 3B Printing?
How Will Stratasys and MakerBot Change?
After their acquisition of MakerBot, we’re expecting changes in StrataBot, or is it MakerSys? We’re just kidding; neither Stratasys nor MakerBot will change their name as a result of this week’s acquisition; there’s too much value associated with each brand. But what else will change? The two companies have some similarities in technology –… Continue reading How Will Stratasys and MakerBot Change?
The Budget That Was Saved By 3D Printing
South east of Huntsville, Alabama is the small city of Boaz, where something very interesting happened. The Boaz City School System discovered they had to replace all the switch mounts for their network upgrade. The 364 switches were to cost USD$2000, but Wayne Caudle, Director of Technologies for the School System had a better… Continue reading The Budget That Was Saved By 3D Printing
MakerBot’s First Post-Stratasys 3D Printer?
What will be the next personal 3D printer from MakerBot, post acquisition by Stratasys? We believe MakerBot’s next 3D printer could be significantly different from previous Replicators. Why? Because there will be huge synergies between the two companies technologies, as both use plastic extrusion processes. Extruded plastic 3D printing was invented by Stratasys… Continue reading MakerBot’s First Post-Stratasys 3D Printer?
I Will Not Print You A Gun!
The headline is not exactly what is said on a piece now appearing on Thingiverse. The “guns are bad” 3D model by Gecko is a desktop sign that actually says: NO! I will not print you a f***ing gun 3D printed guns are obviously controversial, so much so that the mandarins at Thingiverse… Continue reading I Will Not Print You A Gun!
Autodesk Battles Bad Design
3D software giant Autodesk has released an infographic portraying the need for, guess what? 3D design software. (Click on the image above to see the fine details). It may be in their self-interest, but they have a valid point. The infographic indicates that a surprising amount of newly released products are subject to recall… Continue reading Autodesk Battles Bad Design
3D Printed Sports Logos: Illegal?
Boston, Massachusetts is the original home of ZCorp, now owned by 3D Systems. It’s also the home of the Boston Bruins NHL hockey club, currently battling the Chicago Blackhawks for the championship Stanley Cup. In 2011 the Bruins won the cup and the folks (or perhaps fans) at ZCorp printed out the Bruins official… Continue reading 3D Printed Sports Logos: Illegal?
A Dad Meets a 3D Printer
We’ve been working with 3D printers for so many years it’s sometimes hard to recall what it was like when first encountering a 3D printer. That’s why we’re reading a post on GeekDad by Brad Moon, who decided to dive deep into 3D printing by purchasing a 3D Systems Cube personal 3D printer. Moon… Continue reading A Dad Meets a 3D Printer
Digital Grotesque: A 3D Printed Room
In July of this year Digital Grotesque will launch. It’s a project to produce “an elaborate, fully-enclosed room that is entirely 3D printed.” Computational architects Benjamin Dillenburger and Michael Hansmeyer designed Digital Grotesque and exhibited a 1:3 scale prototype at the recent 2013 Swiss Art Awards in Basel. They hope to produce a full… Continue reading Digital Grotesque: A 3D Printed Room
3D Printing to Change the Shoe Industry?
James Shorrock writes on Hypebeast his thoughts on how 3D printing could change the future of the shoe manufacturing industry. He proposes that while shoe prototyping has already led to much more rapid shoe design, eventually shoes could be 3D printed directly, based on current experiments with different materials. Once the correct cushioning and… Continue reading 3D Printing to Change the Shoe Industry?
A Collectable Rubber Duck in Hong Kong
Eddie Tsai of Hong Kong’s Fung Academy researched the adoption of 3D printing by consumers and came up with the concept of “hyperlocal promotions, the ability to respond to events around the world with meaningful relevant products quickly.” An interesting concept certainly, but it quickly became reality for Tsai, who was contacted mere days… Continue reading A Collectable Rubber Duck in Hong Kong
3D Printing: It’s A Local Thing
We’re reading a post on BlogTO, a publication focused on events in Toronto, which talks about the sudden popularity of 3D printing in that city. They describe 3D printing technology for those who are not familiar and relate local 3D printing events. They list places in the region where people can get exposed to… Continue reading 3D Printing: It’s A Local Thing
Battle of the 3D Printer Manufacturers
The opening of MakerBot’s new factory has us wondering about their main competition’s manufacturing capability. 3D System’s Cube is now selling at Staples online shop, with intentions of being sold in each physical store location. We suspect the Cube is manufactured overseas in China, where large-scale manufacturing is commonplace and inexpensive. It also provides… Continue reading Battle of the 3D Printer Manufacturers
Seven Things You Must Know About 3D Printing
Many Fabbaloo readers are new to the idea of 3D printing. You may have been attracted to the technology because you’ve seen it on the web, or perhaps someone told you about it. But not having experienced it directly, there are some things you should know. It’s Slow. Do not expect Star Trek Replicator… Continue reading Seven Things You Must Know About 3D Printing
How Many Personal 3D Printers Exist?
