We’ve found out a bit more about MCOR’s intriguing free 3D printing program, called “freeDrevolution”. As we wrote earlier, the idea is to give you (literally) a free commercial 3D printer (the MCOR Matrix, of course) and then you simply pay a flat fee to cover all printing costs – including maintenance and supplies. In… Continue reading Unlimited 3D Printing For Only $10K?
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More on the 3D Systems Projet 1500
We’ve obtained some additional information about 3D Systems’ new low-cost commercial color 3D printer, the Projet 1500. Priced at slightly under USD$15,000, this device has quite a few very interesting features that we noticed while perusing 3D Systems’ documentation. Here’s the highlights of our scan through their material: Front panel has a window for… Continue reading More on the 3D Systems Projet 1500
More on the Solidoodle 3D Printer
After yesterday’s post on the new Solidoodle 3D printer, we spoke with team leader Sam Cervantes, who answered some key questions were pondering. Fabbaloo: Why another 3D printer? Aren’t there several for sale already? What makes Solidoodle different? Sam Cervantes: Some people love to put complicated machines together and that’s great – it’s… Continue reading More on the Solidoodle 3D Printer
The Solidoodle 3D Printer
Yet another inexpensive 3D printer has emerged: the Solidoodle. The amusingly named device is unique because it is, as far as we can tell, the only fully assembled personal 3D printer currently available at a price under USD$1000: their price is only USD$699. But that’s their introductory price. The final price is no doubt a… Continue reading The Solidoodle 3D Printer
The Mosaic 3D Printer
MakerGear, that wonderful online source for all kinds of 3D printing goodness, launched the Mosaic 3D Printer this past summer. The Mosaic is similar to several other inexpensive 3D printer kits. This item comes in three forms: The basic kit, for USD$799 The “Plus” version for USD$999, which adds a heated build platform and… Continue reading The Mosaic 3D Printer
The New ProJet 1500 From 3D Systems
3D Systems has released a new personal 3D printer, the ProJet 1500. This device is priced at under USD$15,000 and seems to compete directly with Stratasys’s popular uPrint device. The ProJet 1500 is billed as a color printer, since it is capable of using cartridges with some six different colors: White, Red, Grey, Blue,… Continue reading The New ProJet 1500 From 3D Systems
More on the Origo 3D Printer For Kids
We contacted Joris Peels, one of the founders of the Origo 3D printer for Kids and also a long-time friend of Fabbaloo to find out more about this interesting venture. Here’s our interview: Fabbaloo: Why kids? Joris Peels: Artur and I both want to let anyone make anything. Making is an ability… Continue reading More on the Origo 3D Printer For Kids
More on the 3DTouch 3D Printer
After yesterday’s announcement from 3D Systems / BFB on their new 3DTouch printer, we sought additional details. Today we’ve learned a few more things about this very interesting device, including why it’s called the “3DTouch”. Check out the much more detailed image above (click for larger view). Here’s our latest findings: The “touch”… Continue reading More on the 3DTouch 3D Printer
BFB Announces 3DTouch 3D Printer
Just as the TCT conference commences, Bits From Bytes has suddenly announced a new 3D printer for their catalog: the 3DTouch 3D Printer. Details are scarce, and we’re seeking more, but for now this printer seems to supersede the very popular BFB 3000 series. In fact, the 3DTouch appears visually very similar to… Continue reading BFB Announces 3DTouch 3D Printer
Origo, The 3D Printer for Kids
You might think 3D printing is hard. Well, it certainly can be. But now Artur Tchoukanov and Fabbaloo friend Joris Peels’ new venture Origo attempts to change all that. They’re making Origo – a 3D printer specifically designed for children. Imagine what ten-year olds could do with a 3D printer! The question we’d immediately… Continue reading Origo, The 3D Printer for Kids
RepRap Price Points
Neil Underwood posted a great summary of pricing options for getting your own RepRap 3D printer. His analysis shows three different price levels, ranging from a full-on everything-you’d-possibly-want version for USD$850 to a very basic, just-enough-to-say-you-did-it USD$350 version. There’s also a more practical level at USD$550 for a “realistically cheap prusa model”. Be sure… Continue reading RepRap Price Points
Homemade Stereo Lithography
Maker Rob Hopeless developed a primitive stereo lithography 3D printer. For those unfamiliar with “SLA”, it’s a 3D printing technique involving shooting a laser beam at a vat of liquid plastic resin and gradually solidifying that resin into the desired solid object. While most hobbyists attempt to make thermal plastic extruder-based 3D printers, Rob attempted… Continue reading Homemade Stereo Lithography
