There was once a time when your 3D printer arrived as bags of teeny parts that you had to carefully assemble over a weekend. Then there came a time when your 3D printer would arrive fully assembled. Now is the time when your 3D printer can arrive folded. Folded? Yes, folded. Maker Emmanuel… Continue reading The Folding 3D Printer
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The 3D Printing Survey Comes Alive
Readers may recall a widespread survey of the 3D printing industry was undertaken a short time ago. While we have already published our highlights of the survey, we’d like you to have another look at them. In a very different way. Stephen Murphy has transformed the static numbers into highly animated charts and… Continue reading The 3D Printing Survey Comes Alive
The Phenix vs. EOS Patent War Heats Up
We’ve been advised that Phenix Systems has filed a lawsuit against 3D printer manufacturer EOS. This is more than likely in response to EOS’s filing of a lawsuit against Phenix Systems for alleged patent violation. The new lawsuit from Phenix alleges that EOS has violated United States patent number 6,767,499 (Fast Prototyping Method by… Continue reading The Phenix vs. EOS Patent War Heats Up
Bre Speaks!
We recently contacted MakerBot chief Bre Pettis and asked him a few questions for this exclusive interview below. We have suspicions he and his crew at MakerBot are working on something really interesting, but as you’ll see he’s not telling. But he is excited. Fabbaloo: MakerBot has been expanding very rapidly over the past year. What’s… Continue reading Bre Speaks!
The Rygo – Printed
We wrote of an unusual crowd funding project to back what would be North America’s largest 3D print to date. The project was to print noted 3D artist Bathsheba Grosman’s Rygo sculpture using the D-Shape concrete 3D printer. We’re happy to see that the project was indeed successful as the print has been completed,… Continue reading The Rygo – Printed
The RA 3D Printer Controller
It’s not a 3D printer, but you could make one with it. It’s the RA 3D printer controller, now showing on Kickstarter. The project involves creation of a “cutting edge” 3D printer controller board. This is the electronics portion of your 3D printer, typically used in RepRap-style kit assemblies. What makes this board… Continue reading The RA 3D Printer Controller
3D Printer Releases at RAPID 2012
At the SME’s RAPID 2012 conference and exposition, four new 3D printers were announced by Objet, Mcor, envisionTEC and 3D Systems. These systems cover the whole gamut: tiny 3D printers to big parts and parts in full color to parts with advanced materials. View the Video at Engineering.com
Getting a 3D Model For Printing
You have an accessible 3D printer nearby or you have an account at a 3D print service. Filled with the strong feeling that you can make anything, you then realize you must have a 3D model to print. That’s where the problem shows up: models are not always easy to acquire. But here are… Continue reading Getting a 3D Model For Printing
Zheng3’s Seej Gamifies 3D Design
We’ve heard how many industries try to incorporate gamification into their process to make things run better. It seems that people are typically competitive and when faced with a game situation, they feel personally challenged to win. But how can you engage 3D designers in ramification? One way is to use Zheng3’s Seej game.… Continue reading Zheng3’s Seej Gamifies 3D Design
An Interview With The DreamVendor
Actually we’re not interviewing the DreamVendor itself; instead we’re interviewing Dr. Chris Williams, the Director of the DREAMS Lab at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, the organization that produced the DreamVendor. (Wait, what’s a “DreamVendor”??? Read on and you’ll find out.) Fabbaloo: We’re wondering what the DREAMS lab is all about? Can… Continue reading An Interview With The DreamVendor
Dinosaur Printing in Detail
There’s a terrific article on The Verge describing all the details of actual Dinosaur printing. That’s the science of 3D scanning dinosaur fossils and using 3D printing technology to produce accurate replicas of the bones. Why do this? Why not just use the original bones? It turns out there are a number of benefits.… Continue reading Dinosaur Printing in Detail
Further Evidence of 3D Print Mainstreaming
As 3D printing gains popularity it was inevitable. 3D printing has made it into the famous Cheezburger network. We noticed an animated GIF of a Yoda coming off of a MakerBot 3D printer on Cheezburger’s Señor Gif site. Via SenorGif
3D Printing Sugary Blood Vessels
A new breakthrough in medical 3D printing: researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a method of creating living tissue using 3D printing technology. The researchers were concerned with the limitations of current bioprinting techniques, which are able to print layers of living tissue, but are less able to create the necessary vasculature… Continue reading 3D Printing Sugary Blood Vessels
3D System’s Smarter 3D Printing
Industry giant 3D Systems intends on teaching you a lot more about 3D printing with their new seminar series entitled, “Smarter 3D Printing”. These seminars are planned for approximately 80 events in multiple locations across the United States, four locations in Canada and one (Sao Paulo) in Brazil. The no-charge seminars will provide: … Continue reading 3D System’s Smarter 3D Printing
Foundation Offers Help and Hope to Victims of Orthopedic Trauma
The Foundation for Orthopedic Reconstruction (FOR) is the culmination of two years of planning that heralds an exciting undertaking for the orthopedic and additive manufacturing communities. FOR was developed with a dual mission: To provide patient-specific medical implants at no cost to those in need and to encourage and fund innovative research within the orthopedic… Continue reading Foundation Offers Help and Hope to Victims of Orthopedic Trauma
3D Printing Electrical Circuit Discovery?
