Win $20,000 in a Design Contest

We know you like to design things, so why not try to win a large prize with your best ideas? Consider entering the "Create the Future" Design contest. 

 

Your entry can compete in any of several design categories:

 

• Consumer Products - Products that increase quality of life in the workplace, at home, during leisure time, or while traveling.
• Machinery and Equipment - Products that speed and improve work, manufacturing, or scientific research processes.
• Medical Products - Products that improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare.
• Safety and Security - Products that enhance the security or safety of individuals, businesses, communities, or nations.
• Sustainable Technologies - Products that help reduce dependence on non-renewable energy resources, as well as products designed for other purposes using environmentally friendly materials or manufacturing processes.
• Transportation - Products that enable movement of people and goods from one place to another. 

 

Judging is based on innovation, manufacturability, marketability and cost-effectiveness. You'll have to include one to three images of your design, as well as a 500 word technical abstract that describes your entry. You can examine current entries on the website today to get some ideas. 

 

Aside from the grand prize of USD$20,000, you'll also be eligible to win an HP workstation for the best entry in each category, as well as ten 3D Connexion SpaceNavigators for the most popular entries. The top 100 entries will receive a framed certificate and two percent of entrants will win a T-shirt by random selection. 

 

The contest closes entries on June 30, 2010, so you'd better get started. Winners will be announced in September. 

 

Via Tech Briefs

Finalists Announced in 3D Printing Contest

The annual Dimension 3D Extreme Redesign Contest has announced nine finalists in three categories.

 

High School Category Finalists:

• Robby Ridzy, Medina County Career Center, Brunswick, Ohio: Gutter Guide
• Maxwell Krist, Eckstein Middle School, Seattle, Wash.: Electricity Usage Meter
• Korrina Reed, Milford H.S., Milford, Ohio: Fragrance Bracelet

  

University Category Finalists:

• Donald Nicholson, Columbus State Community College, Columbus, Ohio: EZwriter
• Ross Warrel, London South Bank University, London, England: Squirrel
• Dale Herzog, Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester, Mass.: Robo-Prosthetic Development Platform

  

Art and Architecture Category Finalists:

• Chris Green, Utah State Univ., Logan, Utah: Helical Staircase
• Trevor Clarke, Fullerton College, Fullerton College, Fullerton, Cal.: Roy
• Amir Naeem, Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Fairfield, Conn.: Horus Research Center

 

As always this contest produces some amazing and creative results and the judges will have a difficult time choosing winners. Who will win? We're not sure, but we kinda liked the Squirrel, a unique one-handed screwdriver design in the College category, the Electricity Usage Meter in the High School category and the Helical Staircase in the Art and Architecture category. Good luck to all contestants!

 

The contest has been in running each year since 2004, and demonstrates Dimension Printing's commitment to supporting education in manufacturing and design. 

 

Via Dimension Printing 

SpaceNavigators Are Free!

We're a big fan of SpaceNavigators, those pleasant-feeling 3D controllers that are most often found in your not-the-regular-mouse hand. The SpaceNav is compatible with a long list of 3D software, ranging from most modelling tools to 3D games.

 

There's several types of SpaceNavs available from maker 3DConnexion, including more advanced models with many buttons, and smaller ones for tucking into your laptop bag. They range in price from USD$99 for the basic (but eminently useful) version to USD$399 for the amazing SpaceNavigator Pro. 

 

But now you can get one For Free! That's right - 3DConnexion is giving them away, five per month until June 30th, 2010. Therefore, there are 15 left. 

 

How does it work? Just head to the link below and enter the contest, which is apparently determined by "draw". 

 

Via 3DConnexion

BlenderArtists Competition

i.Materialise has launched a design challenge on Blender designers at the BlenderArtists site: "BlenderArtists.org is the most popular community site dedicated to the free, open-source 3D animation program Blender. On the site, users of the program can discuss their artwork, ask questions and find resources such as textures and tutorials."

The competition closes on February 18th, so get your design in quickly! The task is to design the most interesting set of bookends (similar to the image above), and the prize will be a 3D print of your design. Three winners will be selected. The Rules from BlenderArtists.org:

• The model needs to fit in a bounding box of 8cm by 8cm, with a height of 12cm (use Blender units as reference)
• Mind too small details, as 3Dprinters are not able to print those. As a rule of thumb, any detail bigger than 1mm can be 3Dprinted.
• The model needs to consist out of one piece (we will add a ground plate to connect it with the bookend)
• Don’t worry about file preparation for 3Dprinting, we will do that for you.

You'll need to submit three screenshots of your design after you register with BlenderArtists.org.

Via BlenderArtists

$100K For a Better 3D Printer!

