For those of you scrambling to find a source for inexpensive filament, we found one: Seacans. They have a reasonable selection of colors that should satisfy most buyers, but the important thing is price. You can buy a 1kg spool of 1.75mm filament in either PLA or ABS plastic for only CA$19.99. That’s USD$8.08 per… Continue reading Found: Inexpensive 3D Printer Filament
Hardware
Recycle Your 3D Prints With Filamaker
Fabbaloo friend Joris Peels has written an extensive interview with Marek Senický, whose new venture, Filamaker, promises to shake up the filament industry. The Filamaker is a device that can recycle unwanted ABS 3D prints. It’s not a complex device; it simply grinds up chunks of ABS, heats and extrudes it into precision… Continue reading Recycle Your 3D Prints With Filamaker
3D Printer Filament Available at Monoprice
We hadn’t noticed it before, but evidently Monoprice has been selling plastic filament suitable for 3D printers for months now. If you’re not familiar with Monoprice, they are a large online retailer of electronic goods, specializing in ultra-inexpensive cables. For example, you can get yourself an HDMI cable as little as USD$4, while you’d… Continue reading 3D Printer Filament Available at Monoprice
The Makeraser Smooths 3D Prints
A new startup offers something called “The Makeraser”. It’s a handheld tool that can smooth your unattractive visibly-layered 3D prints into beautiful smooth objects. Current technology for smoothing ABS 3D prints involves suspiciously dangerous acetone vapor chambers or massively expensive commercial smoothing devices. That, or you spend many hours with sandpaper. The Makeraser hopes… Continue reading The Makeraser Smooths 3D Prints
MakerBot Releases Three Things
All the recent hires at MakerBot have obviously been put to good use: this week MakerBot released not one, not two, but three important new products. The first is the MakerBot digitizer, their first non-3D printing device. We’ve covered this item previously, and this release was expected. But now you can actually order one… Continue reading MakerBot Releases Three Things
Matterform Sales Open
Matterform’s fundraising campaign closed this spring achieving a total of “only” six times their target, but until now that was the only way to order one of their attractive tabletop 3D scanners. We received word from Co-Founder Adam Brandejs that their website now accepts pre-orders. We were also informed that the latest version of… Continue reading Matterform Sales Open
The Structure Sensor
The folks who developed Skanect, one of the best software solutions for 3D scanning with your Microsoft Kinect, have launched a new scanning venture: the Structure Sensor. Occipital, the company behind the sensor, bills it as “the world’s first 3D sensor for mobile devices.” The device attaches to iOS devices via the Lightning connector,… Continue reading The Structure Sensor
Expect Superior 3D Depth Cameras in 2014
NetworkWorld reports that Intel is actively developing a “depth sensing camera”, which will be capable of detecting “movement, track emotion, and even monitor reading habits of children.” We already have inexpensive depth cameras available such as the common living room Microsoft Kinects found everywhere. But while the Kinect was revolutionary in its time, its… Continue reading Expect Superior 3D Depth Cameras in 2014
TTP’s Multimaterial 3D Print Head
Perhaps the most significant technology barrier in 3D printing today is the limitation of materials. Most 3D printers can produce only a single material at a time. Some manufacturers have short-circuited this problem slightly by adding additional print heads to enable more than one material, and only one (Stratasys) has the technology to mix… Continue reading TTP’s Multimaterial 3D Print Head
Inexpensive, High Quality 3D Printer Resin?
Most personal 3D printers are filament-fueled extrusion machines, but there are a number of resin-based machines, such as the Form 1, the Nautilus, the mUVe 1, the B9 Creator and others. There’s also several open source plans for resin-based machines. But there could be a problem. Resins used by some of these machines can… Continue reading Inexpensive, High Quality 3D Printer Resin?
