More developments on hobby 3D resin printers: the team at MiiCraft, which we described the other week, have launched a fundraising campaign to develop their 3D printer – and you can own one, too! Their campaign on Indiegogo has a goal of USD$100,000 raised by July 20th. So far they’re nowhere near that level,… Continue reading The MiiCraft 3D Printer Available Soon
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B9 Is 350!
Some weeks ago we informed you on the new B9Creator resin-based 3D printer project on KickStarter. Resin 3D printers promise super-high resolution and fast prints, but they’re outside the mainstream personal 3D printing technology, which has been plastic extrusion. We wondered how the community would react to the emergence and possibility of owning such… Continue reading B9 Is 350!
The Up! Mini Personal 3D Printer
The Up! personal 3D printer from China produces terrific output and it’s been around for a couple of years now – but now manufacturer Delta Microfactory Corporation announced an entirely new product: the Up! Mini. While they’re still going to offer the original Up!, the new Mini focuses on lowering costs. The new product… Continue reading The Up! Mini Personal 3D Printer
The Fabbster’s Mechanism
One of the vendors on display at Rapid 2012 was Fabbster, makers of a very interesting 3D printer kit. At first glance the Fabbster appears to be yet another RepRap variant, but when you look closer there’s a very big difference. The print material for the Fabbster is not standard, coiled plastic filament. It’s… Continue reading The Fabbster’s Mechanism
Inside the Stratasys Mojo 3D Printer
One of the benefits of attending an event like Rapid 2012 is the ability to see, touch and literally get inside the latest 3D printing equipment. At this year’s show we were able to examine Stratasys’s most recent announcement, the sub-USD$10K Mojo 3D printer, for which we wrote a detailed analysis when it was announced earlier.… Continue reading Inside the Stratasys Mojo 3D Printer
The Mcor Iris Color 3D Printer
Irish-based Mcor announced a new 3D printer: the Mcor Iris. The Iris is a major twist on their unique paper-based 3D printing approach; it provides full color 3D printing. We examined a sample print (video above) at Rapid 2012 and found it to be an amazingly colorful landscape. While some 3D printer manufacturers have… Continue reading The Mcor Iris Color 3D Printer
Objet Announces the Objet 30 Pro
The mystery is no longer: Objet indeed announced a new printer, the Objet 30 Pro. At first glance the Objet Pro 30 is much like the Objet 30, but there’s a major difference. The 30 Pro is capable of printing with two new materials: The Vero Clear and High-Temp materials. This means you can… Continue reading Objet Announces the Objet 30 Pro
Veloso 3D Printer Update
It’s not looking good for Junior Veloso’s 3D printer initiative. Two things have emerged that could well affect the success of Veloso’s high-resolution resin-based 3D printer project: Funding and Competition. First, the funding. Veloso opened a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo with a goal of raising USD$300,000 by May 31st. As of this writing, the… Continue reading Veloso 3D Printer Update
The B9Creator 3D Printer
It seems that KickStarter is chock full of 3D printers kits these days and every week there is a new startup company with an improvement to the latest designs. This week we’re looking at the B9Creator 3D Printer. Michael Joyce’s B9Creator is a resin-based 3D printer, unlike most other inexpensive 3D printers that are… Continue reading The B9Creator 3D Printer
A New 3D Printer From Objet?
There’s something brewing at Objet, makers of the Connex line of commercial 3D printers. First we saw a mysterious art exhibition of color objects apparently produced on a color-capable Objet 3D printer – but there are no color-capable Objet 3D printers! Then we hear that Objet issued a press release indicating the art was produced… Continue reading A New 3D Printer From Objet?
