Researchers developing techniques to 3D print extremely small objects for medical purposes have had a problem. To fuse material at the nano scale, a “two photon” technique is used. The material becomes solid when exposed to the targeted photons. However, bio material is not typically fusible, so researchers often print a scaffold on which… Continue reading 3D Bioprinting Saved by Vitamins
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Capture 3D Images with your iPhone
There’s a fascinating new iOS app that can capture true 3D images: Seene. The app, available at no charge, requires you to take four still images of a subject from slightly different viewpoints. Typically you’d image from “four corners”, upper left, upper right, lower right and lower left. The app then digests the images… Continue reading Capture 3D Images with your iPhone
3D Printing Not Ready for Disaster Relief
An article on Motherboard suggests that 3D printers may soon be a key part of disaster relief efforts. The idea is that if you had a “replicator” onsite that could rapidly produce whatever items are required (which obviously vary considerably from disaster to disaster), you could reduce delays in gathering up and sending specific… Continue reading 3D Printing Not Ready for Disaster Relief
3D Printed Horseshoes Opens Up Human Possibilities
Researchers at Australia’s CSIRO have 3D printed metal horseshoes – but there’s a lot more to this story. The titanium shoes were produced for a particular horse: its hooves were 3D scanned in detail with a handheld scanner. The 3D capture was used to engineer new horseshoes that fit the horse perfectly. Four shoes… Continue reading 3D Printed Horseshoes Opens Up Human Possibilities
iMakr’s Scanning Booth at Selfridges
Independent 3D printer retail store iMakr has set up a temporary exhibition where you can have yourself 3D scanned and printed at a premier retail location: London’s venerable Selfridges on Oxford street. iMakr is also using the Oxford street location to offer 3D printed art pieces for sale to the public. While… Continue reading iMakr’s Scanning Booth at Selfridges
Ancient 3D Printer Converted Into a Laser Engraver
Some months ago we proposed a list of things you could do with your now-expired ancient personal 3D printers. We said you could upgrade them; use them for simple prints; donate them; toss them out; or make them into a museum piece. At the time we considered museuming as the best option for our… Continue reading Ancient 3D Printer Converted Into a Laser Engraver
3D Printing Fears Jump the Shark
With the deployment of personal 3D printers to thousands of private homes, it was inevitable that some people would focus on the bad instead of the good. Now those fears have truly jumped the shark, when police in Manchester, UK raided what they believed to be a “3D printed gun factory”. Unfortunately, their search… Continue reading 3D Printing Fears Jump the Shark
Cubify’s Software Pricing Breakthrough: Cubify Design
In a rather underplayed announcement, Cubify announced new software yesterday that deserves much more splash. Cubify Design could significantly change how people use their personal 3D printers. Cubify Design is a low-priced 3D modeling tool, but it’s quite different from other free or inexpensive modeling tools. The key feature is that Cubify Design can… Continue reading Cubify’s Software Pricing Breakthrough: Cubify Design
3D Printing a Living Object: Furniture
Designer Eric Klarenbeek has used 3D printing in a revolutionary way we’ve not seen before: printing a living piece of furniture. The Dutch designer 3D printed a chair (with an amazing design) from straw material (not seen before) and added living fungus (also not seen before). The “Mycelium Chair” includes a very thin… Continue reading 3D Printing a Living Object: Furniture
Stratasys Strategy in a Post-Patent World
Stratasys, one of the largest 3D printing companies in the world today, faces transition. While the company built itself upon the FDM (fused deposition modeling) process it invented years ago, the patent for that process has expired. With the expiration of the key patents, other organizations have replicated (no pun intended) the process and… Continue reading Stratasys Strategy in a Post-Patent World
Blokify: 3D Modeling for Kids
A new modeling option is about to launch: Blokify. It’s a tablet-based app that provides a very simplified interface suitable for kids to develop their own 3D models. In an interview with MAKE, creator Jenny Kortina explained the dilemma facing 3D printer owners who want to design their own objects: The huge gap… Continue reading Blokify: 3D Modeling for Kids
Design of the Week: Liquid Derby Car
This week’s selection is Thomas Davis’ Liquid Pinewood Derby Car. The ISDA (Industrial Design Society of America) and Inventables are sponsoring a Launch Day Challenge, where teams submit designs for 3D printed cars. And some of the designs are very far out, including our Design of the Week, the Liquid Pinewood Derby Car. … Continue reading Design of the Week: Liquid Derby Car
3D Scans Obtained By Drones
A new approach to capturing 3D scans of extremely large objects has been pioneered by senseFly, who produce the eBee drone series. They teamed with Drone Adventures, an organization dedicated to demonstrating the power of drones, to capture a detailed scan of the Matterhorn, Europe’s tallest mountain. A team scaled the mountain and… Continue reading 3D Scans Obtained By Drones
World Heritage Sites Digitally Captured
CyArk, a non-profit initiative, proposes to digitally capture 500 key culturally relevant heritage sites across the world. They are building a repository of 3D information to protect the sites against damage from the environment, terrorism, vandals and any other threats. Their process is to use state-of-the-art laser scanning equipment to capture the physical structure… Continue reading World Heritage Sites Digitally Captured
3D Printing Your House – Really!
