Fabbaloo Bloghttp://fabbaloo.com/blog/Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:04 +0000en-USSquarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Open3DP Goes Closed3DP?corporateeducationlearningGeneral FabbThu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:04 +0000http://fabbaloo.com/blog/2012/2/9/open3dp-goes-closed3dp.html481327:5520108:14892627The folks at the University of Washington who've been doing stellar work researching 3D printing in concrete, ceramics, glass and other unusual materials have gone dark, so to speak. 
 
It appears that the suits at their university have issued new rules regarding participation with outside groups. Specifically, they say:
 
it has become increasingly apparent academic staff are not aware that engaging in outside work with any potential economic benefit triggers the requirement for approval through submission of this form. This includes situations where the economic benefit could arise due to an equity interest in the company for which the work is being performed, or due to potential benefit through intellectual property interests.  It also includes any work where there is an entitlement to compensation, even if that compensation is waived or donated. 
 
While this means Open3DP'rs work silently behind the curtain, it also means the rest of us won't see or benefit from their amazing inventions. We're quite disappointed, as the researchers must be. Hopefully they'll be able to resolve the situation in the future. 
 
Via Open3DP
]]>http://fabbaloo.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-14892627.xmlA 3D Printed JawmedicalmetalusageGeneral FabbWed, 08 Feb 2012 18:00:40 +0000http://fabbaloo.com/blog/2012/2/8/a-3d-printed-jaw.html481327:5520108:14892607This was bound to happen: a person receives a transplant of a major body part made specifically for them by 3D printing technology. 
 
In this case the body part was the lower jaw of an 83 year old woman from Europe, which had become infected and required removal. 3D scanning techniques captured the precise dimensions of the jaw and a replacement was produced using 3D printed powdered titanium.  
 
According to DePers, the process took only a few hours, while alternative methods would have taken days. The new jaw is heavier than a real jaw, being made of titanium, but is said to be quite usable. 
 
We think this is only the tip of a new branch of 3D printing, where all types of body parts, particularly bones, will be 3D printed to matching individual shapes. 
 
The best part of this story? The patient was able to speak and swallow a day after the surgery. 
 
Via DePers (Dutch) (Hat tip to Joe)
Image Credit: Erix!
]]>http://fabbaloo.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-14892607.xmlWe Built About 8,000 MouthsanimationusageGeneral FabbWed, 08 Feb 2012 17:00:28 +0000http://fabbaloo.com/blog/2012/2/8/we-built-about-8000-mouths.html481327:5520108:14777344Did you catch the movie Coraline? If you did you might have noticed that much of the movie was not made using conventional computer graphics. Instead the producers 3D printed billions (well maybe not quite that much, but a Whole Bunch) of character parts that were then used in Stop-Motion filming. The movie was a huge success. Apparently the approach was deemed sufficiently successful for another movie: The Pirates! Band of Misfits". 
 
The movie's animators had to design and print 3D shapes for all the parts of the characters - in all possible positions. Arms, legs, hands and especially faces. Facial expressions are a huge element in any movie and this is no different. The animators had to create facial parts that could be combined and sequenced to represent emotions and speaking dialogue. Evidently they used a phonetic method to create all required mouth shapes. According to animator Ian Whitlock: 
 
We built about 8,000 mouths. For the Pirate Captain model, we made 257 separate mouths. For someone like Charles Darwin, we probably had about 130 mouths.
 
We'd love to see how they organize mouth storage: "Smile", "Sneer", "Pucker", etc. 
 
Via FoxNews
]]>http://fabbaloo.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-14777344.xmlThe $300 Desktop 3D Printer?fundraisingprinterGeneral FabbTue, 07 Feb 2012 18:00:11 +0000http://fabbaloo.com/blog/2012/2/7/the-300-desktop-3d-printer.html481327:5520108:14892561Another 3D printer startup has emerged: the Makibox A6, billed as: "The $300 Desktop 3D Printer". The project is led by Jon Buford, who hopes to raise USD$40,000 by the end of February through the funding site Makible. Buford says: "we’ve set out to build the most affordable, compact, and easy to use 3D printer yet!" But what makes it so affordable? What makes it different from the numerous other kits? Here's what we noticed:
 
  • The design is even simpler than other 3D printer designs. For example, rather than using belts and bearings, they're using drive screws. These design simplifications lead to much less cost
  • The build envelope is actually a heated chamber! Motors and electronics are kept outside, meaning they do not need to be beefed up to handle the heat of the chamber. Again, lots of benefit at a low construction cost
  • Volume priced components, as they're hoping to build a lot of these units 
  • Although not part of the printer itself, MakiBox will sell ABS plastic at the incredibly low price of US$20 per Kg (about USD$9 per pound), the lowest we've seen. They're also introducing a new filament size: 1mm
  
We love innovation and it appears that MakiBox is doing quite a bit of innovation. We're hoping they're successful - and they will be if you contribute to their project at the link below. 
 
