Raja has the real entrepreneur mind-set. She has started an advisory and investment company, is board advisory member for 3 others, and invested in 7 others, in addition to being the CCO for ShareMy3D… We asked her how she does it all.
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Matsuura Seems to Have Metal 3D Printing Figured Out
There are many new 3D metal printers on the market, but most of them produce objects requiring significant post-processing. But not Matsuura’s.
Polymaker’s Simplified 3D Casting System
Polymaker is one of those interesting plastic filament companies that keeps inventing unusual products. One of them is their casting solution.
One on One With Stratasys’ Andy Middleton: Part 1
We had a chance to sit down with one of Stratasys’ key leaders to find out what’s happening at the 3D printing giant.
Trinkcle’s B2B Product Generation System
I’ve always thought that generative approaches may be the way for consumers to get into 3D printing, but there’s actually another more important use.
Should 3D Printer Companies Develop Their Own Resins?
There seems to be two kinds of resin 3D printer manufacturers: those supporting open materials and those who do not.
Design of the Week: Voronoi Pearl Light Lamp No. 1
This week’s selection is the decorative Voronoi Pearl Light Lamp No. 1 by designer Gravity Shapes.
Siemens and Stratasys: More Than Just a Partnership?
I was very pleased to learn of Stratasys’ partnership with Siemens, but afterwards I’m wondering if there is more to this deal than meets the eye.
A Big Perspective On BigRep
We’ve been following the development of BigRep for some time now, and at this point the company is a significant player in the 3D space.
A Sweet Spot for Viridis3D’s 3D Printing Foundry Solution
EnvisionTEC’s subsidiary Viridis3D has been developing a unique system for 3D printing sand molds for use in foundries.
Xioneer’s X1 Has All The Calibrations!
At this stage of development, you might wonder what possible improvements could be done on a standard filament-based 3D printer. Tt turns out Xioneer has figured out several.
Carbon Dives into Ultra-Fast CLIP 3D Printing
With a stunning reveal during a TED Talk last year, Carbon quickly became the apple of the 3D printing industry’s eye.
atum3D’s DLP 3D Printer
There is no shortage of resin-based 3D printers these days, and one new option is the atum3D.
No, Not Really: Australian Drug Dealers 3D Printing Submachine Guns?
A series stories suggest that some druggies on the Gold Coast of Australia recently 3D printed submachine guns. I Don’t Think So.
Omni3D Seeks Fortus Customers
Omni3D’s Factory 2.0 Production System is directly targeting Fortus users.
3D Platform’s Powerful New Extruders
You might be familiar with 3D Platform, a company dedicated to making large-format 3D printers. Now it seems they’re working on ways to make large prints much faster.
This Insane Wood Chair Was Created Using Generative Design
While plenty of exciting developments are happening in the product design space, few are as revolutionary as advancements in generative design.
Roland’s Not-So-Secret Ceramic 3D Printer
When you think of “Roland” with respect to making machines, you think “small desktop unit”. But that’s definitely not going to be the case soon.
Concept Laser’s Automation Initiative
Concept Laser is working towards a significant automation system that could enable easy integration of their equipment into factory environments.
OR Laser’s Sophisticated Metal 3D Printer
German company OR Laser has developed a sophisticated metal 3D printer based on their previous laser expertise.
Isabel Virag – “Operating 3d Printers Is Not an Exceptionally Complicated Process.”
Isabel Virag is the Head of Product Development for Ucreate3D.
BigRep’s Shrinking!
Usually we see 3D printer companies making ever-larger devices. But now the maker of a large unit produces a smaller unit.
Has 3d-figo Figured Out How To 3D Print Any Material?
In a very tiny booth on the left side of the FormNext exhibition was a display from a one-person company that just may have figured out a monstrous breakthrough in 3D printing.
Flashforge Partners With ZW3D for CAD
A major desktop 3D printer vendor selected a CAD vendor as partner.
Design of the Week: Super Flowers
This week’s selection is the radical Super Flowers by Michigan-based Mark Peeters.
