The MX3D: A Robotic 3D Printer

On the heels of its debut in May 2013, the MX3D-resin printer has already evolved from a machine only capable of building in plastic to one that can print in a variety of metals.

3D Printing Live Seeds

There’s a lot of people around the world trying to 3D print all types of materials, but this venture is a little different. What it prints is alive. 

M3D’s Micro 3D Printer

Many new 3D printers are available, but M3D’s new Micro 3D printer has some very intriguing features we haven’t seen before. 

The ECV-One 3D Printer

There’s a new personal 3D printer from French-based e-crew vis: the ECV-One. This printer does offer some unusual features. 

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BotObjects, Again

You might recall the controversial BotObjects ProDesk3D full color personal 3D printer? It’s controversial because many believe it doesn’t really exist. Or does it? 

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The Robo3D Printer

It’s a familiar story: a group of makers wants a 3D printer, but they can’t afford one. So they build their own and realize it’s good enough to sell. That’s the genesis of the Robo3D personal 3D printer. 

The Pegasus Touch 3D Printer

Everyone’s getting in on the laser-resin 3D printer market, it seems. Now we see Full Spectrum Laser, a company previously dedicated to traditional laser equipment, has produced their very first 3D printer, the Pegasus Touch. 

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The OWL Nano 3D Printer

The OWL Nano 3D printer joins the growing ranks of personal 3D printers based on photo-cured resin technology. It’s a curious design, but this 3D printer can deliver incredibly good resolution. 

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Color Mixing on the Connex3

Stratasys’ latest 3D printer series, the Connex3, is able to produce a wide variety of 3D objects with multiple properties. As we posted earlier, the technology permits rigid, color, transparent and flexible materials to be produced within a single 3D print operation.    The Connex3’s can hold and print three unique materials simultaneously, with some… Continue reading Color Mixing on the Connex3

The Connex3 Materials Cabinet

The Connex3 also comes with a powerful materials cabinet. It’s a separate unit typically installed beside the main Connex3 and is intended to house cartridges containing color resins. The resins are pumped into the printer during active printing.    Now you’d think there would need to be extra space for cartridges servicing the new third… Continue reading The Connex3 Materials Cabinet

Stratasys Announces The Objet 500 Connex3 Advanced Color 3D Printer

During yesterday’s press conference at the San Diego Convention Center Stratasys publicly revealed what many had speculated about for months: a vastly improved color 3D printer. It’s called the Objet 500 Connex3. The name follows the pattern of the previous “Connex”, which referred to the technology of dynamically mixing two different types of materials in… Continue reading Stratasys Announces The Objet 500 Connex3 Advanced Color 3D Printer

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

3D System’s Color 3D Printers

3D Systems recently made a couple of announcements regarding their full-color 3D printers, releasing the new ProJet 4500 and the CubeJet. Both 3D printers are capable of producing full-RGB color solid objects.    They’re both evolutions of the technology 3D Systems obtained when they acquired ZCorp some years ago. ZCorp offered various models that printed… Continue reading 3D System’s Color 3D Printers

The Newton3D Metal 3D Printer

Personal 3D printers have a limitation: materials. Typically used with plastic, many people would like to 3D print in metal. Now there seems to be an option for personal metal 3D printing: the Newton3D, “built from the research of Esteban Schunemann, PhD student at Brunel University”.    We don’t know very much about this mysterious… Continue reading The Newton3D Metal 3D Printer

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The Fusematic 3D Printer

Maker’s Tool Works has announced a new 3D printer kit, the Fusematic. It succeeds MTW’s previous model, the MendelMax 2 by being “smaller, faster, and more affordable”.    MTW simplified assembly by including assembly guides on the case, using linear rails, preassembling and pre-loading the electronics and keying the connectors.    After assembly, you’ll find… Continue reading The Fusematic 3D Printer