It’s a Grey Day at Formlabs
But really, it’s ok! Formlabs has finally announced the availability of grey resin. This means your Form 1 3D printer can now punch out grey objects. Previously they had only offered “clear” resin. Now you have a choice of two colors. They say: Similar to Clear, our newest material has properties engineered for fine… Continue reading It’s a Grey Day at Formlabs
The Mebotics Microfactory
It’s billed as “the world’s first machine shop in a box”, and it very well might be. The Mebotics Microfactory is an enclosed unit that holds not only a CNC cutter but also four (yes, FOUR) extruders on its 3D printing head. The idea is to produce a portable, safe-for-the-office small manufacturing facility.… Continue reading The Mebotics Microfactory
Four MakerBot Digitizer Implications
We’re certain most of you have heard of MakerBot’s latest device: The Digitizer. It’s a relatively inexpensive 3D scanner designed for prosumer use. As the first 3D scanner that could hit a mass audience, we pondered what it might mean. What happens when large numbers of people own a 3D scanner. Here’s our predictions: … Continue reading Four MakerBot Digitizer Implications
Yet Another 3D Printing Pen: swissPen
After the monstrous success of 3Doodler, others hope to duplicate their success, including the 3D Printed Pen that replicated much of 3Doodler’s design. Now we see another: swissPen, made by Groupe JL Monnin, based in, of course, Switzerland. The swissPen, which sells for CHF 95.00 (USD$103), is a handheld extruder that accepts PLA and… Continue reading Yet Another 3D Printing Pen: swissPen
Apple’s Tiny Step into 3D
Shortly after we suggested Apple won’t be 3D printing anytime soon, they took a teeny tiny step in that direction. According to a report on AppleInsider, Apple has patented a system for accepting 3D input. As you can see in the diagram (and much more available at AppleInsider), hand gestures would capture 3D movements… Continue reading Apple’s Tiny Step into 3D
The MakerBot Digitizer: Now Available
As expected, MakerBot released their newest product today: the MakerBot Digitizer. It’s an inexpensive turntable-based 3D scanner directed at consumers and professionals. MakerBot has taken steps to simplify the process of using the scanner itself. You simply drop an object on the turntable and start the process. The turntable rotates slowly, exposing the object… Continue reading The MakerBot Digitizer: Now Available
Fuel3D’s Harker Offering
We wrote recently on Fuel3D’s new 3D scanner, just launched on Kickstarter. While the project has been quite successful, gaining more than three times their goal of USD$75,000, they’ve created even more reason to buy one of their devices: Fuel3D has teamed with noted 3D print artist Joshua Harker, who has produced a unique design… Continue reading Fuel3D’s Harker Offering
MakerBot’s Digitizer Nearing Release
Evidently MakerBot blasted out emails to their mailing list indicating that their new Digitizer personal 3D scanner will be on sale next week. This is a bit of a milestone for MakerBot, who now will branch out into a second type of complex product, beyond their 3D printers. Yes, they’ve sold parts, filament and… Continue reading MakerBot’s Digitizer Nearing Release
D3D’s Unusual Extruder
While some develop 3D printers, others work diligently developing subcomponents. The extruder is particularly devilish, as it must withstand the most force and temperature of any part of a filament-based 3D printer. Wait, why re-invent the venerable extruder? The answer lies in the challenges with multi-color 3D printing. Current 3D printer manufacturers simply “add… Continue reading D3D’s Unusual Extruder
Fuel3D: An Inexpensive 3D Scanner
There seems to be many developments in 3D scanning recently, including the unexpected announcement of a new, very inexpensive handheld 3D scanner from Fuel3D. The new scanner uses a combination of geometric and photometric sensing to produce a highly accurate (up to 0.25mm resolution) 3D model in either STL or (color textured) PLY formats. … Continue reading Fuel3D: An Inexpensive 3D Scanner
Freeform 3D Printing with an Undo Ability
The Suspended Deposition Project, Brian Harm’s new 3D printing concept, is built to change the way architects create and design structures. According to Harms, “This project aims to blur the line between processes of design and fabrication in the context of rapid prototyping by increasing the fluidity of the fabrication process through coordinated material and… Continue reading Freeform 3D Printing with an Undo Ability
Inexpensive 3D Print Smoothing with the Touch Up
A new product from startup 3D Customization hopes to simplify the difficult process of smoothing ABS 3D prints with a new smoothing device: The Touch Up. The Touch Up uses the acetone process, which we feel can be dangerous if not done properly. Acetone is a colorless, highly flammable substance. The acetone smoothing process… Continue reading Inexpensive 3D Print Smoothing with the Touch Up
BendLay Filament Bends!
