3D Systems Acquires ... Jim!

Jim Smith of Grass Roots Engineering has been working on 3D printing technology for quite a while, building such amazing machines as shown in the image at left. But now he's made a big announcement: 

 

Since I started this website in December 2010, it has received a lot of attention, especially from my NPR Science Friday video interview.  Since then I have accepted a position with 3D Systems, the leading 3D printer manufacturer! (Just to be clear, they are not acquiring my printer or website, just me as an engineer!)

 

This is not a corporate acquisition as we've come to expect from 3D Systems, but does seem to follow the same strategy: beefing up their stable of personal 3D printing resources, be they companies, services, partners or in this case, skills. 

 

As the jigsaw pieces are slowly gathered, one wonders exactly what 3D Systems will assemble with them. 

  

Via Grass Roots Engineering

Jeffrey Lipton Explains 3D Printing

3D Printing researcher Jeffrey Lipton delivers a 5 minute talk introducing 3D printing at Ignite Ithaca. Jeffrey works on the Fab@Home project, one of several open source 3D printer development initiatives. 

 

In the talk Lipton explains in a rather excited manner that the introduction of 3D printing technology will produce another manufacturing revolution, transitioning us from the era of mass production to personal production. He predicts a world where unique items will be produced as required by individuals, and we won't be forced to accept identical mass produced items. He says:

 

Why do we need warehouses? Why do we stockpile things?

 

We agree. But will this happen? Certainly, and it will be just as exciting as watching the very animated Jeffrey. 

 

Via YouTube

Printed Meats!

Following up on last week's post regarding the amazing feats of the Cornell Computational Synthesis Lab's work on Food Printing, this week they have more spectacular announcements. They've been working with the French Culinary Institute to produce what is perhaps the most advanced forms of printed food yet. 

 

In this example they've managed to produce a cookie with an embedded "C" (click for larger image). The "C" is made of chocolate dough - illustrating the critical importance of printing multiple materials, er ingredients, by a printer. The team is using a Fab@Home Model 2 for these culinary experiments. 

 

That was not all. The team then went on to attempt the impossible: 3D Printed Meats! In the image above, they've printed a shape with scallops. (Presumably the scallops have been diced into uniform bits suitable for extrusion.) The shapes were subsequently deep-fried and no doubt eaten. Scallop Shuttle?

 

Finally, the ultimate: 3D Printed Turkey. Again, the turkey has been reduced to an extrudable form and then formed into the shapes above. These shapes are not as imaginative as the Scallop Shuttle, but then, It's Real Turkey! 

 

Can we print a SPAM cube? Yum!

 

Via Fab@Home (PDF) (Hat tip to Jeffrey)

FabLab Ignites Fab@School

The Fab@Home guys at Cornell have won a major contest in the education sector, as they were recently named one of eight winners in the third annual Digital Media and Learning competition. The competition attempts to dramatically change how education works in the 21st century: 

 

President Obama has called for a renewed focus on science, technology, engineering and math education in the United States. The headlines of 2009 highlight the need for urgency: Whether it is epidemic disease, clean energy, climate change, new economic models, or innovative responses to local and global problems, the next generation will experience a rapidly changing world of daunting challenges. The complexity of such challenges will require sophisticated critical thinking and an ability to understand and affect the multiple systems that shape the economy, society and even life itself. Today’s young people will be called upon to demonstrate the dispositions and habits of mind that have always been at the heart of innovation and achievement – creativity, persistence, imagination, curiosity, storytelling, tinkering, improvisation, passion, risk-taking, and collaboration. These are the very dispositions and habits of mind that are nurtured by the exploration and understanding of science, technology, engineering and math.

 

FabLab participated in Glenn Bull's entry from the University of Virginia. Prof. Bull (pictured above) brought together several schools of education and technology to propose the following: 

 

Fab@School introduces K-12 students to the excitement and power of mathematical analysis and modeling, digital fabrication, and engineering by encouraging imaginative and collaborative experimentation, invention, design, and creation. Adapting a low-cost open-source emergent digital fabrication system for school use, Fab@School provides students the satisfying experience of taking their concepts-from geometric structures to simple machines to usable products-from mind's eye to physical form. A complementary curriculum aligned with school standards fosters the further development of STEM skills by posing challenges and presenting models that spur inquiry and inspire students' original designs.

 

You must watch the video to appreciate the importance of their entry. We believe this effort, if successful, could jumpstart manufacturing education across the globe by bringing the ideas to the younger ages. Kids are fascinated by this stuff if presented properly, and if they're interested, it should carry through as they get older. 

 

Plant seeds, and watch them grow. Well, done, FabGuys!

 

Via DML Competition and Digital Fabrication

The Most Popular 3D Printer Brands & Manufacturers?