This 3D Printer is Truly a Monster

Ben Reytblat’s new venture, 3DMonstr, has attracted some attention on Kickstarter, where the pledges are flowing in rapidly for the new 3D printer. 3DMonstr is actually a family of fully assembled 3D printers, each of which entirely deserving of the “monster” label.    Sure, it’s size that is the major factor. The “small” version, the… Continue reading This 3D Printer is Truly a Monster

3D Systems Steps Into Multi-Material 3D Printing

3D Systems offers a very large suite of 3D printers, from personal to industrial, but none offered before has the capability of their new ProJet 5500x. What’s so different about it?    The ProJet 5500x can print in multiple materials.     To put that in perspective, the only other manufacturer that’s offered such a capability… Continue reading 3D Systems Steps Into Multi-Material 3D Printing

The LulzBot TAZ 3 Personal 3D Printer

LulzBot has released a new version of their popular TAZ personal 3D printer: 3.0. The new version includes several evolutionary improvements, including additional metal parts and a quicker-to-print-ready heated bed.    The TAZ is an open-air 3D printer, meaning the heated bed is more important to avoid warping if you’re printing ABS plastic. TAZ has… Continue reading The LulzBot TAZ 3 Personal 3D Printer

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Three Delta 3D Printers: How To Tell Them Apart

Recently we’ve seen an increase in the number of “delta” 3D printers being produced. “Delta” refers to the rather unique extruder mechanical movement: arms attached to three towers intelligently coordinate “tipping motions” to smoothly move a level extruder platform through the build volume.    These machines are easy to recognize: three tall posts with an… Continue reading Three Delta 3D Printers: How To Tell Them Apart

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The Picaso Designer 3D Printer

Region manufacturers seem to exist in every area. That paradigm continues with the Russian-made Picaso Designer personal 3D printer.    It’s a filament-based device, like many regional machines, capable of printing either PLA or ABS plastic, offering fairly typical specifications:    Build volume of 200 x 200 x 200mm Layer size of 0.05mm Minimum wall… Continue reading The Picaso Designer 3D Printer

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The Kevvox 3D Printer

We had a close look at the Kevvox 3D printer at EuroMold. It uses a resin-based process, as so many new 3D printers seem to these days, but the results are quite spectacular.    Three years in development, the Kevvox uses long-lasting LED lighting to cure the several resins offered. They offer a wax resin… Continue reading The Kevvox 3D Printer

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The Asiga Pico 3D Printer

We’re starting to observe a collision between the lowering prices of commercial 3D print gear with the rising prices of increasingly more capable personal 3D printers. Today only a few thousand dollars separate the two. One example of a commercial unit that’s priced very effectively is the Asiga Pico, a small volume resin-based 3D printer. … Continue reading The Asiga Pico 3D Printer

Leapfrog’s Xeed Now Available for Purchase

As promised, the folks at Leapfrog have launched their biggest 3D printer, the Xeed. It’s big for a desktop 3D printer, but that fits its target market: offices where the device would be shared by (presumably) professionals.    The Xeed offers premium 3D printer features, such as standard dual extruders, automatic bed leveling before each… Continue reading Leapfrog’s Xeed Now Available for Purchase

The Fabmaker 3D Printer

We checked out the Fabmaker 3D printer, which originates in Germany. It’s a plastic filament-based device that is targeted for educators. We asked about the features that make the Fabmaker so appropriate for the education market and were told:    Fabmaker provides specific consulting services to educators  The Fabmaker’s exterior case is made from safety… Continue reading The Fabmaker 3D Printer

The RepRap Industrial

RepRap 3D printers are for hobbyists, right? For tinkerers who like to build their own machines? Not always, if you were to ask the brothers Kühling & Kühling, who produce the RepRap Industrial 3D printer.    This machine is a pre-assembled RepRap machine specifically designed for industrial use. What makes it so? We noticed multiple… Continue reading The RepRap Industrial

The Be3D DeeOrange 3D Printer

The Be3D DeeOrange is a small personal 3D printer assembled by a Czech company with 20 years of experience in engineering and technology. Available for two years, the device is a solid unit containing some solid features.    Inside the attractive case is a heated plate the makes the machine capable of 3D printing ABS… Continue reading The Be3D DeeOrange 3D Printer

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MCOR Doubles Their 3D Print Speed – At No Cost!