There’s an Instructable from AMMONITEa that describes how you can actually 3D print your home. There’s just one catch: it’s only a miniature model. But it could be your home. The model includes a fantastic amount of detail as you can see in this closeup view. There are plenty more detailed images on the… Continue reading 3D Printing Your House – Really!
Canadian Government Investigating 3D Printed Weapons
The 3D printed weapons controversy continues. From the CBC we learn that the Canadian Government, or specifically several of its agencies (the RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency and Criminal Intelligence Service Canada) have sponsored a request for contractors to provide insight into 3D printing of firearms, ammunition and associated parts. Our view is that… Continue reading Canadian Government Investigating 3D Printed Weapons
Move over Michelangelo – 3D Printing with Marble
For millennia marble has been one of the most impressive materials for building and sculpture. However, marble quarrying wastes material and creates plumes of calcium carbonate dust. Unfortunately, this dust represents a major environmental and public health risk. In an effort to eliminate the negative effects of marble dust, engineers created MarbleEcoDesign. This company… Continue reading Move over Michelangelo – 3D Printing with Marble
Breaking: HP To Enter 3D Printer Market in 2014
According to a report on The Register, Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman has publicly stated that HP will enter the 3D printing market in 2014. Some intriguing quotes: We are excited about 3D printing. We want to lead this businesses. HP labs is looking at it. To print a bottle can take eight to… Continue reading Breaking: HP To Enter 3D Printer Market in 2014
How to Easily Create 3D Models from 2D Images: Embossify
A new service provides an incredibly simple way to convert any 2D JPG image into a printable 3D model. Embossify accepts a JPG and quickly converts the file into a 3D mesh by using the contrasting colors as “height indicators”. You can see how it converted our logo into a simple 3D model above. … Continue reading How to Easily Create 3D Models from 2D Images: Embossify
Breaking: Formlabs Raises $19M
Formlabs announced today they’ve raised USD$19M investment to help grow their company. Formlabs produces the Form 1, the first popular resin-based personal 3D printer, which raised an amazing USD$3M on its first Kickstarter campaign just a few months ago. The new funding, led by venture capital partner DFJ Growth, now enables Formlabs to embark… Continue reading Breaking: Formlabs Raises $19M
Nine Crazy Features That Should Be Built Into Every 3D Printer
Anyone who owns a personal 3D printer begins to think up features that would make their life easier. A few innovative startup companies actually have implemented some of them, but we’d love to see a personal 3D printer with all of these radically useful capabilities. Failure Detector. The worst is to discover, the next… Continue reading Nine Crazy Features That Should Be Built Into Every 3D Printer
Order Type A Machines’ Series 1 3D Printer Today
Type A Machines’ new Series 1 personal 3D printer is now available for pre-order. This spiffy aluminum and acrylic design houses some interesting internal features, such as the rather large build volume: one cubic foot, or 305 x 305 x 305mm. Big. Some of the Series 1’s features are not particularly visible, yet they… Continue reading Order Type A Machines’ Series 1 3D Printer Today
More Evidence of 3D Printing’s Greenness
After our green filament post earlier discussion of 3D printing greenness continued and resulted in a pointer to a document posted by the American Chemical Society that investigates the electricity consumed and CO2 emitted by different manufacturing materials. What exactly did they examine? The embodied energy and emissions from conventional large-scale production in low-labor… Continue reading More Evidence of 3D Printing’s Greenness
The 3D Prints and Models of Maker6
We’re looking at a new service for 3D printer owners and users, Maker6. The site operates primarily as a source of 3D models, prints and printers for anyone seeking a print. There are three ways to use Maker6: Purchase a 3D print by selecting a design. It will be printed and sent to you… Continue reading The 3D Prints and Models of Maker6
Laser Slicing Technique Scans Microscopic Objects
A new process for scanning microscopic objects has been developed at Penn State. The process involves a nanosecond-pulse laser that slices microscopic objects. You can see the results above in a 3D model obtained from a maize root. This is a destructive process, as the scanned object is placed on a moving platform,… Continue reading Laser Slicing Technique Scans Microscopic Objects