You May Now Order Your Cube
First announced in January of this year, 3D Systems’ latest personal 3D printer, the Cube, is now available for pre-order. The highly consumer-oriented device first came to light at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, where its ease of use features were very noticeable. The USD$1299 device was not available then, and actually isn’t yet… Continue reading You May Now Order Your Cube
The BukoBot 3D Printer
Yet another 3D printer kit has appeared on KickStarter, the Bukobot 3D printer by Diego Porqueras of Pasadena, California. As there have been many such startups emerge in this manner, the challenge for any of them is to put themselves ahead of the pack. What makes the Bukobot different? There are several features Porqueras… Continue reading The BukoBot 3D Printer
The Mojo 3D Printer
Today Stratasys announced a new FDM 3D printer for designers, architects and other professionals – but it’s very different from anything you’ve seen before. It includes a couple of revolutionary features that we’re certain you’ll find very interesting. The Mojo 3D printer is more like a 2D paper printer than anything we’ve seen. The… Continue reading The Mojo 3D Printer
MakerBot Discontinues the Thing-O-Matic
Personal 3D printer manufacturer MakerBot has announced their popular Thing-O-Matic 3D printer will no longer be offered for sale. They have, of course, replaced it in their product line with the much more capable (and fully assembled) Replicator device. Today you’ll find only spare parts for the Thing-O-Matic. The Thing-O-Matic was a breakthrough device… Continue reading MakerBot Discontinues the Thing-O-Matic
Solidoodle 2 Announced
Readers may recall the original Solidoodle 3D printer. Now you can buy the Solidoodle 2, an improved version for sale at a price under USD$500. The new 3D printer’s price is its most amazing feature. At USD$499, that’s pretty much the lowest you can spend to buy a pre-assembled personal 3D printer that really works. … Continue reading Solidoodle 2 Announced
The ZPrinter 850 is Announced
3D Systems and their recent acquisition, ZCorp, announced the availability of their most gigantic 3D printer yet, the ZPrinter 850. The 850 is capable of 3D printing large objects in full color using its powder-based printing approach. This beast is similar to the smaller model 650, but with a larger build area. The new… Continue reading The ZPrinter 850 is Announced
The Asiga 3D Printer
With all the chatter recently surrounding inexpensive high-resolution resin 3D printers, we encountered a commercial resin 3D printer worthy of mention. The Asiga Pico is a relatively low-priced unit that not only provides high resolution models, but also has a very friendly footprint. The device weighs only 10Kg (22 lbs) and has a floor… Continue reading The Asiga 3D Printer
BotMill Drops Pricing
We were just informed by BotMill chief Gil Mayron that they’ve changed pricing for their Axis 3D printer kit. The Axis 3D printer kit, based on the RepRap design, is now offered officially for USD$999, breaking the important USD$1,000 barrier. This kit includes not only the printer parts, but also all tools required… Continue reading BotMill Drops Pricing
The MiiCraft Hi-Res 3D Printer
Another resin-based personal 3D printer is in the works, as pointed out by Ponoko. The MiiCraft team have been working on a device that cures resin with UV light provided by a DLP Pico Projector. They don’t have a product available yet, but their goal is to produce one by June 2012 and price… Continue reading The MiiCraft Hi-Res 3D Printer
Veloso 3D Printer Update
In an unusual post by Junior Veloso, the inventor attempts to clarify the nature of the shockingly powerful 3D printer his company is now developing. Evidently the project has been questioned by many who wonder about the quality and cost of the build kit. The kit is set to cost a rather scary USD$4,000.… Continue reading Veloso 3D Printer Update
Chocolate 3D Printer Now Available
The folks at the University of Exeter who were experimenting with 3D printed chocolate that actually tastes good have spun off the technology into a commercial venture, Choc Edge. Their first product, the Choc Creator V1, is now available for pre-order. What is it? It’s a true 3D printer that is specifically designed to… Continue reading Chocolate 3D Printer Now Available
$600 Resin 3D Printer Kit Available
3D printer inventor Junior Veloso has transformed his home experiments in ultra-high resolution resin-based 3D printing into a business launch. The as yet unnamed 3D printer is now available in kit form for pre-order on Indiegogo at a cost of only USD$599. The USD$599 is actually the price for a “Basic Kit” that includes… Continue reading $600 Resin 3D Printer Kit Available
Resin-Based 3D Printer Developments
We’ve observed a few developments in resin-based 3D printing recently. While most personal 3D printers today use the fused deposition modeling approach (melted plastic squirted in a precise path, layer by layer), the resin approach is very different and in many ways offers advantages. The resin approach involves light-curable liquid resin. Simply illuminate the… Continue reading Resin-Based 3D Printer Developments
Optomec’s LENS 3D Printers
Is that 3D object you just printed weak? Does it bend, break or snap loudly if you give it a loving squeeze? If so, you might consider 3D printing it in metal instead of wimpy plastic. But how, you say? My printer can’t do metal! If that’s the case, you might want to… Continue reading Optomec’s LENS 3D Printers
The Indymaker Color 3D Printer
Finally – we’ve been waiting for this! Maker Doug Keenan of Indianapolis has designed a personal 3D printer that has a very unique feature: Four Color Printing. The Indymaker Color 3D Printer accepts up to four plastic filament spools, which may be of different colors. A special switch delivers different color plastic to the print… Continue reading The Indymaker Color 3D Printer
Rapidshape’s 3D Printers
Have you heard of Rapidshape’s line of 3D printers? The one year old German-based company markets several units that focus on jewelry development, as they have significant experience in the lost wax casting process. Rapidshare currently offers three different models: the S60 mini, midi and maxi. These printers use a photo-sensitive resin to form… Continue reading Rapidshape’s 3D Printers
HP Launches a New 3D Printer. Not!