3D printer manufacturer MCOR, who produce the full-color Iris paper 3D printer, announced a pretty major new feature: double speed printing. Yes, TWICE as fast.    Even better, the software upgrade that increases the speed is being made available for all existing machines.    But how do they do it? It’s all in the motion.… Continue reading MCOR Doubles Their 3D Print Speed – At No Cost!

The Robox Personal 3D Printer

We’re looking at another Kickstarter campaign for yet another 3D printer. There have been so many recently it has become very difficult to distinguish one offering from another.    So how does Robox do it?    We were surprised to find it does have several very unique and interesting features. Aside from the now-industry-standard features… Continue reading The Robox Personal 3D Printer

3D Systems Explodes with Announcements

3D printing giant 3D Systems isn’t standing still. At the EuroMold exhibition today they announced not one, not two, but twelve products to bolster their already considerable portfolio of equipment, software and services.    They not only announced the products, but showed them at their massive booth at the Frankfurt trade show, staffed by what… Continue reading 3D Systems Explodes with Announcements

Finland’s miniFactory 3D Printer

We managed to check out a 3D printer from Finland: the Mini Factory and found it has several interesting features that differentiate it from other 3D printers in its class.    Like many inexpensive 3D printers, the miniFactory uses plastic filament. A problem sometimes observed is that filaments break or bend during printing. The miniFactory… Continue reading Finland’s miniFactory 3D Printer

The Delta Tower 3D Printer

Tall. That’s one way to describe the incredible Delta Tower 3D printer. It uses, obviously, the delta technique for rapidly and efficiently moving the single or dual extruders through each layer during printing.    The statistic you’re looking for is this: it can print items up to 580mm tall, approximately twice that of the biggest… Continue reading The Delta Tower 3D Printer

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The WASP Project 3D Prints Clay

Need something 3D printed in clay? Something very large? If so you’ll want to check out the WASP project from Italy.      WASP is actually an acronym, standing for World’s Advanced Saving Project. Their goal is to be able to build homes in third world countries with advanced technology like 3D printing, yet use… Continue reading The WASP Project 3D Prints Clay

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The WitBox 3D Printer

There’s an explosion of extrusion-based personal 3D printers occurring now, with new entries emerging from all corners. One of them is the WitBox by Spanish company BQ.    Unlike many new entrants, the WitBox comes from an already established company. BQ “is a Spanish company dedicated to the multimedia devices and 3D printers sale.” According… Continue reading The WitBox 3D Printer

Tasting the ChocEdge Chocolate 3D Printer

We had a chance to speak with Christina Zheng, Business Development Director for ChocEdge. It’s one of the very few personal 3D printers capable of extruding chocolate, and perhaps the only one you can easily buy yourself.    The ChocEdge looks much like many other personal 3D printers, until you notice the extruder. It’s basically… Continue reading Tasting the ChocEdge Chocolate 3D Printer

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A New Printrbot, the Plus

One of the first big-time winners in 3D printing Kickstarter campaigns was the Printrbot, which raised a then-record USD$830,827 (with an original goal of USD$25,000). We suspect it was Printrbot’s success that led to the explosion of subsequent 3D printer launches on the crowdfunding site.    We chatted with Brook Drumm of Printrbot at the… Continue reading A New Printrbot, the Plus

Something Interesting is Inside the new Builder 3D Printer

At the 2013 3D Printshow we stopped by the Code-p west BV booth, who produce the Builder personal 3D printer. These folks produce a typical personal 3D printer, but as we talked with their spokesman, something very interesting was revealed.   At first, their machine appears much like many other personal 3D printers: a cubic… Continue reading Something Interesting is Inside the new Builder 3D Printer

