Z Corp announced a special arrangement with Bentley, makers of various products related to building, construction and architecture. Bentley’s software is used by a majority of such firms, and the deal is to ensure smooth use of Z Corp’s 3D printers from Bentley’s software. We have two observations on this development: Z Corp is making… Continue reading Z Corp Engages Bentley
Results for "text to 3d"
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Z Corp 650 Announced!
Z Corp has reacted to the Objet Alaris 30 announcement with one of their own: the shiny, new ZPrinter 650! Here are the highlights we found interesting: Color! ZPrinters have done color before, but the 650 adds a separate black print head, which means the 650 will punch out truly black stuff. This is so… Continue reading Z Corp 650 Announced!
Print Your Sketchup Objects
Google Sketchup, by far the most popular 3D modeling tool in the known universe, now has a great way to send your Sketchup model to a 3D printer. Simply install the new plugin from CADspan and you’ll be able to generate solid .STL files suitable for submission to most 3D print services and printers. The… Continue reading Print Your Sketchup Objects
Objet’s Alaris 30
Objet has announced a rather interesting new 3D printer, the Alaris 30 Desktop 3D Printer. The key features are: 30x20x15cm (11.81 x 7.87 x 5.9in) build chamber 600x600x900 dpi resolution, typically 0.1-0.2mm accuracy normal office or home power desktop format 36 hours of continuous unattending printing UV light curing during printing for immediate results Gel… Continue reading Objet’s Alaris 30
It’s All Wax
3D Systems has announced the ProJet CPX 3000 3D printer, and it’s claim to fame is that it can produce objects of fine detail using wax as the medium. This is a pretty specialized device, as you can’t just print a wrench or part requiring stability and strength using wax. And yes, it won’t sit… Continue reading It’s All Wax
Shapeways Goes Dark
No, they’re not shutting down; rather they are expanding by now offering a new hi-res black color for your 3D prints. The busy 3D print service has added this new color just in time for the Halloween object printing season. (Side note: is there a “halloween printing season”? Hmm.) According to the press release: Black… Continue reading Shapeways Goes Dark
The Cost of a Wrench
It’s apparently USD$49, including USD$14 that was “dissolved away” according to a post at the ChiefDelphi forums. Team222badbrad produced these wrenches on a Dimension 1200es, and the discussion contemplated the price of production. Poster Leav asked the inevitable question: “how much would it cost to fill the entire volume of the machine with plastic?… I… Continue reading The Cost of a Wrench
The Sarrus Linkage
Forest Higgs posts an interesting approach to a key problem in building a self-replicating 3D printer. This of course, is the main objective of the RepRap project. They’ve actually performed a replication already, but there are always ideas for improvement. That’s where the idea of a linkage comes in. As you might imagine, the 3D… Continue reading The Sarrus Linkage
Behind the Sign
A few months ago we wrote on Karsten Schmidt’s work to produce a 3D sign to be used for a magazine cover. Today we ran across a rather long interview with the artist, who explains how the process was done. Highlights: Used a ZCorp 450 printer, which seems to be the most common device these… Continue reading Behind the Sign
Stratasys Gets Harder
New print media materials were recently announced by Stratasys for use in their FDM 360mc and FDM 400mc 3D printers. Both PC and PC-ABS are available for the 360mc, while the 400mc may now use ABSi and PC-ISO. According to the press release: PC is particularly useful for design or manufacturing engineers in the automotive,… Continue reading Stratasys Gets Harder
Berman Visits Desktop Factory
Our friend A. Michael Berman recently did an onsite inspection of Desktop Factory’s progress in their Pasadena labs. According to his post: I got a chance to make a brief visit to their office/lab in Pasadena a couple of weeks ago, and was very pleased to see the tremendous progress they are making. Long-time Fabbaloo… Continue reading Berman Visits Desktop Factory
The Birds!
Alfred Hitchcock could never have imagined what might happen to his work 45 years after it was released. And neither could we. An anonymous design student used frames from Hitchcock’s famous thriller, “The Birds” to create a 3D work of art portraying “an abstraction of suspense and tension between the mother and the woman of… Continue reading The Birds!