The same folks who brought you the hard-to-believe-but-actually-real Wood filament now market a new bendable filament: BendLay, produced by Orbi-Tech and developed by Kai Parthy. BendLay filament, available in spools of either 3mm or 1.75mm, has the unique property of being able to bend without creating stress marks that you’d quickly see if you… Continue reading BendLay Filament Bends!
HYREL Achieves Multi-Part 3D Printing
In almost every 3D printer we’ve seen, even those with multiple heads, only one print head is actually used at a time. First you print the model material, then you print support material, layer by layer, one extruder at a time. But now that’s changed. HYREL, notable for 3D printing clay, Sugru and other… Continue reading HYREL Achieves Multi-Part 3D Printing
Are You Ready To Mold 3D Prints?
Most 3D printers produce objects in a very limited set of materials, typically only one or two. But what if there was a way to make items from many kinds of materials? That’s exactly what you can do by combining your 3D printer with ComposiMold, a system for making molds. ComposiMold is a reusable… Continue reading Are You Ready To Mold 3D Prints?
3D Model Captured With Google Glass
Google Glass is a set of glasses that include processing, networking and sensory elements. It’s an experimental platform upon which developers many now invent new kinds of applications. One such experiment is Todd Blatt’s 3D scanning project. The glasses themselves do not have the processing capability to generate a 3D model, nor do the… Continue reading 3D Model Captured With Google Glass
3D Printing Sugru!
You don’t know what Sugru is? It’s a peculiar substance that is malleable when first exposed to air, but then solidifies into a rubber-like material that can be bent but snaps back to its original shape. Too bad you can’t 3D print it. But now you can! HYREL has performed an experiments with… Continue reading 3D Printing Sugru!
HYREL is 3D Printing Clay
New 3D printer manufacturer HYREL has developed an extruder capable of 3D printing clay. In the video below you’ll see it printing a pyramid. A simple print indeed, but one that proves it’s possible. The HYREL line of 3D printers includes an interesting feature: “multiple hot-swappable extruder head options.” If the clay extruder is… Continue reading HYREL is 3D Printing Clay
More Advanced 3D Interfaces Brewing
California-based Atheer is developing an advanced wearable 3D visual display that should be available in 2014. The as-yet-unnamed product appears to be a set of North Korean-style glasses that display 3D information to each eye. You might think Atheer is repeating Google’s Glass product, but they’re not. Atheer’s product will be completely standalone and… Continue reading More Advanced 3D Interfaces Brewing
3D Printing Your Thoughts – Literally
This isn’t science fiction. ThinkerThing’s goal is to develop a system for actually reading your thoughts and sending them directly to a 3D printer for production. They say: We have built a machine that will allow you to make real objects with your mind. Incredible as this sounds, it does seem doable by… Continue reading 3D Printing Your Thoughts – Literally
Hands On With: High Impact Polystyrene
Our friends at Filaco sent us a spool of their new High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) filament for testing. Accordingly, we spent many hours at our lab checking it out. The HIPS filament comes in only a pure white color, which actually isn’t much of a problem; the objects printed in this spectacularly white material… Continue reading Hands On With: High Impact Polystyrene
Hands On With The FinishingTouch Smoothing Station
If you’re 3D printing with plastic filament, you’ll be familiar with the layered effect, where progressive extrusions accumulate into an object. The object has the correct shape, but has unsightly ridges. What to do? You can eliminate ridges with the Acetone technique, but it’s relatively dangerous, as acetone is flammable and generally not very… Continue reading Hands On With The FinishingTouch Smoothing Station
Emerging Objects 3D Prints Architectural Materials
Oakland-based Emerging Objects isn’t your normal design firm. Rather than designing homes, interiors, furniture or products from common materials, the four-person group is trying to create materials for tomorrow’s 3D printed objects. Self-described as a “a pioneering design and research company that specializes in designing and 3D printing objects for the built environment using… Continue reading Emerging Objects 3D Prints Architectural Materials
What’s In Your PrintCave?