We suddenly awoke to read the startling headline: “HP launches new 3D printer” and envisioned a grand update to HP’s long-term relationship with Stratasys. Perhaps a new low-cost 3D printer is now available? Maybe even a consumer version? Um, no. They launched the HP Topshot Laserjet Pro M275 in the UAE today. What… Continue reading HP Launches a New 3D Printer. Not!
Fabbster Beta Launch
The mysterious Fabbster 3D printer that we first wrote about last year is becoming less mysterious. The device, made by German-based Sintermask GmbH is about to be launched in a beta program. First, here’s the highlights of the new 3D printer: Large build envelope: 23 x 23 x 21 cm Incredible print speed… Continue reading Fabbster Beta Launch
The $300 Desktop 3D Printer?
Another 3D printer startup has emerged: the Makibox A6, billed as: “The $300 Desktop 3D Printer”. The project is led by Jon Buford, who hopes to raise USD$40,000 by the end of February through the funding site Makible. Buford says: “we’ve set out to build the most affordable, compact, and easy to use 3D printer… Continue reading The $300 Desktop 3D Printer?
3D Print Meat With Your Imagine 3D Printer
We spoke with Essential Dynamics Sales Manager, Stevie Green regarding their new personal 3D printer, the Imagine 3D Printer. As we reported earlier, this printer is unique among ready-to-go assembled personal 3D printers as it uses syringes instead of the more common hot plastic extruders. This means it is capable of printing room-temperature gooey substances,… Continue reading 3D Print Meat With Your Imagine 3D Printer
The Imagine 3D Food Printer
There’s not a lot of information about this intriguing device, but New York-based Essential Dynamics has released their “Imagine 3D Printer”. Now we know you’ve seen a plethora of personal 3D printers explode onto the market in recent months, but this one is different. Very different. It doesn’t print plastic. The Imagine uses… Continue reading The Imagine 3D Food Printer
The Galileo 3D Printer
There is no shortage of 3D printer kits recently, as it seems everyone is now jumping on the RepRap model to develop improvements of one kind or another. We noticed yet another one today: The Galileo 3D Printer, featured on Instructables and designed by the KentStrapper team. While the Galileo is essentially a RepRap… Continue reading The Galileo 3D Printer
More on Cubify
As we mentioned the other day, 3D Systems was set to announce something big at CES and they did: plenty of details on the new Cubify system are now available. Cubify is a very comprehensive 3D printing “system” involving a new personal printer, 3D print services, an online community, a model repository, an API and… Continue reading More on Cubify
MakerBot Announces The Replicator
We anticipated some announcement action this week coinciding with the annual Consumer Electronics show and we were definitely not disappointed. Today we find 3D printer manufacturer MakerBot has announced a brand-new personal 3D printer: The Replicator! The replicator appears to be much more capable but also strongly based upon its predecessor the venerable Thing-O-Matic.… Continue reading MakerBot Announces The Replicator
Secret Cubify Project To Be Unveiled
A fascinating press release from 3D Systems describes what appears to be a whole new product line: Cubify. Is it a 3D printer? Yes. Is it 3D modeling software? Yes. Is it an online service? Yes. Whew! Several announcements bundled into one! 3D Systems is to formally announce this product in a few days… Continue reading Secret Cubify Project To Be Unveiled
The Prusa Air
The standard RepRap 3D printer designs are made to be changed and many inventors have developed modifications to improve them in various ways. One such design is Mecano’s Prusa Air, a modification of the standard Mendel design. The otherwise unrelated Prusa design provided the inspiration for the new Prusa Air through its radical efficiencies, hence… Continue reading The Prusa Air
The SUMPOD 3D Printer And Router
Time to look at another inexpensive 3D printer kit seeking funding. This one is called the SUMPOD and it’s not just a 3D printer – it’s a router as well. Designed by Richard Sum of the United Kingdom, the project now appears on IndieGoGo looking for USD$5,000 from sponsors until the close date of… Continue reading The SUMPOD 3D Printer And Router