PrintAPart.com
We’ve encountered another interesting 3D print service. Most of them specialize in one aspect or another, and PrintAPart is no exception. They are squarely addressing the hobbyists, modelers and jewelers market, with ample examples of each. They use a 3D printer (unnamed, but perhaps Fabbaloo readers can identify it from the limitations specifications. Maximum part… Continue reading PrintAPart.com
Desktop Factory Update
Those amazing guys making the sub-$5,000 3D printer are still working hard to make their product perfect. Recently they issued an update on their progress, and here are the highlights as we saw them: They are “printing parts consistently and reliably” “We have not encountered any new or significant problems” “We have improved part quality… Continue reading Desktop Factory Update
Towson Report
We read Susannah Naree’s eclectic report on a visit to Towson University by designer Arthur Hash, who is one of many who are using 3D technology (among other techniques as you will see) to develop unique and innovative artistic designs. Hash’s website provides a rather unique dynamic display of his recent works, including the baby… Continue reading Towson Report
Mouse Brains
We don’t know about you, but if we received a 3D Mouse Brain as an anniversary present, we’d be pleasantly surprised. That’s exactly what happened when LiveJournal blogger Molliebatmit opened her first anniversary present. She writes: And yesterday, Adam came home with my anniversary gift. Now, some people might get a necklace or a pair… Continue reading Mouse Brains
Railway Fabbing
No, we don’t mean that we are making *actual* railways on 3D printers! Instead we’re talking about the miniature hobbyist kind of railway. Previously we reported on the beginnings of railway fabbing, but now it seems to be taking off. A big hat tip towards Jeroen Vanderschaaf who pointed out “Fabbing”, a relatively new blog… Continue reading Railway Fabbing
It’s Christmas Already at Stratasys!
Fabbaloo received several notices of a press release from Stratasys in which they announced they have: given over $400,000 to schools across the nation to underwrite the purchase of 3D printing systems for the 2008-09 school year. More than 40 schools received the $10,000 grants Stratasys’s program emphasizes providing 3D equipment to schools and students… Continue reading It’s Christmas Already at Stratasys!
C.STEM 2008
We missed this one until just now, so it’s already in progress: C.STEM 2008, a conference held this week in Torino, Italy. The conference’s theme is “Breeding Objects”, and offered an interesting selection of presentations and demonstrations. From their website: C.STEM 2008 – BREEDING OBJECTS presents a selection of visionary projects anticipating future developments in… Continue reading C.STEM 2008
The DesignDashboard
This intriguing tool gets more interesting the deeper you look into it. What is it? It’s a handy device to help you discover new design aspects of almost any complex design situation. According to their Q/A: The Dashboard maps design space and then lets you choose a path. Specifically you can use it to… Continue reading The DesignDashboard
More Avatars on the Way
Previously we’ve seen services that print World of Warcraft avatars (Figureprints) and others that print Second Life avatars (Fabjectory), but now comes a new service that can print your Rock Band 2 avatars: Z Corp will produce the avatar figurines on their own equipment in an apparent arrangement with the game producers, who say… Continue reading More Avatars on the Way
Digital Vases
Artists continue to exploit 3D technology. This week we encountered a report from Digital Collisions that spoke of New York based designer Joshua Davis, who recently used 3D tech to produce stunning vases, including the one pictured above. Davis evidently used Maya to produce the 3D model, which was then printed. The vase… Continue reading Digital Vases
Programmable Matter
Ok, this is it – 3D Printing is obsolete! No, we’re just kidding. But it could come to pass eventually if the predictions of Intel CTO Justin Rattner come true. ZDNET reports on his keynote address at the Intel Developer Forum, in which he discussed a concept called, “Programmable Matter”: The idea of… Continue reading Programmable Matter
The ProJetā¢ SD 3000 Printer
3D Systems has announced the availability of their new ProJet™ SD 3000 Printer, which is said to be directed to “professional in-office model-making by design and manufacturing businesses of all sizes”. The 254Kg (560 Lb) office-friendly unit comes in three models: HD – Capable of “UHD” resolution of 656x656x800 DPI (xyz) SD… Continue reading The ProJetā¢ SD 3000 Printer
Discovery Channel Prototypes!
Along with Mythbusters, Discovery Channel is set to debut a new series entitled “Prototype This!” in October this year. The show involves four genuine experts in a variety of prototyping and related skills. Each episode they attempt to “rapidly prototype” something interesting. CNet managed to get a reported on scene at their studio… Continue reading Discovery Channel Prototypes!