Open Source Metal 3D Printing

We ran across an interesting project that’s attempting to create a system for 3D printing metal at very low cost. The idea is to do for metal manufacturing what was done for plastic manufacturing with current open source 3D printers.    The project, by Andreas Bastian, is entitled “An Open Source Selective Laser Sintering 3D… Continue reading Open Source Metal 3D Printing

The Helix 3D Printer

Created by Acuity Design of Montana, the Helix is a higher-grade personal 3D printer focusing on professional markets, unlike the countless other low-cost 3D printers appearing on Kickstarter that hope to address consumer needs.    While professional offices currently have commercial 3D printer options that range from USD$10-20K, that price, although lower than industrial 3D… Continue reading The Helix 3D Printer

New Tease From BotObjects

Remember BotObjects? They’re the company that’s producing a “Full Color” personal 3D printer, the ProDesk3D. They have been releasing very little information about their upcoming device, leading to much speculation whether it’s real or not. Now, thanks to a video recently posted on their site, we know a little bit more about this very mysterious… Continue reading New Tease From BotObjects

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Order Type A Machines’ Series 1 3D Printer Today

Type A Machines’ new Series 1 personal 3D printer is now available for pre-order. This spiffy aluminum and acrylic design houses some interesting internal features, such as the rather large build volume: one cubic foot, or 305 x 305 x 305mm. Big.    Some of the Series 1’s features are not particularly visible, yet they… Continue reading Order Type A Machines’ Series 1 3D Printer Today

Peachy Printer Campaign Ends – But Not Really

The world’s first USD$100 3D printer’s launch campaign has closed, with the Peachy Printer project raising over USD$650,000 on their Kickstarter page.    This amount may be somewhat less than other notable crowdfunding launches, such as Formlab’s, which raised USD$3M, but there’s a difference: the Peachy Printer costs only USD$100, while previous printers were much… Continue reading Peachy Printer Campaign Ends – But Not Really

A Peachy 3D Printer Update

The makers of the revolutionary USD$100 resin-based Peachy 3D printer, which has raised a launch amount exceeding USD$600K, have issued a video update of their project’s progress.    In the video, co-founder James Cooper explains some of the difficulties controlling the laser that they’ve recently overcome. It appears that their team is working through a… Continue reading A Peachy 3D Printer Update

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A 3D Printer Made From Scrap

Normally when you embark on building a DIY 3D printer you’d search online shops for the best and least expensive components. Bring them together with the right plan and you’ll soon have an operating 3D printer.    But that’s not exactly what Kodjo Afate Gnikou did. He went to the dump. Specifically, he searched through… Continue reading A 3D Printer Made From Scrap

The Dangers of Open Source 3D Printing

When MakerBot opened some years ago it used open source approaches to developing its products. While they produced 3D printers, they also made available the plans to make them, open source-style. That changed with the introduction of their Replicator 2 model, much to the consternation of their open source followers.    Why did MakerBot make… Continue reading The Dangers of Open Source 3D Printing

Makibox A6: Shipping Soon?

You might recall the Makibox A6, billed as a “$300 3D Printer”? We wrote on it in February 2012, quite a long time ago, and evidently they have not shipped product yet, although you can see the progression of their project in great detail on their blog, from prototyping to production.    But that may… Continue reading Makibox A6: Shipping Soon?

The LumiFold 3D Printer

Only days after the launch of the first USD$100 3D printer, another very similar, but not quite as inexpensive, resin-based 3D printer launched: the LumiFold.    Like the Peachy, the LumiFold uses photo-curable resin as its printing process. Also unlike the Peachy, the LumiFold uses a DLP projector as the source for its photo-curing light,… Continue reading The LumiFold 3D Printer

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The Deltaprintr

The Deltaprintr is about to launch on Kickstarter. It’s a personal 3D printer with a difference: the device uses a delta mechanism instead of the traditional cartesian XYZ axes.      It’s easier to understand if you watch the video. The extruder is oriented by changes (or deltas) in the three vertical posts instead of… Continue reading The Deltaprintr

