It’s become apparent that dynamic models are a lot more fun than static models for 3D printing. Wait, what’s a dynamic model? A static model is simply a digital 3D model that is the same for everyone. A nice bracelet, for example. A dynamic model is one that’s created for you at the… Continue reading Dynamic 3D Model Apps: Open or Closed?
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More 3D Printing Investment Possibilities
When you’re interested in investing in 3D printing, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of options at first glance. The publicly traded 3D printer manufacturers are few: Stratasys, 3D Systems and most recently, ExOne. Is that all the choice you have? No! There’s more ways to catch the 3D printing boom. Aside… Continue reading More 3D Printing Investment Possibilities
iMakr’s 3D Print Service
iMakr opened a large 3D print retail store in London earlier this year. The store sells various types of 3D printers and offers the public a chance to see the technology first hand. Even though they haven’t been open very long, they’ve now added a new service: 3D prints on demand. It works… Continue reading iMakr’s 3D Print Service
3D Print Yourself in Carbonite At Disney
Disney is re-opening their D-Tech Star Wars experience at their Hollywood Studios part on May 17th. Why are we so interested in this? Because among the Star Wars-y stuff on display will be two 3D print services that you can be personally involved in. One service, which they had last year, involves taking a… Continue reading 3D Print Yourself in Carbonite At Disney
Design of the Week: Phytome
This week’s selection is another practical item, particularly at this time of year: the Phytome by Zheng3. While this piece looks like a rather sparse-looking upside down cup, it actually has a very useful purpose: It’s a 3D-printed seedling cage that’s designed to keep mid-sized varmits from disturbing one’s sprouts while allowing rain and… Continue reading Design of the Week: Phytome
Win an Ultimaker 3D Printer from GrabCAD
If you have ideas for new toys on your brain, consider entering GrabCAD’s new “Ultimaker 3D Printer Toy Design Challenge”. Your entry could win you a brand new, fully assembled Ultimaker personal 3D printer. In fact, GrabCAD and Ultimaker are offering no less than five Ultimakers as prizes, four of which are fully assembled.… Continue reading Win an Ultimaker 3D Printer from GrabCAD
Obama Announces Three More 3D Printing Centers
US President Obama announced a competition to land three new manufacturing centers, to follow on the success of the first Ohio-based center, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. The original intention was to launch some fifteen manufacturing centers, and these three centers bring the USA closer to that goal. They’re actually manufacturing centers, but… Continue reading Obama Announces Three More 3D Printing Centers
A Word On 3D Printed Gun Safety
If you happened to download the 3D printed handgun models before the US government confiscated them, it may be time to remind you of safety concerns should you attempt to 3D print this item. The ease of 3D printing and the sudden availability of a working gun model meant that some people will attempt… Continue reading A Word On 3D Printed Gun Safety
Princeton Scientists Create Bionic Ear
One of the most difficult parts of integrating electronics with biological tissue is getting the numerous tissues and materials to meld. At a lab in Princeton, New Jersey scientists are making progress on this effort using 3D printing. According to Michael McAlpine, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton, “In general,… Continue reading Princeton Scientists Create Bionic Ear
3D Genealogy with My People’s Tree
A new app from eliumstudio provides an ability to generate 3D printed genealogical trees. My People’s Tree, available at no charge on the iTunes app store, lets you specify names faces and relationships in true family tree style. Faces are created from uploaded photos. In our experiment it seemed that you need a clear,… Continue reading 3D Genealogy with My People’s Tree
Is Your 3D Printer Filament Toxic?
You own a personal 3D printer that accepts 3rd party filament and you’ve purchased a selection of cool colors from an online shop – but is that filament safe? Aside from the obvious choices of color, quantity and filament diameter, the one factor most considered is price. Usually the lowest priced filament that meets… Continue reading Is Your 3D Printer Filament Toxic?
Loci Remembers Your Flights in 3D
Loci is a fascinating dynamically generated sculpture by artist Andrew Spitz of the Netherlands. Each “Loci” is unique to the owner, who specifies a series of airline flights. These flights are then translated into abstract 3D flight paths and then printed to fit on a world map card. 3D models are digital beasts, and… Continue reading Loci Remembers Your Flights in 3D
Breaking: DEFCAD’s 3D Printable Gun Files Held by US Government
An announcement suddenly appearing on Defense Distributed’s DEFCAD.org notifies visitors that the files containing 3D models of gun parts will no longer be available. The announcement says: DEFCAD files are being removed from public access at the request of the US Department of Defense Trade Controls. Until further notice, the United States government… Continue reading Breaking: DEFCAD’s 3D Printable Gun Files Held by US Government
What’s In Your PrintCave?
