During last night’s annual State of the Union address, US President Obama actually mentioned 3D printing and positioned it as one of his key strategies for reinvigorating the US manufacturing industry. Specifically, he’s extending the experiment begun at the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute experiment, launched in August 2012. This institute attempts to speed… Continue reading Obama Likes 3D Printing
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Ping Fu Doesn’t Break
Ping Fu is very well-known in the 3D printing community, as she created Geomagic, maker of powerful 3D software tools enabling freeform design, scan handling, metrology and most notably, haptic-based design (that’s using a touch interface). Recently Geomagic was acquired by 3D Systems, where Ms. Fu now becomes their Chief Strategist. Her journey to… Continue reading Ping Fu Doesn’t Break
Skanect Updated to Version 1.1
We’ve just learned that Skanect has been updated to version 1.1. While we were quite happy with version 1.0, there were a few additions that would make life even easier for those wishing to perform a quick 3D scan using a Microsoft Kinect. Now the folks at Manctl have added some of them. The… Continue reading Skanect Updated to Version 1.1
Micrometer Scale 3D Printing
German-based Nanoscribe announced a new micrometer-scale 3D printer, the Photonic Professional GT, billed as the “world’s fastest commercially available 3D printer for micro- and nanostructures”. The Photonic Professional GT uses a highly accurate, mirror-guided laser system to polymerize photosensitive material into solid objects of incredibly tiny size. The machine is capable of producing fine… Continue reading Micrometer Scale 3D Printing
Controversy At 3DLT
You may not have heard about 3DLT. It’s an online “innovation hub” that attempts to provide 3D creators a web presence for marketing their designs. If you’re a designer you can join their program and create a mini-marketplace for your designs or receive requests for custom work. But where’s the controversy? Wired… Continue reading Controversy At 3DLT
3D Printed Fish Tags
Perhaps you might not need tags for your fish, but the folks at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) do. They’ve developed a way to 3D print titanium tags for tracking larger fish including Marlin and Tuna. Titanium was chosen as it does not react to salty ocean water and can withstand… Continue reading 3D Printed Fish Tags
ExOne’s IPO Is Hugely Successful
We mentioned the other day that ExOne, makers of 3D printers capable of printing in metal, sand and glass, went public by launching an IPO (initial public offering). Their shares went on sale to the public on February 7th at an opening price of USD$24.23. By the middle of the next day, the price had… Continue reading ExOne’s IPO Is Hugely Successful
Design of the Week: The Lost Boys
This week’s selection is artist Sean Dabbs’ “The Lost Boys”. It’s actually a small collection of designs related the the movie of the same name. We specifically liked the rendering of Kiefer Sutherland’s frightening vampire character, especially the teeth. Also included in the collection are vampire-like hands and feet. Dabbs is a UK-based… Continue reading Design of the Week: The Lost Boys
Advanced Manufacturing Seminars
Tuesday is the opening day of the Advanced Manufacturing Seminars. This event includes rapid prototyping content, specifically focused on 3D printing. The three-day event takes place in Anaheim, California at the Anaheim Convention Center. The speaker list includes some interesting folks, including: Jason Dunn, CEO of Made In Space. These are the guys… Continue reading Advanced Manufacturing Seminars
3D Systems Splits!
3D printing giant 3D Systems announced plans to split their stock. In the scenario described, owners of 3D Systems stock will receive additional shares. For every two shares owned on February 15th, share owners will receive an additional share. It’s a three-for-two split. Companies typically split their stock when the value grows significantly.… Continue reading 3D Systems Splits!
Three Dead 3D Printers
With numerous inexpensive 3D printers continually emerging, many won’t survive. But the latest wave of failures is not the first. Indeed, several bold attempts at creating revolutionary 3D printers came and went before the days of crowd funding. Today we’ll remember three notable 3D printers of the past. Desktop Factory was the original commercial personal… Continue reading Three Dead 3D Printers
Edinburg Scientist Print Stem Cells
Although controversial in the US, stem cell research offers some of the best opportunities to produce breakthrough medical discoveries, including growing tailor made replacement organs. In a new development for bioprinting, Dr, Will Shu of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh said, “We found that the valve-based printing is gentle enough to maintain high stem… Continue reading Edinburg Scientist Print Stem Cells
Dongiverse
Oh dear. This was bound to happen. There’s now a parody of 3D model repository Thingiverse called, “Dongiverse”. As you might expect, it appears to hold actual 3D models related to its eponymous title. The site seems to be a layer on top of Thingiverse, as it simply links visitors to selected items in… Continue reading Dongiverse
3D Modeling? Where Do I Start?