3D Printing: Shape, Check! Function, Not So Much
3D printing may be on the verge of a dramatic shift in focus as we’ve overcome one mountain, only to be faced with another.
Siemens Launches 3D Printing Software Suite
There’s no more need to say that 3D printing has finally “made it” in the world of industrial manufacturing. Now, it’s time to really make it work and to fully integrate it into the manufacturing supply chain.
SLM Solutions: We Have No Idea
SLM Solutions is a well-known manufacturer of metal 3D printing equipment, but we can’t tell you anything about them.
Stratasys’ Online Store
Stratasys made a bit of a splash with their online materials store this past week.
The DentalFab 3D Printer From MicroLay
Spain-based MicroLay has developed a new 3D printer specifically for the dental market.
AIO Robotic’s New Multi-Color Option
AIO Robotics has introduced an interesting new feature that enables basic color changing on their desktop 3D printer.
Onshape Switches Up Subscription Options, Unlimited Docs, Pushes for Pro
Well, well, well. Just as you were getting comfy with the limited private storage of Onshape’s free plan and dumping your Documents occasionally to clear room for others, they’ve gone and switched things up on you.
Microsoft’s Paint 3D: Introductory, Not Revolutionary
Windows 10 now includes Paint 3D, a simple 3D modeling program.
Variable Layer Slicing for The Ember 3D Printer: Good Idea or Not?
Autodesk has introduced something called “VariSlice” for their Ember desktop 3D printers.
APWorks’ LightRider Foretells Interesting New 3D Designs
APWorks has released a design for a fabulous 3D printed electric motorcycle called the “Light Rider”. But I think there’s a lot more to this project.
Marney Stapley – “Additive Manufacturing Attracts Some of the Brightest Minds in Tech and Innovation”
If you are in the Additive Manufacturing industry, you probably already know Marney as the Business Manager for Fabbaloo.
Get Ready; The Next Wave of Metal 3D Printing is About to Begin
In 2009 something happened that started a 3D printer boom. That’s going to happen once again.
Who Knew? Nylon PLA!
Is it nylon 3D printer filament or PLA. Actually, this product is both!
The Monoprice Select Mini Desktop 3D Printer
If you’re seeking an inexpensive desktop 3D printer and fear an unknown Kickstarter project, the Monoprice Select Mini may be for you.
ExOne Releases 3Q2016 Results With Some Surprises
ExOne is one of the few publicly-traded 3D printer companies, and its information allows us to peek at the state of the industry.
A Combination of Tools to Fix BAD STL 3D Print Files
Have you ever had a “bad” STL file? I certainly have. Fixing them is often a tricky business.
3D Printed Brackets Demonstrates a Powerful 3D Printing Capability
Netherlands-based Openplus has launched a very powerful 3D print-driven construction system for furniture.
Action Required: Get Free Promotion For Your Open Source 3D Project
We announced in September a new program to provide absolutely FREE support for community projects related to 3D. You should apply now! The program is our way to give back to the open source community that has greatly supported the recent development of 3D printing technology that’s sweeping the world today. Our program involves selecting… Continue reading Action Required: Get Free Promotion For Your Open Source 3D Project
The Huge Cheetah 3D Printer
There’s another large-format plastic extrusion 3D printer you may not have heard of: the Cheetah 2.
3D Systems Quarterly Results: Flat
3D print giant 3D Systems announced their third quarter results and it seems they are holding at consistent levels.
The Critical Importance of Cooling During Plastic 3D Printing
There’s often much discussion of heating issues in 3D printing, but there’s another thermal dimension to consider: cooling.
Design of the Week: Light, Darkness and Tree
This week’s selection is the breathtaking Light, Darkness and Tree prints by Korean artist Se Yoon Park.
Meet Us In Frankfurt!
Our team will be perusing the works of many 3D printing companies this week at the formxext trade show in Frankfurt, Germany.
UK Teen Killed By 3D Printer
An article in The Telegraph describes a horrifying scenario in which a 17-year old died in a fiery explosion on his 3D printer.