Sports fans might have a ManCave, equipped with a wall-sized flat screen, cushy recliner chairs, bar fridge and chip bowls. But what makes up a PrintCave? A 3D printer, obviously, and perhaps storage for filament. But what else might you have in your PrintCave? Tools? Showcase of your best models? Lighting? Something you have… Continue reading What’s In Your PrintCave?
UMT Develops 3D Printing Metal Smoothing Technology
We had a brief encounter with Alexander Lobovsky, P.E., who is a partner with United Materials Technologies of New Jersey. Lobovsky’s company is developing a new method for smoothing 3D metal prints. The problem with metal 3D prints is the same as plastic: printing by layer causes visible ridges on the object. These can… Continue reading UMT Develops 3D Printing Metal Smoothing Technology
Get Your 3D Printer Filament at Makerstash Soon
We had the opportunity to meet with James Coleman, gentleman and founder of Makerstash, which will provide a wide selection of 3D printer filament for your MakerBot, RepRap or many other 3D printers. The filament business is straightforward, and success occurs simply by executing the business plan perfectly. MakerStash’s Mission describes theirs: At… Continue reading Get Your 3D Printer Filament at Makerstash Soon
New 3D Modeling Interface From 3D Systems?
Another recent announcement from 3D Systems President and CEO Avi Reichental indicated that the company has been seeking ways to simplify the creation of 3D content suitable for 3D printing. Evidently they’ve been working with the Leap Motion 3D sensor in particular, but we have little information beyond that. The Leap Motion sensor is… Continue reading New 3D Modeling Interface From 3D Systems?
The Doodle3D Box
Another Kickstarter launch in the 3D printing space: Doodle3D, made by a Netherlands startup company. This product is a method to simplify the design and 3D printing of 2D line drawings. It’s composed of an app and a WiFi box that attaches to your personal 3D printer. Using the app you can “doodle” a… Continue reading The Doodle3D Box
Long Range 3D Scanning Demonstrated
3D scanning is a tricky business. Whether you’re using a USD$50,000 unit or a USD$100 Microsoft Kinect, none will meet all possible scanning requirements. You might require super-fine detail of a small object, or perhaps you’re scanning a building, or simply just grabbing a scan of your girlfriend’s face for a quick 3D print. … Continue reading Long Range 3D Scanning Demonstrated
The Filastruder
The cost of a 3D printer is not only the printer itself, but also the print material. In most cases, personal 3D printers use plastic filament, either ABS or PLA plastic. If you’re a prolific 3D print maker, you might actually spend more on plastic than you did on the 3D printer. How can… Continue reading The Filastruder
A 3D Print Refiner
We’ve seen countless startup 3D printer companies launch crowd funding campaigns in the past year. Now we’re seeing a plethora of 3D printing accessory devices sprout from the minds of world’s entrepreneurs. Today’s 3D print accessory is the 3D Refiner. 3D Prints Express’s 3D Refiner attempts to solve one of the banes of early… Continue reading A 3D Print Refiner
The Photon 3D Scanner
Tired of designing your own 3D CAD models? Worn out from endless searching 3D repositories for that specific 3D design? If so, why not scan your own physical objects and replicate them? Usually you can’t because 3D scanning is frequently an expensive proposition. But that could change with the introduction of the Photon 3D… Continue reading The Photon 3D Scanner
3D Captured Tattoos
We’re looking at an unusual 3D scanning project on Kickstarter: the “3d tattoo body art scanner” by UK artist Lee Wagstaff. Wagstaff is notable as he was the first person to use his own body art as presentation material during his Master’s degree defense. Having such an incredible array of intricate tattoos poses a… Continue reading 3D Captured Tattoos
Materialise Announces Flexible Material
Materialise, the industrial 3D print service, has announced a rather interesting material: TPU 92A-1. Despite the awkward and mysterious nomenclature, TPU 92A-1 offers a legendary feature: flexibility. The video above shows the amazing flex provided by TPU 92A-1. Not only is this material flexible, but it also is resistant to tearing, temperature and abrasion,… Continue reading Materialise Announces Flexible Material