Once you’ve got your personal 3D printer working and you’ve exhausted the usual sources of printable models, your faced with a dilemma: how do I create my own 3D models? You might ask someone trained in 3D modeling, but we think that’s probably not a good idea. We’ve found that pro 3D modelers tend… Continue reading 3D Modeling? Where Do I Start?
Type A Machines
Type A Machines produces the Series 1 personal 3D printer. It’s claim to fame? Bigness. They say: We were tired of building things that could fit into little boxes so we designed the Series 1 to fit really large objects without a drastic increase in overall machine size. Forget having to redesign your ideas… Continue reading Type A Machines
The Robo Personal 3D Printer
Yes, Robo is another one of those new 3D printers that appear on crowdfunding sites, but what makes it different? For one thing you’ll immediately notice that it’s got a very attractive case – and that’s just the start. Each new filament-based 3D printer startup focuses on a particular aspect to make them stand… Continue reading The Robo Personal 3D Printer
Hod Lipson’s book
3D printing afficiando Hod Lipson has just published a new book on 3D printing entitled, “Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing”. Co-authored with Melba Kurman, the book “tells the story of 3D printers”. Lipson, Professor of Engineering at Cornell, is well known within the 3D printing community for his work developing concepts… Continue reading Hod Lipson’s book
The Future is 3-D Counts Down
We’ve been looking at The Future Is 3-D’s website and found they’ve been working on a new model to join their existing Glacier 3D printer: it’s called the “Avalanche”. We don’t know much about it, other than there’s a countdown page to the launch. We do know that their existing machine, the Glacier, is… Continue reading The Future is 3-D Counts Down
The List of Personal 3D Printers, 2013
After updating our resources page, we realized we had produced a useful list of personal 3D printers. If you’re in the mood for 3D printer shopping, we suggest you try our list. It includes links to companies offering low-cost pre-assembled, personal 3D printers. It does not include 3D printer kit options, which you can… Continue reading The List of Personal 3D Printers, 2013
3D Printing Resources
We’ve spent some time updating our 3D resources page. If you haven’t seen it, the page contains our list of key 3D printing resources. Areas of coverage now include lists for: Do It Yourself Options Hobbyist 3D Printers Commercial 3D Printers Popular 3D Print Services Popular 3D Print Related Books 3D Print Crowdsourcing Notable… Continue reading 3D Printing Resources
Global TV Features 3D Printing
Chief Correspondent Carolyn Jarvis of Canada’s Global TV presented a very comprehensive look at today’s state of 3D printing on their current affairs show, “16×9”. We bring this to your attention as this is perhaps the most mature examination of the technology we’ve recently seen by the media, which recently has tended towards the spectacular,… Continue reading Global TV Features 3D Printing
3D Printing Trade Shows in 2013
After wearing out several pairs of shoes walking through this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas checking out the increasing number of 3D printing booths, we thought we’d tell you which other conferences and trade shows might include 3D printing content. Here are the major events involving 3D printing, aside from local Maker Faires. … Continue reading 3D Printing Trade Shows in 2013
Design of the Week: Spiralis
This week’s selection is Spiralis by Shapeways designer Emm@nuel. There are actually two variations of Spiralis in the Shapeways catalog, the Spiralis+0,025-7cm and the Spiralis+0,025, which appear to differ only in size. Designer Emm@nuel describes Spiralis as: Mathematical oddity composed with 20 triskelions (triskelion, triskele) and 12 spirals. Definitely! You can… Continue reading Design of the Week: Spiralis
Nokia’s 3D Printing Adventure
Nokia has long used 3D printing internally to design cases and shapes for their handsets, but now they’re permitting customers to do the same. Nokia has released the 3D model files required for designing your very own back cover for their new Lumina 820 handset. The model includes the structures required to match the… Continue reading Nokia’s 3D Printing Adventure
makexyz Makes Your Stuff
You’re interested in 3D printing, but don’t have a 3D printer. You also don’t want to pay a high price to a 3D print service to obtain a print of your own 3D design. What do you do? One option, aside from finding a buddy with a 3D printer, is to use the makexyz… Continue reading makexyz Makes Your Stuff