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The Peachy 3D Printer is Looking Very Peachy

We wrote earlier this week on the launch Peachy, a new 3D printer with some very revolutionary features. It, like many new ventures, used crowdfunding to get started.    With a Kickstarter goal of USD$50,000, it was inevitable that they’d hit it. They did the first day. But what happened next?    So far they’ve… Continue reading The Peachy 3D Printer is Looking Very Peachy

Form 1 Shipping Update

The spectacular Kickstarter launch of Formlabs months ago was just the first part. A large number of orders merely indicates strong interest in a product. We reserved judgement until we saw that Formlabs was able to deliver the numerous Form 1 personal 3D printers. Now we have evidence of that success.    Formlabs has posted… Continue reading Form 1 Shipping Update

The Ultimaker 2 3D Printer

Ultimaker has long been regarded as one of the fastest and most reliable personal 3D printers. But it’s been quite a while since it was released. Now the company has announced a new version: Ultimaker 2.    The new unit is not simply more attractive with its shiny case:    Every part has been redesigned… Continue reading The Ultimaker 2 3D Printer

More ProDesk3D Details Revealed

You might recall the very mysterious ProDesk3D printer from botObjects that is said to be an inexpensive, full color personal 3D printer.    A grand claim indeed, as no one can yet explain how an inexpensive 3D printer can manage multi-color printing. Many current 3D printers are multi-color in the sense of “switching” from one… Continue reading More ProDesk3D Details Revealed

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The Zim 3D Personal Printer

It’s another week and obviously time for another new 3D printer launch on Kickstarter. This week the Zim 3D printer launched, hoping to raise funds for its first production run.    With new 3D printers launch almost daily, it is very difficult for new entrants to distinguish themselves above the other offerings. What does Zim… Continue reading The Zim 3D Personal Printer

ZEUS: Another 3D Copy and Print Machine

It’s another week and another 3D print “all-in-one” device has emerged to join the likes of Radiant Fabrication’s Lionhead and the Mebotics Microfactory: the ZEUS by AIO Robotics of Los Angeles.    This project delivers four functions: 3D Scan, 3D Print, 3D Copy and 3D Fax, simulating the existence of multiple devices in a single… Continue reading ZEUS: Another 3D Copy and Print Machine

DealExtreme Sells 3D Printers

Another major retailer sells 3D printers: Deal Extreme, one of the more popular online shops for electronics equipment, now sells the Heacent 3D printer kit.    The Heacent 3DP02 kit is from a Chinese manufacturer and is based on the tried-and-true RepRap Prusa Mendel design. It’s specifications include a 200x200x100mm build volume equipped with a… Continue reading DealExtreme Sells 3D Printers

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Radiant Fabrication’s Lionhead and Li

It could be trend: all-in-one 3D printer/scanner devices seem to pop up daily this week. We’re looking at Radiant Fabrication’s Lionhead device, which boasts 3D printing and scanning functionality.    Radiant Fabrication’s strategy seems to be simplification. They believe more sales are possible if machine use is easy for use by general consumers, embodied by… Continue reading Radiant Fabrication’s Lionhead and Li

The da Vinci Personal 3D Printer

There’s very few details available about the XYZPrinting da Vinci F1.0 3D printer, made by the team of Taiwan-based Kinpo Electronics and Cal-Comp Electronics, subsidiaries of the Kinpo Group.    We do know that the device will sell for only USD$499, one the absolute lowest-priced filament-driven personal 3D printers available today.    The new machine… Continue reading The da Vinci Personal 3D Printer

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3D Printer History: The Festo iFab 3D Printer

We ran across an experimental 3D printer developed years ago by Festo, a German industrial conglomerate. The iFab was designed in 2009 by Festo’s Bionic Learning Network, but seems to have never been marketed publicly.    The iFab is an early example of a non-cartesian 3D printer. “Cartesian” 3D printers use standard “X-Y-Z” movements as… Continue reading 3D Printer History: The Festo iFab 3D Printer