Up! Gets A Stepper
PP3DP, makers of the popular Up! personal 3D printer announced they’re upgrading their filament feeder in a significant way. Their original feeder involved a DC motor and mechanical switch, which limits the accuracy of prints as the DC motor takes a while to start up and spin down when electricity is applied. This means you’re… Continue reading Up! Gets A Stepper
Big Robot Comes to Life
Those guys at Metrix Create:Space think big. Really big. This time their experiment is to create the “Big Robot”, a rather large HDPE-extruding 3D printer. They’re not building it from scratch, but rather they’ve adapted an ancient DynaCNC 1000 router table by replacing the cutter with an enormous RepRap-style extruder. This massive extruder is… Continue reading Big Robot Comes to Life
Hi Res Home 3D Printer Update
We’re perusing Junior Veloso’s blog – he’s the fellow who’s developing a very high-resolution personal 3D printer. The device is quite different from most home RepRap-derived 3D printers in that it doesn’t heat and extrude plastic. Instead, Veloso’s printer uses light to solidify resin, layer by layer. The results are pretty amazing – click the… Continue reading Hi Res Home 3D Printer Update
Concrete Printing at Loughborough U
Principle Investigator Dr. Richard Buswell of Loughborough University in the UK leads a project to develop a method of 3D printing concrete building components that’s been ongoing for several years. The components could potentially accommodate pre-made services, such as piping or electrical. The project will also enable the production of building geometries not easily done… Continue reading Concrete Printing at Loughborough U
All About Ultimaker
Jon Kalish digs deep into the history and motivation behind the development of the amazing Ultimaker 3D printer in a new Make magazine article. Ultimaker, created by Erik De Bruijn and Martijn Elserman, was an attempt to create a better 3D printer based on the RepRap model – but they soon discovered they could start… Continue reading All About Ultimaker
Up! 3D Printer Assembly In Detail
Up! 3D printers seem to be growing in popularity, perhaps because of their highly functional software, but perhaps also because they have pretty solid hardware. In a new video from PP3DP, we can see what it takes to put together an Up! 3D printer – which turns out to be not particularly difficult. In… Continue reading Up! 3D Printer Assembly In Detail
eMaker Increases Capacity in an Unusual Way
You’ll recall that 3D printer manufacturer eMaker recently ran an IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds to kickstart their company. The campaign was wildly successful, raising not their intended USD$30K, but instead well over USD$158K! Today they’ve announced a change in their manufacturing strategy that permits them to produce not 150 machines as was originally… Continue reading eMaker Increases Capacity in an Unusual Way
A 3D Printer Made of LEGO?
It’s true – Instructables user graphmastur has designed a RepRap-style 3D printer entirely out of LEGO parts. While he was obviously unable to attach a high-temp plastic extruder, he has included a common Sharpie marker pen instead. This enables the LEGO 3D printer to operate as a pen plotter. Why is graphmastur doing this?… Continue reading A 3D Printer Made of LEGO?
The Objet260 Connex Hints at Future Collision
Objet has announced a new commercial 3D printer: the Objet260 Connex. This device is intended to be used in office scenarios, as it is slightly smaller and less expensive than its big brother, the Objet 350 Connex. The new printer is quite similar to the 350, as it seems to share many of the internal… Continue reading The Objet260 Connex Hints at Future Collision
eMAKER Hits The Jackpot
The other week we wrote of eMAKER’s crowdsourced fundraising initiative to kick start their production of a low-priced entry-level 3D printer kit. They hoped to raise up to USD$30,000 by July 1st. They kinda did that. And more. They closed out at USD$158,685. That’s 5.2895 times their target! We’re amazed at the level… Continue reading eMAKER Hits The Jackpot
X-Object Sells Up!
We’ve just noticed another reseller of PP3DP’s Up! personal 3D printer: [x]Object. Shipment apparently starts today, July 1st, and pricing is organized around three bundles that we haven’t yet seen from other Up! resellers. The bundles are: UP! Start Plus USD$2950. This appears to be close to the same Up! models sold elsewhere. UP!… Continue reading X-Object Sells Up!
End Of The Beginning for MakerBot?
MakerBot sold their very last CupCake 3D printer kit and now offer only parts for that classic 3D printer. We think the CupCake was a very special device as it was really the first popular consumer 3D printer. In spite of the limitations and peculiarities of the original CupCake, including smallish build size, the… Continue reading End Of The Beginning for MakerBot?