Sports fans might have a ManCave, equipped with a wall-sized flat screen, cushy recliner chairs, bar fridge and chip bowls. But what makes up a PrintCave? A 3D printer, obviously, and perhaps storage for filament. But what else might you have in your PrintCave? Tools? Showcase of your best models? Lighting? Something you have… Continue reading What’s In Your PrintCave?
Why 3D Print Model Repositories Won’t Work
Another Day, Another 3D Model Repository opens for business. We can’t tell you how many people we’ve run into lately that hope to launch a type of 3D model repository. The story goes something like this: There’s gonna be so many 3D printers, there will be a huge demand for 3D models to print.… Continue reading Why 3D Print Model Repositories Won’t Work
3D Printing Napster? Not Yet
A piece in TechCrunch examines the notion that common availability of 3D printers will give rise to a “Napster for 3D Printing Models”. Napster, for those of you to young to recall, was the first big-time music sharing service, which emerged at a time when rules about such things were vague and corporate responses… Continue reading 3D Printing Napster? Not Yet
3D Printing The Radioactive Bomber Cam
Fabbaloo friend Patrick Letourneau recently completed a unique photography project enabled by 3D printing. The Bomber Cam is a hybrid camera made from an actual (and radioactive) World War II bomber camera lens and a modern GH2 digital camera. Somehow Letourneau obtained the ancient camera, which was originally strapped to the bottom of World… Continue reading 3D Printing The Radioactive Bomber Cam
Win a Free Leapfrog 3D Printer
Leapfrog, the makers of the popular Creatr and Xeed 3D printers is now one year old. They’ve chosen to celebrate by offering a free Creatr personal 3D printer to a lucky winner who likes and shares the post on their Facebook page. The contest closes May 31st and offers two prizes: One free… Continue reading Win a Free Leapfrog 3D Printer
Forme Offers Fantastic Scanned 3D Models
Another new source for 3D models has launched: Forme, focused on high-resolution scans of a wide variety of object categories. This model repository offers something quite different from the numerous other 3D model repositories that have popped up lately. Forme offers 3D scans, not modeled objects. They’re not provided in STL form, but instead… Continue reading Forme Offers Fantastic Scanned 3D Models
3D Burrito Sells 3D Models
Another commercial 3D model repository has launched: 3D Burrito. The service offers something for both makers and designers: makers can browse the selection of 3D models, choose and buy. A download later, you’ll be able to 3D print on your own 3D printer or upload to a 3D print service. For designers, 3D… Continue reading 3D Burrito Sells 3D Models
Defense Distributed’s 3D Printed Handgun
Defense Distributed’s Cody Wilson wasn’t kidding when he said last week their team was working diligently on developing a design for a 3D printed handgun. In an exclusive from Forbes, the design of the handgun, named “The Liberator”, has been shown for the first time. During Wilson’s appearance the other week at a New… Continue reading Defense Distributed’s 3D Printed Handgun
Design of the Week: Improved Banana Slicer
This week’s selection is the very practical Improved Banana Slicer, by Thingiverse user Todd Blatt. What does it do? Well, just take a look at the image and you’ll get the idea. Practical and it involves food, so how could you go wrong? The design is “Improved” over the Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer… Continue reading Design of the Week: Improved Banana Slicer
MakerBot Doesn’t Forget
MakerBot sold thousands of CupCakes and Thing-O-Matics long before they moved to the Replicator and Replicator 2 models. The new machines were (and are) driven by some pretty slick software called MakerWare, which enables you to scale and position models before printing and control the print operation. Unfortunately for those with models earlier than… Continue reading MakerBot Doesn’t Forget
GE’s Making 3D Printed Jets
The prestigious MIT Technology Review has named General Electric’s work on 3D printing as one of its “10 Breakthrough Technologies 2013”. Specifically, GE is developing a metal nozzle for its LEAP jet engine. They will use 3D metal printers to produce the nozzles, which will be lighter in weight due to an advanced design… Continue reading GE’s Making 3D Printed Jets
Organovo 3D Prints A Human Liver
Correction: Organovo printed human liver TISSUE – but that’s a major step along the way to printing an entire functioning liver. Organovo has been developing 3D bioprinting technology for some time now, focusing on producing functional tissue for experimentation. Keith Murphy, Chairman and CEO of Organovo said: We have achieved excellent function in a… Continue reading Organovo 3D Prints A Human Liver
Staples’ First 3D Printing ‘Experience Centre’ goes live with Mcor Technologies
Mcor Technologies, Ltd. announced that its IRIS full-color 3D printers will be used exclusively in Staples’ first “Experience Centre” that has just opened at the Staples Office Center in Almere, The Netherlands. The Staples Experience Centre provides a hands-on 3D printing experience where consumers can learn all about 3D printing. Visitors will be able… Continue reading Staples’ First 3D Printing ‘Experience Centre’ goes live with Mcor Technologies
Massive News: Staples To Sell The Cube
Truly spectacular news today: Staples, one of the leading office supply retailers in the USA announced it would begin selling 3D Systems’ entry level personal 3D printer, The Cube. This is quite simply the single largest 3D printer retail move to date by any 3D printer manufacturer. The printer will be priced at USD$1299,… Continue reading Massive News: Staples To Sell The Cube
The ProDesk3D From BotObjects – In Full Color?