The RepRap Food
Among the numerous successful and unsuccessful 3D printer kits seeking funding on IndieGoGo and Kickstarter is a rather unusual project: The RepRap Food Printer. The project goals are to develop a rudimentary food printer based on the trusted RepRap platform. While many food printing experiments have taken place on previous RepRaps and you can… Continue reading The RepRap Food
Printrbot Hits The Jackpot
Projects appearing on the Kickstarter public venture funding service sometimes surprise everyone with their success, but Printrbot’s results seem to make all others look bad. Their concept for a personal 3D printer was presented on Kickstarter in hopes of raising enough cash to produce a number of units and launch their business. But get this… Continue reading Printrbot Hits The Jackpot
The List of Personal 3D Printers, 2011
There’s been a rash of low-cost 3D printers emerge recently, so many that it prompted us to write on what we called the “Cambrian Explosion of 3D printers“. But what are these printers? We took the time to zip through our previous posts and came up with what we think might be the definitive list… Continue reading The List of Personal 3D Printers, 2011
BotMill Holiday Discounts
BotMill announced some serious discounts on their personal 3D printers just in time for holiday shopping. The discounts apply to both their Axis kit and assembled Glider 3D printer. The kit is discounted USD$100 to USD$990 and the Glider is discounted USD$175 to only USD$1,320. Not only that, but they’ve also now include a… Continue reading BotMill Holiday Discounts
The New Buildatron
Buildatron has released a new version of their attractive personal 3D printer, the Buildatron Series 2. Like its predecessor, the Series 2 includes that very cool wedge-shaped metal case we believe is unique among personal 3D printers. But what’s different about this version as compared to the Series 1? Here’s what we found: Series… Continue reading The New Buildatron
Think You Have A Big 3D Printer?
We were contacted by Kalispell, Montana-based The Future Is 3-D after our recent post on build sizes. The post discussed the ultimately not useful statistic of cost per build size. Nevertheless, this small company has been making RepRap Mendel-based 3D printers for over a year and specializes in large build sizes. They’re not kidding, either,… Continue reading Think You Have A Big 3D Printer?
MAKE Makes a MakerGear
There are two kinds of personal 3D printer owners these days: those who like to build the printer from a kit and those who’d rather pay more for an assembled version. If you’re one of the former, you’ll be interested to know that MAKE Magazine is running a series of detailed posts describing… Continue reading MAKE Makes a MakerGear
Up! 3D Printers On Sale
Want an Up! personal 3D printer? This just might be the right time to buy if you are located in the USA as they’re on sale. Up3DUSA / X-Object has a special holiday deal underway. The first 100 buyers get an astonishing ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS OFF their purchase. This takes the price from USD$3,250… Continue reading Up! 3D Printers On Sale
The FELIX 1.0 3D Printer
We simply can’t keep up with all the new low-cost 3D printer kits coming out these days, but we’ll tell you what we know about another: The FELIX 1.0, made by (of course) FELIX Printers. As this is a brand new 3D printer we don’t know a lot about it. However, scanning through their material… Continue reading The FELIX 1.0 3D Printer
Printrbot Exemplifies Ingenuity
We’ve seen a series of experimental personal 3D printers emerge over the past year, some on the KickStarter online funding service. Each experiment has an interesting idea that improves on the ideas of others, gradually moving the state of the art forward. Printrbot, made by builder Brook Drumm, includes some very interesting features, not… Continue reading Printrbot Exemplifies Ingenuity
BFB Updates the Rapman
The venerable Rapman personal 3D printer has had a bit of an update, the first, we believe, since BFB was acquired by 3D Systems. The new version, 3.2, includes a few improvements on an already terrific 3D printer kit for assembly. Here’s what we see: Touchscreen interface, likely replicated from the Rapman’s big brother,… Continue reading BFB Updates the Rapman
Formlabs Working On Secret 3D Printer?