Structural Analysis with Altair HyperWorks’ OptiStruct
Designing a mechanical part requires much more than simply the geometric shape; other factors must be analyzed and accounted for, and that requires powerful software.
Challenging Times for 3D Printer Startups
Now is perhaps the most difficult time for a small 3D printer startup since patents started to expire in 2009.
3D Printed Vocal Rings by EncodeRing
Here’s a fun vertical application of 3D printing: EncodeRing, a physical manifestation of your voice, on demand.
Sigma Labs Hopes to Enable Many More 3D Printing Uses
While 3D printing technologies continue to be adopted by manufacturing, there are still some challenges.
Deloitte Discusses 3D Printing and Commercial Real Estate
Technological advancements don’t simply affect the lives of individuals, but actually reshape entire societies. What could be more indicative of this power than the change that happens to the buildings in which we live and work?
BeeHex Refines Their Pizza-Printing System
I spoke at length to BeeHex CMO Jordan French to discover more details about the company’s plans, and the result is quite promising.
Diabetes Effects Resolved with 3D Printing – And More?
Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute have developed a 3D printing technique to assist diabetes patients, but could this be a new category of application?
Subsea Applications of 3D Printing
There’s an interesting use of 3D printing taking place: under the sea!
Kniterate is One Step Closer to Their 3D Printing Garment Platform
Remember Openknit? The open source knitting machine made from 3D printed parts? Creator Gerard Rubio is back with the next generation of making DIY clothes easy and more accessible.
XJet Succeeds at Ceramic 3D Printing
Israel-based XJet Ltd. announced they’ve been able to successfully 3D print ceramics using their proprietary NanoParticle Jetting process.
GE Raises The Price of 3D Metal Printer Companies
The battle over control of 3D metal printer companies continues.
Tend.ai Receives Funding for Their Robotic 3D Print Operator System
Startup Tend.ai has received a huge boost with a fundraising round of USD$2M.
Rachel Gordon – “3D Printing Is Starting to Become an Industrial Manufacturing Technique and Become Truly Productive”
Rachel leads the research into 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing at IDTechEx, including writing market research reports, interviewing key players, consulting, curating conferences, and speaking at events around the world.
Ability3D’s Desktop Metal 3D Printer
Metal 3D printing on the desktop is pretty much a dream for many designers due to the extreme cost involved, but soon there may be an option.
Will Shipbuilding Be the Next Industry to Take on 3D Printing?
A report from software company Shipbuilder suggests the ship building industry may be next up to take on 3D printing at scale.
The Tiny PocketMaker 3D Printer
Need a 3D printer you can put in your pocket? Well, it may be slightly bigger than a pocket, but the PocketMaker is indeed very small.
Portable “BeastCam” Field 3D Scanner for Research Use
They say necessity is the mother of invention, and that’s certainly the case with the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s new “Beastcam”.
Why Low-Priced 3D Printer Companies Often Fail
Last week we told the story of XMachines and their extreme financial challenges. The failure to deliver product is usually just a result of bad arithmetic and planning.
3D Printing May Foil Facial Recognition Systems
A piece in New Scientist describes how specially designed eyeglasses may be able to “confuse” digital face recognition systems. But could 3D printing do the same?
Design of the Week: Blinking Iris Goggles
This week’s selection is the wacky Blinking Iris Goggles by Washington-state based Thingiverse contributor Jeff Kerr.
OWL WORKS Morphs Their Resin 3D Printer into an Affordable Size
Korea-based OWL WORKS launched the Morpheus Delta, an unusual resin-based desktop 3D printer with a rock-bottom price.
NASA’s Medical 3D Printing Challenge
NASA has announced another 3D printing challenge, this time for K-12 students to develop medical technology for use on a potential Mars voyage.