Via Makible and MakiBox
]]>http://fabbaloo.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-14892561.xml3D Printed Ceramic DesignceramicdesignGeneral FabbTue, 07 Feb 2012 17:01:07 +0000http://fabbaloo.com/blog/2012/2/7/3d-printed-ceramic-design.html481327:5520108:14777510Artist Jonathan Keep provided an update on his experiments using ceramic 3D printing to create very unusual works. Using a modified RapMan personal 3D printer that has its usual plastic extruders replaced with syringes, Keep can successfully 3D print ceramic models. The syringes contain a fixed-capacity cartridge full of ceramic material, meaning Keep's prints have to stay within material volume limits. 
 
Keep has produced some truly beautiful designs by using algorithmic approaches. Software libraries provide mathematical components that Keep combines and tunes into designs suitable for ceramic 3D printing. You can check out all his ceramic works here.
 
Via Keep Art
]]>http://fabbaloo.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-14777510.xml3D Print Meat With Your Imagine 3D PrinterfoodinterviewprinterGeneral FabbMon, 06 Feb 2012 17:00:44 +0000http://fabbaloo.com/blog/2012/2/6/3d-print-meat-with-your-imagine-3d-printer.html481327:5520108:14808016We spoke with Essential Dynamics Sales Manager, Stevie Green regarding their new personal 3D printer, the Imagine 3D Printer. As we reported earlier, this printer is unique among ready-to-go assembled personal 3D printers as it uses syringes instead of the more common hot plastic extruders. This means it is capable of printing room-temperature gooey substances, including food! 
  
Fabbaloo: Is the device actually available for purchase today? 
 
Stevie Green: Yes. We have not gone all out, in marketing our product, only because we've had a large pre-order list that we are working through, right now. Thus, any overt marketing only tests our production limits. We are working around the clock to fix both these situations.
  
Fabbaloo: What examples of food printing have you managed to do with it?  
 
Stevie Green: We have used all meats (chicken, fish, turkey, beef, pork) that have been brought to a soluble state in a blender and then printed into customized shapes. Some of the more extravagant ones have been star shaped sushi's.  Until Imagine, sushi only came in two shapes, oblong and circular.  We have completely redefined these shape.  From now on, sushi will no longer come in only 2 shapes.  It will come in any shape you desire.
 
Since Imagine is a dual syringe system this opens up the opportunity to do fusion foods like never before. You can make salmon shots infused with red wine. This is the ultimate health food. All your omegas, vitamins, and resveratrol, all rolled up into one awesome shot!! New and healthy combinations, new fusions, unusual shapes, it is going to be an explosion of creativity. 
  
Our community website, Mongasso.com, (currently in Beta) is going to be the new center for this creative designing. Here you can engage in creating your own designs, sharing designs, collaborating with others in designing, getting others to design for you. It is the home for all forms of expressions of creativity. By creating a free account on Mongasso, users will have access to the whole world and the talents of people from around the world. 
Fabbaloo: What software is used to prepare food models? Is it the same approach as used for plastic 3D printing, or are there other considerations and software?   
 
Stevie Green: Food models are prepped in the same manner as any other cad file.  We use Google Sketchup.
  
Fabbaloo: How do you handle the foodsafe aspects?  
 
Stevie Green: There are actually only two points on the machine that come in contact with food: The syringes and the build tray. We use a food safe build tray and the syringes, we currently discard after usage. We will be providing washable glass syringes shortly.
  
Fabbaloo: What are your plans for the future? 
 
Stevie Green: Our future consists of many phases but primarily to get people acclimated to the technology.  We want to open up their minds as to the possibilities.  What excites us the most, is what creative things people will make with Imagine.  Once you can Imagine, you can redefine your world.   
 
For more information, check out the USD$2,995 Imagine 3D Printer at their site below. 
 
Via Essential Dynamics
]]>http://fabbaloo.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-14808016.xmlPirate Baying 3D PrintingideaslegalGeneral FabbSun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:04 +0000http://fabbaloo.com/blog/2012/2/5/pirate-baying-3d-printing.html481327:5520108:14777430The other week infamous BitTorrent site The Pirate Bay announced a new category for contraband digital media: Other/Physibles. The idea is that this category would hold 3D model files representing physical objects. Horrors! Not only will movies and music will be pirated, but now Everything Else! 
 
Listen, it's just a category. And it's not even a new idea - two years ago we wrote of something called "The Product Bay" (since deceased, apparently) that attempted this same approach. Certainly digital 3D model files have been passed around between friends for some time now. 
 