New York City startup BotObjects announced what could be the first full-color plastic 3D printer, the ProDesk3D. While their stealthy launch and impressive claims have generated some buzz, they have also generated major controversy. First, what’s the ProDesk3D? It’s a desktop 3D printer, suitable for consumer or office use. It prints extruded PLA or… Continue reading The ProDesk3D From BotObjects – In Full Color?
Pirate3D Reveals Their Buccaneer
They may be called “Pirate3D”, but their new personal 3D printer, the Buccaneer, is no criminal. The Buccaneer’s design seems significantly different than other personal 3D printers. The most obvious difference is a very refined external look. The shiny case is masterfully simple – it doesn’t even have a single button. We believe in… Continue reading Pirate3D Reveals Their Buccaneer
UMT Develops 3D Printing Metal Smoothing Technology
We had a brief encounter with Alexander Lobovsky, P.E., who is a partner with United Materials Technologies of New Jersey. Lobovsky’s company is developing a new method for smoothing 3D metal prints. The problem with metal 3D prints is the same as plastic: printing by layer causes visible ridges on the object. These can… Continue reading UMT Develops 3D Printing Metal Smoothing Technology
Get Your 3D Printer Filament at Makerstash Soon
We had the opportunity to meet with James Coleman, gentleman and founder of Makerstash, which will provide a wide selection of 3D printer filament for your MakerBot, RepRap or many other 3D printers. The filament business is straightforward, and success occurs simply by executing the business plan perfectly. MakerStash’s Mission describes theirs: At… Continue reading Get Your 3D Printer Filament at Makerstash Soon
Fabbing in Russia and Ukraine
3D printing exists almost everywhere in the world. Our blog receives visits from hundreds of countries, so it’s no surprise to find 3D printing activity in Ukraine and Russia. We came across Stereolia, who provide 3D printing services from the Ukraine and serving Russia. Stereolia operates a 3D print shop, where designers can upload… Continue reading Fabbing in Russia and Ukraine
D-Shape’s Plans
Enrico Dini is the founder of D-Shape, pioneers in large-scale 3D printing using concrete-like materials. They’ve developed a technique for solidifying sand into a kind of sandstone using a chlorine-based fluid. The 3D printer is truly massive and must be erected on the building site – or else you’d better hire trucks and cranes… Continue reading D-Shape’s Plans
PC MAG Reviews The Cube
This is interesting: a mainstream magazine has reviewed 3D Systems’s introductory personal 3D printer, The Cube. Treating The Cube as “just another consumer product” seems to be hitting a milestone of sorts. But what did PC MAG say about The Cube? Their “Bottom Line”: Although the Cube 3D Printer doesn’t provide the hassle-free… Continue reading PC MAG Reviews The Cube
New 3D Modeling Interface From 3D Systems?
Another recent announcement from 3D Systems President and CEO Avi Reichental indicated that the company has been seeking ways to simplify the creation of 3D content suitable for 3D printing. Evidently they’ve been working with the Leap Motion 3D sensor in particular, but we have little information beyond that. The Leap Motion sensor is… Continue reading New 3D Modeling Interface From 3D Systems?