We’re reading about a group of researchers at Stanford who have concocted new gel-like substance that has some very interesting properties. We think the electrically conductive hydrogel created by Stanford Associate Professors Zhenan Bao and Yi Cui could potentially be used in 3D printers, or perhaps a modification of it. At least it’s worth an… Continue reading 3D Printing Electrical Circuit Discovery?
A Few Cubify Developments
3D Systems’ Cube personal 3D printer has only been available for a few weeks now, but this week we noticed a few interesting developments. First, there’s a new video out showing a bit more of how the device works. We specifically were interested in the portion where they showed how to change the filament.… Continue reading A Few Cubify Developments
Hands On With ReconstructMe
If you’ve ever been shopping for a 3D scanner, watch out for the price tag. Many commercial units providing high quality results and convenient features are well beyond the pocketbook of almost every hobbyist, upwards of USD$50K in some cases. Are there less expensive methods of 3D scanning? Several 3D Scanning kits or hobby… Continue reading Hands On With ReconstructMe
3D Worms Infect The Net!
Do you use AutoCAD? If so you might be a victim of one of the most unusual cases of 3D theft we’ve seen yet. It seems that certain AutoCAD templates have been infected with malware that does something blatantly nefarious: it sends your AutoCAD drawings to email addresses in China! What a highly efficient… Continue reading 3D Worms Infect The Net!
The 3DPrintShow In London
In London this October is the 3DPrintShow, three days of exhibitions and shows all about 3D printing. Taking place from October 19th through the 21st, this event includes exhibits from all the major 3D print vendors and services, including MakerBot, 3D Systems, EOS, Objet, Shapeways, i.Materialise, Tinkercad, Anarkik3D, Uformia and many others. They’ll be… Continue reading The 3DPrintShow In London
Entrepreneuring With A MakerBot
There’s a terrific story on Solidsmack of how an entrepreneur turned a MakerBot personal 3D printer into a viable business. The folks at I Heart Engineering wondered whether they could treat a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic as a kind of miniature factory for a startup business. They designed a specific adaptor for hooking Microsoft Kinect sensors… Continue reading Entrepreneuring With A MakerBot
Bioprinting Advances
Bioprinting is something you’ll be hearing a lot more about in the future. It’s the application of 3D printing for medical purposes. The idea is to produce human tissue for replacement of damaged portions, but it’s much more complicated than 3D printing simple plastic objects. Not only are you dealing with microscopic bits, but… Continue reading Bioprinting Advances
Pondering Highly Detailed 3D Models
Today’s personal 3D printers can produce many types of objects, but the fine details are often obscured due to resolution limitations on the printers. A typical home 3D printer today slices models into 0.2-0.5 mm layers, meaning you’ll not only see layering, but also not see any fine details. Eventually we’ll see the capabilities of… Continue reading Pondering Highly Detailed 3D Models
The Brass at i.Materialise
They’re at it again. i.Materialise has now launched a trial of Brass 3D printing. Shortly after launching Bronze, we now see Brass on their materials sheet. It’s not a permanent thing, however, as i.Materialise terms this a “summer trial”. 3D print service providers often experiment with new materials in this way, as they are… Continue reading The Brass at i.Materialise
3D Printing 2012 – Top Prints So Far
Editor’s note: This guest post comes from 3D printing aficionado Chris Waldo, who’s anxious to tell us his thoughts on some very cool 3D prints in 2012. Since the late 1970’s, 3D printing has come a long way. Build sizes, detail levels, material science, and speed have all improved significantly in comparison to the… Continue reading 3D Printing 2012 – Top Prints So Far
The Met’s 3-D Scanning and Printing Hackathon
