Iâm seeing what I think is a bit of a transformation of the desktop 3D printer market: buyers are beginning to have different goals.
maker
Book of the Week: The Maker Marketplace Handbook
This weekâs selection is âThe Maker Marketplace Handbookâ by Jennifer Maker.
The End of an Era? The Future of Easily Upgradeable Desktop 3D Printers
Could desktop 3D printers become less upgradeable in the future?
SOLIDWORKS For Students And Makers Coming Later This Year
Dassault Systèmes announced some changes to SOLIDWORKS pricing that will be of interest to both students and makers.
8 Reasons Why You Should Not Buy A Home 3D Printer
Many Fabbaloo readers own their own 3D printer, while others contemplate buying one. But should you?
Desktop 3D Printing Opens Up Pandemic Response, Continues Beyond
One Californian company has been using its deep-seated desktop 3D printing expertise to broaden maker response to COVID-19.
Some Advice To Makers Working On COVID-19 Projects
Many makers are anxious to do something with their 3D printing equipment to help solve the crisis, but there are some things to consider first.
3D Printing And The Rise Of Professional Designer Artisan Fabricators
Charles R. Goulding & Preeti Sulibhavi of R&D Tax Savers examine 3D printing applications in artisanal fabrication.
Book of the Week: Every Tool’s a Hammer
This weekâs selection is âEvery Tool’s a Hammer:â by Adam Savage.
What Happens When the 3D Printing Dream Ends?
Many 3D printing companies have emerged since 2009, and almost as many have since shut down. What happens then?
What Is A 3D Print Network To Do Now?
With Solidworksâ announcement of an integrated manufacturing network, questions arise regarding the future of existing community making networks.
Book of the Week: Makers
This weekâs selection is Makers, by Cory Doctorow.
Want To See a 3D Printer? Hit a Maker Faire Near You!
Although inexpensive 3D printers have been available now for a few years, some readers of Fabbaloo may never have seen one in person.
Bre Returns – But Not Directly into 3D Printing
We havenât written about former MakerBot chief Bre Pettis for quite some time, but now heâs reappeared with a new venture.
The Maker Revolution âFailed To Deliverâ, But It Did
A piece in The Awl comments on the seeming demise of the maker movement through 3D printing by following the story of MakerBot.
Wevolver Is A Different Kind Of Repository
There are countless web-based 3D model repositories, but none are quite like Wevolver, who focus on actually doing practical something with your 3D prints.
WI3DP: Madelynn Martiniere
Madelynn Martiniere is in the business of community engineering for technology companies. Over the past 5 years she has worked alongside both startups and large corporations alike to bring about the new hardware revolution.
Scan and Make Links Makers of Many Types
There are several âlinkup servicesâ that join buyers to makers, but Scan and Make has a different angle than weâve seen before.
MakerOS Simplifies Everything For 3D Print Professionals
Thereâs a growing number of people making their living from 3D printing, and now cloud service MakerOS by Manulith can make life a lot easier.
We Are Not All Makers
An article in The Atlantic proposes that maker culture focuses too much on âcreatingâ and not enough on other aspects.
3D Printing Reawakens The Maker In You
100 years ago, people knew how to make things. They werenât necessarily complex things, but they made them. Today, weâve largely forgotten those skills.
3D Printer Built by Thirteen Year Old
The Times of India reports on a teenager whoâs successfully constructed his own DIY 3D printer. While many people have built 3D printers from kits or parts, itâs interesting to see the age of builders decrease to the mid-teens. What are the implications?
Will MAKEWithMOTO Visit Your City?
It’s a summer-long road trip for several folks from Motorola, who are promoting the idea of “making” by driving a kind of mobile makerspace around the USA. They say: This summer, Motorola is hitting the road in a velcro-clad Sprinter van full of the latest prototyping tools (3D printers, laser cutters, soldering stations, etc)… Continue reading Will MAKEWithMOTO Visit Your City?
