One makes planes, the other designs race cars. It would seem that on face value Boeing and Lotus Racing have little in common aside from a need for speed. However, just beneath the surface both companies rely on different permutations of the same physical processes to achieve success.
Usage
Maersk Tankers is 3D Printing at Sea
Shipping titan Maersk is experimenting with on-board 3D printing.
A 3D Printed Jet Engine That Kinda Works
Can you build a working jet engine using a 3D printer? Not really, but this looks a lot like a real engine.
3D Printing UAVs Onboard Aircraft
Future 3D printers may be much more advanced than we see today, but that hasn’t stopped engineers at BAE Systems from imagining what one could do with them.
Willy Wagner’s Hidden 3D Printing
Custom eyewear site Willy Wagner makes heavy use of 3D printing. But you’d never know it.
OpenReflex Revisited
Remember the guy who 3D printed a real, live, working optical camera? He’s doing it again, only this time it’s a lot more advanced.
Sols Will 3D Print Foot Comfort
We’re checking out a new venture that uses 3D printing to create custom made orthotics: Sols.
3D Printed UAV will Auto-Follow; Film Sports Exploits
Extreme sports enthusiasts will never miss a flip, turn or jump again with the new AirDog and AirLeash products from Latvia-based Helico Aerospace Industries.
Finally: 3D Printed Personalized Earbuds
OwnPhones will be the first venture to produce custom-fitting 3D printed earbuds.
Made In Space Soon Will Be
This August you’ll see a real 3D printer operating in outer space. The folks at Made In Space announced their space-capable 3D printer will fly on the SpaceX Dragon CRS-4 flight this summer.
The FBI’s 3D Printer
The US FBI has acquired an Objet24 commercial 3D printer. What would they be doing with it?
Construction Steelwork Makes its 3D Printing Premiere
Using the latest 3D printing techniques, or more accurately, ‘additive manufacturing’ – the Arup team has produced a design method for critical structural steel elements for use in complex projects.
More Details on SpaceX’s 3D Printed Rocket Engine
We’ve found some additional details on SpaceX’s surprising 3D printed SuperDraco rocket engine.
SpaceX Takes a Huge Step with 3D Printing
If you are like us, you would have been watching SpaceX unveil their astonishing new spacecraft, the Dragon V2.
Windform Used to Build Generative Orthotics
In conjunction with MHOX Design, CRP Group has created bespoke orthosis to correct misaligned limbs.
Shark Material Produced by 3D Printing
Shark skin is quite rough yet allows rapid swimming, for those of you who haven’t been up close with the notorious fish, but now the nature of the skin has been duplicated with 3D printing.
You Can Now 3D Print Personalized Insoles
RSscan and Materialise have teamed up to create RSPrint, a new joint venture that is capable of scanning human feet and 3D printing custom insoles that precisely fit the scanned human.
Rezvani Supercar Uses 3D Printed Components
In the past year a good number of car companies began experimenting with 3D printing, wondering how it could help their performance, manufacturing and design. For automotive startup Rezvani Motors 3D printing was key to saving weight in its BEAST 500 supercar.
Tokyo Man Busted for 3D Printed Weapons
According to a report on NHK and BBC, Tokyo resident Yoshitomo Imura has been arrested by Japanese police.
3D Scan That Building – With A Drone
We’re looking at a project that makes 3D scans of large objects a lot easier – by using drones.
Cheap 3D Printed Lens Could Help Detect Disease
Researchers at the Australian National University have created an inexpensive 3D printed lens that can attach to a smartphone and detect some skin diseases.
There’s a Lot More to Natasha’s 3D Printed Leg
We have obtained more details of the sequence of events that led to Natasha Hope-Simpson gaining a custom-designed 3D printed prosthetic leg.
A Brilliant 3D Printing Solution to Online Shopping
We checked out an ingenious marketing approach used by a leading online diamond ring retailer, Brilliance.com.
Ten 3D Printed Sustainable Homes Produced in 24 Hours
An experimental revolution is underway in China to use 3D printing techniques to build houses. This rapid construction process was demonstrated to build ten small houses in 24 hours predominantly from recycled materials. The company behind it is Suzhou-based construction materials firm Winsun.
PUNGAS Creates New Fashion Category
A project has invented what we believe to be an entirely new category of fashion accessory: Shoe Accessories by PUNGAS.
USS Essex Has A 3D Printer Onboard
The US Navy has equipped the USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship, with a 3D printer.
3D Printing and Nanosensor Technology for Early Stage Disease Detection
Detection strategies based on nanowire offer a promising new route towards rapidly detecting diseases such as cancer. I recently reported on the successfully integration of 3D printed components with nanosensor technology in the medical journal, Point-of-Care.
Woman Receives 3D Printed Cranial Implant
For the past few years 3D printing has been making news in the world of medicine. From bioprinting sample organs for drug testing to creating custom prosthetics, additive manufacturing and 3D scanning are revolutionizing medicine.
Woman Helps Design Own 3D Printed Leg
A Nova Scotia woman involved in a terrible car accident has done something few could imagine years ago: designing a replacement limb.
Another 3D Printing Use Scenario: Enhanced Lighting
The combination of artistic 3D prints and computer-controlled LED lighting is opening up some new furniture possibilities.