An interesting experiment took place at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art recently, in which the Met tag-teamed with MakerBot to produce 3D art models. A team of folks from MakerBot were invited by the Met to journey through several collections to perform 3D scans of famous artwork. The scans were then converted… Continue reading The Met’s 3-D Scanning and Printing Hackathon
Bronzed by i.Materialise
i.Materialise, one of the popular online 3D print services, now offers an experimental Bronze 3D printing capability. This isn’t bronze plating – it seems to be solid bronze. However, during this experimental phase they limit the size of your bronze prints to 5 x 5 x 5 cm. We think that’s quite appropriate as… Continue reading Bronzed by i.Materialise
Fashion and Jewelry 3D Printing Workshop
Interested in fashion or jewelry design? Want to do it with 3D printing technology? If so, you may want to attend one of the workshops taking place at ELISAVA, School of Design and Engineering of Barcelona. There are two five-day workshops scheduled, one from 23-27 July and a second edition from 10-14 September of… Continue reading Fashion and Jewelry 3D Printing Workshop
Ice That 3D Cake
The folks at CNCDudez have been experimenting with cakes. Frosting cakes, actually. With a 3D printer. Spokesman Sean says: We have seen videos showing chocolate being extruded out of a syringe and also cake dough being extruded to make cookies. But we wanted to see if we could Ice a cakes, buns etc etc.… Continue reading Ice That 3D Cake
GrabCAD’s Tool Challenge
GrabCAD is one of the world’s largest repositories of (mostly CAD) 3D models and one of the largest groups of designers, too (250,000+). This means that when they run a contest you can be sure you’ll see some very interesting entries. This month they announced the winner of their “Useful 3D Printed Tool Challenge”, in… Continue reading GrabCAD’s Tool Challenge
Objet Hits 107!
3D printer manufacturer Objet is well known for their extensive list of different materials that you can use in their line of 3D printers. But this week they announced something perhaps significant: they now offer over 100 different materials (107 to be precise). With their recent announcement of a set of 39 new materials, they’ve… Continue reading Objet Hits 107!
A Real Robot 3D Printer
The folks at Hackaday found a 190 pound experimental 3D printer made from a scrap industrial robot arm – and it actually works. Made by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute undergrad and maker extraordinary Dane Kouttron, this project required an enormous amount of effort to convert the surplus robot arm into a working 3D printer. The… Continue reading A Real Robot 3D Printer
Another Open Source Resin 3D Printer: Sedgwick
We’ve uncovered another resin-based 3D printer project. The “Sedgwick Open Source 3D DLP Printer” by Ron Light is now crowd funding on Kickstarter with the very precise goal of USD$24,750 by July 14th. So far the project has had limited success raising funds, but there is plenty of time left to achieve their goal. … Continue reading Another Open Source Resin 3D Printer: Sedgwick
Matt Underwood’s 3D Vision
Manufacturing engineer Matt Underwood’s Kickstarter project is the Vision 3D printer. Yes, it’s another RepRap variant, but with quite a few interesting improvements. Underwood observed that while many inexpensive 3D printer kits are available they are typically difficult and time consuming to build, making them beyond the reach of non-technical mortals. He set out… Continue reading Matt Underwood’s 3D Vision
More Investment Interest in 3D Printing
We’ve just read an article in The Atlantic written by Hugh Evans, a Vice President at T. Rowe Price Associates. If you don’t know, T. Rowe Price Associates is a USD%15B company focused on investments. In the article Evans introduces the concept of 3D printing to the readers of The Atlantic and more particularly, their… Continue reading More Investment Interest in 3D Printing
What’s With Organovo?
You may recall Organovo? They’re a bioprinting startup that is attempting to 3D print a variety of biological tissues, including Actual Human Organs! They say: Organovo’s powerful NovoGen Bioprinting platform creates human tissues starting with any cell source. From disease models to tissue creation, bioprinting solves urged needs in biological research. Their goal… Continue reading What’s With Organovo?