Testing the Customizer
The magic of 3D printing is that you can make something totally unique that has never existed before; something that’s just right for you. But how do you get the models to do this? One way is to make use of Thingiverse’s new Customizer feature. It’s an add-on to certain models that permits… Continue reading Testing the Customizer
CHART: Readers predict 3D printing’s future
Strong, steady growth for the entire 3D printing industry is what our survey results show. According to our readers, that growth will be driven by advances in materials, output quality, speed and overall performance. What they aren’t accepting are the extremes: no growth or explosive growth. Read More at ENGINEERING.com
Advanced Manufacturing Seminars in February
Don’t forget to check out the Advanced Manufacturing Seminar conference that’s taking place in Anaheim, California from February 12-14th. It’s only a couple of weeks away so if you’re planning on attending, you’d best make some reservations. This conference is part of a rather large event involving thousands of manufacturing exhibitors. We understand that… Continue reading Advanced Manufacturing Seminars in February
New Space-Based 3D Printer
You might not realize it, but there are actually two companies pursuing asteroid mining today. One is Planetary Resources, backed by notables such as James Cameron, Larry Page, Eric Schmidt and more. The other company is Deep Space Industries. And they’re making a space-based 3D printer. Their purpose is to seek out asteroids… Continue reading New Space-Based 3D Printer
iRobot Moving Into 3D Printing?
A very detailed patent was recently issued to iRobot and Raytheon for a “Robot Fabricator”. iRobot is well-known for their Roomba series of household cleaning ‘bots, but they’re also manufacturers of many commercial and military robots. Raytheon is a long-time high-tech industrial focusing on military and electronics markets. Together they bring a huge amount… Continue reading iRobot Moving Into 3D Printing?
A DIY BioPrinter
Not satisfied with printing in plastic? Why not print ACTUAL LIVING CELLS? You can today if you can execute the Instructable created by BioCurious, which you can build for the incredibly low cost of USD$150. Simply acquire the necessary parts and follow all the assembly steps. This hack involves combining parts from a… Continue reading A DIY BioPrinter
FormFutura Sells Wood Filament
Most personal 3D printers require plastic filament of some kind or another. Recently some manufacturers have moved to use factory-certified cartridges, but many devices still can use “any filament” that meets the necessary dimensions. There are several online stores ready to sell you such filament, some trying to distinguish themselves by offering wider varieties… Continue reading FormFutura Sells Wood Filament
3D Printed Valentine Chocolates
The Shibuya Fabcafe in Tokyo is offering a very special service for two days in February: they’ll enable you to produce chocolates with your face on them! Wait, how does this work? You first get your face scanned by the FabCafe’s scanner. After some 3D model fixing, they 3D print a prototype of the… Continue reading 3D Printed Valentine Chocolates
Questions About Skanect
Manctl’s new version of Skanect should permit easy 3D scanning by anyone with a Microsoft Kinect and a computer. However, we wondered about several aspects. We asked Manctl’s Nicolas Burrus a few questions about the new version. Fabbaloo: The new release seems to be Windows only. Any hope of a Mac or Linux version… Continue reading Questions About Skanect
A New Version of Skanect
Readers may recall Skanect, a software tool that uses an inexpensive Microsoft Kinect to produce 3D scans of room-sized areas. Now creator Manctl has released a new version of Skanect that’s much more powerful. The new version is capable of taking 3D scans of objects instead of rooms. They’ve re-engineered the program to include… Continue reading A New Version of Skanect
The DeltaMaker 3D Printer
Aha! Another Kickstarter project has launched the DeltaMaker 3D printer. Recent 3D printer launches on Kickstarter have suffered from an inability to distinguish themselves from each other, but we believe DeltaMaker may not have that issue. Why? Because they’re using a very different design for their device: instead of the traditional 3-axis rail design,… Continue reading The DeltaMaker 3D Printer
Incredible 3D Fashion Video
There’s an increasing interest in 3D printed fashions, perhaps because of the novelty of 3D printing, but we suspect also because you’re able to create fashions that could otherwise not be manufactured. As wonderful as such fashion may be, it has been difficult for the public to understand it as 3D printed fashion shows are… Continue reading Incredible 3D Fashion Video