Another 3D Printer Shop
3D Makers is one of several new sites we’ve seen recently that provide services, at a small level, to the 3D printing community. Spokesperson Michael Triana pointed out their site, which provides sales of 3D printer plastic filament as well as a personal 3D printer, the Lulzbot AO-101. More than likely 3D Makers will… Continue reading Another 3D Printer Shop
Mod Your Un-Moddable 3D Printer
Some 3D printers are made for modification, such as the RepRap kits or early MakerBots. But some 3D printers were specifically designed to be used “out of the box” without modification. These 3D printers were not designed for modification by ingenious owners. However, in spite of such design constraints, we see continuing effort by… Continue reading Mod Your Un-Moddable 3D Printer
The MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner
MakerBot announced, but did not release, a personal 3D scanner at SXSW yesterday that could dramatically change how personal 3D printers are used and accepted by the general public. Perhaps the biggest problem facing home 3D printer owners today is finding the right 3D models to print. Unless one is a designer equipped with… Continue reading The MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner
Peeking Inside Solidoodle’s Factory
TechHive has gained access to Solidoodle’s New York factory to get a close look at the production process used by the small 3D printer manufacturer. What we found interesting was the fact that a bank of 23 Solidoodle printers run continuously making Solidoodle parts! A factory made of the item it makes. TechHive… Continue reading Peeking Inside Solidoodle’s Factory
Point And Shoot 3D Scanning
The folks at Lynx Lab have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the initial units of their “Lynx A Camera”. It’s designed to be a point and shoot 3D camera, capable of capturing 3D shapes as well as motion. The Lynx A tries to put all the elements of 3D scanning in… Continue reading Point And Shoot 3D Scanning
Formlabs Forms Form 1’s
True to their pledge, Formlabs has begun production of their resin-based personal 3D printer, the Form 1. In an astonishing Kickstarter campaign last fall, Formlabs busted their speedometer in raising almost USD$3M. Now they have to deliver on those and other subsequent device orders. It’s obviously extremely challenging for a startup to begin… Continue reading Formlabs Forms Form 1’s
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
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
Metal 3D Printing Everywhere
In addition to the major plastic 3D printer manufacturers appearing at Euromold 2012, quite a few metal 3D printer manufacturers also exhibited. Metal printing might be unfamiliar to many of our readers who focus on more inexpensive plastic machines. Metal-capable machines are typically quite expensive and are varied in features and abilities. At Euromold… Continue reading Metal 3D Printing Everywhere
Do You Carbomorph?
Carbomorph is a new, experimental material for 3D printing that promises to add a whole new range of capabilities with its ability to embed sensors within 3D printed items. Carbomorph was invented by researchers at the University of Warwick in the UK in their quest to develop a method of 3D printing electronic circuits.… Continue reading Do You Carbomorph?
3D Printed Electronics Demonstration
Optomec and Stratasys are set to demonstrate their hybrid technology that permits a type of 3D printed electronics. We’ve written about this before, but now they intend on demonstrating the process to the public. The process does not involve a mutant plastic-and-metal 3D printer. Instead it simply is a way for the two companies… Continue reading 3D Printed Electronics Demonstration
Objet Adds to its List of Materials
3D Printer maker Objet Geometries announced new additions to its now massive selection of materials available to its 3D printers. The new additions include a “rigid black” material and no less than sixteen different “rubber-like” materials that offer varying degrees of hardness (or flexibility, if you prefer). This brings their current complement of materials… Continue reading Objet Adds to its List of Materials