How to Crowdfund Your 3D Printer Project
We’ve actually lost track of how many 3D printer startups have launched this year. It seems that every week another one shows up on a crowd funding service looking to raise money for their idea, which often takes the state of the industry one step further ahead. Don’t get us wrong; this is the… Continue reading How to Crowdfund Your 3D Printer Project
FujiFilm to Operate 3D Printer Kiosks?
A report from GizMag describes how Fujifilm is considering operating a chain of kiosks capable of printing 3D models. Yes, we thought this was strange, too. The idea is that an inexpensive 3D printer “kiosk” would be located in trafficked areas where customers could peruse a catalog of objects and select one for… Continue reading FujiFilm to Operate 3D Printer Kiosks?
The BurritoB0t
This is a real 3D printer specifically designed to print delicious burritos – we’re not kidding! The BurritoB0t, a thesis project by maker Marko Manriquez, extrudes combinations of burrito components to dynamically construct, well, a custom-designed burrito. Technically, the BurritoB0t is a straightforward modification and combination of RepRap-derived technologies. It’s based on the Hadron Bot, which… Continue reading The BurritoB0t
HP To Make 3DP Acquisition?
Once in a while we hear mysterious rumors about 2D printing giant Hewlett Packard buying out Stratasys. Now we’re reading about such a possibility in Seeking Alpha. Seeking Alpha proposes that HP may be “missing out” on the new wave of printing: 3D printing. While they’re experts at 2D printing, they have yet to… Continue reading HP To Make 3DP Acquisition?
EOS Teams Up For Metal 3D Printing
3D printer manufacturer EOS has signed an agreement with Cookson Precious Metals to jointly develop a variety of applications related to metal 3D printing. According to the press release, “Under this agreement, both companies will introduce and further develop precious metal-based applications to the jewelry and watch industry”. But what does this mean, exactly?… Continue reading EOS Teams Up For Metal 3D Printing
3D Printing Is Now Popular, It’s True!
How do we know this? Has 3D printing really and truly made it to the Big Show? The answer is easy and was found in our inbox last week. A gentleman kindly explained that he had obtained well over 200 domain names related to 3D printing and would gratefully part with them for a… Continue reading 3D Printing Is Now Popular, It’s True!
Hot Glue Gun Extruder 3DP Experiment
Another 3D printing experiment appeared on Hack A Day, in which a common workshop hot glue gun was persuaded to act as an extruder for a hobby 3D printer. At first this might make sense, as the hot glue gun does extrude material that solidifies. However, after watching the video and thinking about it,… Continue reading Hot Glue Gun Extruder 3DP Experiment
How Will 3DP Affect Your City?
An interesting piece in the Houston Business Journal written by Molly Ryan contemplates the effect of 3D printing on the city of Houston’s manufacturing sector. Her investigation showed what most non-technical folks soon discover about 3D printing: you can make almost anything, but it will be more expensive than traditional manufacturing techniques. In other… Continue reading How Will 3DP Affect Your City?
A $34 Extruder?
Remember buying third-party parts for your car? They might have been less expensive, or better in some way and were fun to install and brag about. Now you can do the same on your 3D printer with QU-BD, who are launching a fundraising campaign for their new product: a replacement extruder that costs only USD$34. … Continue reading A $34 Extruder?
DIY Pioneer Dislikes 3D Printing???
A provocative headline at LiveScience proclaims: “Why a DIY Pioneer Dislikes 3D Printing”. The pioneer in this case is Neil Gershenfeld, director of MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms, someone who should know the space very well indeed. It seems that Gershenfeld views the current state of “DIY” manufacturing as an extension of 1950’s… Continue reading DIY Pioneer Dislikes 3D Printing???
