Smart International announced a high-temperature 3D printing option: the Macro HT.
Kerry Stevenson
Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!
Design of the Week: Loom Light
This week’s selection is the gigantic Loom Light by Titia Ex.
Essentium’s Unique Approach To Aerospace 3D Printing
Many 3D print companies service the aerospace industry, but it appears that Essentium is doing things in quite a different way.
Glimpsing The Future Of Mass Customization
In an interesting short video, 3D print service Qualified3D demonstrates a method for producing mass customized objects.
Autodrop3d Offers Automated 3D Printing Solutions
I’m looking at Autodrop3d, a company that seems to offer automation solutions for 3D printing.
The Not-Round 3D Printer Filament Spool
Slant3D has re-invented the ubiquitous 3D printer filament spool, but for some reason it’s not round.
Are 3D Printers Too Dark?
Lighting has always been a consistent issue with 3D printers, and it doesn’t seem to be improving.
Balancing Cost vs Features in 3D Printer Design
When you see the final design of a 3D printer, there have been many decisions made to get it to that state.
SimplyColor3D Goes 2.0
SimplyColor3D has now now moved to version 2.0, and it includes a lot more features.
PCL Construction Discovers New 3D Printing Use Case
I’ve learned of an amazing form of 3D printing usage that I suspect many construction companies don’t yet know.
The Cutting Begins At 3D Systems
3D Systems abruptly sliced off some of its parts this week, selling Cimatron and GibbsCAM.
Really Cheap Filament, With a Big Catch
The message said PLA filament for only US$8.50 / kg — could this be true?
The Quagmire That Is 3D Printer Filament Eco Terminology
Another eco-friendly 3D printer filament? Hold on, there is a lot more to the story.
Time To Empty The Fabbaloo Mailbag
Hello Fabbaloo Readers! Today we once again review the most interesting messages from our mailbag.
3D Printed Fashions Becoming More Sophisticated
Ganit Goldstein is an Israel designer developing techniques for producing fantastic 3D printed fashions.
Book of the Week: 3D Printers For Woodworkers
This week’s selection is “3D Printers For Woodworkers” by Henry Doolittle.
Create it REAL Receives Significant Investment
Create it REAL has received an investment of €3.1M (US$3.6M).
Implications of The Dyndrite – HP Partnership
There could be some profound implications coming for additive manufacturing, after a review of the newly announced HP Universal Build Manager, which is powered by Dyndrite.
Design of the Week: Skafaldo Bowl & Side Table
This week’s selection is the Skafaldo Bowl & Side Table by Unfold.
It Is Definitely Time for #ResponsibleManufacturing
Responsible Manufacturing is a term you may not have heard before, but you should be hearing a lot more about it in the future.
Coming Soon: Scalable Garage 3D Printing
I had a thought about how belt 3D printing might play out in the future.
The Unusual Rotary Piston Extruder Needs To Be Used
It’s been brought to our attention there is a patent on a very unusual 3D printer extruder design.
GoProto’s New Elastomer 3D Print Service
GoProto announced a new service dedicated to flexible 3D prints, which they call “3DElastoPrint”.
Longer Launches The High-Resolution Orange 4K SLA 3D Printer
This week Longer launched its latest 3D printer, the Orange 4K, on Kickstarter.
Fusion3 Introduces REACTOR
Fusion3 has introduced a new and powerful slicing system for their 3D printers, REACTOR.
Adaptive3D Secures Series B Investment
Adaptive3D has secured a major investment.
3D Printed IoT Products Are Coming
A quirky 3D print experiment from a few years ago seems to be leading towards an amazing plastic IoT future.
Fabrisonic Experimenting With Hybrid 3D Printing Approaches
Fabrisonic described a very unusual project in which they employed two different 3D printing processes.
Formlabs Tweaks Their Resins
Formlabs announced some new resins for their dental and other users.
Book of the Week: Essential Skills for Scale Modelers
This week’s selection is “Essential Skills for Scale Modelers” by Aaron Skinner.
Nano Dimension Raises US$50M
Nano Dimension seems to have raised a massive US$50M.
The Economics Of Low-Volume Manufacturing With Belt 3D Printers
The world is about to see a deluge of belt 3D printers but can they be economically used for low-volume manufacturing?
Design of the Week: Roomba Risers
This week’s selection is the Roomba Riser by Steve Harvey.
Looking At Hurdles To Serial Additive Manufacturing Production
I’m reading a post by Markus Seibold about serial production using additive manufacturing and there is a great deal of wisdom in his thoughts.
A Microswimmer Experiment Leads To A Tiny #3DBenchy
Researchers at the University of Leiden have been 3D printing microswimmers and are testing all options.
