We spoke with Cesar Rodriguez who told us the tale of how he started up a 3D printing operation, Ideaz 3D in Hermosillo, Sonora.
Corporate
Le FabShop Transitions
Le Fab Shop is a France-based 3D print operation you may have heard of, but now they’re beginning a transition.
The Logic Behind The botObjects Acquisition
Last week 3D Systems announced they’d acquired botObjects, but many could not understand why 3D Systems would do so. We found out why.
3DSystems, CIA Partnership Expands AM’s Reach to Food
3D Systems has announced a partnership with The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to provide faculty and students the opportunity to explore the intersection of 3D printed food and artisan culinary methods.
3D Systems Acquires botObjects
One of the 3D printing giants swallowed up a small startup making a multicolor personal 3D printer: 3D Systems owns botObjects.
An Update on Arcam’s 3D Metal Printing Progress
One of the key metal 3D printing vendors is Arcam. How have they been doing lately?
Fuel3D Fueled by Much More Cash
Fuel3D, the 3D scanning startup we first encountered in 2013 at the 3D Printshow in London, has got additional funding.
Solidoodle’s Shipping Challenges
Solidoodle announced some terrific new machines earlier this year, but shipping them has proven difficult.
Amsterdam Gets a 3D Print Retail Store
Like many other leading cities around the world, Amsterdam now has a dedicated 3D print retail operation: Print3DMatter.
Alas, No New MakerBot Machine To Be Announced
In a departure from their corporate pattern of the past few years, MakerBot is not announcing a new personal 3D printer in January.
Impossible Objects Receives Funding
The scientists at Impossible Objects have developed a unique 3D printing process, and it appears the market like it: they were just awarded USD$2.8M.
Big Money Flowing Toward Resin-Based 3D Printers
While multiple plastic extrusion 3D printer manufacturers have received significant investment, we now see more money flowing toward resin-based 3D printer ventures.
Formlabs is in The Clear
Remember the lawsuit against Formlabs launched by industry giant 3D Systems? It’s been dismissed.
Stratasys’ Strategic Reaction to HP’s 3D Printing Technology?
We were initially puzzled by Stratasys’ peculiar lack of equipment announcements at this year’s EuroMold, but then it suddenly made a lot of sense.
Robox Enters US Market
Personal 3D printer manufacturer CEL Technology has begun selling the Robox 3D printer directly in the United States.
Fabbaloo Visits iGo3D
iGo3D is a German-based retail chain specializing in 3D printing gear. We took a close look at their operations.
Stratasys’ New Strategy
We listened to CEO David Reis at Stratasys’ press conference this week as he outlined a new corporate strategy. One that’s quite different from their previous approaches.
3D Printing Press Release Roundup
This week’s 3D printing press releases from the majors included a number of new products from 3D Systems. 3D Systems announced new flexible materials for their ProJet 5500X, including black and translucent. 3D Systems announced five new materials for their ProJet 1200 3D printer, targeted at Jewelry, Dental, Engineering and Artistic applications 3D Systems announced… Continue reading 3D Printing Press Release Roundup
Stratasys Nabs Former HP Exec
This is interesting: An executive from HP has joined Stratasys.
Medical 3D Printing Set to Explode
We’re reading two different reports on use of 3D printing for medical uses.
A Peek Inside Shapeways
Shapeways just opened a new 3D print factory. Want to see inside?
MakiBOX is Done
Once promising, the inexpensive MaxiBOX personal 3D printer seems to be no more.
Zortrax Goes Retail
Poland-based 3D printer manufacturer Zortrax has opened a retail store.
MakerBot Expands to South Africa
MakerBot continues to spread its marketing umbrella across the globe, now entering Africa.
HP Sets Announcement Date
Well! HP has issued invitations to media for a special event on October 29th. What could it be about?
Demand High for New Solidoodle 3D Printer
We wrote on Solidoodle’s new “Press” personal 3D printer a few months ago and now it’s getting close to shipment.
3D Printing Press Release Roundup
This week’s announcements from the industrial 3D printing vendors.