The DAVID Structured Light Scanner
One of the more popular and accessible (read: inexpensive) 3D scanning solutions has been the DAVID Laser Scanner, which has been available for some years. Now we see a new type of scanner from German DAVID Vision Systems, the Structured Light Scanner. We spoke with Eric Wilson of CreateItForMe, a growing reseller of this… Continue reading The DAVID Structured Light Scanner
The MiiCraft 3D Printer Available Soon
More developments on hobby 3D resin printers: the team at MiiCraft, which we described the other week, have launched a fundraising campaign to develop their 3D printer – and you can own one, too! Their campaign on Indiegogo has a goal of USD$100,000 raised by July 20th. So far they’re nowhere near that level,… Continue reading The MiiCraft 3D Printer Available Soon
MakieLab Makes Makies
We’ve seen some very specific applications of 3D printing where end-users may choose limited customization for picture frames, robots, etc. Today we’re looking at Makielab’s Makies. They’re 10 inch tall customized figurines designed by you. Similar to other services, you must choose from several customizable dimensions: Hair style, Eyebrow shape (selecting a slider for… Continue reading MakieLab Makes Makies
3D Printed Fish Breeding Gear
We’ve seen many applications of 3D printing to a wide variety of situations, but this one is pretty interesting: Indiana-based research scientist Shane Graber has been using his MakerBot to produce a variety of specialized items for his salt-water fish breeding experiments. He’s designed an incredibly simple brine hatchery composed of a base that’s… Continue reading 3D Printed Fish Breeding Gear
B9 Is 350!
Some weeks ago we informed you on the new B9Creator resin-based 3D printer project on KickStarter. Resin 3D printers promise super-high resolution and fast prints, but they’re outside the mainstream personal 3D printing technology, which has been plastic extrusion. We wondered how the community would react to the emergence and possibility of owning such… Continue reading B9 Is 350!
3D Scanning by UAVs
What’s that buzzing noise? It’s the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) hovering over your home, and now it could be taking a 3D scan of your house! According to a report in PhysOrg, that scenario is now a possibility as researchers from the University of Granada in Spain have developed a way to combine 3D… Continue reading 3D Scanning by UAVs
3D Printed Voodoo
As the popularity of 3D printing increases, so does its attraction to designers of incredible things. One designer we’ve noticed is Rob Elford, whose Shapeways shop, Hoodoo Botanical, exemplifies how designers are working in the space. He’s been working on developing fashion accessories 3D printed in full color sandstone. Successful designers tend to focus… Continue reading 3D Printed Voodoo
Fabberworld
Are you in need of supplies for your 3D printer? Do you live in Switzerland? If you answered yes to both questions, you’ll be pleased to learn that there is now a 3D printing supplies operation located in Switzerland: Fabberworld. Fabberworld sells a selection of 3mm plastic filament, bearings, motors and even kapton tape.… Continue reading Fabberworld
The Importance of Clear
We’ve been fortunate to be able to examine some 3D printed objects from Objet in their Vero Clear material first hand. While we’ve seen clear (and clear-ish) items printed before, there seems to be advantages when used in a multi-material 3D printer. A multi-material 3D printer can build objects in more than one material… Continue reading The Importance of Clear
Introducing TeamPlatform
Things are advancing from the days of local storage of 3D models and traditional online 3D repositories. Consider TeamPlatform, an online service dedicated to not only storage of 3D models but also the entire development process for producing 3D models. The service operates on a subscription basis, where you are provided with an allocation… Continue reading Introducing TeamPlatform
Shapeways Gets Bendy
Shapeways, the popular 3D print service constantly experiments with new materials and perhaps they have the widest variety of materials one can select from. We’ve noticed they’re now offering a material with a unique property: it’s flexible! The new material, appropriately named “Elasto Plastic” will be tested by Shapeways users until July 20th. Shapeways… Continue reading Shapeways Gets Bendy
3D Printing Community Survey Results
Some time ago we directed Fabbaloo readers to an academic survey of the 3D printing community sponsored by the P2P Foundation. Now, the results are available, giving us a first real peek into the world of 3D printing. What were the results? There were many results, but here’s the interesting findings, as we… Continue reading 3D Printing Community Survey Results
A Visit With IPF
While in London recently we had a rather long lunch meeting with Gary Miller of IPF, a.k.a. Industrial Plastic Fabrications, a growing 3D print service based in the UK just outside of London. Also in attendance was Claire Russell-Jones, a publicist often providing service to Objet, manufacturers of commercial 3D printers. Miller’s operation uses… Continue reading A Visit With IPF
Invent a Filament Maker, Win $40K!