Get Ready For Real Chocolate 3D Printing
At a recent conference 3D Systems President and CEO Avi Reichental spoke of his company’s efforts to produce a true chocolate 3D printer. While the project was classed as “Not Soon”, it does indicate significant interest in 3D food printing. We also understand that 3D Systems’ main competitor, Stratasys, has applied for a couple of… Continue reading Get Ready For Real Chocolate 3D Printing
D-Shape Reshapes NYC
Concrete 3D printer D-Shape has been awarded first place in NYC’s “Change the Course” Waterfront construction competition. The USD$50,000 prize is intended to generate unique ideas and approaches for redeveloping the 565 miles of NYC shoreline, particularly after damages incurred by Hurricane Sandy. D-Shape’s technology will be used to restore damaged seawalls other other… Continue reading D-Shape Reshapes NYC
Design of the Week: Centerpieces
This week’s selection is sculptor George Hart’s Centerpiece. Actually we should say, “centerpieces”, as it’s really a large collection of similar objects, each with variations in color design as well as structure. Hart says: For a Museum of Mathematics fundraiser dinner, I created a series of mathematical table centerpieces. These are each eight… Continue reading Design of the Week: Centerpieces
Shapeways Snaps Up $30M
Considering that Shapeways is located in New York City, it seems a little strange that they did not exhibit at the Inside 3D Printing expo last week. But they had a rather good excuse: they’ve raised another round of funding from their existing investors to the tune of USD$30M. Shapeways Director of Marketing Carine… Continue reading Shapeways Snaps Up $30M
3D Systems Rebrands Their Color 3D Printers
After 3D Systems’ acquisition of ZCorp, they found themselves owners of the Zprinter line of the only full-color 3D printers available. These machines continued to be improved and new variations added up until this week. What happened this week? 3D Systems has rebranded the entire Zprinter line into new ProJet models. No more Zprinters!… Continue reading 3D Systems Rebrands Their Color 3D Printers
Investors Seek 3D Printing Investments
At this point in time 3D printing has a significant amount of buzz. With that buzz comes investment, as entrepreneurs attempt to build new businesses in the new space. But there’s another kind of investment: raw capital. Wall Street types, attracted by the buzz, want to plow money into 3D printing startups, hopeful that… Continue reading Investors Seek 3D Printing Investments
3D Printing Shop Founded in Beirut
In a first for the Middle East, a full-service 3D printing shop has been founded in the Mar Mikhael-Rmeil neighborhood of Beirut. Founded in March by veteran French Architect Guillaume Crédoz, the 3D printing shop, named Rapid Manufactory, will offer design, modelling, scanning, prototyping and even investment casting and ceramic production services to anyone.… Continue reading 3D Printing Shop Founded in Beirut
MakerBot’s Growth
You may have seen their periodic and increasingly frequent solicitations for new employees. These have indeed added up and we now find that MakerBot’s staff exceeds 200 persons. This is vastly larger than almost all of the other personal 3D printer companies with the exception of the big commercial companies. Along with their staff… Continue reading MakerBot’s Growth
An Update from Defense Distributed
During our visit to New York City this week we heard directly from Cody Wilson, founder of Defense Distributed on the latest progress they’ve had developing 3D models of functioning firearms. During his talk at Inside 3D Printing, Wilson described some significant breakthroughs: Defense Distributed has been able to produce an ABS barrel… Continue reading An Update from Defense Distributed
The 3D Printing Reliability Barrier
We’re reading a very short post on Zheng 3 where they attempted to print a Magic: The Gathering Beast Token. As you can see above, there were some very slight problems in successfully completing this operation. And that’s the problem – 3D printers are simply not sufficiently reliable. We’ve used many different 3D printers… Continue reading The 3D Printing Reliability Barrier
Digital Man Evolves Through 3D Printing
A fascinating art installation leveraging 3D printing is proposed by artist Bill Westheimer of New Jersey. His work “Ascent” explores the idea of transforming “analog man” into “digital man”. He started with a 3D scan of a hand and then performed successive transformations on it to produce “hands” that evolve into a digital form.… Continue reading Digital Man Evolves Through 3D Printing
Flexiscale Makes Your Railway Models
Flexiscale is a UK-based company specializing in making model railway kits that you can spend enjoyable time assembling. While the practice of model building has been a hobby for many decades, Flexiscale is now approaching the development of kits with modern technology. They use advanced 3D scanning technology to fully capture 3D scans of… Continue reading Flexiscale Makes Your Railway Models