A strange post appeared last week on Red Chill Media where they listed their thoughts on the "Top 4 Most Popular 3D Printer Brands & Manufacturers". Their list included:

1. Objet
2. Z Corporation
3. Desktop Factory (!)
4. Dimension/Stratasys

We're not sure we'd agree with this list, particularly item 3, Desktop Factory. While DT was highly touted and did good work, they ceased to exist some time ago, after being absorbed by industry giant 3D Systems (hm, where are 3D Systems on the list?) 

 

So who are the leading 3D print vendors these days? We'd have to split this into two very distinct categories: Commercial, where high-quality devices demand high prices, and Hobbyist, where incredibly inexpensive gear is used by a large and growing crowd. 

 

First, our list of commercial 3D printer vendors:

 

• 3D Systems
• Dimension
• envisionTEC
• MCOR
• Objet Geometries
• SOLIDO
• ZCorp

 

And our list of hobbyist 3D printer vendors/projects:

 

• Fab@Home
• MakerBot
• RapMan
• RepRap

 

No, they're not ranked. We have no way of knowing the relative size of these organizations. How would you measure them, anyway? Annual revenue? That would disqualify the open source projects. Media Coverage? Number of prints? Features & quality? All of these organizations offer benefits and challenges, and you must choose the one that fits your needs best. As for us, we decided to list them using an undebatable system: alphabetical. Enjoy!

 

Via Red Chill

Make Anything!

That's the tagline for the new Fab@Home website, just unveiled in the past few days:

 

Fab@Home will change the way we live. It is a platform of printers and programs which can produce functional 3D objects. It is designed to fit on your desktop and within your budget. Fab@Home is supported by a global, open-source community of professionals and hobbyists, innovating tomorrow, today. Join us, and Make Anything.

 

Inspiring, and true. 

 

The new site provides a wide variety of features designed specifically to encourage the development of 3D technologies by sharing experiences and information. We should see a surge in development of associated software and hardware. 

 

And that's not all - Fab@Home has also announced the release of Model 2! The new model is even simpler to produce, leading to less expense and time. They say, "a child can construct one over the course of a single afternoon". You can even get the parts from personal manufacturing service Ponoko. Also of interest is the ability for Model 2 to use a variety of interchangeable fabrication tools, including Dremels, a plastic tool, etc.) 

 

The Fab@Home platform is very versatile, as told by Open3DP: 

 

Our lab has used Version 1 of Fab@Home to fab everything from concrete through ceramics (glass) through chocolate and this past month some students (Yirop Kim and Patrick Wallace) printed in cookie dough.

Lots more information and an interview with Fab@home participants is available at the MakerBot blog. 

 

Well done, Fab@Home! (What's on the plan for Model 3?)

 

Via Fab@Home (Hat tip to Jeffrey)

The Homemade 3D Printer

Those new to the concept of 3D printing are often even more amazed to find out that it's entirely possible to actually build a 3D printer yourself! It's not particularly easy and you must have very reasonable hardware talent, but definitely possible.

 

You'll need to select a method of depositing print media from many potential concepts, prepare a design for your build chamber, engineer a precision movable print head mechanism, a housing, electronic interfaces and a power source. Oh, and you must develop sophisticated control software to ensure it all works perfectly. 

 

Doesn't sound quite so possible now? Perhaps. 

 

Don't fear! There are several approaches that just might make your project a whole lot easier. Consider the paths taken by others to simplify the work:

• Re-engineer an existing 2D printer mechanism. There's quite a bit of truth when someone explains that a 3D printer is similar to an inkjet. The print head moves across X and Y dimensions already - you merely have to add the third Z dimension. This greatly simplifies the work.
• Use an existing design already perfected by others. There are a couple of excellent projects that can provide the necessary designs and even the required software. The leaders in this category would of course be the RepRap project and Fab@Home.
• Buy a kit. It's not only a proven design, but it's also all the parts and instructions you'll need. Two leading kit makers include MakerBot and The Rap-Man. You can also purchase assembly kits for RepRap and Fab@Home, too. 

It is entirely possible to build a homemade 3D printer. You simply have to decide how much effort you wish to put into the project. If you are up for a difficult technical challenge, design and build it yourself. If you want the assurance that your build will actually work, consider RepRap or Fab@Home. Finally, if you just want to get it done quickly go for a kit. 

 

Fab@Home Video

 

With all the buzz lately around MakerBot, RepRap and other kits, don't forget about Fab@Home, one of the senior kit initiatives. We've found a video that shows the entire Fab@Home sequence, from assembly of the printer itself to printing operations. Printed: Cup, Watchband, Chocolate!

Via YouTube