The Solar Sinter Project
While home 3D printers typical heat/melt plastic to produce objects, Markus Kayser has developed an eco-friendly 3D printer for “desert manufacturing” using only sand as the print material. The Solar Sinter focuses the heat of the sun to a small point using a large, sun-tracking fresnel lens. The focal point is so hot it… Continue reading The Solar Sinter Project
The BotMill Axis PLUS Assembled 3D Printer
Speaking of assembled 3D printers, which seems to be a sudden trend in the hobby 3D printer industry lately, there’s another one you might want to consider: the BotMill Axis PLUS. This RepRap-based device is priced at only USD$1195, far lower than other assembled 3D printers. Well, it’s not *completely* assembled. BotMill says: “All you… Continue reading The BotMill Axis PLUS Assembled 3D Printer
The RepRap’s Heritage
The eyechart above (click for a larger, almost readable view) represents the family tree for virtually all low-cost 3D printers today. Almost all of them were derived directly or indirectly from the original RepRap project. We’ve written about many of these devices over the past few years, and we expect that this family tree will… Continue reading The RepRap’s Heritage
eMAKER Sells The Huxley
Yet another source for RepRap-based hobby 3D printers has emerged: eMAKER. They’re producing Huxley kits in several configurations (including one with no printed parts for those who already have a 3D printer and wish to produce as much of their new Huxley as possible themselves.) The kit isn’t quite official. eMAKER is running a… Continue reading eMAKER Sells The Huxley
Big News From MakerBot
In a huge departure from their standard approach, MakerBot is now offering a completely assembled Thing-O-Matic 3D printer option! Previously, MakerBot offered only kits and focused heavily on those who enjoy assembling them. But now there’s an option for people who feel printer assembly is beyond their abilities or time. The assembled Thing-O-Matic contains… Continue reading Big News From MakerBot
The BFB 3000 Plus
BFB’s already-assembled inexpensive 3D printer has now become the BFB 3000 Plus. The new version is very similar to the original BFB 3000, but has several enhancements. Our understanding is that the Plus’s improvements focus on two aspects: simplifying ease of use and machine quality. The machine’s print bed is easier to adjust and… Continue reading The BFB 3000 Plus
The Teeniest 3D Printer?
Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology have produced what they believe to be the world’s smallest 3D printer. This device is “about the size of a milk carton”, and should cost only €1200. The resin-based printer (which solidifies each of the object’s layers successively in a vat of plastic resin with LEDs) has a… Continue reading The Teeniest 3D Printer?
Hands On With The BFB 3000: Software
We’re continuing to evaluate the BFB 3000 3D printer, this time we’re focusing on the software experience. Previously we’ve looked at the unboxing and setup as well as its operation. Why focus on the software? Isn’t this all about the printer itself? We believe the entire experience is important, from end to end. And… Continue reading Hands On With The BFB 3000: Software
Hands On With The BFB 3000: Operation
In last week’s post we described the unboxing and set up of the BFB 3000 printer, which turned out to be a pretty good experience. Today we’re discussing the operation of the 3000. If you’re like us and have a dose of shiny object syndrome, you’ll definitely like the 3000. It’s a beauty to… Continue reading Hands On With The BFB 3000: Operation
The Mysterious BluePrinter
We’ve found another 3D printer manufacturer: the Denmark-based BluePrinter, but we can’t tell you much about it. The only information is a one-page website that not only includes the logo above, but also this enticing description: Blueprinter develops a 3D printer, which is based on Selective Heat Sintering (SHS). The proprietary SHS technology produces… Continue reading The Mysterious BluePrinter
Hands On With The BFB 3000: Unboxing and Setup
Fabbaloo Labs has obtained a brand-new, two-headed BFB 3000 3D printer for detailed experimentation and evaluation. We’ll talk about our unboxing and setup experience in this post, while upcoming posts will focus on the 3000’s operation and software. The BFB 3000 ships in a rather large 38kg box. It’s large for one obvious reason:… Continue reading Hands On With The BFB 3000: Unboxing and Setup
The 2Bot ModelMaker
It’s not exactly a 3D printer, but more of a 3D cutter. The 2Bot ModelMaker is intended for architects and students to print 3D representations of landscapes, layouts and terrain. From what we see, it appears to be a 50lb computer controlled drill that traverses an inexpensive 12″ x 12″ x 2″ foam board,… Continue reading The 2Bot ModelMaker
Eat Your Face?