Design of the Week: Voronoi Yoda
This week’s selection goes to 3D artist Dzingof, whose 3D Voronoi Yoda caught our eye. It’s a Yoda, definitely, but with a twist: it’s composed of an incredibly complex interior shape. The secret to this design is its voronoi, which is the method of generating the fill. According to Wikipedia, voronoi is: … Continue reading Design of the Week: Voronoi Yoda
3D Printed Fashion In Paris Show
\As part of Paris Fashion Week, 3D printing giants Stratasys and Materialise collaborated with noted 3D fashion artist Iris van Herpen on her “VOLTAGE” haute couture show. van Herpen has previously produced fascinating 3D printed fashions and this show continued with some startling and revealing designs. Two of the eleven pieces made by van… Continue reading 3D Printed Fashion In Paris Show
Just An Engine Block, Printed
Peter from RepRapCentral advises us of a very cool 3D print recently done on one of their MakerBot Replicators: a Ford Engine Block. No, you can’t actually run this engine, but printed in blue translucent PLA it looks pretty good. Check out the high-precision detail of this print in the close view above. … Continue reading Just An Engine Block, Printed
The MendelMax 2.0 3D Printer
Open source 3D printers tend to evolve quickly, and the MendelMax personal 3D printer is no exception. Version 2.0 was recently announced by MakersToolWorks, the folks behind the MendelMax line. The Max2.0 is actually available now in kit or assembled form from MakersToolWorks – but it’s a beta version. The beta testers will “receive… Continue reading The MendelMax 2.0 3D Printer
Filabot Turns Your Old Plastic into Usable Filament
One of the major drawbacks of 3D printing is the price of print stock. In some of the more expensive systems, 3D-print material can cost as much as $450/kg for photopolymers. Even the price of cheaper filament material can come in at $48/kg. To make the world of 3D printing a little more affordable,… Continue reading Filabot Turns Your Old Plastic into Usable Filament
Another 3D Print Retail Shop – In Paris!
After the initial experiments in retail storefronts for 3D printing products in places such as New York, we now see another retail operation has opened in Paris: PROTOSHOP. It seems the focus of PROTOSHOP (opened by the rapid prototyping company Multistation) is to provide Parisians with an opportunity to see, touch, ask questions about… Continue reading Another 3D Print Retail Shop – In Paris!
Thoughts On That 3D Printed Building
Widespread media reports describe a project by Dutch architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars, who plans to build a home using 3D printing. He’s actually going to 3D print a house. The project will use the D-Shape 3D printing technology from Enrico Dino, who previously used this approach to produce a huge sculpture. The D-Shape 3D printer… Continue reading Thoughts On That 3D Printed Building
3D Printers and Airport Security
Just as you are, we’re getting tired of speculative propositions on the prospect of 3D printed weapons and try not to post on it, but we encountered an interesting question of this ilk on Quora. The question read: Could a small 3D printer be brought through security at an airport and then used… Continue reading 3D Printers and Airport Security
ProtoExchange Seeks a Decentralized 3D Printing Network
We were contacted by Jonathan Placa, who’s setting up a distributed 3D printing network called ProtoExchange. ProtoExchange will attempt to create an online bidding system, in which those desiring a 3D print will be connected with amateur 3D printer owners who will do the job. The advantage appears to be that the printer operator… Continue reading ProtoExchange Seeks a Decentralized 3D Printing Network
The Rho Test
In a world with many 3D printers to choose from and no easy way to compare them, what should you do? They use different materials in different ways, are priced differently and produce objects of differing quality. This dilemma has been taken on by researcher Shane Ryan, who proposes what he calls, “The Rho… Continue reading The Rho Test
LeapFrog Sells 1000 – But How Many More 3D Printers Exist?
We received a note from Netherlands-based Leapfrog 3D Printers who, among other notable achievements, said they’ve sold their 1,000th 3D printer. It was a LeapFrog Creatr, evidently sold to someone also in the Netherlands. This is quite an accomplishment for the small manufacturer, but it leads us to ponder: exactly how many personal 3D… Continue reading LeapFrog Sells 1000 – But How Many More 3D Printers Exist?