MakerBot’s Retail Expansion
MakerBot opened the first dedicated retail 3D printer store on New York City’s Mulberry street some years ago. While MakerBot continued retail operations by partnering with others, the lone MakerBot store stood alone at the tip of Manhattan Island. Until now. MakerBot has announced they will open not one, but two additional MakerBot… Continue reading MakerBot’s Retail Expansion
Peachy Printer Campaign Ends – But Not Really
The world’s first USD$100 3D printer’s launch campaign has closed, with the Peachy Printer project raising over USD$650,000 on their Kickstarter page. This amount may be somewhat less than other notable crowdfunding launches, such as Formlab’s, which raised USD$3M, but there’s a difference: the Peachy Printer costs only USD$100, while previous printers were much… Continue reading Peachy Printer Campaign Ends – But Not Really
VoxelJet Begins Trading
Commercial 3D printer manufacturer VoxelJet began trading shares on public markets this past week and the results are, well, pretty spectacular. VoxelJet produces large-scale commercial 3D printers for industrial use. We believe they produce the largest commercial 3D printer available today, the massive VX4000 (see above image), capable of 3D printing objects as large… Continue reading VoxelJet Begins Trading
Design of the Week: Orihon
This week’s selection is Manchester, UK, born, but Chicago-based artist Tom Burtonwood’s Orihon, a 3D printed accordion book. The piece is interesting because it involves texture, something not normally found in books. Each “page” of the book contains a different texture based on real-life scans taken with the 123D Catch application. It’s a 3D… Continue reading Design of the Week: Orihon
ESA’s Launch into Metal 3D Printing
The European Space Agency has launched an initiative to develop complex metal 3D printing techniques for space missions. The Amaze initiative (standing for “Additive Manufacturing Aiming Towards Zero Waste and Efficient Production of High-Tech Metal Products”, somehow) brings together 28 different organizations that have a stake in the process, either by research (Universities) or industry… Continue reading ESA’s Launch into Metal 3D Printing
Thoughts on Stratasys Growth
We’re reading an interesting article on Investors.com that talks about the investment potential of 3D printing industry giant Stratasys. The author, Marie Beerens, seems keen on Stratasys because she sees their recent additions of Objet and MakerBot as “adding complementary systems to its portfolio” and “give Stratasys an even stronger foothold in the 3D… Continue reading Thoughts on Stratasys Growth
MadeSolid’s Colored 3D Printer Resins
If you happen to have a Form 1 resin-based 3D printer, you’ll likely to have purchased resin from Formlabs, its manufacturer. Formlabs provides resin tuned specifically for their machine, but as of now it comes in only two colors: grey and clear. That’s changing because MadeSolid has launched a new series of resins that… Continue reading MadeSolid’s Colored 3D Printer Resins
A Peachy 3D Printer Update
The makers of the revolutionary USD$100 resin-based Peachy 3D printer, which has raised a launch amount exceeding USD$600K, have issued a video update of their project’s progress. In the video, co-founder James Cooper explains some of the difficulties controlling the laser that they’ve recently overcome. It appears that their team is working through a… Continue reading A Peachy 3D Printer Update
3D Printed Robotic Arm
Over the last week the London Science Museum has been showcasing 600 objects created by 3D printers. While every piece in the show highlights the strength of the technology, one object, a transparent robotic prosthetic, is unique in that it offers a forecast of where 3D printing is headed. Created by researchers at the… Continue reading 3D Printed Robotic Arm
Three Ways to Embed Bolts in Your 3D Prints
Courtesy of industrial designer David Bernhardt, we’ve been able to examine this example of embedding bolts. Actually, the piece demonstrates not one, but three different ways to put a bolt in your print. The first way is visually obvious – the head of the bolt is inside the print, while the shaft is free. … Continue reading Three Ways to Embed Bolts in Your 3D Prints
3D Hubs Offers Community 3D Printing
3D Hubs joins several other startups attempting to crowdsource inexpensive 3D printing. The idea is that idle home or business 3D printers could be put to work producing objects for requestors in local or distant areas. 3D Hubs provides a “hub” where you can find participants offering such services. The process is straightforward, according… Continue reading 3D Hubs Offers Community 3D Printing
Got Your Ticket for the 3D Printshow?