So is this event a big deal? We think it simply means this: in this century value is increasingly placed on digital representations over physical representations. The Pirate Bay's actions merely reflects that progression; they see value in digital representations, too. 
 
But will we see the physical world pirated away? Likely not soon, as printing physical 3D models is still quite limited in capability. Materials, properties, speed of printing, color, texture and even file format quirks all mean there's only so much you can do. In fact, an inspection of TPB's list of physibles shows a short (20ish) list of odd bits, including objects from the already free-of-charge Thingiverse, a couple of unprintable possibly commercial 3D models and of course a pirate ship. Hardly anything to be worried about. 
 
At least for now. 
]]>http://fabbaloo.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-14777430.xml3D Printing To Disappear?ideaspredictionGeneral FabbSat, 04 Feb 2012 17:00:38 +0000http://fabbaloo.com/blog/2012/2/4/3d-printing-to-disappear.html481327:5520108:14777381Christopher Mims writes his opinion of 3D printing futures on the MIT Technology Review blog, where he suggests that 3D printing will never become a "mature technology that can reproduce all the goods on which we rely". He goes on to suggest that to believe so is a "complete denial of the complexities of modern manufacturing". 
 
We think Mims is right and wrong. He's right that today's 3D printers and even those envisioned for the next few years are (and will be) limited in capability. They print in a limited selection of materials with constrained physical properties and indeed that is problematic if you intend on using printed objects for general use. 
 
He's wrong that 3D printing will "go the way of virtual reality". To us, the signs are present: we have a technology gradually improving in capability, price and effectiveness with a great many people working on it. We have massive numbers of 3D capable people appearing, acquainted with 3D via design, gaming or entertainment. 
 
And there's something else.
 
Personalization. The 20th century was the period of mass production. Many identical cheap items were made for all purposes. Today people have become more demanding of objects that more precisely match their needs. And we call that personalization. 3D printing can achieve that, at least for an increasing subset of items. 
 
As people grow more accustomed to personalization, the percentage of 3D printed items will rise. If the percentage of 3D printed items rises, then it becomes more important, and does not "go the way of virtual reality". 
 
What say you? Will we become less interested in personalized objects in the future, or more so? I think you know what we think.
 
Via MIT's Technology Review
]]>http://fabbaloo.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-14777381.xmlBotMill Improves ServicebotmillcorporateGeneral FabbFri, 03 Feb 2012 17:00:43 +0000http://fabbaloo.com/blog/2012/2/3/botmill-improves-service.html481327:5520108:14777361BotMill is one of many companies producing RepRap-based 3D printers, and perhaps it's one of the largest. In the past our posts on BotMill have sometimes been met with negative comments regarding their service and this negativity appeared in other forums as well. 
 
We're not certain whether the negative comments are true or false, but BotMill has taken several steps to improve their service offerings:
 
  • They now employ a person dedicated to responding to questions, queries and comments from online forums
  • Their tech lead is actively participating in the RepRap community by answering general RepRap questions beyond just BotMill specific issues
  • BotMill says they now have the fastest shipping in the industry: orders received by noon are shipped by 4PM on the same day
  • All manufactured printers are completely tested for quality and even ship with the test print still attached to the print bed to prove they work correctly
  • A tech is now dedicated to providing customer service. All email is answered within 24 hours and often within an hour
  • A trouble ticket system tracks all support engagements
We hope all 3D printer companies spend the effort to deliver this level of service, but will these steps be able to turn around negative comments? That's BotMill's goal and we'll see if they achieve it. 
 
Via BotMill
]]>http://fabbaloo.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-14777361.xmlThe Imagine 3D Food PrinterfoodprinterGeneral FabbThu, 02 Feb 2012 17:00:57 +0000http://fabbaloo.com/blog/2012/2/2/the-imagine-3d-food-printer.html481327:5520108:14777491There's not a lot of information about this intriguing device, but New York-based Essential Dynamics has released their "Imagine 3D Printer". Now we know you've seen a plethora of personal 3D printers explode onto the market in recent months, but this one is different. Very different. 
 
It doesn't print plastic. 
 
The Imagine uses syringes instead of hot extruders melting plastic. 
 
What can you extrude? Their answer: "If it extrudes, it prints". You can print any gooey substance and that means only one thing: Food! Yes, you should be able to print in Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Cookie Dough, Mashed Potatoes or possibly even Minced Turkey. Two syringes are included so theoretically you can print in two "foods", permitting a wide variety of interesting food experiments. 
 
As far as we know, this could be the first dedicated personal 3D food printer available. You can pick one up fully assembled for USD$2,995. 
 
Via Essential Dynamics
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