Shapeways Creator Launched
Last week Shapeways, one of the newest and most interesting consumer-oriented 3D print services, launched a new beta of their user-friendly “Shapeways Creator” software. It is their answer to the difficult question of enabling laymen to design their own 3D objects without having to learn complex 3D software (which Shapeways also accepts, if you… Continue reading Shapeways Creator Launched
The New Way to Take Footprints
We’ve all seen proud parents taking too many pictures of their newborns. Sometimes people even take plaster casts of their tiny feet, preserving their impression in 3D for eternity – like these folks did here. This got us thinking. If it were possible to easily perform a 3D scan of baby’s feet, would… Continue reading The New Way to Take Footprints
Shapeways Gets Bent
Shapeways, the latest consumer-oriented 3D printing service that’s making a huge splash across the internet, slipped in an announcement last month about a new print media: “White Strong & Flexible”. This unusual material enables designers to make objects that bend! The example shown above illustrates the possibilities. While most printing services do not… Continue reading Shapeways Gets Bent
Competition for Desktop Factory?
Desktop Factory, the designers of an upcoming desktop 3D printer that intends on breaking the USD$5,000 barrier, may have competition. It’s the black box on the desk pictured above. What we find interesting is 3D Systems’ new V-Flash “desktop” model, apparently priced at USD$9,900. Twice as much as Desktop Factory’s target price. It’s… Continue reading Competition for Desktop Factory?
An Invitation to Shapeways
Shapeways is a 3D printing service we’ve talked about before. We’ve covered many print services in the past, and the reality is that they are all operations focused around a fleet of 3D printers that must be kept busy. So what’s the difference between them? We think it’s the choice of audience and… Continue reading An Invitation to Shapeways
Fabr Update
Lou Amadio has provided an update on his quest to design and build his own inexpensive 3D printer. Lou has chosen to bypass the RepRap and fab@home projects and go his own way, and a key design element is to use off-the-shelf parts only. We’ve covered Lou’s adventure before, twice. In this update,… Continue reading Fabr Update
Figurines Printed on the spot in Akihabara
Tsukulus Co. of Japan now offers figurine printing at their Akihabara location in Tokyo. Their ZCorp 450 can punch out figurines based on your own designs. Prices for a typical figurine are 8000 yen, or a little over USD$80 each. This seems like the right thing to do, since the “Akihabara Electric Town”… Continue reading Figurines Printed on the spot in Akihabara
The Tooth Fabber
This one is so obvious we didn’t even think of it until mjarkiver wrote up his recent experience at the dentist. We’ve all been there before, where a section of a tooth is to be replaced. Typically, the remaining surface on the tooth is prepped by leveling and smoothing. Then a mold is obtained by… Continue reading The Tooth Fabber
Fabbing Fabrics
Technothreads is an exhibition taking place in Dublin, Ireland from 26 April to 25 July 2008. The purpose of the exhibition is to offer a glimpse into the future of fabric, both from a design and technical point of view. From their website: Conceptual Couture concentrates on the use of science by fashion designers at… Continue reading Fabbing Fabrics
Elastic Fabric
Strange things continue to appear at the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibit in New York City. This time someone has posted pictures of textiles apparently made on a 3D printer. Unfortunately, the image comes with few (well, no) details, so we can only speculate how this was done. Perhaps using a unique type of… Continue reading Elastic Fabric
ZEdit Unleashed
The big news this week was Z Corp’s announcement of new software: ZEdit Pro, which is used to develop 3D designs suitable for printing on 3D printers. Of course, the software just happens to be optimized for use in Z Corp’s line of 3D printers, but we suspect it works with other devices as well.… Continue reading ZEdit Unleashed
DesktopFactory Wins Award
They won the award even before the product is released! Yes, DesktopFactory’s famous-but-not-yet seen inexpensive 3D printer has won Popular Science’s Best of What’s New Award for 2007 in the “Home Tech” category. Fabbaloo has covered the Desktop Factory 125ci 3D printer before, again, and will no doubt again when it finally hits the store… Continue reading DesktopFactory Wins Award
Design Studio uses Fabbing
Article describing how 3D printing is being used in modern design studios. The story of Janne Kyttänen, who owns the Freedom of Creation company in Helsinki, which produces award-winning interior accessories using 3D printing techniques. You must check out FOC’s portfolio of design products. Lights, accessories and even textiles are produced with several rapid manufacturing… Continue reading Design Studio uses Fabbing