Emerging Personal 3D Printer Business Patterns
There seems to be patterns emerging among the major personal 3D printer manufacturers. It seems that in order to be a “player” in the space, you’d better have a few of these features in your business: Produce your own plastic in your own factories. This permits complete control over the formulation, which a manufacturer… Continue reading Emerging Personal 3D Printer Business Patterns
Want a Free Up! 3D Printer?
Who wouldn’t want one? Now’s your chance to get one by entering PP3DP’s Instructables contest. The contest is pretty straightforward: post an Instructable (a set of detailed instructions on how to make something) on the Instructables site between January 7th and April 1st that “shows off your skills as a maker”. You’ll then be eligible… Continue reading Want a Free Up! 3D Printer?
Open3DP Gets Gummi
Those researchers at the University of Washington took a break from casting ceramics, glass and other inedible substances to experiment instead with more tasty material using “food friendly molds”. Unfortunately their choice for shape was, um, themselves! They carefully captured full-body scans using a Microsoft Kinect and designed a negative mold and 3D printed… Continue reading Open3DP Gets Gummi
A Bit More on the CubeX 3D Printer
At CES we discussed the design of 3D System’s new CubeX personal 3D printer with Ian Adkins, the original developer of the BFB line of 3D printers. Adkins now works for 3D Systems after Bits From Bytes was acquired a few years ago. It turns out there are a number of subtle improvements and… Continue reading A Bit More on the CubeX 3D Printer
Design of the Week: Caged Heels
This week’s selection is London-based shoe designer Bryan Oknyansky’s Caged Heels. Oknyansky runs Shoes By Bryan, a bespoke designer of very unique shoes, operating since May 2011. The award-winning designer begins a shoe design by analyzing the physics of the shoe. He uses personal orthopedic dimensions and ergonomic measurements in the parametric 3D CAD… Continue reading Design of the Week: Caged Heels
ExOne Goes Public!
There are very few 3D printing companies that you can invest in. Most are privately held, with the major exceptions of 3D Systems and Stratasys – but now we hear that ExOne has “filed a registration statement for an initial public offering”. That means they intend on issuing shares to the public, pending various approvals… Continue reading ExOne Goes Public!
123D Offers Premium Memberships
We’ve seen Autodesk offer several incredibly (and totally free) useful web-based 3D tools, such as 123D Make, Catch and Design. Free tools are always welcome in a space where professional tools can cost many thousands of dollars. But you gotta wonder how Autodesk hopes to recover their investment in the 123D suite. How will… Continue reading 123D Offers Premium Memberships
Fabbaloo Makes The List
We were quite surprised today to discover that Machine Design has named our blog as one of their editor’s picks for the “best 3D printing web sites”. Also named were Shapeways, Solidoodle, Fab@Home, Thingiverse, PrintIn3D (3D Systems’ site) and RepRap, all excellent sites providing different angles on 3D printing. Our thanks go to the… Continue reading Fabbaloo Makes The List
Bre Pettis Authors a Book
MakerBot Chief Bre Pettis is now an author – he’s just published a new book on 3D printing and specifically on doing so with a MakerBot. We had a chance to get a copy from Pettis himself at CES (above). Jointly written by Pettis, Anna Kaziunas France and Jay Shergill, the book could become quite… Continue reading Bre Pettis Authors a Book
Neri Oxman’s Mediated Matter Lab at MIT
Neri Oxman, founder of the Mediated Matter Group at MIT’s Media Lab, believes that one day everything will be designed by nature. The Mediated Matter Group’s mission statement reads something like a manifesto. The Mediated Matter group is dedicated to the development and application of novel processes that enable and support the design… Continue reading Neri Oxman’s Mediated Matter Lab at MIT
Examining The Form 1’s Output
At CES we were able to get a very close look at the Form 1’s printed results, as Formlabs had several prints on display. (Click to enlarge the images for a really good look.) We found the accuracy to be outstanding for a printer at this price range (USD$3,299), exceeding typical (and better) plastic… Continue reading Examining The Form 1’s Output
MakerBot’s Plastic Farm
If you can’t get what you want, just do it yourself. That’s the approach MakerBot has taken on plastic. Previously they’d have to do extensive searching for vendors able to provide appropriate plastic for their line of 3D printers. They’d have to ensure quality of color, sizing consistency and deliver availability. Lots of work! … Continue reading MakerBot’s Plastic Farm
KraftWurx Launches
The mysterious Kraftwurx finally appeared publicly last week at CES, where they showed off their new 3D print service. We spoke with founder Chris Norman, who explained they’ve recently received a patent award for his complex and detailed vision of a 3D print service. The concept is to combine an online “storefront” containing a… Continue reading KraftWurx Launches
Mainstream 3D Printing?
