MCOR produces the world’s only 3D printer that uses paper as its print material. This makes it among the least expensive devices to operate, since the print material (paper sheets) can be found at practically any store worldwide – and in any color you choose, too. The printer is also one of the most ecologically… Continue reading MCOR’s 3D Paper Printers On Sale
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Ultra-Micro 3D Printing
We’ve been examining the work of EoPlex, a manufacturer that uses a proprietary 3D print technology to produce astonishingly tiny devices and structures, typically for electronics packaging. The EoPlex “basic design rules” state: Minimum object length of a mere 1mm, with a maximum of 200mm Feature size as low as 25 microns Layer size… Continue reading Ultra-Micro 3D Printing
Up! Printer Photos
There are increasing numbers of Up! 3D printers appearing. Up! is a pre-assembled, low-cost RepRap-based plastic extruding 3D printer using an optimized physical design. We found recent photos of Up! in use, this time by Flickr user Christopher.e. In the photos we see some excellent quality prints, which is even more amazing when you… Continue reading Up! Printer Photos
One Really Big Replicator
Thingiverse member KurtCircuit has designed a rather enormous device: a 3D printer that is theoretically capable of printing 1m cube-sized objects. Even more astonishing is the fact that he’s actually building this device! The massive device, known as the “Scalable Largescale Cartesian Bot”, apparently uses RepRap-derived principles, and is likely the biggest 3D printer… Continue reading One Really Big Replicator
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
MakerBot’s New Thing
In a rather sudden but welcome announcement, MakerBot industries has revealed a brand new 3D printer model: The Thing-O-Matic. This device replaces their original model, the Cupcake. But what makes it so different from the Cupcake? Sudden though the announcement was, the new device is evolutionary, and indeed elements of it were already appearing… Continue reading MakerBot’s New Thing
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
Is it a Laser Cutter? Or a 3D Printer? Or Both!
What do you get when you take a normal laser cutter and bolt on some RepRap componentry? You get a Hybrid Laser Cutter/3D Printer called a Chimera. Buildlog.net has put together a new project to do just this, and it actually works. They have plans to expand the project by adding various interesting and dangerous… Continue reading Is it a Laser Cutter? Or a 3D Printer? Or Both!
RepRap’s Huxley
Most readers know the the purpose of the RepRap project: to design a machine that can reproduce itself. This hasn’t quite been fully achieved yet, but they’re getting close. But here’s the thing: not only can RepRap almost reproduce, but it also is evolving into different species, each more advanced than the previous. The first… Continue reading RepRap’s Huxley
3D Printer Reproduces Itself: Pictures at Ten!
We know that a RepRap can (mostly) reproduce itself, but have you ever actually seen this happen? Pictures or it didn’t happen! Now we can see this process when Gavilan Steinman of onshoulders.tv takes a Darwin RepRap printer to produce parts to build a new RepRap Mendel 3D printer. Then (thankfully in high-speed motion,… Continue reading 3D Printer Reproduces Itself: Pictures at Ten!
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
Another Hobby 3D Printer: The Ultimaker
There seems to be a sudden rash of open source, low-cost 3D printer kits lately. In addition to the usual suspects (MakerBot, RepRap, Fab@Home and the very recent UP!), we now have The Ultimaker! This prototype device is being developed at FabLab Utrecht (under the name “elserbot”) and seems to build on the experiences of… Continue reading Another Hobby 3D Printer: The Ultimaker
UP! A Personal Portable 3D Printer
We’re surprised to see yet another ultra-low cost 3D Printer appear: the UP! Personal Portable 3D Printer by PP3DP. It is indeed priced very low: only USD$1500 for an assembled version (at least for the first 100 orders received, which may have occurred by time this post runs). Here’s the specs: Material: ABS plastic… Continue reading UP! A Personal Portable 3D Printer
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
ZCorp Chases HP?
Perhaps shocked by HP’s recent entry into the low-cost commercial 3D Printer market, ZCorp has released two new models that are very inexpensive. The ZPrinter 150 prints only in monochrome, but the price is right: only USD$14,900 gets you one of these babies in your office. Monochrome isn’t sufficient for your technicolor object dreams?… Continue reading ZCorp Chases HP?
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!
ZBuilder Ultra Introduced
It’s a brand new, lower-cost option from ZCorp for building objects – but it uses a very different approach. It’s not like their 3D printers, which use a fused-powder technique. Instead the ZBuilder Ultra uses “a high-resolution Digital Light Processor (DLP) projector to solidify a liquid photopolymer”, similar to laser sintering. Here’s the specifications… Continue reading ZBuilder Ultra Introduced
Trade Up to ProJet?
Commercial 3D Printer manufacturer 3D Systems has a special offer underway: trade in your existing Stratasys, Dimension, Objet, Z-Corp, Envisiontec or older 3D Systems printers and they’ll credit you “up to US$15,000” toward the purchase of a new 3D Systems ProJet 3000 or 5000 model. If you’re interested, you’d better get started as the… Continue reading Trade Up to ProJet?