MassHighTech noticed startup company Formlabs has just received a half million USD specifically to create a low-end 3D printer. The team apparently is two gentlemen from the MIT Media lab: Maxim Lobovsky and David Cranor. There are no specifications for the 3D printer, nor even a website for them, as far as we can… Continue reading Formlabs Working On Secret 3D Printer?
The Fabbster 3D Printer
A new personal 3D printer has suddenly emerged at this week’s Euromold conference: The Fabbster. The company behind Fabbster is Germany-based Sintermask, makers of larger commercial powder-based 3D printers. They say they wish to give everyone the power to make things at home: “Join the Revolution”. It appears that they’re now venturing into the… Continue reading The Fabbster 3D Printer
Homemade Stereolithography?
Dissatisfied with your plastic extrusion-based home 3D printer? Looking for a mechanical build challenge? Perhaps you’d be interested in checking out the Laser 3D Printer on Instructables. This project describes how to build a stereolithography (SLA) machine. You should know, however, that the SLA build process is quite different from typical RepRap-style 3D printers… Continue reading Homemade Stereolithography?
Size Counts?
We often hear people asking the question “How big an object can you print on that thing?” The answer depends on which personal 3D printer you’re talking about, because they vary in size considerably. The public’s thinking seems to be “bigger is better”. We’re not so sure. Not only do personal 3D printers vary… Continue reading Size Counts?
BotMill Glider Updated
It seems that being acquired by 3D Systems is not a bad thing, at least for the manufacturers of the BotMill Glider personal 3D printer. The BotMill Glider has just been updated to include a few new features that we found interesting: 0.35mm extruder nozzle Accepts 1.75mm plastic filament (including both PLA and ABS… Continue reading BotMill Glider Updated
Up! Is Up!Graded!
The busy technical folks at PP3DP have just released an upgraded Up! 3D printer. The popular personal 3D printer is one of the favorites for home users due to its ease of use and very high-quality output. But what’s new on the upgraded machine? They’ve changed quite a few things, but these caught our… Continue reading Up! Is Up!Graded!
The Araldite Digitalis 3D Printer
3D Systems acquired not only a materials manufacturing operation from Huntsman the other day, but also another type of 3D printer: the Araldite Digitalis. We didn’t know much about this device and thought it would be useful to find out more. Perhaps we’ll see how it fits into 3D Systems’ product line. The Digitalis… Continue reading The Araldite Digitalis 3D Printer
The iModela IM-01 “3D Printer”
We’ve been reading a ton of posts from various online services talking about Japan-based Roland’s new “iModela 3D Printer”. This fully assembled device is able to produce 3D objects upon command and retails for under USD$1000. The iModela IM-01 comes with software to design your objects, a travel case and there’s even an online community… Continue reading The iModela IM-01 “3D Printer”
Unlimited 3D Printing For Only $10K?
We’ve found out a bit more about MCOR’s intriguing free 3D printing program, called “freeDrevolution”. As we wrote earlier, the idea is to give you (literally) a free commercial 3D printer (the MCOR Matrix, of course) and then you simply pay a flat fee to cover all printing costs – including maintenance and supplies. In… Continue reading Unlimited 3D Printing For Only $10K?