An article on Business Insider by Dylan Love entitled “This Is What It Will Take For 3D Printing To Go Mainstream” proposes a shift in machine capability may lead to deeper mainstream use. He says: Up until now, much of desktop 3D printing revolved around simply getting the machines up and running, just to… Continue reading Mainstream 3D Printing?
Thingiverse Breaks Out In Apps!
It started as a simple free repository for patterns for personal making and then exploded into an overwhelming cacophony of 3D models. Thingiverse provides free content for 3D printing not only on MakerBot’s own line of 3D printers, but for any printer. That changes significantly as MakerBot CEO announced Thingiverse now includes programming… Continue reading Thingiverse Breaks Out In Apps!
Cubify’s AppCreate
Over the past few months we’ve noticed that 3D Systems has relentlessly built features in Cubify to provide generative models to print on their (and other’s) personal 3D printers. You can quickly get a customized 3D model of rings, pictures, bracelets, space aliens, earrings, crowns and probably a few more things after we’ve written this… Continue reading Cubify’s AppCreate
3D Printing Outside The Box
Joris Peels proposes a radical idea for 3D printing: mobility. Longtime Fabbaloo readers will be familiar with the concept of a “build chamber”, in which extruders or other printing mechanisms move about to create an object. The build chamber is based on the mechanical concept of three axes of movement, but it has a major… Continue reading 3D Printing Outside The Box
The Form 1, Live
At CES we spent some quality time with Formlabs Co-Founder Maxim Lobovsky. After we sorted out the bizarre food ordering procedure at a funky Japanese burger food truck, we talked about Formlab’s experience so far. As a startup company, they’re heavily concerned with focusing on delivering a quality product. Lobovsky says, “Everyone has ideas… Continue reading The Form 1, Live
Design Of The Week: Albert Einstein Wall
This week’s selection was observed at CES at the Sculpteo booth. We didn’t manage to find the official title of this work, nor the associated artist, but nevertheless, we think it’s very cool. It’s a rather large wall composed entirely of 3D printed iPhone cases, each with slightly altered visual characteristics, gradually building up… Continue reading Design Of The Week: Albert Einstein Wall
Surprise! 123D Design Updated
We were very pleasantly surprised to see an update arrive yesterday for our copy of 123D Design, the free 3D design tool from Autodesk. What’s got us so excited? It can now export STL. The previous version of 123D Design permitted saves only in its own proprietary format, with a possible intent of… Continue reading Surprise! 123D Design Updated
Der Spiegel on 3D Printing
We’ve previously seen such mainstream publications as The Economist, Forbes and The Atlantic bring 3D printing to the attention of their readers. Now Der Spiegel has done the same with a new article providing an overview of the 3D printing space. As one might expect, Der Spiegel provides focus on several German 3D printing… Continue reading Der Spiegel on 3D Printing
3D Printing Buzz During 2012
Last January we took a look at Google Trends to see the slope of interest in 3D printing. At that time we observed a pretty healthy jump. Did the trend continue in 2012? Evidently yes, as you can see in the Google Trends chart above. The lines represent the relative amount of Google searching… Continue reading 3D Printing Buzz During 2012
Jewelry Design Tutorial In Blender
Did you have in mind a fantastic design for a ring that you’d like to 3D print? Perhaps you’d be interested in watching a 55 minute tutorial on the basics of 3D jewelry design, specifically for 3D printing. The tutorial uses the open source 3D design tool Blender, which is available for… Continue reading Jewelry Design Tutorial In Blender
3D Printing For the Hearing Impaired
One of 3D printings greatest strengths is its ability to make customized, one-off products on the fly. In a traditional manufacturing paradigm, creating customizable products is an expensive if not impossible affair. So it should come as no surprise that the medical industry has been dramatically impacted by 3D printing. While not technically a… Continue reading 3D Printing For the Hearing Impaired
Sculpteo’s Strategy