With recent furor over 3D printed guns, we started wondering exactly how many people could actually produce them on their 3D printer. In other words, how many personal 3D printers exist? It’s very difficult to cite any specific number, mainly because the major manufacturers are very tight with statistical information. MakerBot used to leak… Continue reading How Many Personal 3D Printers Exist?
BBC: “3D Printing Is Not Going To Change The World”
BBC correspondent Peter Day says “3D printing is not—according to one of the prophets of the new personal manufacturing age—going to change the world on its own” in a recent piece. His notion parallels our thinking, and by extension, the thought process everyone must go through. It’s something like this: Wow! 3D Printing… Continue reading BBC: “3D Printing Is Not Going To Change The World”
Who Should Disney Sue for 3D Printing Mickey?
There’s an interesting piece at Intellectual Property Brief by Brianna Ford that looks at the legal scenario involved when copyright, trademark or patent items are illegally reproduced on a personal 3D printer. We strongly suspect this situation will occur; in fact, it’s probably already occurring. Disney-related items are appearing at Thingiverse and they will… Continue reading Who Should Disney Sue for 3D Printing Mickey?
BioHacking Leads to 3D BioPrinting?
A report on TechCrunch describes the work of two bio companies, Genome Compiler and Cambrian Genomics. They are developing hardware and software to design and print (the DNA) of new life forms. The idea is to provide software (that’s Genome Compiler’s part) that allows a designer to combine different gene sequences together into a… Continue reading BioHacking Leads to 3D BioPrinting?
U.S. Losing its Edge in Additive Manufacturing?
For the last few decades, American companies have dominated and advanced the field of additive manufacturing to its current state. However, in a recent report from industry analyst Terry Wolhers, America’s dominance in additive manufacturing could be waning. In preparation for Wohlers Associates annual Wohlers Report,the analysis firm hase released some data that might… Continue reading U.S. Losing its Edge in Additive Manufacturing?
Are 3D Printers Scary?
We’re reading a post by Shelly Palmer of Huffington Post entitled, “3D Printing is Way Scarier Than Plastic Guns”. Palmer describes the recent 3D printed gun scenario that we’ve covered in several posts and then goes on to suggest that the knee-jerk reactions of various politicians are misguided, sensational and “like putting a Band-Aid on… Continue reading Are 3D Printers Scary?
3D Printers: Banned?
That could be the outcome of a proposal from California state senator Leland Yee of San Francisco. Upon reviewing recent reports of 3D printable weapons, Yee became concerned about the possible outcomes and has proposed that the technology must be regulated. He says: Terrorists can make these guns and do some horrible things to… Continue reading 3D Printers: Banned?
Stratasys Solves Those Troublesome 3D Print Seams
If you’re using an extrusion-based 3D printer, you’re likely familiar with the problem of seams. It’s an annoying strip right up the side of your object that disrupts the otherwise smooth surface of your 3D print. The seam is actually composed of the vertical accumulation of start / end points from each layer’s perimeter.… Continue reading Stratasys Solves Those Troublesome 3D Print Seams
Dynamic 3D Model Apps: Open or Closed?
It’s become apparent that dynamic models are a lot more fun than static models for 3D printing. Wait, what’s a dynamic model? A static model is simply a digital 3D model that is the same for everyone. A nice bracelet, for example. A dynamic model is one that’s created for you at the… Continue reading Dynamic 3D Model Apps: Open or Closed?
A Word On 3D Printed Gun Safety
If you happened to download the 3D printed handgun models before the US government confiscated them, it may be time to remind you of safety concerns should you attempt to 3D print this item. The ease of 3D printing and the sudden availability of a working gun model meant that some people will attempt… Continue reading A Word On 3D Printed Gun Safety
Is Your 3D Printer Filament Toxic?
You own a personal 3D printer that accepts 3rd party filament and you’ve purchased a selection of cool colors from an online shop – but is that filament safe? Aside from the obvious choices of color, quantity and filament diameter, the one factor most considered is price. Usually the lowest priced filament that meets… Continue reading Is Your 3D Printer Filament Toxic?
Why 3D Print Model Repositories Won’t Work
Another Day, Another 3D Model Repository opens for business. We can’t tell you how many people we’ve run into lately that hope to launch a type of 3D model repository. The story goes something like this: There’s gonna be so many 3D printers, there will be a huge demand for 3D models to print.… Continue reading Why 3D Print Model Repositories Won’t Work
3D Printing Napster? Not Yet
A piece in TechCrunch examines the notion that common availability of 3D printers will give rise to a “Napster for 3D Printing Models”. Napster, for those of you to young to recall, was the first big-time music sharing service, which emerged at a time when rules about such things were vague and corporate responses… Continue reading 3D Printing Napster? Not Yet
The 3D Printing Reliability Barrier
We’re reading a very short post on Zheng 3 where they attempted to print a Magic: The Gathering Beast Token. As you can see above, there were some very slight problems in successfully completing this operation. And that’s the problem – 3D printers are simply not sufficiently reliable. We’ve used many different 3D printers… Continue reading The 3D Printing Reliability Barrier
New Zealand Panics Over 3D Printing
A report from New Zealand’s 3 News shows big concerns about 3D printing are brewing in that Pacific nation. Minister of Customs Maurice Williamson has evidently learned about 3D printing technology and believes that: Household printers are likely to be able to manufacture drugs, weapons and other contraband in just a few years, which… Continue reading New Zealand Panics Over 3D Printing
3D Printing: Worth Billions By 2025?
