Could 3D Print Recycling Be Dangerous?

Recently several ventures have attempted to produce devices for producing your own 3D printer plastic filament. The idea is that you can purchase plastic pellets at a fraction of the price of filament, feed them into the filament machine, which then extrudes filament for you to spool.    There’s another way to use these devices:… Continue reading Could 3D Print Recycling Be Dangerous?

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

A DIY Safety Guide

We’ve been directed to a Safety Guide created by Tatiana Crisan for those building their own personal CNC machine. While a CNC machine is by no means a 3D printer, many of the safety guidelines portrayed are totally applicable for those building personal 3D printers.    Yes, reading these points may seem obvious and even… Continue reading A DIY Safety Guide

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

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

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3D Printing Hot Stuff

We’ve been reading a post from BFB in which they’ve offered another christmas 3D model free for download as part of their Advent Calendar program. It’s a tea light holder. The item holds one of those standard-sized metal candle holders, which of course, you ignite and enjoy.   But this got us thinking. Should 3D… Continue reading 3D Printing Hot Stuff

3D Printed Roboworm

New Scientist reports that Engineer Jordan Boyle from the University of Leeds has developed a “Roboworm” that can be used to burrow into small spaces. Such a device would be invaluable for earthquake rescues, where victims might be trapped under tons of rubble.    While there are existing devices that can probe rubble piles, the… Continue reading 3D Printed Roboworm

Health and Safety of Fabs

The UK government’s Health and Safety Executive has issued a brief report on “Rapid Manufacturing”, in which they predict there could be 100,000 rapid manufacturing devices in use by 2010. In the longer term, the development of equipment and materials enabling the fabrication of products in the home via desktop “fabbers”3 and ultimately perhaps, Molecular… Continue reading Health and Safety of Fabs