The Foresight institute has announced their version of the X-Prize, the Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize. The idea is to award a hardworking team who can develop a drastically improved RepRap 3D printer design. There will be an interim award of USD$20,000 on December 31st, 2012 and a grand prize of USD$80,000 on December 31st, 2015. The interim award requires teams to meet the following startling characteristics:

• Print at least three different materials, including one that is usefully electrically conductive.
• The ability to print electronic circuit boards.
• Print beds must be of a material which may be reused with minimal refurbishment for at least 20 print cycles.
• Maintain a total materials and parts cost under $200 and that 90% of the volume of the printer parts be printed.
• Demonstrate a build volume of the printer above 300x300x100mm in order to insure that items daily utility can be printed.
• The capacity to print a full set of parts for a complete replica of itself within 10 days unattended save for clearing no more than one printer head jam.
• The ability to print autonomously without a PC attached.
• Uses no more than 60 watts of electrical power.

If that weren't enough, the grand prize characteristics are even more amazing:

• That the cost of the material used for printing does not exceed $4/kilogram.
• The capacity to print a full set of parts for a complete replica of itself within 7 days, including the time for reloading, and clearing of printer head jams.
• Maintain a total materials and parts cost under $200 and that 90% of the volume of the printer parts be printed.

If these lofty goals can be achieved, it will be a momentous change, as many commercial barriers will have been broken. They're clearly trying to drive the technology to a point where commercial ventures will strongly take hold. Thank you, Foresight Institute!

Good luck to all teams!

Via Foresight Institute and Make

Material of the Year!

Last month blog Material ConneXion announcement the winners in their new MEDIUM Award for Material of the Year. This is the first annual presentation of this award, and it was given to Concrete Canvas's Concrete Cloth material. This innovative material mixes fabric with concrete that "allows it to be quickly and easily molded and set into shapes" when you add water. That's the cloth in the image here. Very cool indeed!

But what does this have to do with 3D printing?

Among the eleven Honorable Mentions for the award was Objet Geometries, manufacturers of the Eden, Alaris30 and Connex printer families. Specifically the award was directed to Objet's PolyJet tech, which permits multiple materials to be jetted during the printing process. We believe this is the only commercially marketed technology to do so.

You'll be able to see all twelve award winners at a special exhibition in January-February 2010 in New York City.

Via Material ConneXion and Objet (Hat tip to Rachel)
Image credit: Material ConneXion

Extreme Redesign 2009

Dimension Printing has announced their annual "Extreme Redesign" competition for 2009-10. The annual event highlights innovative designs created by students.

As usual, there are several categories of entries:

• High School
• College Engineering
• Art & Architecture

This year Dimension have added a new feature: a US$250 Green Bonus, awarded to a student "whose design best displays innovation in areas such as energy efficiency and environmental sustainability".

To enter students must submit a .STL file containing their model and a complete description, either in text or video. Don't forget the entry form, too. Entries are open until 1 Feb 2010, after which a panel will determine the winning entries. The lucky winners will be announced in April 2010 and receive US$2,500 for first place, US$1,000 for runners-up and US$50 for semi-finalists.

Via Dimension Printing

(Un)Limited Design Contest!

 

The Dutch FabLabs have organized a design contest that may be of interest to Fabbaloo readers. According to Bas van Abel, Creative Director of the Waag Society:

Why put up with existing products when you can make your own? Today, powerful digital fabrication technology lets you design and build almost anything, and we want to help you make the most of it. Design an object from scratch or redesign an existing one – it’s up to you. Surprise yourself and others, and enter your work in the (un)limited design contest. It’s all about sharing ideas, creativity and blueprints. All in the spirit of open design.

(Un)limited Design Contest invites anybody -- designers, makers, amateurs -- to submit their own designs in the area of form, fashion and food. If you win, your design will be made available at 0900-Design's shop and website, and you'll get help with marketing your product further.

Open design
Unique about the (Un)limited Design Contest is that all designs are open for anybody to be used, re-interpreted and redesigned. These derivative designs are also entitled to take part in the contest -- even more: copying and improving designs is strongly encouraged. It’s all about sharing ideas, creativity and expertise. In the spirit of open design, each entry’s instructions and blueprints will be made available on the contest website under a creative commons license.

Fablab
Just visit one of the FabLabs between 13 August and 12 October and enter the (Un)limited Design Contest 2009. These open high-tech workshops have computers and special computer-controlled prototyping machines you can use to design and 3D-print nearly any object you can imagine.

(Un)limited Design Contest 2009 is a production of Waag Society and Premsela, Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion in cooperation with the Dutch FabLabs and Creative Commons Nederland

Via Unlimited Design Contest