London is the place, November 7-9 are the dates. The event? This year’s 3D Printshow, where focused talks and exhibits will marvel visitors. Expect to learn about 3D printing in all its forms by attending this event. We’re planning on attending, along with many thousands of others, if our spies are correct. The… Continue reading Got Your Ticket for the 3D Printshow?
Finally! Verified For 3D Printing
MakerBot’s 3D model service, Thingiverse, has announced a very important new feature: Verified Prints. It’s a certification program that attempts to indicate which 3D models on Thingiverse actually have a chance of being successfully 3D printed. We’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time, as one of the major complaints with… Continue reading Finally! Verified For 3D Printing
The 3DAGOGO Model Repository
Another 3D model repository focused on printable 3D models has surfaced: 3DAGOGO. This service is new and has a very limited set of models to choose from, but is well-organized and easy to use. One of the most interesting features we noted was the display of useful 3D print information about the model itself.… Continue reading The 3DAGOGO Model Repository
An Overview of 3D Printing Intellectual Property Law
Patent attorney Bryan J. Vogel provides a reasonably brief overview of the legal aspects beginning to face the 3D printing industry in a post on Bloomberg Law. Vogel explains in simple terms the differences between patents, trade secrets, trademark and copyright where the legal battles will likely be fought in the future as 3D… Continue reading An Overview of 3D Printing Intellectual Property Law
Who’s Your 3D Printing Guru?
While 3D printing has become significantly less complex, it is still beyond the realm of casual consumer use. The workflow from digital model to physical print involves skills, experience and tools that are daunting to most consumers, even though they can be handled by techies. If this sounds like a familiar situation, you’d be… Continue reading Who’s Your 3D Printing Guru?
3D Printing for Math Professors and You, Too
We’re looking at a PDF, strangely stored on Thingiverse, where one normally finds 3D models. The PDF is an academic document entitled, “3D Printing for Math Professors and Their Students”. It’s exactly that: a paper taking the reader through the process of linking mathematics and 3D printing. Yes, this means generating intricate 3D models… Continue reading 3D Printing for Math Professors and You, Too
“Green” 3D Printer Filament
No, no, we don’t mean “Green”. We mean “Green” as in environmentally responsible. We’ve been looking at filament supplier GP3D, who sell a decent selection of ABS and PLA plastic filament in 1kg spools. Their pricing is decent (USD$32-44 per kg depending on the color and choice of material) and their color selection is… Continue reading “Green” 3D Printer Filament
The Bld3r Repository
We bumped into another printable 3D model repository: Bld3r. The site operates as a kind of meta-layer over top of other repositories, but brings it all together in a single interface. The idea is to reduce or even eliminate any difficulties typically caused by a repository’s terms of use. You can store your models in… Continue reading The Bld3r Repository
Printing a 1927 Miller 91 Race Car
It’s one thing to print simple items with your 3D printer, like a coat hook or clamp, but some people take the power of the technology to the limit. The folks at CIDEAS, a commercial 3D print service bureau, pulled out all the stops to produce a small scale replica of a 1927 Miller 91… Continue reading Printing a 1927 Miller 91 Race Car
Design of the Week: Cellular Lamp
This week’s selection is Nervous System’s Cellular Lamp, a beauty of a housing for an LED light using their typical “cellular” style that you can download and print yourself. The object is actually a torus that has been shelled and “cellulared”. You can mount a small LED in the torus’ hole. This is… Continue reading Design of the Week: Cellular Lamp
A 3D Printer Made From Scrap