Bhold Labs Partners with Ultimaker
Bhold has partnered with Ultimaker to enable everyone to easily participate in their 3D printed product development program.
3D Printing Stocks Punished in September
It’s been a bad month for most 3D printing stocks, in spite of the recent hype.
Stratasys Opens New Factory
Sales of Stratasys’ Connex equipment must be going well. So well they had to open a brand new factory to build them.
3D Hubs and ColorFabb Team Up for Discounts
They come from the same country, but that’s not the only thing going on between 3D Hubs and ColorFabb.
Stratasys Expands UPS Store 3D Print Service
3D printing giant Stratasys announced plans to dramatically expand their presence in UPS Stores across the United States.
3D Printing Jobs Explode
A report on Forbes analyzes the state of job openings related to 3D printing and finds there’s been a massive increase.
Stratasys Grabs GrabCAD
In an unexpected corporate move, 3D printing industry giant announced its acquisition of GrabCAD.
iMakr’s Unique Retail Concept
While in London recently we were able to visit the iMakr store, one of the few dedicated resellers of personal 3D printer gear.
Investing in Tinkerine?
Canada-based Tinkerine makes the Ditto line of personal 3D printers, but did you know they are also a public company?
An Update From PrintrBot
At the recent 3D Printshow in London we ran into Brook Drumm, CEO of PrintrBot and got an update on their developments.
3D Hubs Rakes in Major Cash
Burgeoning 3D printing network 3D Hubs made a rather spectacular announcement: they’re raised a significant investment.
Verbatim Makes 3D Printer Filament?
Who knew? The venerable analog media giant now markets their own 3D printer filament.
Canada’s Burloak Tech Goes Long on Metal AM Investment
Burloak Engineered Solutions Inc. has announced that it is embarking upon a new 5 year strategic plan which will see the company invest $11.5 million into establishing Canada’s first full production additive manufacturing and advanced manufacturing center.
Stratasys Patent Claims Against Afinia Dropped, Partially
The outcome is beginning to appear in the patent infringement case Stratasys brought against personal 3D printer marketer Afinia.
MakerBot Shuts Down Its Google Group
MakerBot is converting its Google Group into an archive and focusing support efforts on their in-house programs instead.
3D Systems’ 1H14 Financial Results
3D printing titan 3D Systems announced their first half of 2014 financial results. Let’s dissect the numbers and see what we can find.
MakerBot’s European Wing
MakerBot announced they’ve created “MakerBot Europe”, which they say is a “major expansion”.
The First Graphene 3D Printer?
A startup hopes to develop not only graphene materials for 3D printers, but a 3D printer designed for graphene printing. But we’re not so sure.
Amazon’s 3D Nuclear Option Launches
Things just got mainstream: Amazon announced a dedicated 3D print service.
Hurco to Transform CNC Machines into 3D Printers?
Industrial CNC machine maker Hurco says they’ve filed a patent to enable CNC machines to become 3D printers.
Shapeways Partners with Hasbro?
Toy giant Hasbro has struck a deal with Shapeways to provide access to some of their copyrighted characters.
MakerBot’s New Reseller: Home Depot
MakerBot has agreed with Home Depot to have specially designed “MakerBot kiosks” in a dozen Home Depot outlets in the US.
The Two Business Models of 3D Printing
We’re reading a post on The Motley Fool focusing on MCOR’s paper-powered 3D printer. It got us thinking about how 3D printing companies make their money.
MOTA Bails Out
A 3D printer launch campaign has fizzled. MOTA has suspended their Kickstarter.
3D Hubs Begins a Content Ecosystem
While 3D Hubs may be one of the largest networks of independently operated 3D printers, it really just provides access to printing. Until today, that is, with the addition of a new content service.
Materialise Goes Public
There are few publicly traded 3D printing companies, but now there’s another: Materialise.
be3D Expands into the USA
Czech-based be3Dprinters has established a US office for major push into the American market.
3DiTALY Becomes the Largest 3D Printer Store Network?
We’ve learned of a new chain of consumer-focused 3D printer stores: 3DiTaly.