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

It Does Everything: The FABotum

A new Indiegogo project hopes to develop the FABotum, a multidiscipline manufacturing device. Actually, it’s full name is the “FABtotum Multipurpose Desktop Personal Fabricator”.   Wait, what kind of a machine is that? This machine is actually a combination of several manufacturing processes, including 3D printing. The FABotum also includes CNC (cutting) capability and 3D… Continue reading It Does Everything: The FABotum

The Flashforge Creator 3D Printer

If you think the Flashforge Creator looks quite a bit like MakerBot’s original replicator, you’d be correct. It seems that Flashforge has used the Rep’s open source design to produce their version, the Creator. But there are some differences as we’ll see.    The Creator is sold in two models, the Creator, which includes two… Continue reading The Flashforge Creator 3D Printer

The Isis One 3D Printer

There’s quite a story behind the design of the Isis One personal 3D printer. The creators of this just-released device recognized the numerous problems inherent in current RepRap machine designs: first layer adhesion, bed leveling, Z-axis stability, noise, support structures, extrusion skipping and much more.    Their engineering team methodically pursued each issue, gradually building… Continue reading The Isis One 3D Printer

NASA’s 3D Microdispenser

NASA often provides small amounts of funding to check out some pretty unusual ideas. One of the projects they’re currently funding is the feasibility of an advanced biocomposite microdispening system.    Wait, what the heck is that? We told you this was an unusual idea! The proposition is to use micro-components already available in the… Continue reading NASA’s 3D Microdispenser

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

The Kossel Clear Full Sized Delta 3D Printer

Looking to build an unusual 3D printer? You might consider Blue Eagle Labs’ Kossel Clear 3D printer kit. It’s a delta 3D printer, which employs a different mechanical approach than traditional linear X-Y-Z methods such as Cubify and MakerBot. The delta approach involves suspending the single extruder by three legs which are precisely moved along… Continue reading The Kossel Clear Full Sized Delta 3D Printer

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The Bukito Portable 3D Printer

A new “sturdy, fast and portable” 3D printer is available on Kickstarter. The Bukito Portable 3D Printer by Deezmaker has already raised USD$100K to launch their new machine, so it seems that people are interested in 3D printing portability.    This is not the first 3D printer for Deezmaker; they previous released the Bukobot last… Continue reading The Bukito Portable 3D Printer

A Homebuilt Sugar 3D Printer

RepRap Blogger Jordan Miller reports on an experiment building a unique 3D printer capable of producing sweet sugar glass to aid his bioengineering research. The key problem revolved around being able to use Miller’s BariCUDA extruder, an air pressure-powered extruder. The BariCUDA weighs several pounds and would be difficult to move quickly or accurately with… Continue reading A Homebuilt Sugar 3D Printer

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3D Printers too Pricey? Build a LEGO One

While the price of 3D printers continues to plummet, for some the cost is still too high.  To help solve this problem, Instructables author Matthew Krueger, also known as Mastermind, created a 3D printer from LEGOs he found lying around his house.   Krueger’s project started as a practical exercise. During college Matthew became interested… Continue reading 3D Printers too Pricey? Build a LEGO One

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Leapfrog’s Startling 3D Printing Resolution Improvement

  The quality of a 3D print is often measured by the layer size. That represents the size of the incremental layers put down by the extruder (or other mechanism) of the 3D printer. The smaller the layer, the finer and smoother the surface finish becomes.     The first personal 3D printers that emerged… Continue reading Leapfrog’s Startling 3D Printing Resolution Improvement

The Velleman K8200 3D Printer

With the news that UK electronics retailer Maplin now sells the Velleman K8200 3D printer, we thought we’d better take a look at this new device.    The K8200 is a plastic filament 3D printer, as most inexpensive 3D printers are. It accepts both ABS and PLA plastic from generic suppliers, avoiding the need for… Continue reading The Velleman K8200 3D Printer