MakerBot’s Photo Booth
It doesn’t exactly print photos, however. It prints sculptures! Of you! It can be found at MakerBot’s retail store in Brooklyn, NY. Team MakerBot has combined their Replicator 3D printing technology with ShapeShot 3D capture software into a booth setup to provide a true 3D printing “photo booth”. The ShapeShot involves several fixed cameras… Continue reading MakerBot’s Photo Booth
Objet’s Flexy Materials
An interesting video from Objet shows off many of their latest materials. While many Fabbaloo readers have 3D printers capable of printing in hard plastic, the items in this video demonstrate what can be achieved when you are able to print in flexible material. Oh, did we say that Objet has an almost perfectly… Continue reading Objet’s Flexy Materials
3D Systems Donates to Singularity U
Singularity University is a specialized institution dedicated to leveraging “the power of exponential technologies to solve humanity’s grand challenges”, and created by forward-looking entrepreneurs Peter Diamandis and Ray Kurzweil. The grand challenges include research in very diverse areas, including energy, security, poverty and space exploration. The institution attracts top level students to work on these… Continue reading 3D Systems Donates to Singularity U
Gigantic Titanium Printing: Aeroswift
A brief press release from CSIR, South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research announced a three-way partnership to develop “titanium powder-based additive layer manufacturing for fabrication of large and complex aerospace components.” The other partners in this venture are Aerosud, a South African-based aerospace manufacturer and the more well-known Airbus. CSIR provides… Continue reading Gigantic Titanium Printing: Aeroswift
The B9Creator Creator Speaks
Core77 published a detailed interview with Michael Joyce (of Deadwood, South Dakota), the creator of the B9Creator. The B9Creator was a hugely successful Kickstarter project to fund the development of a resin-based personal 3D printer. How successful? Over USD$500,000 was raised, enabling Joyce to get production going. We encourage you to read the… Continue reading The B9Creator Creator Speaks
Fabbster’s Flexy Experiment
We’ve just viewed an interesting video of what appears to be a 3D print of a very flexible material, evidently performed on a Fabbster. You’ll recall Fabbster; the personal 3D printer that accepts pre-made plastic “sticks” of different materials and colors. Apparently they’ve somehow made sticks out of a flexible plastic material and printed out… Continue reading Fabbster’s Flexy Experiment
Up! Sharpens Its Output
3D printer manufacturer PP3DP improved the resolution on both its Up! Plus and Up! Mini personal 3D printers. The Up! Plus previously was capable of printing as fine as 200 microns (0.20mm), but with this upgrade it will be improved to 150 microns (0.15mm). Similarly, the Up! Mini 3D printer will be improved from… Continue reading Up! Sharpens Its Output
Transmuting PLA Into Metal
You can’t transmute lead into gold, but these days it is apparently possible to change a part, 3D printed in PLA plastic, into a metal part. The method used by maker Jeshua Lacock of 3DTOPO, emulated the eternal lost-wax casting method. He printed parts in PLA on his Ultimaker 3D printer and then surrounded… Continue reading Transmuting PLA Into Metal
Canadian Plastic
The pattern seems to be regionalization. Plastic filament supply shops specifically focused on 3D printing are emerging in many countries supplying primarily their local markets. We’ve seen shops open up in the US, UK, Switzerland, Netherlands and other places. Now there’s one in Canada, based in Montreal: Voxel Factory offers an extensive list of… Continue reading Canadian Plastic
Wooden Filament? Yes!
We’re not kidding. It really is filament made of wood – and you can print actual wooden objects with it. Developed by Thingiverse user Kaipa, the “LAYWOO-D” filament is a hybrid mix of recycled wood particles and secret binders. You may use this material in RepRap-style 3D printers at a temperature of between 185-200C,… Continue reading Wooden Filament? Yes!