Geomagic and Alibre Merge
Two brands of 3D design software under one company? The inevitable occurred when acquirer 3D Systems merged the two previously separate and competing brands into one: Geomagic. There is no more Alibre, it turns out. They say: An initial step is that we have rebranded Alibre Design products as Geomagic Design. This means that… Continue reading Geomagic and Alibre Merge
Cubify Launches 3DMe
Billed as “Personalized 3D Printed Figurines”, the new Cubify 3DMe service does just that. Upload a photo of a face and paste it on one of several pre-made figurines and they’ll 3D print you. Literally. There’s quite a large selection of figurines to choose from, including Male/Female, Sports, Jobs, Costumes and Occasions. For example,… Continue reading Cubify Launches 3DMe
A 3D Printing Magazine
Design magazine Dezeen has suddenly launched a print publication specifically focused on 3D printing: Print Shift. It’s actually a paper publication produced using online print-on-demand service Blurb. The magazine contains stories about 3D printing targeted at consumers new to the technology, such as “Four Names to Know in the 3D-Printing World” or “Your Clothes… Continue reading A 3D Printing Magazine
World’s First 3D Printed Sailboard
Startup company MADE BOARDS has devised a process to create surf, paddle and sailboards using 3D printing. They don’t simply design a board and print it out – they customize the design for each individual. The process involves capturing data about “your body, your style, and the conditions in which you ride”, and then… Continue reading World’s First 3D Printed Sailboard
iMakr Scores Solidoodle – But What About MakerBot?
As the April 30th opening date of the iMakr 3D print store nears, they’ve announced the store will carry the Solidoodle 3 personal 3D printer. Solidoodle joins 3D System’s Cube line on iMakr’s shelves. Curiously absent from the official announcement is MakerBot, whose Replicator 2 is perhaps the most well-known personal 3D printer… Continue reading iMakr Scores Solidoodle – But What About MakerBot?
Design of the Week: Aerial Working Platform
This week’s selection is a rather detailed replica model of a scissor-lift work platform by Rob’s Model Workshop. The Workshop has produced a number of highly realistic models of working machines, but we liked this one due to its articulated nature. According to the website: RMW is providing innovative and unique accessories for the… Continue reading Design of the Week: Aerial Working Platform
The EZ3D Desktop Printer
Another 3D printer project is listed on Kickstarter: The EZ3D Desktop Printer. The project expires today and unfortunately it appears that it will not achieve its fundraising goal of USD$25,000, having raised only about half of that. Nevertheless this printer has some interesting features that we thought we’d point out. The EZ3D surprisingly… Continue reading The EZ3D Desktop Printer
Fabbaloo Attends Inside 3D Printing
We’ll be in attendance at this week’s Inside 3D Printing conference, being held Monday and Tuesday in New York City. This is a brand new conference, but the agenda was compelling enough for us to jump on planes to check it out. If you happen to be in New York City this week, consider dropping… Continue reading Fabbaloo Attends Inside 3D Printing
Midas Touch Helps Blind “See”
A group at Harvard is hoping their Midas Touch project will enable blind people to appreciate art. The project will convert 2D artwork, such as a painting, into a 3D shape. The 3D shape can then be explored with touch by the blind to gain an understanding of that piece. At this point the… Continue reading Midas Touch Helps Blind “See”
NASA’s SpaceShop
No, we’re not referring to the identically-named giftshop at Kennedy Space Centre where you can buy all the freeze-dried ice cream you’d care to eat; we are instead referring to NASA’s Advanced Digital Materials and Manufacturing for Space initiative at their Ames Research Center. It’s basically a FabLab for NASA makers. The SpaceShop includes… Continue reading NASA’s SpaceShop
VoxelJet Absorbs Global TCT
German 3D printer manufacturer VoxelJet has announced that as of April 1, 2013 it has taken over Global TCT, a full-service 3D printing operation based in the UK. Aside from 3D printing and scanning, Global TCT also offers reverse engineering and metal finishing services. With the recent uptick in interest and investment in 3D… Continue reading VoxelJet Absorbs Global TCT
You Should Check Out ShouldBee
The explosion of 3D model repositories and services continues. Today we’re checking out ShouldBee, a USA-based service that develops 3D models from which you can purchase full color 3D prints. We found ShouldBee’s process a little different from the typical “we have a pile of models, pick one” approach used by other model repositories.… Continue reading You Should Check Out ShouldBee
Azavy Launches