Normally when you embark on building a DIY 3D printer you’d search online shops for the best and least expensive components. Bring them together with the right plan and you’ll soon have an operating 3D printer. But that’s not exactly what Kodjo Afate Gnikou did. He went to the dump. Specifically, he searched through… Continue reading A 3D Printer Made From Scrap
Leapfrog Introduces Improved PVA Material
Leapfrog 3D printers introduced a new type of PVA filament for 3D printing that, according to them, “actually works”. PVA is a different kind of plastic. It’s not ABS nor PLA, but something different. Because it isn’t ABS or PLA it can be used as a support material for both, but it’s most… Continue reading Leapfrog Introduces Improved PVA Material
3D Printing Brings an Ancient Camera to Life
Photographer Aaron Foat had a serious problem: he had obtained a classic No. 1a Pocket Kodak camera, circa 1905, in perfect condition. It was is such good shape that it could take pictures. If only he could buy the long-unavailable Kodak 116 film for it. Determined to succeed, Foat contacted his local makerspace,… Continue reading 3D Printing Brings an Ancient Camera to Life
Found: Inexpensive 3D Printer Filament
For those of you scrambling to find a source for inexpensive filament, we found one: Seacans. They have a reasonable selection of colors that should satisfy most buyers, but the important thing is price. You can buy a 1kg spool of 1.75mm filament in either PLA or ABS plastic for only CA$19.99. That’s USD$8.08 per… Continue reading Found: Inexpensive 3D Printer Filament
4D Printing
Earlier this year MIT researcher Skylar Tibbits made news when he unveiled his 4D printing technique. The technique uses a 3D printer to create objects whose materials can be programmed to assemble into new structures. It’s now gaining a wide audience, particularly in military circles. The US Army has awarded an $855,000 grant to… Continue reading 4D Printing
Deadmau5 Has a 3D Printer
Progressive-house music producer and performer Deadmau5 recently posted Instagrammed pics of his new acquisition: a dual-exstrusion MakerBot Replicator 2X. The notable musician provided a sequence of images that related his experience with the technology. So how did it go? Let’s see what happened. First he printed a test, the multicolored pylon. All OK so… Continue reading Deadmau5 Has a 3D Printer
The Dangers of Open Source 3D Printing
When MakerBot opened some years ago it used open source approaches to developing its products. While they produced 3D printers, they also made available the plans to make them, open source-style. That changed with the introduction of their Replicator 2 model, much to the consternation of their open source followers. Why did MakerBot make… Continue reading The Dangers of Open Source 3D Printing
Amazing Six-Axis 3D Printer Shown
Associate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering Yong Chen of the University of Southern California has been experimenting with different mechanical arrangements for 3D extrusion printing. Readers are likely familiar with the standard cartesian XYZ 3 axis configuration typically found in inexpensive personal 3D printers. You may also be familiar with the “delta” concept,… Continue reading Amazing Six-Axis 3D Printer Shown
Hammacher Schlemmer Offers 3D Printers
Another major consumer-oriented online retailer has begun sales of personal 3D printers. Hammacher Schlemmer, one of the world’s oldest mail order operations, is now selling 3D System’s Cube personal 3D printer. The Cube is described as: The printer extrudes 1/125″-thin layers of warm, viscous thermoplastic that hardens within seconds, forming a solid, three-dimensional… Continue reading Hammacher Schlemmer Offers 3D Printers
Makibox A6: Shipping Soon?
You might recall the Makibox A6, billed as a “$300 3D Printer”? We wrote on it in February 2012, quite a long time ago, and evidently they have not shipped product yet, although you can see the progression of their project in great detail on their blog, from prototyping to production. But that may… Continue reading Makibox A6: Shipping Soon?
