Years ago Isaac Asimov developed the “Three Laws of Robotics” to govern the behavior of robots. Do we need something similar for 3D printing?
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The Eight Fundamental 3D Printing Prep Functions
3D printing a model is often not as simple as just hitting the “print” button. There are several operations you may need to do to your model before hitting that button.
3D Printing Hurts!
Everyone knows that personal 3D printing can be a ton of fun, but did you know it can also be hazardous to your personal appendages? We certainly do.
Hands On With Authentise’s Streaming Prints
Authentise now has public implementations of their 3D print streaming service. We tried it out.
ABS Plastic On The Way Out?
We’re beginning to notice a significant trend. When looking at new emerging personal 3D printers we are seeing fewer that offer ABS plastic as an option as a 3D printing material. ABS was among the very first materials used by historic personal 3D printers, as it was commonly available due to its heavy use… Continue reading ABS Plastic On The Way Out?
The Lightforge 3D Printer
Lightforge is developing a personal resin-based 3D printer, a device that apparently doesn’t have an official name yet. We checked out the machine, which was actually a “version 1 prototype”, built after some fifteen months of development. A spokesperson indicated they’re currently working on a version 2 prototype that may be part of a… Continue reading The Lightforge 3D Printer
A Swashbuckling Update from Pirate 3D
Arr! The folks from Pirate 3D say they’re now in active production of their low-cost 3D printer, the Buccaneer. We’re not certain when it will ship, but it sounds like it will be very soon. According to a spokesperson, the number of orders have been “substantial”. This may grow even larger as we understand… Continue reading A Swashbuckling Update from Pirate 3D
Cubify’s 3D New Content
Up to now Cubify’s 3D model content has been somewhat simplistic. Toys, simple personalized items and the like have been the staple of online 3D content within 3D Systems’s Cubify operation. But now they’re taking a different and far more serious direction. If you hit the Cubify site now, (dubbed “2.0” by 3D Systems),… Continue reading Cubify’s 3D New Content
Klone World
At CES we encountered Klone World in the 3D Systems’ booth. Klone World is a service that provides the increasingly popular ability to implant your 3D face on a figurine. Klone World offers a number of different figurine scenarios and poses, different than those offered by 3D Systems’ 3DMe service. Amazingly, the service works… Continue reading Klone World
MakerBot’s Colorful Plastics
MakerBot is making a big deal out of their plastic selection, and they should. It’s a far cry from their initial selection of plain old colors years ago. Today you’ll find it includes a really terrific set of colors that they’ve grouped into: true colors, translucents and specialties. They offer ABS, PLA, dissolvable and flexible… Continue reading MakerBot’s Colorful Plastics
The Sweet ChefJet 3D Printers
3D Systems announced not one, but two edible food 3D printers last week, creating an entirely new genre of commercial 3D printing. The two models are the ChefJet and the ChefJet Pro. As you might imagine, the “Pro” version has more functions than it’s lesser sibling. The base ChefJet is a monochrome 3D… Continue reading The Sweet ChefJet 3D Printers
The Amazing 3DMe Photo Booth
We got a close look at 3D Systems’ new “3DMe Photo Booth” at CES and found a lot more than we bargained for. The system is set up to transfer a 3D representation of a subject’s face onto any of several pre-made fun 3D character models. We’ve seen the functionality of this before; 3D… Continue reading The Amazing 3DMe Photo Booth
The Scoop on ABS and PLA
Most personal 3D printers use PLA or ABS plastic, but how much do you actually know about these materials? Aside from the fact that ABS’s melting temperature is somewhat higher than PLA, and that ABS is somewhat stronger than PLA, most 3D printer owners could be challenged to say more. Don’t fear: there is… Continue reading The Scoop on ABS and PLA
A 100% Plastic 3D Printer?
Many designs of self-reproducing 3D printers have been produced and built; that’s the goal of the RepRap project. But are they truly reproducing themselves? Not exactly; the machines are – so far – only capable of reproducing most of the major plastic components, such as the image above, which was apparently the very first… Continue reading A 100% Plastic 3D Printer?
Five 3D Printer Buying Decisions
When you’ve decided to buy a 3D printer there are some questions you should ask yourself before proceeding. The current array of buyable 3D printers is the largest in the history of the world, so having some parameters to make a decision is a good thing. The questions are actually not about 3D printers,… Continue reading Five 3D Printer Buying Decisions
The Boiling Cauldron of 3D Printing: China
For some time now we’ve been interested in detailing the 3D printing space in China, but it seems that it’s a lot harder to analyze. Every time we take a look there seems to be new 3D printers and new 3D printing companies. That’s the norm in China these days: huge competition and a… Continue reading The Boiling Cauldron of 3D Printing: China
MakerBot’s Digital Content
While Thingiverse has been a wonderful source for 3D models for the initial wave of 3D printing, it’s not exactly consumer-friendly. It has a large number of models (over 218,000, according to a recent statement by MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis), which is good and bad. It’s good because the model you want is somewhere in… Continue reading MakerBot’s Digital Content
Battle of the Mini 3D Printers
Some say the pricing of assembled 3D printers from the major manufacturers has risen, and in some cases they have, but usually accompanied with a series of new useful features. To counteract the “price barrier”, as perceived by new members of the 3D printing community, the majors have developed “mini” 3D printers. The first… Continue reading Battle of the Mini 3D Printers
Cubify’s Advanced Material Cartridges
Cubify’s new Cube 3 includes a fascinating new feature: extremely simplified material loading, made possible only through the development of a new way to handle plastic filament. The new cartridges are quite different from any generic spool you’ve seen before. They’re sealed to prevent dust and dirt from contaminating the filament (which eventually clogs… Continue reading Cubify’s Advanced Material Cartridges
Thoughts on MakerBot’s Curious Replicator Z18
Of all the 3D printers marketed by MakerBot since its founding, we find the Replicator Z18 to be the most curious. While previous models (and even the new Mini and Replicator) seemed to be logical extensions and modifications of prior units, the Z18 is quite different: It’s in a completely different price range: whereas… Continue reading Thoughts on MakerBot’s Curious Replicator Z18
Two 3D Printing Companies, Two Big Stars
Some outside the 3D printing community have a hard time connecting with the latest happenings. It can be quite technical at times and it’s even more difficult to relate that technology to one’s personal life. This connection is critical for 3D printing companies because that’s how you persuade the public to buy your products: find… Continue reading Two 3D Printing Companies, Two Big Stars
Finally, a 3D Printer Statistic
At CES 2014 MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis dropped a stat we’d been waiting to hear. Pettis claimed that MakerBot has sold and shipped over 44,000 MakerBot 3D printers so far. We’re excited because such information is very hard to come by from 3D printer manufacturers. While most manufacturers will claim (correctly) that their sales… Continue reading Finally, a 3D Printer Statistic