A study by Lux Research proposes the value of the 3D printing market will reach an astonishing USD$8.4B by the year 2025. Last year’s value was a mere USD$777M, suggesting a rise of USD$7.6B over the next twelve years. This is a compound annual growth rate of around 22%. That’s big. Lux Research… Continue reading 3D Printing: Worth Billions By 2025?
3D Printing Survey Results
You might recall we pointed you, dear readers, to a survey being undertaken by Create It Real? Now the results of said survey have been published and we can take a look at what you said. The answers reveal the tone resonating among 3D printing enthusiasts these days. The first question asked, “what… Continue reading 3D Printing Survey Results
Stratasys’s Finishing Secrets
Stratasys has released a video detailing some of their secret (well, maybe not so secret) finishing processes. The video shows various tumbling media machines that operate similar to rock polishing tumblers – an object is tossed around within a bath of rough media. Gradually the objects become smooth after a relatively short period in the… Continue reading Stratasys’s Finishing Secrets
Perfectly Smooth PLA 3D Prints?
We’ve written previously about a method to create a perfectly smooth (even shiny) surface finish on your ABS plastic 3D prints, but one wonders whether the same can be done on PLA 3D prints. ABS plastic is dissolved by Acetone, so a typical approach is to (CAREFULLY AND SAFELY) dip your ABS object into… Continue reading Perfectly Smooth PLA 3D Prints?
For 3D Printing “Early Adopters Have Big Advantage”
In a recently released report by technology research company Gartner, experts have concluded that companies who adopt 3D printing early will see major advantages over those who don’t. According to Pete Basiliere, research director at Gartner, “Businesses must continuously monitor advances to identify where improvements can be leveraged.” Read More at ENGINEERING.com
Avi Reichental Talks
3D Systems President and CEO Avi Reichental was interviewed by Huffington Post correspondent Lilia Ziamou. The interview material is basic, as it’s intended for folks new to the concept of 3D printing. However, Reichental spends many words on 3D Systems’ strategy of “democratizing” 3D printing, talking about Cubify, CAD design and the ease of… Continue reading Avi Reichental Talks
An Interview With Limor Fried
Fabbaloo recently caught up with Adafruit’s Limor Fried to discuss her views on 3D printing. Here’s the interview: Fabbaloo: Adafruit recently partnered with MakerBot to produce a bundle of DIY electronics and the capability of 3D printing. Do you see further collaborations with 3D printer manufacturers or 3D print services? Limor Fried: We’ll… Continue reading An Interview With Limor Fried
The End of the 3D Printing Party?
We’re reading a piece by Brad Moon on InvestorPlace entitled, “3D Printing Party Could End Before It Begins”. The point seems to be that the magic of 3D printing will be destroyed by legal infighting amongst participants. Cited as evidence in the article are: Intellectual Venture’s patenting of a method for enforcing DRM… Continue reading The End of the 3D Printing Party?
3D Printing To “Go The Way of Virtual Reality”?
We’re reading a piece from last year by Christopher Mims in the MIT Technology Review, in which he dumps rather strongly on the notion that “any object can be rapidly synthesized with a little bit of energy and raw materials.” He says: There is a species of magical thinking practiced by geeks whose… Continue reading 3D Printing To “Go The Way of Virtual Reality”?
Companies to Explore the Next Generation Concepts for 3D Metal Printing Machinery
Sigma Labs Inc. announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Interactive Machines, Inc. (IMI) of Southwick, Massachusetts. The MOU sets forth the parties’ intent to explore the formation of a joint venture or other arrangement for the purpose of developing and commercializing next-generation 3D printing devices designed to produce an increased… Continue reading Companies to Explore the Next Generation Concepts for 3D Metal Printing Machinery
Sculpteo’s Customizable Dock
3D print service Sculpteo has been experimenting with a variety of end-user customizable 3D models. Once customized, you can order a 3D print of the model through Sculpteo’s banks of expensive 3D printers. The latest end-user modifiable model they’re offering is an iPhone 5 dock. The customization offered is very straightforward: you can specify… Continue reading Sculpteo’s Customizable Dock
3D Printing Changes Everything
Yup.
Forbes Points to 3D Print Services
We’re reading an article from Forbes in which they predict the “early action” on 3D printers will be in the form of services. They correctly state that the number of home 3D printers is kinda small right now, saying: the number of US households that actually own one of these super-cool devices is less… Continue reading Forbes Points to 3D Print Services
$2M Worth of 3D Printing Pens and a Big Implication
The amazing 3Doodler 3D printing pen seems to be rather popular: it’s Kickstarter fundraising campaign has now passed the USD$2M mark and it’s still rising. At this rate, the USD$75 handheld 3D printing device could potentially raise USD$4M or more. Now that’s a lot of 3D pens! More importantly, if there are suddenly… Continue reading $2M Worth of 3D Printing Pens and a Big Implication