3D Printed Bacterial Cages
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a new technique for studying bacterial growth through an ingenious use of 3D print technology. The issue being solved is the study of bacterial growth. Present techniques involve petri dishes and similar vessels that, compared to a bacteria, are utterly massive. It is difficult… Continue reading 3D Printed Bacterial Cages
The Mysterious 4XYZ
A new service popped up purporting to offer radically new furniture through the use of additive manufacturing, known to many through its more common name, 3D printing. The 4AXYZ service says: WE UNDERSTAND THE FUTURE OF DIMENSIONS ODDM (“oddem”) offers disruptive opportunities to the world of creativity. 4 AXYZ is here to harness Additive… Continue reading The Mysterious 4XYZ
Recycle Your 3D Prints With Filamaker
Fabbaloo friend Joris Peels has written an extensive interview with Marek Senický, whose new venture, Filamaker, promises to shake up the filament industry. The Filamaker is a device that can recycle unwanted ABS 3D prints. It’s not a complex device; it simply grinds up chunks of ABS, heats and extrudes it into precision… Continue reading Recycle Your 3D Prints With Filamaker
3D Printer Filament Available at Monoprice
We hadn’t noticed it before, but evidently Monoprice has been selling plastic filament suitable for 3D printers for months now. If you’re not familiar with Monoprice, they are a large online retailer of electronic goods, specializing in ultra-inexpensive cables. For example, you can get yourself an HDMI cable as little as USD$4, while you’d… Continue reading 3D Printer Filament Available at Monoprice
bhold Launches bhold Labs
New York-based 3D printing design specialists bhold launched a new program: bhold labs. The new venture is intended to gather feedback on their 3D printed designs before they are offered to the public. bhold provides a catalog of unique 3D printed items for sale, including household items such as organizers, hooks and more, all… Continue reading bhold Launches bhold Labs
Measured: 3D Printing is Indeed Green
A report from Michigan Tech details the results of a study that attempted to determine the “greenness” of 3D printing. Their result: 3D printing is apparently significantly less energy-absorbing than conventional mass production. You wouldn’t think so at first, because mass production is clearly a more efficient process due to the economies of scale.… Continue reading Measured: 3D Printing is Indeed Green
Design of the Week: 3D Printed Gran Torino
This week’s selection is Ioan Florea’s amazing full-size 3D printed Gran Torino, as displayed at Carbondale’s Surplus Gallery in Illinois during his Tactile Histories exhibition. The Gran Torino, we believe, is intact underneath a large number of 3D printed pieces that completely cover the car’s normal plain surface. The Gran Torino is not “3D… Continue reading Design of the Week: 3D Printed Gran Torino
Cubify’s Bloody Halloween
Cubify has added a new app to generate 3D models just in time for Halloween: 3DMe Horror! Previously Cubify has offered to place your own head on top of far nicer bodies such as Star Trek characters, but now you can obtain a 3D printed, full color figurine of yourself as a Zombie, or… Continue reading Cubify’s Bloody Halloween
Stratasys Tech Flys UAVs
One of Stratasys’ clients is UAV Solutions of Maryland, who, obviously, manufacture UAVs. But they now do this with 3D printing. Their journey is similar to many manufacturers who encounter 3D printing: at first it’s a novelty, then it becomes something used for unusual situations and finally: 3D printing has now “crept” into… Continue reading Stratasys Tech Flys UAVs
Presidential Interest In 3D Printing?
We believe it’s huge and growing, but it’s always good to evidence of this, which we noticed in a comment thread on io9, where they had asked the intriguing question, “what do you want to 3D print?” While the answers from the io9 audience ranged from sports to gaming to medical to toys to… Continue reading Presidential Interest In 3D Printing?
Staples and CG Trader Offer A 3D Print Challenge
You might recall a year ago when MCOR announced it had struck a deal with Staples to provide color 3D print services in their retail stores. Now, the service is active in Europe and to promote it Staples has teamed up with 3D graphics site CGTrader on a design challenge. To enter, you’ll have… Continue reading Staples and CG Trader Offer A 3D Print Challenge
Analyzing Rembrandt and Van Gogh in 3D
Most of us have only see society’s most important paintings through 2D reproductions. Unfortunately, painting is actually a 3D art that layers color atop color to create an image. So, without being able to see the actual strokes a painter has made, much of the information stored in a painting is lost. In an… Continue reading Analyzing Rembrandt and Van Gogh in 3D
The Makeraser Smooths 3D Prints
A new startup offers something called “The Makeraser”. It’s a handheld tool that can smooth your unattractive visibly-layered 3D prints into beautiful smooth objects. Current technology for smoothing ABS 3D prints involves suspiciously dangerous acetone vapor chambers or massively expensive commercial smoothing devices. That, or you spend many hours with sandpaper. The Makeraser hopes… Continue reading The Makeraser Smooths 3D Prints
MakerBot Releases Three Things
All the recent hires at MakerBot have obviously been put to good use: this week MakerBot released not one, not two, but three important new products. The first is the MakerBot digitizer, their first non-3D printing device. We’ve covered this item previously, and this release was expected. But now you can actually order one… Continue reading MakerBot Releases Three Things
Should You 3D Print in ABS or PLA?
This is a question asked by almost all 3D printer owners at one point in their machine ownership: should I print in ABS or PLA plastic? Of course, the question could be implicitly answered if your machine is not able to print both plastics. Some machines, particularly recently designed units, are PLA-only units. If… Continue reading Should You 3D Print in ABS or PLA?