Ai Build to Bring Artificial Intelligence to Additive Construction
The nascent additive construction industry is slowly starting to take shape as an increasing number of start-ups appear on the scene with techniques for 3D printing large-scale structures. The latest is a London-based company called Ai Build, which aims to make additive construction smarter and more accessible through the use of artificial intelligence and affordable… Continue reading Ai Build to Bring Artificial Intelligence to Additive Construction
Another 3D Printing Materials Property You May Not Have Considered
Recently I had a discussion with a maker designing a handheld transmitting device, who insisted on 3D printing with ABS instead of PLA, but his reasons were not what you might think.
Why STL Files Can Be Insufficient For 3D Printing
I’m reading an interesting piece by Gal Raz on Medium about the file types required by 3D print service bureaus.
3D Printing Enables Control of Ultrasounds
An unusual use of 3D printing has enabled far more powerful control over acoustic waves.
Microsoft Announces Surface Studio, Makes Working on a Monitor Look Cool
Microsoft just did what nobody thought they could ever do–Make people fall in love with one of their products.
Airwolf 3D’s AXIOM 20 Offers More Than Just Z-Height
Airwolf3D suddenly announced a new professional desktop 3D printer, the AXIOM 20.
3D Hubs’ Transformation Continues
Community 3D printing network 3D Hubs continues to transform into an industrial-style service with an announcement they’ve acquired a 3D model repair service.
The 3D Printable OpenLOCK Gaming System
Gamers are a popular user community employing desktop 3D printers to enhance their gaming experience, and now there’s a new project that should make that usage even easier.
Bre Returns – But Not Directly into 3D Printing
We haven’t written about former MakerBot chief Bre Pettis for quite some time, but now he’s reappeared with a new venture.
Microsoft’s 3D Plans and How They May Affect Everyone Else
It seems software giant Microsoft is going deeper into 3D technology, and I’m wondering how this could tilt the 3D printing landscape.
The Factory of the Future is Here. Are you ready?
At first blush, the factory of the future sounds like an airy concept. But the factory of the future is an idea that’s been around for a long time, and its actuality is being created right now.
3D Print Community: RhinoSlic3r
This month’s community support selection is the RhinoSlic3r project by Quentin Labrosse.
XMachine’s Genesis 3D Printer Launch Seems to be Having Challenges
We have been contacted by a backer of the Genesis desktop 3D printer by XMachine, who has some complaints, which appear to be legitimate.
June Grant – “As a Designer, My 3d Printer Is Just as Essential as My Computer”
June Grant founded blink!LAB architecture as an integrated design, research and fabrication practice committed to the craft of buildings and solving real world problems.
A New Set of Anatomical 3D Models
There’s a large new set of 3D models focused on anatomy, courtesy of a collaboration between Threeding.com and Artec.
Fabbaloo’s New Design Service
This may not be applicable to all readers, but some will find this of great interest.
Design of the Week: Venus Box, With Teeth!
This week’s selection is the very curious Venus Box, modified to include teeth, by Thingiverse contributor Marcin Jedynak.
Arcam’s Interesting Interim Report
Arcam is a publicly-traded metal 3D printer manufacturer, and now we know a bit more about how well they are doing.
Magnetic 3D Prints Opens Up New Possibilities
Researchers at TU Wien in Austria have developed a method of 3D printing strong magnetic objects in arbitrary shapes using 3D printing.
Guess Which 3D Printing Process Is Still Under Patent?
After our publication of thoughts on compromises when using dissolvable 3D printer filament for support material, a reader pointed out something rather interesting.
van Straaten’s Quest for Color 3D Print Quality: An Update
Remember a few months ago Netherlands-based Eric van Straaten sought funding to acquire a color 3D printer? There’s an interesting update to his story.
Corporate Behemoth and U.S. Billionaire Square Off Over Metal 3D Printing
GE shook the world of 3D printing last month when it announced a bid to acquire leading metal 3D printer manufacturers Arcam and SLM Solutions for a combined $1.4 billion.
GE Buys Two 3D Metal Printer Firms, Just Not The Ones We Thought
General Electric’s bid to purchase Germany-based SLM Solutions fell through – but GE evidently had a backup plan.
The CUBICON Single Plus 3D Printer
I’m checking out the CUBICON Single Plus desktop 3D printer from Korea-based HyVISION.