3D Systems’ Stock Price Rocks And Rolls
Holders of 3D Systems stock (NYSE:DDD) have been having a bit of fun in the past months, as the stock price has jumped and fallen.
The Importance Of Understanding 3D Printing Clients
In a today’s 3D printing world it is all too easy to focus too hard on the technical and forget other factors.
Adobe Capture Going 3D With New Scantastic Feature
Adobe announced the coming availability of a new feature in their Capture app: Scantastic.
EOS Partners With TEES To Develop New AM Skills
EOS announced a new partnership with the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) to increase AM skills.
Relativity Space Bags Major 3D Printed Rocket Client
Relativity Space has landed a major client, Lockheed.
Eleven 3D Printed Parts On NASA’s Perseverance Rover
NASA has revealed their use of 3D printed parts on the Perseverance rover, currently en route to the planet Mars.
Return Of The Pico Hybrid, Part II
Well, it seems the Pico Hybrid has finally made it!
Satori 3D Printer Launches With A Powerful Strategy
I spoke with Chengxi Wang of Satori to find out more about their newly launched resin 3D printer.
VELO3D Announces The Extra Capacity Sapphire XC Metal 3D Printer
VELO3D suddenly announced a brand new 3D printer, the Sapphire XC, which is far larger and much faster than their previous 3D printers.
Book of the Week: 3D Printing and Maker Lab for Kids
This week’s selection is “3D Printing and Maker Lab for Kids” by Eldrid Sequeira.
3DQue’s Looping Kit For Continuous 3D Printing On Desktop Devices
3D print startup company 3DQue is offering a “looping kit” to allow for continuous 3D printing on common desktop 3D printers.
A Look At MakerOS V2
I had a chat with the friendly folks at MakerOS to learn about their new “V2” software.
Design of the Week: Winking Owl Key Holder
This week’s selection is the Winking Owl Key Holder by Martin Vojak.
Zortrax Completes Conductive PEEK 3D Print
Zortrax worked with the European Space Agency to successfully 3D print and test a conductive high-temperature material.
Free Online Sculpting Tool: SculptGL
I’m trying out something called “SculptGL”, an online 3D sculpting tool.
It May Be Time To Abandon PLA For 3D Printing
I’m now considering whether PLA should be the default 3D printing material for desktop equipment.
Generating Gradient Material 3D Prints With GraMMaCAD
Fraunhofer IGD has developed a new type of software for 3D printing that enables use of gradient-style materials.
Does 3D Print Build Volume Really Matter?
One of the first question I always hear from 3D printing newbies is “How Big Can I Print?” But that isn’t really a good question.
A 6m Proof Of Belt 3D Printing Capability
An incredible demonstration of the capabilities of belt 3D printers has been completed: a 6-meter-long part part has been produced.
Artec 3D Studio 15 Includes A Massive Surprise
Artec 3D announced a new version of Artec Studio 15, the software that drives their popular handheld 3D scanners, and there’s a big surprise in this release.
Farsoon Reports Doubled Growth In 2020
Farsoon said the company has doubled its revenue so far in 2020, defying the overall economic downturn caused by the pandemic.
Book of the Week: Feck Perfuction
This week’s selection is “Feck Perfuction: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life” by James Victore.
A Reader Checks Out The Powerbelt3D Zero 3D Printer Kit
One of our technical readers took a deep dive into the new Powerbelt3D Zero 3D printer kit.
Design of the Week: Ultimate Self-Adjusting Door Opener 9000
This week’s selection is the “Ultimate Self-adjusting Door Opener 9000” by student Xieshi Zhang, a.k.a. CrazyBlackStone.
Is Subscription-Based 3D Printing For You?
There are several ways to obtain 3D printing technology, and one of them is by subscription. But is it for you?
Sinterit Introduces Comprehensive SLS Toolkit
Sinterit announced the availability of a new “comprehensive set of powder tools”, which aims to change the game when acquiring an SLS 3D printer.
Generational Shift Could Increase Use Of 3D Printing
I’m reading a newsletter from Diabase Engineering and had a thought about how 3D printing will play out over the long term.
Boom Supersonic Unveils The XB-1, And It’s Full Of 3D Printed Parts
Boom Supersonic’s new XB-1 prototype aircraft turns out to be using plenty of 3D printed parts.
Tesla Job Post Juices 3D Printer Stocks
A stray career posting at Tesla has ignited the stocks of certain 3D printer manufacturers.
Alloyed Tests Functional Nickel Superalloy For High-Temperature AM
Alloyed announced the results of a project they’ve undertaken with Honeywell Aviation to assess a new high-temperature metal powder for aerospace applications.