3D Systems Releases Details About Its High Speed 3DP Production Line
Sometimes technological developments are born out of necessity—you have a need, you fill it. But other times technological developments trigger new needs and ideas altogether.
The Dirty Details on a 3D Model Theft
We’re reading a very detailed account of the theft and exploitation of a 3D model theft that recently took place – and was successfully resolved.
Walmart CEO Says Retail Giant May Buy 3D Printer Company
At an event during the re/Code Conference Walmart’s CEO Doug McMillon hinted that his company might be in the market to acquire a 3D printing company.
iMakr to Open Manhattan 3D Printer Store
iMakr, perhaps the first independent 3D printer retail store, announced expansion to New York City.
Backlash to MakerBot’s Patents Grows
The knowledge that MakerBot has apparently patented designs given to them by their community is spreading and some folks are upset.
Has MakerBot Crossed The Line? For Some, Yes
Controversy this week regarding MakerBot’s aggressive patent filings. Why the controversy? Because the concepts were originally donated by supporters in good faith to further the cause of 3D printing. And now MakerBot has patented them.
Is Google or Apple Developing a 3D Printer?
Rumors echo through the interwebs suggesting that Google AND Apple are developing 3D printers. But are they really?
Autodesk’s Spark Initiative
Autodesk announced a new initiative they call “Spark”. It’s an “open 3D printing platform” that could change many things in 3D printing.
Oxfam Partners with MyMiniFactory
3D printing is powerful and can, like atomic power, be used for good and evil. Today we’re learning about one of the good uses.
Are 3D Printing Stocks Recovering?
After a precipitous fall, 3D printing stocks seem to have rebounded slightly this week. What’s up with that?
Whoopass Drops 3D Printing
Whoopass is a bobble head manufacturer. You’d think they could make great use of 3D printing technology, but it didn’t work out for them.
Leapfrog Gets a New HQ
Netherlands-based 3D printer manufacturer Leapfrog has made the jump into a new headquarters.
The Defensive Patent License
A large portion of the 3D printing community is within the open source world, while the rest is commercially oriented. Conflicts have occurred, but now there could be a way to reduce them.
3D Systems Acquires Medical Modeling
3D printing giant 3D Systems announced it’s acquired Medical Modeling, Inc., a provider of custom medical products.
3D Printing Stocks Continue to Languish
After a massive run up in the past few years, major 3D printing stocks have been struggling of late.
The Inconsistent 3D Printers of Staples
Staples is a pretty big chain, supplying office equipment and supplies to a large portion of the planet. They sell 3D printers, too. But not everywhere.
Epson Acquires RepRap
It’s a blockbuster move and one printer manufacturer Epson hopes will enable them to catch up to competitor Hewlett Packard in the 3D printing space: Epson has fully acquired the RepRap open source project.
Build Your Own Ultimaker?
Looking for plans to build your own 3D printer? Now you can consider building an Ultimaker 2. While it’s for sale in assembled form, you can now inspect the plans for it.
Ultimaker Changes It Up – Again!
3D printer manufacturer Ultimaker has made a big change at the top, not too long after doing so once before. They’ve got a new CEO, but he’s not exactly new.
The Stoxx Global 3D Printing Pure Play Index
Increased interest in 3D printing has resulted in several stock index products, but this one is a little different.
What HP’s 3D Printing Venture Might Be: Some Speculation
Last week Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman was asked pointed questions about her company’s work in 3D printing. Her answers revealed an upcoming June announcement.
SLM Solutions Set for an IPO?
Germany’s SLM Solutions has hired Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse to prepare a potential initial public stock offering.
How Does XYZ Printing Do It?
New entrant XYZ Printing offers personal 3D printers at incredibly low cost, as low as USD$499 per unit. How do they do it?
New 3D Printer From LulzBot?
No, nothing’s been specifically announced, but we think LulzBot may be sending a signal they’re developing a new machine.
The End of MakerBot’s First
This week MakerBot announced the ending of support for their very first personal 3D printers.
A 3D Printing Mutual Fund?
Don’t want to miss out on the massive growth of 3D printing companies? Not sure where to invest your cash? There could be an answer for you.