The 6-Second 3D Printed Toothbrush
The Blizzident is a revolutionary new approach to brushing your teeth, created by the intersection of 3D scanning and 3D printing – in your mouth. The Blizzident is a mouthpiece you chomp on for (apparently) six seconds, during which each of your teeth are brushed on all surfaces by “a dense field of… Continue reading The 6-Second 3D Printed Toothbrush
And The Top 3D Printing Country Is…
Brooklyn, London, Silicon Valley: Hot spots for 3D printing, correct? They are indeed, but there are other areas where you’ll find an unnatural amount of 3D printing manufacturers, operators and activity, like Israel or The Netherlands. We wondered how to find these hot spots. And then we figured out a way to do… Continue reading And The Top 3D Printing Country Is…
The LumiFold 3D Printer
Only days after the launch of the first USD$100 3D printer, another very similar, but not quite as inexpensive, resin-based 3D printer launched: the LumiFold. Like the Peachy, the LumiFold uses photo-curable resin as its printing process. Also unlike the Peachy, the LumiFold uses a DLP projector as the source for its photo-curing light,… Continue reading The LumiFold 3D Printer
The 3D Printing Embedding Trick
Want to know a trick that could make your 3D prints a lot more useful? It’s called embedding. It’s a way to include alternate materials in your 3D print and it works on almost any 3D printer. It’s so easy you’ll wonder why you didn’t figure it out yourself. You simply stop the print… Continue reading The 3D Printing Embedding Trick
3D Printing in Tesco?
If you reside in the UK, it’s more than likely you’ve been buying groceries from your neighborhood Tesco. But soon you may be picking you your 3D prints there, too. In a report published by V3, Tesco’s IT Chief Mike McNamara postulated about a future world where Tesco shoppers could pick up 3D prints… Continue reading 3D Printing in Tesco?
3D Printing Curriculum Available
3D printer manufacturer Afinia has partnered with education supplier Pitsco to develop a comprehensive solution for teachers looking to educate their students on 3D printing. Pitsco develops and markets packaged educational curriculums, which contain lessons and examples targeted at grades 6-9 students. The 3D printing package description: This curriculum is designed for three… Continue reading 3D Printing Curriculum Available
The Deltaprintr
The Deltaprintr is about to launch on Kickstarter. It’s a personal 3D printer with a difference: the device uses a delta mechanism instead of the traditional cartesian XYZ axes. It’s easier to understand if you watch the video. The extruder is oriented by changes (or deltas) in the three vertical posts instead of… Continue reading The Deltaprintr
Fabulonia to Protect 3D Designs
Startup Fabulonia has a new concept that could provide significant protection to designers fearful of losing control of their works. As we understand it, Fabulonia will operate as a repository of 3D models submitted by (hopefully famous and notable) 3D designers. Consumers will be able to search, select and purchase a “print” from the… Continue reading Fabulonia to Protect 3D Designs
Design of the Week: Mining Habitat
This week’s selection is “Mining Habitat” by artist Micah Genske. It portrays a bizarre combination of artificial gravity-rotating space station with industrial mining operations, complete with smokestacks. The work is huge, as you can see in this image. Despite its size, it was apparently produced on a standard MakerBot personal 3D printer. We suspect… Continue reading Design of the Week: Mining Habitat
3D Systems Launches 3D Anatomical Service
3D printing giant 3D Systems announced the launch of their new Bespoke Modeling service. It’s a 3D model repository and sharing service, much like others that have emerged in recent years, but there’s a big difference here: this repository is focused on the medical industry. Why the medical industry? Because there’s an increasing amount… Continue reading 3D Systems Launches 3D Anatomical Service
Be Your Own Souvenir!
It’s not new but we just bumped into an interesting video of a project that took place in 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. The “Be Your Own Souvenir: A Take-Away Experience” project by blablabLAB won Honorary Mention in the Prix Electronica 2011. As you’ll see in the video, passers-by were enticed into posing for… Continue reading Be Your Own Souvenir!