Makeshop Seeks Beta Testers
A new 3D model startup is looking for beta testers. Makeshop hopes to provide services to 3D designers and owners of 3D printers – and maybe a little extra cash. Spokesperson Billy Chism says: I am launching a site for 3D printer owners who want to design, print and sell their items easily either… Continue reading Makeshop Seeks Beta Testers
ProtoExchange Seeks a Decentralized 3D Printing Network
We were contacted by Jonathan Placa, who’s setting up a distributed 3D printing network called ProtoExchange. ProtoExchange will attempt to create an online bidding system, in which those desiring a 3D print will be connected with amateur 3D printer owners who will do the job. The advantage appears to be that the printer operator… Continue reading ProtoExchange Seeks a Decentralized 3D Printing Network
Introducing Mak3D
Opening in “late August 2012”, Mak3D is billed as the “World’s first 3D printing co-working environment”. Located on London’s Brick Lane across from the notable Brick Lane Bakery, Mak3D will provide workspace and access to 3D equipment for makers. For £200 per month (USD$312), you’ll have access to the following: A 1000 sq ft.… Continue reading Introducing Mak3D
Calling Makers: Emergency Dome Needed!
We wondered what Effalo’s next project might be, and now we know for certain: It’s a much larger geodesic dome, apparently to be used in a music video. Unfortunately, according to Michael Felix, principal of MakerFactory, they have less than two weeks to produce the dome and their extruder is broken! They’ve posted a series… Continue reading Calling Makers: Emergency Dome Needed!
Ten Year Old Speaks on 3D Printing
3D Printing always gets people excited whenever we mention it, and this excitement is all over. Consider the YouTube video of ten year old Schuyler St. Leger speaking at Ignite Phoenix, in which he describes with some passion his thoughts on 3D printing and the maker community. His hugely entertaining talk is definitely worth viewing. … Continue reading Ten Year Old Speaks on 3D Printing
What Can I Make For You?
There’s another option for makers to keep their fabbers running: What Can I Make For You? is a web service that links consumers to makers. The service solicits requests for, well, anything, from consumers. The service attempts to match the request against someone from their pool of makers. This small five person San Francisco-based… Continue reading What Can I Make For You?
MakerFactory.com
As often is the case, and experiment leads to a hobby, leads to a business and sometimes to a multinational corporation. In this case the experiment was Vernon Effalo’s effort to build a dome. He required a large number of dodecahedrons and simply outsourced it to other makers, which eventually enabled him to complete the… Continue reading MakerFactory.com
MakerFaire Video
Take a look at a great video from the recent MakerFaire where: Bre Prettis of MakerBot provides a brief explanation of their hobby 3D printer Jeffrey Lipton of the Fab at Home project explains the unique features of their printer, which is capable of printing electronics or even batteries. Max Freeman of Alibre – demonstrates… Continue reading MakerFaire Video
MakerBot Calibration Hoedown
Members of Kansas City’s Cowtown Computer Congress had an unusual event: 3D Printer Calibration Night. That’s right, members brought in their MakerBot 3D printers in an effort to properly calibrate their heater barrels, which are notoriously tricky to set right. Half a dozen MakerBots and a couple of RepRaps appear to be present in… Continue reading MakerBot Calibration Hoedown
Maker Culture
Great article on Maker Culture from Re/Creating Tampa, where they contrast 21st Century maker activities with historical events in the United States. They explain how inventions were largely the domain of the individual (think Benjamin Franklin, Eli Whitney, etc.) These renowned “individual gadgeteers” made a truly significant difference in the history of the United States… Continue reading Maker Culture
Pleasant Tuning of a MakerBot
Pleasant Hardware’s blog deals with the nuts and bolts of 3D printing, and recently they’ve been doing experiments with their MakerBot. One of the experiments involves printing “without a raft”. The raft is that cross-hatch base layer used to isolate the object from the build platform itself. Their advice: I recently started with printing objects… Continue reading Pleasant Tuning of a MakerBot
Gadgetoff 2009
We noticed MakerBot made an appearance at this year’s Gadgetoff in September in New York City. They showed off their amazing Cupcake 3D printer kit, as we’ve covered before. However, that’s not the reason for this post. Instead, we were astonished by all the truly amazing gadgets makers demonstrated at this event. Be sure to… Continue reading Gadgetoff 2009
Maker Faire 2008
Every year makers of wonderful things congregate at the Maker Faire. This year it was held on May 3 and 4 in San Mateo, California, and as expected, many interesting items were exhibited. Wired has the best coverage of the event, and includes stories on such items as: A hand-built steam-powered time machine A… Continue reading Maker Faire 2008