MakeXYZ and CGTrader Receive Big Cash
The public perception of 3D printing has changed. How do we know this? Just take at look at the cash invested in two growing 3D print companies.
3D Printing Ad During The Super Bowl?
Everyone knows that purchasing ad space during the Super Bowl is prohibitively expensive. It’s so expensive that no 3D printing company could afford an ad. Or could they?
MakerBot’s Hiring: What Does This Mean?
From time to time we see MakerBot advertising for new hires, and today there’s another such call. What’s going on behind the scenes?
Another 3D Printing Patent Set to Expire: What Does This Mean?
US Patent number 5,597,589, “Apparatus for producing parts by selective sintering”, is to expire this May. Originally filed on May 31, 1994, the patent expires exactly 20 years hence, on May 31, 2014. But what will this mean?
Stratasys to be Acquired?
Bloomberg speculates on the future of 3D printing giant Stratasys. They believe the company could be acquired by one of two existing 2D printing companies.
Bow & Drape’s 3D Printing Venture
According to a report in the Wall St. Journal, New York startup Bow & Drape has raised USD$1.2M in new investment, specifically for developing new lines of customized fashion accessories using 3D printing.
DELL Offers Multiple 3D Printers?
The venerable PC maker DELL has signed a deal to resell 3D printers from not one, but two 3D printer manufacturers.
Credit Suisse Revises Their 3D Printing Projections
In light of new analysis, banking giant Credit Suisse has recalculated its 3D printing projection, stating that the manufacturing tech’s market will increase to $800M by 2016. Led by market researcher Jonathan Shaffer, the revised projection is a startling 357% increase from Credit Suisse’s $175M market estimate late last year. Driving that claim is… Continue reading Credit Suisse Revises Their 3D Printing Projections
3D Systems is Cooking Up a Chocolate 3D Printer with Hershey’s
3D Systems has fully committed to a food 3D printing strategy. After the surprise announcements of the ChefJet 3D printers, which can print sugar structures in full color (and flavor, too), they’ve announced a joint deal with chocolate conglomerate Hershey’s to develop “innovative opportunities for using 3D printing technology in creating edible foods, including confectionery… Continue reading 3D Systems is Cooking Up a Chocolate 3D Printer with Hershey’s
How’s Afinia Doing After that Stratasys Patent Claim?
3D printing giant Stratasys made a claim against Afinia, saying the latter has violated not one, but four of their patents related to plastic extrusion-based 3D printing. Now, you’d think having the weight of a major patent suit against you would have an effect on sales. Would prospective customer be scared off by the legal… Continue reading How’s Afinia Doing After that Stratasys Patent Claim?
Kodak Alaris Partnering with MCOR?
We observed something rather strange at CES last week. MCOR showed their amazing paper-based color 3D printer, the Iris, as you might expect, but we noticed ANOTHER MCOR Iris hiding on the show floor. It was secretly hidden behind the door to this private meeting room, owned by Kodak Alaris. If you’re not… Continue reading Kodak Alaris Partnering with MCOR?
One of These 3D Metal Printers Will Be Acquired?
We speculated the other day regarding Stratasys’ lack of metal 3D printing capability and suggested that they have been raising money to execute a major corporate acquisition to put that missing tech in their portfolio. Several spy reports seem to confirm this type of acquisition is in the works. But who will they acquire? … Continue reading One of These 3D Metal Printers Will Be Acquired?
3D Systems Names Will.I.Am as Chief Creative Officer
We were assembled in sardine-quality packed formation in 3D Systems’ massive booth at CES2014, awaiting some kind of event involving mega-recording star Will.I.Am. Some suspected the artist would play us some tunes, although it seemed quite unlikely as the only musical equipment in the vicinity was 3D Systems’ usual 3D printed band instruments, which are… Continue reading 3D Systems Names Will.I.Am as Chief Creative Officer
3D Systems Announces… Everything!
Yesterday as CES 2014 opened we had to drop by the 3D Systems booth as they had just that morning released information on multiple new products and services. It’s not the old days when one or perhaps two products appear; today they arrive in batches. We were toured through the new products by a very… Continue reading 3D Systems Announces… Everything!