Last Saturday saw the silent launch of a new service dedicated to helping you find inexpensive ways to 3D print. Four-person startup Azavy is a kind of network between Consumers, Designers and Makers. Designers will be able to sell their designs on Azavy to Consumers, who can shop among a variety of themes and… Continue reading Azavy Launches
The Doodle3D Box
Another Kickstarter launch in the 3D printing space: Doodle3D, made by a Netherlands startup company. This product is a method to simplify the design and 3D printing of 2D line drawings. It’s composed of an app and a WiFi box that attaches to your personal 3D printer. Using the app you can “doodle” a… Continue reading The Doodle3D Box
New Zealand Panics Over 3D Printing
A report from New Zealand’s 3 News shows big concerns about 3D printing are brewing in that Pacific nation. Minister of Customs Maurice Williamson has evidently learned about 3D printing technology and believes that: Household printers are likely to be able to manufacture drugs, weapons and other contraband in just a few years, which… Continue reading New Zealand Panics Over 3D Printing
iMakr Adds Cubes
Call us not totally surprised, but the new iMakr 3D print store in London announced they’ve added the full Cubify line of 3D printers to their shelves. A press release states they’re announcing the “imminent arrival of the Cube, CubeX and CubeX Trio 3D printers in iMakr Store”. The Cubify lineup addresses both casual… Continue reading iMakr Adds Cubes
3D Printing: Worth Billions By 2025?
A study by Lux Research proposes the value of the 3D printing market will reach an astonishing USD$8.4B by the year 2025. Last year’s value was a mere USD$777M, suggesting a rise of USD$7.6B over the next twelve years. This is a compound annual growth rate of around 22%. That’s big. Lux Research… Continue reading 3D Printing: Worth Billions By 2025?
The Gigabot
When the name of the product is “Gigabot”, it’s not hard to imagine their key feature: size. From Texas-based re:3D, the Gigabot has one of the largest print volumes we’ve seen in a personal 3D printer: a whopping 600x600x600mm (that’s two FEET cubed, for you Imperial measurers). The Gigabot is capable of layer sizes… Continue reading The Gigabot
PanaShape’s Differences
There are multiple “upload and 3D print” sites available today, but Brian Bauman of PanaShape wants you to know their service is slightly different. Yes, PanaShape permits upload of STL 3D model files – and the service creates animated 3D renderings as well as live-quoting your price to produce the model. They are able… Continue reading PanaShape’s Differences
The iMakr Store
Billed as the “world’s largest 3D printing store”, iMakr is set to open April 30th in London. The 2500 sf retail operation, located in Farringdon, will “stock a large range of personal 3D Printers from major American, European and Asian manufacturers”. Although iMakr hasn’t said much, we would expect the store would carry equipment… Continue reading The iMakr Store
EFF Challenges 3D Printing Patent Applications
In a dramatic move, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has launched legal challenges against six foundational patent applications directly related to 3D printing. They’ve done this by submitting prior art (evidence of prior use or invention by others) to the proper authorities. The six patents include: 3D model Voxel-based additive manufacturing UV-curable materials Support… Continue reading EFF Challenges 3D Printing Patent Applications
Design of the Week: Lightclip
Great designs often leverage two or more environments, and that is precisely what the Lightclip by Cyprus-based Lab02 does. It’s a 3D printed attachment for your iPhone that makes use of the rather bright light on the iPhones to produce a variety of lighting effects. At this time four different Lightclips are available. The… Continue reading Design of the Week: Lightclip
3D Printing Survey Results
You might recall we pointed you, dear readers, to a survey being undertaken by Create It Real? Now the results of said survey have been published and we can take a look at what you said. The answers reveal the tone resonating among 3D printing enthusiasts these days. The first question asked, “what… Continue reading 3D Printing Survey Results
Stratasys’s Finishing Secrets
Stratasys has released a video detailing some of their secret (well, maybe not so secret) finishing processes. The video shows various tumbling media machines that operate similar to rock polishing tumblers – an object is tossed around within a bath of rough media. Gradually the objects become smooth after a relatively short period in the… Continue reading Stratasys’s Finishing Secrets
3D Printed Steadicam
Have an idle 3D printer and a GoPro action cam? Why not build yourself your very own GoPro steadicam mount? An Instructables by member haqnmaq shows you all the necessary steps, including 3D printing several parts for the key mechanism. The Instructable includes the STL 3D models for the Fork and Gimbal pieces, which… Continue reading 3D Printed Steadicam