EnvisionTEC Unveils New Materials
EnvisionTEC, Inc. will showcase the company’s expanded range of 3D printing materials at the IMTS exhibition in Chicago. EnvisionTEC announced the launch of its new AB Material resins, with the first two commercially available offerings: ABflex and ABStuff. Both are used with the company’s DLP 3D printers. Read More at Engineering.com
Save Some Cash With ISQUARED Consumables
It was only a matter of time before someone began producing “clone” plastic materials for high-end 3D printers. That’s the business of Swiss-based ISQUARED, who produce “high quality FDM filament at fair prices”. They say: “Our products are 100% compatible with OEM parts.” Currently, ISQUARED offers material evidently compatible with the following devices: … Continue reading Save Some Cash With ISQUARED Consumables
The iScan 3D App
A new app promises to enable generation of instant 3D models right from your iPhone. iScan3D by Digiteyezer works using a combination of images and a cloud service. Here’s how it works: your subject remains still while you move about taking between 5 and 30 images. Presumably it would help if there wasn’t much… Continue reading The iScan 3D App
Afinia’s Low Cost 3D Printer Filament
3D printer manufacturer Afinia has suddenly introduced a new line of plastic filament that has a very attractive feature: low cost. Their “Value-Line” is comprised of 1.8 or 1.75mm ABS filament sold in 1kg (2.2 lb) spools. Prices are only USD$31.99 per kg, one of the lowest we’ve seen recently. Afinia offers two… Continue reading Afinia’s Low Cost 3D Printer Filament
Blended Color 3D Printing
It’s been a dream of 3D printing hobbyists to be able to print in glorious color. That dream still is developing, but maker RichRap has taken a big step in that direction by developing a 3-way extruder for RepRap-style 3D printers. It’s not exactly a full color 3D printer, although RichRap’s initial intentions were… Continue reading Blended Color 3D Printing
MakerBot’s New Colors
3D printer manufacturer MakerBot has announced the availability of no less than nine new colors of plastic filament, suitable for use in not only their 3D printers, but any others that use the same diameter of plastic filament. The new colors are pretty awesome: Slate Gray Stone Helsinki Sky (a very light blue)… Continue reading MakerBot’s New Colors
The zSpace System
There’s something inherently difficult trying to do 3D modeling on a 2D display. We usually have the ability to spin models around and your mind has to do the “3Ding” of the subject, depending on the software you’re using. But is there a better way to do this? Apparently so, according to JF… Continue reading The zSpace System
Introducing Mak3D
Opening in “late August 2012”, Mak3D is billed as the “World’s first 3D printing co-working environment”. Located on London’s Brick Lane across from the notable Brick Lane Bakery, Mak3D will provide workspace and access to 3D equipment for makers. For £200 per month (USD$312), you’ll have access to the following: A 1000 sq ft.… Continue reading Introducing Mak3D
NASA Testing 3D Printers For Space Use
NASA is taking their Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication (EBF3) technology to the next level, according to a report in The Daily Mail. EBF3 is a type of 3D printing that uses a high-power electron beam to instantaneously melt metallic wire. The fluid metal is then positioned incrementally to build up arbitrary solid metal objects.… Continue reading NASA Testing 3D Printers For Space Use
Water Cooled Extruder?
RepRap researchers have been experimenting with a unique water cooled extruder design. Cooling your extruder is important to ensure that the heat from the hot end that melts the plastic printing material doesn’t creep up into the rest of the mechanism, where you risk frozen plastic in the wrong places that gum up the works. … Continue reading Water Cooled Extruder?
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
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
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?
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
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
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
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!
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
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?
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
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
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!
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
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!
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
The Secret Color Process
As much as we’d like to have attended Neri Oxman’s talk at Centre Pompidou in Paris the other day, we were simply unable to get there. However, we were able to view videos and images from the exhibition, sponsored by 3D printer manufacturer Objet. Ms. Oxman produced fantastic and beautiful 3D printed objects inspired… Continue reading The Secret Color Process
Multicolor RepRap Printing Progresses
After the initial thrill of 3D printing wears off, one begins to look for possible improvements. One of the most sought-after improvements is the ability to print color objects. We don’t mean “a” color, we mean “many” colors. Since plastic filament comes in only one color (except for that elusive Tartan filament we were looking… Continue reading Multicolor RepRap Printing Progresses
Haptic A-Go-Go
Anarkik3D has opened a crowd funding initiative at IndieGoGO to raise money for enhancements to their Cloud9 haptic 3D modeling software. The project’s goal is sufficient funding for two full time programmers to develop the improvements, which means USD$120,000 by June 27th. We think this is important, because, as Anarkik3D’s CEO Ann Marie Shillito… Continue reading Haptic A-Go-Go
Print The Eiffel
A post on Objet’s blog shows off a totally amazing 3D print of Paris’ Eiffel Tower. This 20+ cm version is highly detailed and is made with Objet’s clear material. We’re particularly impressed with the lack of “stringies” that are so often found on prints from extruded plastic personal 3D printers. The problem is… Continue reading Print The Eiffel