You’ve got a personal filament-based 3D printer, like a MakerBot, BFB or BotMill. You need filament to print with. What do you do? You shop online and find the best color and price and have it shipped to you. The price of filament varies considerably depending on where you’re buying, but generally the price has… Continue reading Invent a Filament Maker, Win $40K!
Sculpteo Introduces Color Ceramics
Growing 3D print service Sculpteo has introduced a little bit of color to their ceramic material options. Today you can choose from these tasty glazing options: White Glossy, Oyster Blue, Tangerine Orange, Turquoise, Aquarius Blue, Satin Black, Anis Green and Lemon Yellow. Not only will you receive colored objects, but they’ll be perfectly smooth… Continue reading Sculpteo Introduces Color Ceramics
Mcor’s Surprising Prints
During our visit to Rapid 2012 we were able to examine Mcor’s printed object quality directly. What we found was interesting. First, you must know that Mcor’s process is unique in that the objects are printed not in plastic, but instead with common, everyday paper. This is very noticeable when you pick up and… Continue reading Mcor’s Surprising Prints
Words For The Media Design School
With the recent surge of popularity of 3D printing, there has come a deep need for information. Many require an introduction to the technology, while others wonder where it’s all headed. When we were requested by Auckland, New Zealand’s Media Design School to put together some thoughts on the future of 3D printing, we… Continue reading Words For The Media Design School
Up!’s Software Advantage
From the beginning, PP3DP’s Up! 3D printer produced wonderful prints, largely because of its sophisticated software. The software accepts a digital 3D model (in STL format) and converts it into instructions for the machine to actually build the physical model. While most personal 3D printers use the open source Skeinforge utility in some way,… Continue reading Up!’s Software Advantage
You Can Help Makerspaces Today
Many Fabbaloo readers are members or supporters of Makerspaces – those amazing local labs offering the public the opportunity to gain low cost access to 21st century making equipment and expertise. From these establishments ideas become reality, experiments are resolved and businesses are born. We’ve learned of a way you (yes, you) can directly… Continue reading You Can Help Makerspaces Today
That Sticky Cube
We managed to examine 3D Systems’ latest personal 3D printer, the Cube, in person at Rapid 2012. The colorful unit was much as we expected, but there was a surprise. The print bed appeared glossy for some unknown reason. We wondered if the surface was made that way and investigated with a finger. We… Continue reading That Sticky Cube
The Up! Mini Personal 3D Printer
The Up! personal 3D printer from China produces terrific output and it’s been around for a couple of years now – but now manufacturer Delta Microfactory Corporation announced an entirely new product: the Up! Mini. While they’re still going to offer the original Up!, the new Mini focuses on lowering costs. The new product… Continue reading The Up! Mini Personal 3D Printer
The Fabbster’s Mechanism
One of the vendors on display at Rapid 2012 was Fabbster, makers of a very interesting 3D printer kit. At first glance the Fabbster appears to be yet another RepRap variant, but when you look closer there’s a very big difference. The print material for the Fabbster is not standard, coiled plastic filament. It’s… Continue reading The Fabbster’s Mechanism
Want Your Shapeshot?
Strolling around Rapid 2012 we encountered an unusual service named ShapeShot. What do they do? Well, they shoot your shape. ShapeShot is a project from Baltimore-based Direct Dimensions, a consultancy that specializes in 3D scanning projects. That’s what ShapeShot does: it scans your face and places it into an online repository. They feel it’s… Continue reading Want Your Shapeshot?