More on the 3D Systems Projet 1500
We’ve obtained some additional information about 3D Systems’ new low-cost commercial color 3D printer, the Projet 1500. Priced at slightly under USD$15,000, this device has quite a few very interesting features that we noticed while perusing 3D Systems’ documentation. Here’s the highlights of our scan through their material: Front panel has a window for… Continue reading More on the 3D Systems Projet 1500
More on the Solidoodle 3D Printer
After yesterday’s post on the new Solidoodle 3D printer, we spoke with team leader Sam Cervantes, who answered some key questions were pondering. Fabbaloo: Why another 3D printer? Aren’t there several for sale already? What makes Solidoodle different? Sam Cervantes: Some people love to put complicated machines together and that’s great – it’s… Continue reading More on the Solidoodle 3D Printer
The Solidoodle 3D Printer
Yet another inexpensive 3D printer has emerged: the Solidoodle. The amusingly named device is unique because it is, as far as we can tell, the only fully assembled personal 3D printer currently available at a price under USD$1000: their price is only USD$699. But that’s their introductory price. The final price is no doubt a… Continue reading The Solidoodle 3D Printer
The Mosaic 3D Printer
MakerGear, that wonderful online source for all kinds of 3D printing goodness, launched the Mosaic 3D Printer this past summer. The Mosaic is similar to several other inexpensive 3D printer kits. This item comes in three forms: The basic kit, for USD$799 The “Plus” version for USD$999, which adds a heated build platform and… Continue reading The Mosaic 3D Printer
The New ProJet 1500 From 3D Systems
3D Systems has released a new personal 3D printer, the ProJet 1500. This device is priced at under USD$15,000 and seems to compete directly with Stratasys’s popular uPrint device. The ProJet 1500 is billed as a color printer, since it is capable of using cartridges with some six different colors: White, Red, Grey, Blue,… Continue reading The New ProJet 1500 From 3D Systems
More on the Origo 3D Printer For Kids
We contacted Joris Peels, one of the founders of the Origo 3D printer for Kids and also a long-time friend of Fabbaloo to find out more about this interesting venture. Here’s our interview: Fabbaloo: Why kids? Joris Peels: Artur and I both want to let anyone make anything. Making is an ability… Continue reading More on the Origo 3D Printer For Kids
More on the 3DTouch 3D Printer
After yesterday’s announcement from 3D Systems / BFB on their new 3DTouch printer, we sought additional details. Today we’ve learned a few more things about this very interesting device, including why it’s called the “3DTouch”. Check out the much more detailed image above (click for larger view). Here’s our latest findings: The “touch”… Continue reading More on the 3DTouch 3D Printer
BFB Announces 3DTouch 3D Printer
Just as the TCT conference commences, Bits From Bytes has suddenly announced a new 3D printer for their catalog: the 3DTouch 3D Printer. Details are scarce, and we’re seeking more, but for now this printer seems to supersede the very popular BFB 3000 series. In fact, the 3DTouch appears visually very similar to… Continue reading BFB Announces 3DTouch 3D Printer
Origo, The 3D Printer for Kids
You might think 3D printing is hard. Well, it certainly can be. But now Artur Tchoukanov and Fabbaloo friend Joris Peels’ new venture Origo attempts to change all that. They’re making Origo – a 3D printer specifically designed for children. Imagine what ten-year olds could do with a 3D printer! The question we’d immediately… Continue reading Origo, The 3D Printer for Kids
RepRap Price Points
Neil Underwood posted a great summary of pricing options for getting your own RepRap 3D printer. His analysis shows three different price levels, ranging from a full-on everything-you’d-possibly-want version for USD$850 to a very basic, just-enough-to-say-you-did-it USD$350 version. There’s also a more practical level at USD$550 for a “realistically cheap prusa model”. Be sure… Continue reading RepRap Price Points
Homemade Stereo Lithography
Maker Rob Hopeless developed a primitive stereo lithography 3D printer. For those unfamiliar with “SLA”, it’s a 3D printing technique involving shooting a laser beam at a vat of liquid plastic resin and gradually solidifying that resin into the desired solid object. While most hobbyists attempt to make thermal plastic extruder-based 3D printers, Rob attempted… Continue reading Homemade Stereo Lithography
Up! Gets A Stepper
PP3DP, makers of the popular Up! personal 3D printer announced they’re upgrading their filament feeder in a significant way. Their original feeder involved a DC motor and mechanical switch, which limits the accuracy of prints as the DC motor takes a while to start up and spin down when electricity is applied. This means you’re… Continue reading Up! Gets A Stepper
Big Robot Comes to Life
Those guys at Metrix Create:Space think big. Really big. This time their experiment is to create the “Big Robot”, a rather large HDPE-extruding 3D printer. They’re not building it from scratch, but rather they’ve adapted an ancient DynaCNC 1000 router table by replacing the cutter with an enormous RepRap-style extruder. This massive extruder is… Continue reading Big Robot Comes to Life
Hi Res Home 3D Printer Update
We’re perusing Junior Veloso’s blog – he’s the fellow who’s developing a very high-resolution personal 3D printer. The device is quite different from most home RepRap-derived 3D printers in that it doesn’t heat and extrude plastic. Instead, Veloso’s printer uses light to solidify resin, layer by layer. The results are pretty amazing – click the… Continue reading Hi Res Home 3D Printer Update
Concrete Printing at Loughborough U