Bensons Has the BFB 3000
We’ve written about the BFB 3000 before: it’s a fully assembled 3D printer priced under £2,000. Marketed in the UK and US by A1 Technologies, we now see that the device is being sold in Australia and New Zealand by Benson Machines. The BFB 3000 is produced by Bits From Bytes and is a… Continue reading Bensons Has the BFB 3000
MCOR Paper Printers In The Wild
MCOR’s Matrix 300 paper-based 3D printer is now in use at various industrial and educational institutions in the UK. The Matrix 300 has been installed at Ravensbourne campus in Greenwich Peninsula; Pera, The Innovation Network in Leicestershire; the Royal College of Art in London. No doubt more installations are coming. These MCOR clients… Continue reading MCOR Paper Printers In The Wild
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
A Purple 3D Printer for Under USD$4000
3D Printer reseller Purple Platypus has added another item to their growing list of products. Previously, they marketed devices from Objet, but now they’re addressing the low-cost 3D printer market by adding the BFB 3000 Panther. The Panther is actually the same BfB 3000 we previously reported, and the benefits are the same: … Continue reading A Purple 3D Printer for Under USD$4000
Poor Man’s 3D Printing: The Print
In our previous article we provided ideas on how to prepare your 3D model at the lowest cost possible. But once you have the model ready to print, how do you get it done at low cost? There are three basic approaches: You Know Someone. That’s right – you just might happen to… Continue reading Poor Man’s 3D Printing: The Print
The Infinite MakerBot
On your 2D paper printer, the print job is usually complete by the time you get your butt out of the chair and stroll over to the printer. Not so with a 3D printer, where you often must wait for many minutes, or even hours for a job to complete. When it’s done, you’ve probably… Continue reading The Infinite MakerBot
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
Ice Printing
We know it’s spring and things are warming up (at least on the top side of our planet), but it’s time to talk about ice. Specifically, ice printing. Along with numerous other print materials, plain water can now be added to the list. The “computer assisted ice printing” experiment was developed by professors and… Continue reading Ice Printing
HP 3D Printer Specifications
While the new line of HP 3D printers is only available in certain countries, that doesn’t stop you from finding their specifications if you aren’t in their current sales area. We’ve probed to the depths of HP’s vast ocean of web pages to find the specifications for the twin 3D printers announced last week. As… Continue reading HP 3D Printer Specifications
Affordable 3D Printing?
We’re examining a news release from Bits From Bytes, who apparently will be unveiling what they say is the “first fully assembled 3D printer to be put on the market for less than £2,000” at the RAPID 2010 Conference and Expo on May 18th. The new BFB 3000 has a couple of interesting features,… Continue reading Affordable 3D Printing?
HP is 3D Printing!
The big news today was the anticipated release of HP’s new line of 3D printers. The printers are actually made by Stratasys, makers of the Dimension line of printers by means of a joint venture the two signed earlier this year. The announcement specifies two models, which will be available this May only in… Continue reading HP is 3D Printing!
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?
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!
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?
Sampling Solido
Fabbaloo managed to lay our hands on a sample 3D print from Solido, one of the major commercial 3D printer manufacturers. The print, in the image above, is a palm-sized horse. We were very impressed with the strength of the object – it’s quite stiff to handle, and according to Solido’s website, prints are suitable… Continue reading Sampling Solido
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
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
RapMan Wins BETT Award
A1 Technologies, the makers of The RapMan, an inexpensive 3D printer kit targeted at the educational market, recently won the BETT award in the Digital Devices category for their Bits From Bytes kit. The BETT Awards recognize “the best in educational technology solutions”. The Bits From Bytes “complete” kit is priced at £750.00 and… Continue reading RapMan Wins BETT Award
MCOR Prints A Car
MCOR’s Matrix 300, the 3D printer that prints in plain paper, was recently used by design students from London’s Royal College of Art to produce a vehicle design, shown above. The MCOR Matrix is unique among 3D printers due to its use of paper as a print material, resulting in extremely inexpensive (and recyclable) media.… Continue reading MCOR Prints A Car
RepRap Grandchild Produced
Maker Erik de Bruijn has already persuaded his RepRap 3D printer to produce parts for a “child” printer, as have others using the RepRap design. That’s one of the main objectives for the RepRap project: a self-replicating machine. This was first accomplished in mid-2008, as we reported then. On Friday Erik announced on Twitter… Continue reading RepRap Grandchild Produced
Chocolate Printing
For some reason this week a wave of chocolate fever passed through the Fabbaloo offices. After gorging on several delectable chocobars, we wondered about the current state of 3D chocolate printing. Certainly we saw early experiments by the Fab@Home folks, but what else is happening? After some searching, we encountered ChocALM: Customized Chocolate Made by Additive… Continue reading Chocolate Printing
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
Objet vs. ProJet
The gloves are off now. We’ve just found a rather dramatic slideshow from 3D Systems that provides their take on a comparison between 3D Systems’ ProJet technology and Objet’s deposition tech. The slides are filled with side-by-side images of identical objects printed using both technologies. The examination covered areas of quality, accuracy, stability, productivity,… Continue reading Objet vs. ProJet
The uPrint PLUS!
Stratasys just announced a new member to their 3D print family: the uPrint Plus. One year after they announced the inexpensive commercial uPrint device, they’ve upgraded it to the new Plus version. The main features of the Plus: Small floor footprint: 25×26 inches (.635m x .660m) Build chamber: 8x8x6 inches (.2 x .2 x .15m)… Continue reading The uPrint PLUS!
HP Makes 3D Printers!
Not quite yet, but apparently soon – HP will be selling not only 2D printers, but 3D printers, too. Today it was announced that Stratasys will “manufacture an HP-branded 3D printer” after the two parties signed a “definitive agreement”. The new line of printers (suggesting there will be more than one model) will be… Continue reading HP Makes 3D Printers!