Inside the Stratasys Mojo 3D Printer
One of the benefits of attending an event like Rapid 2012 is the ability to see, touch and literally get inside the latest 3D printing equipment. At this year’s show we were able to examine Stratasys’s most recent announcement, the sub-USD$10K Mojo 3D printer, for which we wrote a detailed analysis when it was announced earlier.… Continue reading Inside the Stratasys Mojo 3D Printer
The Mcor Iris Color 3D Printer
Irish-based Mcor announced a new 3D printer: the Mcor Iris. The Iris is a major twist on their unique paper-based 3D printing approach; it provides full color 3D printing. We examined a sample print (video above) at Rapid 2012 and found it to be an amazingly colorful landscape. While some 3D printer manufacturers have… Continue reading The Mcor Iris Color 3D Printer
The Objet Color Mystery: Solved
As we wrote the other week, some startling 3D prints were put on display in Paris’ Pompidou Centre. Startling not only because of their intricate shapes and elegant coloring, but also because they were apparently produce on an Objet 3D printer – but Objet does not sell a color 3D printer. When confronted, Objet declined… Continue reading The Objet Color Mystery: Solved
More 3D Printed Fashion from Rapid 2012
We’ve received additional images and now a video of the 3D printed fashion event held at Rapid 2012 this past week from NYC-based designer Aaron Trocola, who appears here with model Abbey – and wearing one of his works. Aaron’s exceptional video of the 3D printed fashion show runway, intermixed with shots of several… Continue reading More 3D Printed Fashion from Rapid 2012
Sculpteo’s iPhone Case Contest
3D print service Sculpteo has launched an interesting contest for those interested in designing unique cases for iPhone 4’s. They’re seeking “the best iPhone 4 case that you could ever imagine with 3D printing”. Judging will be done by a panel composed of “design and 3D printing professionals and representatives of Sculpteo”. Specifically… Continue reading Sculpteo’s iPhone Case Contest
Objet Announces the Objet 30 Pro
The mystery is no longer: Objet indeed announced a new printer, the Objet 30 Pro. At first glance the Objet Pro 30 is much like the Objet 30, but there’s a major difference. The 30 Pro is capable of printing with two new materials: The Vero Clear and High-Temp materials. This means you can… Continue reading Objet Announces the Objet 30 Pro
Sculpteo OpenSCADs
A very interesting development appeared at the Sculpteo 3D print service: parameterized OpenSCAD. Whoa, you say, what’s that? Let’s start at the beginning: OpenSCAD is a utility that can produce 3D models by using typed commands to create and bend shapes. Gradually a complex model is created by combining and bending enough shapes together.… Continue reading Sculpteo OpenSCADs
3D Systems Picks Up Bespoke
You may recall Bespoke Innovations, a company dedicated to using 3D printing to produce personalized replacement limbs. The method is to use 3D scanning to prepare a digital model of a remaining limb, then 3D print a mirror image of the model, approximating the original missing limb. Panels are prepared in the correct shape and… Continue reading 3D Systems Picks Up Bespoke
Rapid 2012’s Fashion Show: Pics
We weren’t able to attend Rapid 2012’s 3D printed fashion show, but we obtained photos of the event for your perusal today courtesy of designer Aaron Trocola, whose work was one of those featured in the show. Incidentally, you can see more of Aaron’s work at his Shapeways shop. Model at the aftershow reception… Continue reading Rapid 2012’s Fashion Show: Pics
3D Printed Fashion at Rapid 2012
While much of Rapid 2012 centered on manufacturing and part development and analysis, we observed a fair bit of fashion. Here’s what we saw. Among several jewelry items was this amazing bracelet, designed by the Nervous System Design Studio. Speaking of jewelry, we caught a glimpse of this rather elaborate 3D printed ring… Continue reading 3D Printed Fashion at Rapid 2012
Around the Show Floor at Rapid 2012
While we’re intending on writing up several posts on our observations at Rapid 2012, we thought we’d start with a very cool selection of awesome stuff found on the show floor. Literally laying on the floor of the gigantic 3D Systems booth, this 3D printed guitar actually plays. Also in the 3D Systems… Continue reading Around the Show Floor at Rapid 2012
Self Powered 3D Printed Lamp
Designer Margot Krasojevic has developed a very unique piece: a 3D printed light that provides its own power. How does it do that, exactly? The shape of the case is the secret. While it appears to be an attractive lamp, aerodynamically its actually a propeller! It’s mounted on a rotating axis connected to a… Continue reading Self Powered 3D Printed Lamp
Veloso 3D Printer Update
It’s not looking good for Junior Veloso’s 3D printer initiative. Two things have emerged that could well affect the success of Veloso’s high-resolution resin-based 3D printer project: Funding and Competition. First, the funding. Veloso opened a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo with a goal of raising USD$300,000 by May 31st. As of this writing, the… Continue reading Veloso 3D Printer Update
Don’t Bite the 3D Scanner!
We’re always seeking new ways to create or capture 3D models and now we’d like to tell you about an unusual form of 3D scanner: the Intra Oral Scanner. The iOC Scanner, made by Cadent (now part of Align), is a 3D scanner that you place in your mouth to produce highly detailed scans of… Continue reading Don’t Bite the 3D Scanner!