Principle Investigator Dr. Richard Buswell of Loughborough University in the UK leads a project to develop a method of 3D printing concrete building components that’s been ongoing for several years. The components could potentially accommodate pre-made services, such as piping or electrical. The project will also enable the production of building geometries not easily done… Continue reading Concrete Printing at Loughborough U
All About Ultimaker
Jon Kalish digs deep into the history and motivation behind the development of the amazing Ultimaker 3D printer in a new Make magazine article. Ultimaker, created by Erik De Bruijn and Martijn Elserman, was an attempt to create a better 3D printer based on the RepRap model – but they soon discovered they could start… Continue reading All About Ultimaker
Up! 3D Printer Assembly In Detail
Up! 3D printers seem to be growing in popularity, perhaps because of their highly functional software, but perhaps also because they have pretty solid hardware. In a new video from PP3DP, we can see what it takes to put together an Up! 3D printer – which turns out to be not particularly difficult. In… Continue reading Up! 3D Printer Assembly In Detail
eMaker Increases Capacity in an Unusual Way
You’ll recall that 3D printer manufacturer eMaker recently ran an IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds to kickstart their company. The campaign was wildly successful, raising not their intended USD$30K, but instead well over USD$158K! Today they’ve announced a change in their manufacturing strategy that permits them to produce not 150 machines as was originally… Continue reading eMaker Increases Capacity in an Unusual Way
A 3D Printer Made of LEGO?
It’s true – Instructables user graphmastur has designed a RepRap-style 3D printer entirely out of LEGO parts. While he was obviously unable to attach a high-temp plastic extruder, he has included a common Sharpie marker pen instead. This enables the LEGO 3D printer to operate as a pen plotter. Why is graphmastur doing this?… Continue reading A 3D Printer Made of LEGO?
The Objet260 Connex Hints at Future Collision
Objet has announced a new commercial 3D printer: the Objet260 Connex. This device is intended to be used in office scenarios, as it is slightly smaller and less expensive than its big brother, the Objet 350 Connex. The new printer is quite similar to the 350, as it seems to share many of the internal… Continue reading The Objet260 Connex Hints at Future Collision
eMAKER Hits The Jackpot
The other week we wrote of eMAKER’s crowdsourced fundraising initiative to kick start their production of a low-priced entry-level 3D printer kit. They hoped to raise up to USD$30,000 by July 1st. They kinda did that. And more. They closed out at USD$158,685. That’s 5.2895 times their target! We’re amazed at the level… Continue reading eMAKER Hits The Jackpot
X-Object Sells Up!
We’ve just noticed another reseller of PP3DP’s Up! personal 3D printer: [x]Object. Shipment apparently starts today, July 1st, and pricing is organized around three bundles that we haven’t yet seen from other Up! resellers. The bundles are: UP! Start Plus USD$2950. This appears to be close to the same Up! models sold elsewhere. UP!… Continue reading X-Object Sells Up!
End Of The Beginning for MakerBot?
MakerBot sold their very last CupCake 3D printer kit and now offer only parts for that classic 3D printer. We think the CupCake was a very special device as it was really the first popular consumer 3D printer. In spite of the limitations and peculiarities of the original CupCake, including smallish build size, the… Continue reading End Of The Beginning for MakerBot?
The Solar Sinter Project
While home 3D printers typical heat/melt plastic to produce objects, Markus Kayser has developed an eco-friendly 3D printer for “desert manufacturing” using only sand as the print material. The Solar Sinter focuses the heat of the sun to a small point using a large, sun-tracking fresnel lens. The focal point is so hot it… Continue reading The Solar Sinter Project
The BotMill Axis PLUS Assembled 3D Printer
Speaking of assembled 3D printers, which seems to be a sudden trend in the hobby 3D printer industry lately, there’s another one you might want to consider: the BotMill Axis PLUS. This RepRap-based device is priced at only USD$1195, far lower than other assembled 3D printers. Well, it’s not *completely* assembled. BotMill says: “All you… Continue reading The BotMill Axis PLUS Assembled 3D Printer
The RepRap’s Heritage
The eyechart above (click for a larger, almost readable view) represents the family tree for virtually all low-cost 3D printers today. Almost all of them were derived directly or indirectly from the original RepRap project. We’ve written about many of these devices over the past few years, and we expect that this family tree will… Continue reading The RepRap’s Heritage
eMAKER Sells The Huxley
Yet another source for RepRap-based hobby 3D printers has emerged: eMAKER. They’re producing Huxley kits in several configurations (including one with no printed parts for those who already have a 3D printer and wish to produce as much of their new Huxley as possible themselves.) The kit isn’t quite official. eMAKER is running a… Continue reading eMAKER Sells The Huxley
Big News From MakerBot
In a huge departure from their standard approach, MakerBot is now offering a completely assembled Thing-O-Matic 3D printer option! Previously, MakerBot offered only kits and focused heavily on those who enjoy assembling them. But now there’s an option for people who feel printer assembly is beyond their abilities or time. The assembled Thing-O-Matic contains… Continue reading Big News From MakerBot
The BFB 3000 Plus
BFB’s already-assembled inexpensive 3D printer has now become the BFB 3000 Plus. The new version is very similar to the original BFB 3000, but has several enhancements. Our understanding is that the Plus’s improvements focus on two aspects: simplifying ease of use and machine quality. The machine’s print bed is easier to adjust and… Continue reading The BFB 3000 Plus
The Teeniest 3D Printer?
Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology have produced what they believe to be the world’s smallest 3D printer. This device is “about the size of a milk carton”, and should cost only €1200. The resin-based printer (which solidifies each of the object’s layers successively in a vat of plastic resin with LEDs) has a… Continue reading The Teeniest 3D Printer?
Hands On With The BFB 3000: Software
We’re continuing to evaluate the BFB 3000 3D printer, this time we’re focusing on the software experience. Previously we’ve looked at the unboxing and setup as well as its operation. Why focus on the software? Isn’t this all about the printer itself? We believe the entire experience is important, from end to end. And… Continue reading Hands On With The BFB 3000: Software
Hands On With The BFB 3000: Operation
In last week’s post we described the unboxing and set up of the BFB 3000 printer, which turned out to be a pretty good experience. Today we’re discussing the operation of the 3000. If you’re like us and have a dose of shiny object syndrome, you’ll definitely like the 3000. It’s a beauty to… Continue reading Hands On With The BFB 3000: Operation
The Mysterious BluePrinter
We’ve found another 3D printer manufacturer: the Denmark-based BluePrinter, but we can’t tell you much about it. The only information is a one-page website that not only includes the logo above, but also this enticing description: Blueprinter develops a 3D printer, which is based on Selective Heat Sintering (SHS). The proprietary SHS technology produces… Continue reading The Mysterious BluePrinter
Hands On With The BFB 3000: Unboxing and Setup
Fabbaloo Labs has obtained a brand-new, two-headed BFB 3000 3D printer for detailed experimentation and evaluation. We’ll talk about our unboxing and setup experience in this post, while upcoming posts will focus on the 3000’s operation and software. The BFB 3000 ships in a rather large 38kg box. It’s large for one obvious reason:… Continue reading Hands On With The BFB 3000: Unboxing and Setup
The 2Bot ModelMaker
It’s not exactly a 3D printer, but more of a 3D cutter. The 2Bot ModelMaker is intended for architects and students to print 3D representations of landscapes, layouts and terrain. From what we see, it appears to be a 50lb computer controlled drill that traverses an inexpensive 12″ x 12″ x 2″ foam board,… Continue reading The 2Bot ModelMaker
Eat Your Face?
Easter is the time when many people eat massive quantities of chocolate, often in the shape of “bunnies”. But what about other representations? MIT researcher David Carr has developed this thought by creating a CNC-like machine that scans your face and carves it into a chunk of chocolate. A chocolate face-printer. It seems rather… Continue reading Eat Your Face?
Junior Veloso Is Really Hi-Res
We’ve written about Junior Veloso’s fascinating experiment in constructing a homemade resin-based 3D printer, but he’s recently made significant progress in developing the quality of his 3D prints. Just take a look at the image above and we’re sure you’ll agree he’s on the right track. The left side is printed at an incredible “50… Continue reading Junior Veloso Is Really Hi-Res
3D Print Objects In Wood
Amazing? Yes. Inevitable? Probably. A huge step forward? Definitely! Of what do we speak? It’s Freedom of Creation’s latest successful venture into 3D printing using wood as the print material. Their new “Tree-D Printing” process involves using actual sawdust as print material. Their process is powder-based (or in this case, “sawdust-based”, we suppose) in… Continue reading 3D Print Objects In Wood