At CES we dropped by the Sculpteo booth and had a chance to discuss the state of business with CEO and co-Founder Clément Moreau. Like most companies in the 3D printing space, Sculpteo is faced with the difficult question: “If you can print anything, what do you print?” The availability of printable 3D models… Continue reading Sculpteo’s Strategy
The Cube’s Been Updated
3D Systems’ consumer-level 3D printer has been updated. The friendly-looking Cube of 2013 includes several improvements that should make this machine even more attractive than its 2012 ancestor. The original cube could print only PLA plastic. While we love PLA, there are times you do need to print ABS plastic, particularly when you need… Continue reading The Cube’s Been Updated
An Afina Update
We had a very hard time finding Afinia at CES; they seemed to have the absolute worst booth location of any vendor – at the almost deserted corner at the far end of the top floor of the south building. Almost no foot traffic existed, which while not the greatest for Afina, permitted us to… Continue reading An Afina Update
Cubify Capture Announced
Don’t have US$60,000 for a super accurate color 3D scanner? We don’t either, so instead we recommend you try Cubify’s latest app: Cubify Capture. It’s a terrifically simple method to produce a quality 3D scan of objects around you. Capture uses an approach that’s been used by others: a series of images taken of… Continue reading Cubify Capture Announced
MakerBot’s New Replicator 2X
MakerBot has announced it’s latest personal 3D printer at CES. The new device has been hinted at for some time now, but it was revealed publicly for the first time by Bre Pettis himself at CES. The new device is optimized for printing ABS plastic, whereas its partner, the Replicator 2 (no “X”) was,… Continue reading MakerBot’s New Replicator 2X
The New CubeX 3D Printer
We wondered what would happen to Bits From Bytes (or “BFB”) as they were known. They last updated their 3D printer line with the 3DTouch about a year ago. Would they announce a new printer in 2013? Yes and no, it seems. Parent company 3D Systems announced the new CubeX personal 3D printer, the… Continue reading The New CubeX 3D Printer
Crayon Creatures!
In yet another easy-for-consumers 3D printing service, Crayon Creatures provides a way for your children to receive a 3D printout of their hand drawn crayon sketches. Using the service is incredibly easy, assuming you have a crayon sketch previously scanned into an image file. You simply upload the file, pay €99 (plus €15 for… Continue reading Crayon Creatures!
Shapeways’ Tetris Process
Our visit to Shapeways Factory of the Future revealed a fascinating technique they use to produce your objects. You might assume they take your order and then simply print it on one of their big machines. This is hardly the case, as they have to ensure the most efficient use of those big boys in… Continue reading Shapeways’ Tetris Process
Deep, Deep Inside Shapeways
During our recent visit to New York we journeyed to the peculiar neighborhood of Long Island City to visit one Duann Scott of Shapeways at their brand new “Factory of the Future”. Scott graciously showed us their operations in gritty detail. You’d never know Shapeways main plant is present in these streets and avenues of nameless… Continue reading Deep, Deep Inside Shapeways
Augmented 3D Printing
Architects have long used 3D printing as a means to better visualize their design ideas. By 3D printing a building you can “see” it much better than through a 2D screen and thus gain insight you’d otherwise miss. But the problem is that the 3D model is, well, static. It just sits there. It… Continue reading Augmented 3D Printing
Design of the Week: Yellow Vessel
This week’s selection is Matthew Plummer-Fernandez’ Yellow Vessel. We spotted this wonderful vase at the 3DEA exhibit in New York and it was sufficiently interesting that we looked it up to find out more about the artist behind the work. Plummer-Fernandez uses his own software interface developed with several open source software systems for… Continue reading Design of the Week: Yellow Vessel
3D Systems Scoops Up Geomagic
This one is a big deal. Of the many acquisitions completed by 3D Systems, their announcement of the absorption of Geomagic is significant. First the obvious: Geomagic produces a number of software tools for the 3D industry, including products to design 3D models, perform quality control, handling 3D scans and more. Their products are… Continue reading 3D Systems Scoops Up Geomagic
Heading To Vegas!