MakerBot Relocates, Expands
MakerBot has evidently outgrown its current BotFarm location on Dean St. in Brooklyn, NY and has acquired new office space to expand its rapidly growing operations. Now with a staff of 125, the company has grown significantly since 2009 when its three founders were the only employees. Originated in the tiny “BotCave”, they expanded… Continue reading MakerBot Relocates, Expands
Vortex Salt and Pepper
There are tons of 3D designs available from a variety of sources these days. Some are very simplistic utility objects, like clamps or basic shapes, while others offer incredibly complexity, perhaps even designed through mathematical algorithms. But every once in a while a truly unique design appears that is not only beautiful, ingenious and functional,… Continue reading Vortex Salt and Pepper
Put A Sweater On Your 3D Model
Many 3D models are produced by combining and contorting basic shapes, such as cubes, spheres and cylinders, or by distorting a mesh by pushing and pulling vertices. Highly complex objects are quite possible, but laborious to produce. In other words, they’re rarely attempted by most 3D printer operators. But now there may be a… Continue reading Put A Sweater On Your 3D Model
Printing Craters
Printing landscapes is something that’s been done before on 3D printers, but how about this? Print a 3D replica of an actual lunar crater. Where does the 3D model come from? It all starts with LROC, the camera on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. This satellite, launched in 2009, orbits our moon pole to pole… Continue reading Printing Craters
The 3D Printing Network
Want to connect with other 3D print folks? One way might be the newly created “3D Printing Network”. The network, which appears to be a mailing list and IRC channel, is sponsored by the Fellowship of Free Software Foundation Europe, or Fellowship of FSFE. According to the network’s description: The 3D Printing Network… Continue reading The 3D Printing Network
The B9Creator 3D Printer
It seems that KickStarter is chock full of 3D printers kits these days and every week there is a new startup company with an improvement to the latest designs. This week we’re looking at the B9Creator 3D Printer. Michael Joyce’s B9Creator is a resin-based 3D printer, unlike most other inexpensive 3D printers that are… Continue reading The B9Creator 3D Printer
A New 3D Printer From Objet?
There’s something brewing at Objet, makers of the Connex line of commercial 3D printers. First we saw a mysterious art exhibition of color objects apparently produced on a color-capable Objet 3D printer – but there are no color-capable Objet 3D printers! Then we hear that Objet issued a press release indicating the art was produced… Continue reading A New 3D Printer From Objet?
Print a Chocolate Brain!
They didn’t actually print a chocolate brain, rather the team from Inition took MRI scan data from their founder Andy Millins and created a 3D model. Once you have a 3D model, as readers know well, you can do some 3D printing. In this case the team created detailed 3D model of the brain… Continue reading Print a Chocolate Brain!
A 3D Printer, Lying Around The Office…
There is an increasing number of 3D printers found across the world today, as they spread from factories to offices and workshops. But that’s the thing – they are found in designer studios, hobbyist labs, architectural offices, etc. But you don’t find them in a typical random office setting. Or do you? … Continue reading A 3D Printer, Lying Around The Office…
A Very Smooth Idea, Indeed
During our visit to Stratasys’ RedEye On Demand facility the other day, we observed a fascinating finishing process that might be applicable to personal 3D prints, given the appropriate equipment. This process solves one of the flaws in objects produced by personal (and some commercial) 3D printers: layer visibility. If you look closely, it’s… Continue reading A Very Smooth Idea, Indeed
Flat-Rate 3D Print Pricing From i.Materialise
3D print service i.Materialise is experimenting with a form of flat-rate pricing. Normally they employ the standard “how much material and what kind of material are you printing” approach, but perhaps this was seen as a barrier to expanding their business. They’ve been testing this approach throughout May, when the program ends. How… Continue reading Flat-Rate 3D Print Pricing From i.Materialise
Finally: 3D Printer Recycling
We missed this one earlier this year, but it’s still a terrific idea: The Filabot is a “plastic filament maker”. The idea is straightforward, obvious when you think about it – and necessary. Any home 3D printer will tell you they end up with many unusable prints, perhaps due to printer failure of some… Continue reading Finally: 3D Printer Recycling