“Print Me a Cruiser” : The Future of the US Fleet
According to the Navy publication Proceedings Magazine, “The 3D printing revolution will radically change naval construction.” In the magazine’s most recent issue, Lt. Cheney-Peters and Lt. Hipple argue that the future of naval design and manufacturing could be based on a 3D printing paradigm. In an interview with MakerBot’s Peter Schmehl, Cheney-Peters learned that… Continue reading “Print Me a Cruiser” : The Future of the US Fleet
New Stratasys Video
The new Stratasys, formed by the merging of the original Stratasys and Objet continues to blend their brands into a cohesive slate of products. They’ve released a video illustrating their several product lines complete with startling examples of the possibilities, like the 3D printed car and others. This is a very slick presentation, which… Continue reading New Stratasys Video
MakerBot’s Quality Program
Producing high-quality prints is a complicated business, it turns out. There must be synchronization between the slicing software, the printer hardware and the plastic filament used. 3D printer manufacturers who supply these things must do extensive testing to ensure their product works correctly – and homebuilt 3D printers must undergo similar calibration. MakerBot does… Continue reading MakerBot’s Quality Program
Would You Share a 3D Printer?
One secret known by 3D printer owners is that they can be a lot of work and expense. They are more expensive than consumer-grade paper printers and require much more care and feeding to get good results. These may discourage some from buying their own 3D printer. But now there could be another option:… Continue reading Would You Share a 3D Printer?
XYZ Shaping Free Dimensions
Amsterdam is the location of a new exposition featuring 3D printing. “XYZ Shaping Free Dimensions” takes place from April 2 to June 2 at Prinsengracht 266. The exposition, evidently sponsored by Ground3d in cooperation with CNCPT13, an Amsterdam concept gallery, features many notable 3D print artists, including: Ilse Vermeulen, Ervinck Nick, Eric van Straaten,… Continue reading XYZ Shaping Free Dimensions
How 3D Printing Saved His Face
Eric Moger of the UK recovered from surgery to remove a tennis ball-sized tumor from under this skin of the left side of his face. Unfortunately, a large portion of his face had to be removed during the surgery, rendering him significantly disfigured. All was not lost for Moger, as technicians were able to… Continue reading How 3D Printing Saved His Face
No 3D Water Printer Here
Just so you know, our post on April 1st regarding the mysterious NEMO, a “3D Water Printer” was completely, entirely and absolutely fabricated. Every year some very strange posts appear on that day and we thought we’d have some fun, too. On the other hand, 3D print technology’s exponential development trend suggests that… Continue reading No 3D Water Printer Here
Long Range 3D Scanning Demonstrated
3D scanning is a tricky business. Whether you’re using a USD$50,000 unit or a USD$100 Microsoft Kinect, none will meet all possible scanning requirements. You might require super-fine detail of a small object, or perhaps you’re scanning a building, or simply just grabbing a scan of your girlfriend’s face for a quick 3D print. … Continue reading Long Range 3D Scanning Demonstrated
Shapeways To Gain Even More Materials?
A posting on Shapeways blog solicits applications for a new position at the 3D print service. The position? Here’s what they say: We are looking for a someone to help us to find and introduce new 3D printing materials and processes to Shapeways. This can only indicate they mean to dramatically increase the… Continue reading Shapeways To Gain Even More Materials?
The Filastruder
The cost of a 3D printer is not only the printer itself, but also the print material. In most cases, personal 3D printers use plastic filament, either ABS or PLA plastic. If you’re a prolific 3D print maker, you might actually spend more on plastic than you did on the 3D printer. How can… Continue reading The Filastruder
3D Printed Nudes
There are endless applications for 3D printing technology. One can create replacement appliance parts, build a machine, equip a UAV and much more. Everyone focuses on some specific use of 3D printing, and today we’ve bumped into a new one we hadn’t seen before: 3D Printed Nudes. It’s not quite what you think. 3D… Continue reading 3D Printed Nudes
Design of the Week: Reeds Bangle
This week’s selection is the wispy Reeds Bangle by MarmaladePark, a.k.a. Rachel from the Oxford, UK. The attractive bracelet is composed of repeated twisty strands that gradually overlap and form a bracelet. We liked the sweepy form as it reminded us of natural shapes. MarmaladePark says: This design was inspired by the movements of… Continue reading Design of the Week: Reeds Bangle
The Winner of the 2013 Extreme Redesign Contest Is… What?