Matter.io’s Remix: BETA Invitation
We’ve received a special code from Matter.io for Fabbaloo readers to enter the private BETA test of their new service, Remix. Remix permits simple remixing of 3D models for export or 3D printing. The service is entirely online and has one of the most responsive 3D browser displays we’ve yet seen. Starting with a… Continue reading Matter.io’s Remix: BETA Invitation
3DTin’s New Owners
One of the very few browser-based 3D modeling tools has changed hands. 3DTin has been acquired by Montreal-based 3D startup Lagoa. Lagoa focuses on solving the problem of 3D requiring high-end computing power, which typically isn’t available on the increasingly frequent ultra-portable laptops. People love the portability, but 3D just doesn’t work so well… Continue reading 3DTin’s New Owners
Big Step to Reduce Materials in 3D Printing
One of the reasons 3D printing remains expensive is because so much material is required to create a structurally sound part. Soon, 3D prints might be getting cheaper due to a new technique that enhances a part’s structure while reducing material. A paper written by researchers at the University of Science and Technology of… Continue reading Big Step to Reduce Materials in 3D Printing
Meshmixer Joins 123D
Autodesk announced that Meshmixer, a tool for easily manipulating 3D meshes, has been added to their 123D suite of 3D modeling applications. Meshmixer has been around for quite a while and is frequently used by hobbyists and others to fix and mix 3D models. It provides an easy ability to combine multiple meshes to… Continue reading Meshmixer Joins 123D
The Peachy 3D Printer is Looking Very Peachy
We wrote earlier this week on the launch Peachy, a new 3D printer with some very revolutionary features. It, like many new ventures, used crowdfunding to get started. With a Kickstarter goal of USD$50,000, it was inevitable that they’d hit it. They did the first day. But what happened next? So far they’ve… Continue reading The Peachy 3D Printer is Looking Very Peachy
Peer Production’s 3D Printing Survey Results, 2013
Peer Production has published the results of their most recent annual 3D printing survey. The survey probed the use of 3D printers by the public in an effort to understand current state and trends in the personal 3D printing industry. What did they find? You can read the entire report at the link below,… Continue reading Peer Production’s 3D Printing Survey Results, 2013
7 Success Factors For Your 3D Print Business
We recently listed three types of 3D print businesses you probably shouldn’t try to launch, but we thought we’d list some factors that we believe could make your 3D print business venture a lot more successful. Uniqueness. You can’t do the same thing as other companies; you must offer something different and unique to… Continue reading 7 Success Factors For Your 3D Print Business
GitHub Offers Visual 3D Model Diffs
If you’ve not heard of GitHub, it is a very popular online software repository service. You can store and share the code for a project and track changes that occur by creating versions and “branches” for production and test use. One of the most important features is “diffs”: the ability to “see” changes in the… Continue reading GitHub Offers Visual 3D Model Diffs
D-Shape Prototypes 3D Printed Lunar Bricks
D-Shape, makers of a massive 3D printing solution capable of printing large, building-sized structures, has apparently been working with the European Space Agency on lunar building experiment. The idea is to use on site materials (lunar regolith, which is simply a mix of sand, dust and other particles) as the 3D print materials. In… Continue reading D-Shape Prototypes 3D Printed Lunar Bricks
Form 1 Shipping Update
The spectacular Kickstarter launch of Formlabs months ago was just the first part. A large number of orders merely indicates strong interest in a product. We reserved judgement until we saw that Formlabs was able to deliver the numerous Form 1 personal 3D printers. Now we have evidence of that success. Formlabs has posted… Continue reading Form 1 Shipping Update
3D Printing Helps the Blind See
3D Print UK reports they’ve been working on a special project that has been able to provide limited sight to the vision impaired. The concept is to simplify the visual field by displaying a coarse set of pixels on the inside lenses of a pair of prototyped glasses, done, of course, with 3D printing.… Continue reading 3D Printing Helps the Blind See
Leopoly!
Leopoly is another web-based 3D sculpting tool that can create 3D printable objects. What makes Leopoly unique? We think it is quite easy to use; almost anyone could rapidly create interesting 3D objects with no prior use of the tool. It’s basically self-explanatory: the controls are all within a command wheel composed of easy… Continue reading Leopoly!
Three 3D Print Businesses You Probably Should Not Launch
Over the past couple of years, interest in 3D printing has exploded. Today more than at any time in the past, more people are aware of 3D printing. It’s the perfect time to launch a new business in the 3D print universe, right? Not necessarily. We’ve seen so many new businesses… Continue reading Three 3D Print Businesses You Probably Should Not Launch