Easter is the time when many people eat massive quantities of chocolate, often in the shape of “bunnies”. But what about other representations? MIT researcher David Carr has developed this thought by creating a CNC-like machine that scans your face and carves it into a chunk of chocolate. A chocolate face-printer. It seems rather… Continue reading Eat Your Face?
Junior Veloso Is Really Hi-Res
We’ve written about Junior Veloso’s fascinating experiment in constructing a homemade resin-based 3D printer, but he’s recently made significant progress in developing the quality of his 3D prints. Just take a look at the image above and we’re sure you’ll agree he’s on the right track. The left side is printed at an incredible “50… Continue reading Junior Veloso Is Really Hi-Res
3D Print Objects In Wood
Amazing? Yes. Inevitable? Probably. A huge step forward? Definitely! Of what do we speak? It’s Freedom of Creation’s latest successful venture into 3D printing using wood as the print material. Their new “Tree-D Printing” process involves using actual sawdust as print material. Their process is powder-based (or in this case, “sawdust-based”, we suppose) in… Continue reading 3D Print Objects In Wood
Massive 3D Printer Unveiled
Is your measly 10x10x10cm build chamber too small for your big ideas? Perhaps you should consider acquiring a voxeljet VX4000, which has a build envelope of 400x200x100cm. Yes, that’s 4x2x1m or 13×6.5×3.3 feet! This item is so large it requires an installation area of 25x12x4.5m, or 14,500 sqft. Definitely not suitable for your office. At… Continue reading Massive 3D Printer Unveiled
A Look Inside the V-Flash
During our recent visit to 3D Systems we managed to get a look deep inside one of their intermediate-level 3D printers: the V-Flash. This device uses a unique method of deploying build material that results in the object being built upside down! Upside down or not, the printed results are of extremely high accuracy. … Continue reading A Look Inside the V-Flash
3D Print with Sand, Pee and Bacteria
We are not making this up. It seems that there is always someone, somewhere trying to 3D print with practically any imaginable material. This time the mix is sand, pee (yes, human urine) and a certain type of bacteria. The premise is actually quite interesting: the bacteria (Sporosarcina Pasteuri) are capable of binding the sand’s… Continue reading 3D Print with Sand, Pee and Bacteria
A Visit to 3D Systems HQ
Last week Fabbaloo had a rare opportunity for an onsite visit to the not-quite secret headquarters of 3D Printing leader 3D Systems to speak directly with those in charge of engineering, sales and marketing. Located in the obscure city of Rock Hill, South Carolina, this is a place where 21st century magic truly occurs. … Continue reading A Visit to 3D Systems HQ
AdderFab!
We’ve been following the folks at Open3DP for a while now as they proceed through experiments in 3D Printing. Lately they’ve been working on perfecting printing molds that have revolutionized the production of RepRap Prusa Mendel 3D printer parts. However, we now see they’re working on an entirely new project: an inexpensive, presumably open-source powder-based… Continue reading AdderFab!
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
MCOR 3D Paper Printer Available Across Europe
One way to reduce the cost of 3D printing is to use inexpensive material for printing – and that’s precisely what the MCOR Matrix 300 does. It uses plain sheet paper as its print medium, leading to perhaps the lowest operational cost of a commercial 3D printer. The Matrix 300 has been available in… Continue reading MCOR 3D Paper Printer Available Across Europe
Arcam Electron Beam Melting
We’re accustomed to examining home 3D printers or consumer 3D print services, but we’re also fascinated by the larger commercial species. An interesting 3D print approach is employed by Arcan, a Swedish manufacturer of Electron Beam Melting printers. Yes, they use “powerful electron beams” (up to 3000W) to melt metal powered to gradually form complete… Continue reading Arcam Electron Beam Melting
The Platon 3D Printer
Secretly announced in a comment on one of our posts was the existence of a new commercial 3D printer offering from Danish company Create It Real. The Platon 3D Printer is apparently a plastic extruder, judging from the brief video. There is scant little information about this device, but it is supposed to be available… Continue reading The Platon 3D Printer
3D Food Printing on CNN
We’ve just been informed that CNN has a piece focused on 3D food printing. Reporter Laurie Segall interviews French Culinary Institute Chef David Arnold, who’s been experimenting with a Fab@Home printer, specially modified for printing food items. Not yet any food ingredients, but “any form of paste” as Arnold explains. Arnold says they’ve experimented with cake… Continue reading 3D Food Printing on CNN
i.Materialise Metalises