Each year Stratasys sponsors a contest among students to find the most fascinating and useful 3D designs. Winners of the Extreme Redesign Contest receive prints of their designs as well as scholarships – and fame, too. We always take a close look at the winners as they typically exhibit ingenious creativity. But this year… Continue reading The Winner of the 2013 Extreme Redesign Contest Is… What?
A 3D Printing Survey For You
Danish 3D printing company Create It Real has opened up a survey specifically for 3D printer enthusiasts. They’re gathering information for, well, we don’t actually know. But surveys are always useful and we’re hoping to publish the results after they’re collated by Create It Real. According to Create It Real’s Susann Berger: We are… Continue reading A 3D Printing Survey For You
Perfectly Smooth PLA 3D Prints?
We’ve written previously about a method to create a perfectly smooth (even shiny) surface finish on your ABS plastic 3D prints, but one wonders whether the same can be done on PLA 3D prints. ABS plastic is dissolved by Acetone, so a typical approach is to (CAREFULLY AND SAFELY) dip your ABS object into… Continue reading Perfectly Smooth PLA 3D Prints?
Michigan Tech’s Open Source Optics
Doing science can be an expensive affair, but a new project from Michigan Technological University is trying to make science more affordable and more accessible. In a recently published paper, professors and researchers at the university outlined their plans for creating an online, open-source library of 3D printable optics hardware. According to one of… Continue reading Michigan Tech’s Open Source Optics
A 3D Print Refiner
We’ve seen countless startup 3D printer companies launch crowd funding campaigns in the past year. Now we’re seeing a plethora of 3D printing accessory devices sprout from the minds of world’s entrepreneurs. Today’s 3D print accessory is the 3D Refiner. 3D Prints Express’s 3D Refiner attempts to solve one of the banes of early… Continue reading A 3D Print Refiner
The Photon 3D Scanner
Tired of designing your own 3D CAD models? Worn out from endless searching 3D repositories for that specific 3D design? If so, why not scan your own physical objects and replicate them? Usually you can’t because 3D scanning is frequently an expensive proposition. But that could change with the introduction of the Photon 3D… Continue reading The Photon 3D Scanner
The mUVe 1 3D Printer
With the expiration of key patents around photo-curable 3D printer techniques, we’ve seen several new resin-based personal 3D printer projects. Now another has emerged, the mUVe 1 from mUVe 3D, created as a part-time project by maker Michigan-based Dean Piper. The mUVe 1 is the first product from mUVe 3D, now seeking initial funding via… Continue reading The mUVe 1 3D Printer
grain’s Unusual Approach
We’re checking out a new online repository for printable 3D models: grain. There are many such repositories sprouting up recently, so what makes grain different? grain’s current inventory of models is a little thin, but that’s totally understandable given that it launched only recently. But there’s another twist we haven’t seen before: they don’t… Continue reading grain’s Unusual Approach
Try Miproto To Refine Your Design
Many people become attracted to 3D printing because they correctly believe they can print of many amazing things. But what they may not realize is that it takes great skill to design amazing things. Everyone is not an Industrial Designer. But don’t despair! A new service called Miproto can fix that. Miproto, created by… Continue reading Try Miproto To Refine Your Design
Shapes In Play
We’re checking out Shapes In Play, a two-person creative studio that appears to be working on some very interesting 3D printed designs. Much of their work involves generative design, where the shapes are determined by forces outside of the designer. One example of their work is the Soundplotter. It’s a vase formed from an… Continue reading Shapes In Play
3D Printed Tonearm; Vinyl Not Dead!
A report on AnalogPlanet details and experimental 3D printed “tonearm”. That’s the piece that holds the “needle” that “reads” a vinyl record on a turntable. For those of you who have lived beyond the era of CD’s, a previous era involved “vinyl records”, played by these turntable things. It turns out they’re still… Continue reading 3D Printed Tonearm; Vinyl Not Dead!