MakerBot Adds Another Carbon Fiber Material
MakerBot announced the availability of a new nylon carbon fiber material for their METHOD series of 3D printers.
Behind The Scenes Of 3D Printer Reviews
I’ve been watching Fabbaloo friend Joel Telling’s series of videos on his testing of the Craftbot FLOW IDEX XL, and the process seems quite familiar to me.
GE Aviation Receives Certification For Partly 3D Printed Jet Engine
GE Aviation has received official certification from the US FAA for its massive GE9X jet engine.
Two Companies Offer New 3D Printer Acquisition Programs
News this week sees two companies offering different ways to acquire their 3D printer products.
Book of the Week: Mechanical Behavior of Materials
This week’s selection is “Mechanical Behavior of Materials” by Norman Dowling, Stephen Kampe, and Milo Kral.
What I Learned From The Final Words Of Scott Crump
I just finished reading a fascinating interview with Scott Crump, one of the earliest pioneers of 3D printing, and the inventor of the extrusion process.
Fabbaloo Has A New Writer!
I’m proud to announce we have a new regular contributor, Madhumita Chandrasekaran, also known as Madhu.
Design of the Week: The VOCAL Mask
This week’s selection is the The VOCAL Mask by David Angerman.
X-Ray 3D Printing!
Researchers have developed a method for 3D printing microstructures using X-rays.
How To 3D Print Tensegrity Structures
Researchers have found a way to use 3D printers to produce tensegrity structures.
RPS Announces New Neo 450 Industrial 3D Printer Line
UK-based RPS announced a new series of industrial 3D printers, the Neo 450 line.
Fusion 360 Licensing Change: Reactions And Autodesk Retreat
It’s been several days since Autodesk announced big changes to their Fusion 360 Personal licensing program. What reactions have occurred?
Another High-Temperature DIY 3D Printer Design
It’s been brought to our attention that there is another freely downloadable design for a high-temperature 3D printer.
PodoPrinter Announces Revolutionary SOLE 3D Printer
At long last, PodoPrinter has released full details on their now-named device, the SOLE 3D production printer.
Covestro To Acquire DSM’s Additive Manufacturing Materials Business
In a blockbuster deal, DSM has agreed to sell their DSM Resins & Functional Materials line of business to Covestro.
Single-Site Motorsport 3D Printing: Workshop of the Future?
I’m reading a fascinating story about how a small motorsport company is using 3D printing in a very different way.
Essentium’s New DryBox Filament Storage Solution
Essentium announced a new solution for filament storage, the Essentium DryBox.
MakerBot Releases 2020 3D Printing Trends Report
MakerBot has released its 2020 3D Printing Trends Report, and there are some very interesting findings within it.
Migrating To MyMiniFactory: What Is Thingiverse’s Focus?
I’m watching a video of a designer explaining why he’s “quitting Thingiverse”, and this poses questions about MakerBot’s Thingiverse strategy.
Book of the Week: Made in the USA
This week’s selection is “Made in the USA: The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing ” by Vaclav Smil.
3D Hubs Announces Logistics Centers
3D Hubs announced the creation of not one, but two new logistics centers located in the USA and Europe.
The Future of Additive Manufacturing
An interesting talk at the third episode of the ongoing 3DEXPERIENCE: A Virtual Journey revealed some hints about what may happen in additive manufacturing’s future.
Open Source High-Temperature RepRap 3D Printer Announced
Michigan Tech’s Open Sustainability Technology Lab, or “MOST”, announced an open source, high-temperature 3D printer.
Design of the Week: Rzhev Memorial
This week’s selection is the Rzhev Memorial 3D scan by Thor3D.
La Poste Discountinues 3D Model Repository Service
France’s postal service, La Poste, is shutting down their 3D model repository service on October 1st.
Another Multi-Color 3D Printing Accessory: Co Print
There’s another multi-color 3D printer accessory launching: the Co Print.
Chasing The Elusive Safe 3D Printer Resin
I’ve been on a bit of a quest to find some truly safe 3D printer resin, and I’m not sure there’s actually such a product.
Question of the Week: Footwear 3D Printing
This week’s question relates to how best to perform 3D printing of footwear, specifically, flip flops.
A Deeper Look Into Smart3D’s Macro 3D Printing Software
This week Smart3D International announced an interesting new industrial 3D printer, the Macro. But it turns out the software for this system is even more interesting.
SOLIDWORKS 2021 Now Available
Dassault Systèmes has released SOLIDWORKS 2021, the latest version of the powerful 3D CAD tool.