“Clank” is a sound you’ll be hearing more often at i.Materialise in the future after this week’s announcement of their new Titanium 3D printing process. No kidding – you can now order a Titanium Whistle! This very advanced process seems unique to i.Materialise, and involves a powder based process. Powedered titanium metal is laid… Continue reading i.Materialise Metalises
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
3D Printing Featured On Science Friday
Science Friday’s Flora Lichtman visits 3D Printer designer Jim Smith and his extraordinary new device at his workshop. Erm, his living room. Now we finally understand why Jim decided to include a fume extractor on his printer! Jim explains in basic terms what a 3D printer does and how it works, pointing out the… Continue reading 3D Printing Featured On Science Friday
How To Assemble A BotMill Glider
What? You say the BotMill Glider 3D printer is already assembled? That’s correct, it is. We mean how does BotMill assemble them, not you! In order to save 3D printer operators a heck of a lot of work (and ensure consistency among all the Gliders) BotMill sells these units in fully assembled form. We… Continue reading How To Assemble A BotMill Glider
The BotMill Glider
A new printer has just been announced from BotMill: The Glider. This RepRap-inspired printer includes a slew of great features, but the one we like best is this: It’s Assembled. Here’s the key features: USB based printer (did we say “assembled” yet?) Big build size of 20.3cm X by 20.3cm Y by 14cm… Continue reading The BotMill Glider
Make-A-Bot
Charles Guan is the mastermind behind the experimental Make-A-Bot, a new 3D printer of (mostly) his own design. Based on a combination of MakerBot and RepRap tech, this interesting printer makes extensive use of water-jet cut aluminum, with acrylic and wooden components as well. The printer uses a MakerBot Mk5 plastruder, but has a… Continue reading Make-A-Bot
Shapercube
There’s another low-cost 3D printer for sale: The Shapercube. This German made €979 (USD$1,290) build-it yourself kit is based on the RepRap Darwin design and includes a rather hefty build volume of 190x200x185mm (slightly reduced if an optional second print head is installed). The key specs: 3mm filament required 0.5mm nozzle Pre-assembled… Continue reading Shapercube
The T-Rep3
We keep seeing incredible 3D printer design experiments, and this is another we haven’t written about yet: the T-Rep3. It’s a RepRap-based device made from the highly versatile T-slot aluminum extrusions. The T-slots make this 3D Printer very rigid (and inspires its name, too, we suppose). Like the GrassRoots Engineering design we posted the other… Continue reading The T-Rep3
Hands On With the PP3DP Up! 3D Printer
Meet Phil Letourneau, an Up! 3D Printer Operator. This week Phil dropped by the Fabbaloo office to demonstrate the rarely seen Up! 3D Printer. We put this elusive device put through some basic tests to see how it works. The result? Overall, we’re pretty impressed – but there are some caveats. Here’s what we found:… Continue reading Hands On With the PP3DP Up! 3D Printer
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
Objet Launches Two More 3D Printers
Two very interesting 3D printers were just announced by Objet at EuroMold: the Objet24 and the Objet30, both low-cost desktop machines. These relatively inexpensive, yet very capable printers begin pricing at USD$19,900 and ‚Ǩ16,900 in Europe. The Objet24 is labelled as a “Personal 3D Printer”, whereas the Objet30 is labelled a “Desktop 3D… Continue reading Objet Launches Two More 3D Printers
The New 3D Systems ProJet HDplus 3D Printer
Every year the EuroMold conference seems to be the place where new commercial 3D printing products are announced, and no surprise, we haz a new printer from 3D Systems: The ProJet HD 3000plus, a big brother to the ProJet HD 3000. The “plus” obviously means “more” in this case, because the PJHD3K+ has an… Continue reading The New 3D Systems ProJet HDplus 3D Printer
Thing-O-Matic Nears Release
Just posted on the MakerBot site: the advanced hobbyist Thing-O-Matic 3D Printer is about to start shipping this Friday. Those who’ve ordered the device in advance will receive their shipment in the order it was received by MakerBot. The new printer is perhaps the most advanced hobbyist 3D printer kit available, including a precision… Continue reading Thing-O-Matic Nears Release
Bits From Bytes Gets New Website and a RapChick!
We’ve been waiting to see what 3D Systems will do with their latest corporate acquisition, Bits From Bytes. BfB’s market is quite a diversion from 3D System’s normal industrial/commercial clientele. How will they take on this marketplace. This week we see two elements of their new strategy. First, 3D Systems has completely replaced the… Continue reading Bits From Bytes Gets New Website and a RapChick!
MCOR’s 3D Paper Printers On Sale
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
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!