This week in Las Vegas is the annual festival known as the Consumer Electronics Show. What does 3D printing have to do with consumers? Today, everything! Quite a few 3D printing manufacturers now focus on consumers and this event is the place to show off their wares. Of course, we have to be there,… Continue reading Heading To Vegas!
3DEA’s Garden of 3D Printing
Located in Midtown Manhattan is (or was if they’ve closed it by now) the 3DEA exhibition. It’s a temporary showing of 3D printing technology for the public sponsored by several industry notables. The purpose, as far as we can tell, is to educate the public on the technology by demonstrating equipment and displaying fantastic 3D… Continue reading 3DEA’s Garden of 3D Printing
3D Printed LPs? Yes, But not for the Audiophile
With the resolution of 3D printers increasing every year, the accuracy and detail of prints are now becoming very fine. In fact, a few printers these days are able to produce objects that have a 16 micron resolution. That type of resolution led Amanda Ghassaei, assistant editor at Instructables, to see if she could print… Continue reading 3D Printed LPs? Yes, But not for the Audiophile
A Visit To Mulberry Street
During our New York adventure we managed to sneak into MakerBot’s exclusive retail store. Actually, it was less sneaking than simply walking in the wide open door, located at 298 Mulberry Street in Lower Manhattan. We were impressed with the simplicity of the store’s design, somewhat reminiscent of Apple Store design, yet with its… Continue reading A Visit To Mulberry Street
Spotted: Joshua Harker’s Crania Anatomica Filigre
While shopping for toys at the famous FAO Schwarz in New York City, we happened to run across a stray 3D print: artist Joshua Harker’s Crania Anatomica Filigre, recently featured on Kickstarter. What was this item doing at FAO Schwarz? We didn’t see a price tag on the delicate skull, as it laid… Continue reading Spotted: Joshua Harker’s Crania Anatomica Filigre
.MGX Exhibits in Shanghai
i.Materialise’s .MGX high-end retail operation is currently exhibiting their wares in Shanghai. Open until June, the exhibit is apparently the largest display of .MGX artifacts “ever shown in the region.” If you are near Shanghai, you might consider dropping in to the IndustrialRevolution.MGX exhibit, located at Room 1-214, No. 10 Shajing Road where you… Continue reading .MGX Exhibits in Shanghai
China 3D Printing Stocks Rising
According to a report on China Daily, the stock price of a number of Chinese 3D printing companies suddenly surged after a Chinese government official spoke of boosting the sector. The unnamed official evidently said, “China is likely to draw a long-term route map for 3D printing technology to boost development for the emerging… Continue reading China 3D Printing Stocks Rising
APIs for 3D Printing?
API enthusiast Kin Lane (above) has started working on a set of APIs for 3D printing. Wait, what’s an API again? It’s software, specifically the precise interface between programs. In other words, APIs are the equivalent of “standard electrical plugs” and the like between any software programs. The presence of APIs tends to encourage the… Continue reading APIs for 3D Printing?
The Form 1 Forms Molds, Too
We’ve seen some incredibly fine 3D prints emerge from the Form 1 resin-based 3D printer and now Formlabs has shown another use of their fascinating device: mold making. We think the Form 1 would be a tremendous machine for mold making. Why? Because its fine detail provides a big advantage over traditional plastic extrusion… Continue reading The Form 1 Forms Molds, Too
Top Posts of 2012
It’s always fascinating to learn which posts were the most frequently read among the hundreds we posted during the past year. They’re typically not necessarily the top stories, but nevertheless they provide some insight into readers’ interests. MCOR To Offer 3D Printing At Staples To abruptly retract our earlier statement, this most frequently read… Continue reading Top Posts of 2012
Design of the Week: Fractal.MGX Table
This week’s selection was encountered during our visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, specifically in the Modern Art section. The Fractal.MGX table is a stunning demonstration of the possibilities when one combines creativity, size, mathematics and of course, 3D printing. The Fractal.MGX table was designed in 2007 by three:… Continue reading Design of the Week: Fractal.MGX Table