Adafruit’s Cyberpunk Spikes
This is a fashion project you can build with your 3D printer. And it lights up!
Harvard Researchers Print Functional Heart Tissue
In a report delivered to the American Chemical Society, Harvard researchers state they’ve created a printed tissue that mimics natural heart muscle – working in a petri dish and when implanted in animals.
Reproducing One Giant Leap with 3D Printing
A project has used original NASA pictures to reproduce a 3D representation of Neil Armstrong’s most famous footprint.
3D Printed National Gifts
British PM David Cameron knows a bit more about 3D printing than we imagined: He’s just presented a 3D printed gift to Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Design of the Week: 3D Printed Tape Measure
This week’s selection is the astonishing 3D printed tape measure by YouTube user angrymonk55.
Oh, Just a 3D Printed Boat
Jim Smith has made a habit of building massive 3D printers, but now he’s used them to create an even larger project: a 3D printed kayak. Several years ago Smith created a homebuilt extrusion-based 3D printer with a build volume of 403 x 403 x 322 mm. He’s been tuning and modifying it since, most… Continue reading Oh, Just a 3D Printed Boat
Taipei’s Mobile 3D Printer
Fabraft, a Taipei-based design company has combined 3D printing, trash picking and a bicycle to create something very unusual.
3D Printed Barbie Armor In Development
A new Kickstarter project hopes to create a suit of armor for Barbie dolls that you will be able to download.
Win a Free 3D Printed Flexible Bag
Conventional bag-maker Kipling has done the unconventional: created a 3D printed bag – that you might get for free.
A 3D Printing House Becomes Reality
We’ve written many times on the idea of building homes with large-format 3D printers, but now it’s really happening.
Arabic Style Ceiling Produced With 3D Printing
123D member Mark Leonard created an amazing ceiling fixture using 3D printing technology.
Local Motors to Debut 3D Printed Car in September
Local Motors recently announced that it has agreed to produce a 3D printed vehicle for the Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT), which will debut at the International Manufacturing Show (IMS) this coming September.
The Ultimate Ultimaker 3D Print?
While at the NYC 3D Printshow we took a close look at an incredible 3D print that you could print yourself at home.
The Project That Wouldn’t Exist Without 3D Printing
We ran across a new product that apparently would not have happened were it not for the availability of 3D printing technology.
Buildparts’s 3D Printed Miller Car
We managed to get a very close look at an incredible 3D print. It’s so good you’d never know how it was made.
Connex3 Tech’s Affect on 3D Printed Fashion
It’s still quite early in its lifecycle, but Stratasys’ new Connex3 color 3D printing technology is beginning to have an affect on one application: fashion.
How To Replicate a Miniature Outboard Motor
The R/C community is always making custom items for remote controlled machines, but sometimes you just can’t do it by yourself.
Laser Sintering Moves Into the Bike Market
As metal additive manufacturing techniques continue to increase the fidelity of the parts they produce, more industries are beginning to experiment with the technology.
Bow & Drape’s 3D Printing Venture
According to a report in the Wall St. Journal, New York startup Bow & Drape has raised USD$1.2M in new investment, specifically for developing new lines of customized fashion accessories using 3D printing.
Low Cost, 3D Printed UAV Test Bed
3D Printing firm Solid Concepts has partnered with aerospace engineering firm Area-I to create a scale model of a 737 used to simulate real-world aerodynamics. Named the Prototype-Technology Evaluation and Research Aircraft (PTERA), the model craft serves as an inexpensive and safe bridge between wind tunnel evaluations and manned flight tests. During each flight… Continue reading Low Cost, 3D Printed UAV Test Bed
Rehabilitating Lame Horses With 3D Printing
Readers may recall a story we did late last year in which custom titanium horseshoes were 3D printed for race horses in Australia. It turns out that this development was noted by Australian veterinarians treating horses afflicted with Laminitis, an inflammation in the area between the horse’s hoof and bone. The idea was to… Continue reading Rehabilitating Lame Horses With 3D Printing
Africa’s Octo-Choco-Printer
We’ve heard about chocolate 3D printers before, but never one like this. Fouche Chocolates of South Africa, and specifically its engineer Hans Fouche has developed an eight-nozzle chocolate printer for producing custom delicacies. A detailed report on htxt.africa takes you through Fouche’s development process, which explains how the printer is used to create “edible… Continue reading Africa’s Octo-Choco-Printer
Continuum Fashion Speaks
Mary Huang, co-founder of Continuum Fashion recently spoke at a LeWeb event, where she described some of their work to produce ready-to-wear 3D printed shoes. Ms. Huang explained the basics of 3D printing, which is still new to many. It seems that 3D printing with desktop equipment is actually quite suitable for the production… Continue reading Continuum Fashion Speaks
Personal 3D Printing In Gold
Can you 3D print in gold at home? Not exactly. But we have found an example of how you can use 3D printing technology to cast gold. In a now-old post on the Ultimaker blog, jeweler Paul Steenbrink (a.k.a. Cardillac) experimented with a technique for preparing gold jewelry: The 3D print is invested… Continue reading Personal 3D Printing In Gold
3D Printing Pre-Formed, Expandable Structures
In what could be a preview of the future of architectural design, Los Angeles-based architecture office ID4A has created a method for creating pliable, reconfigurable 3D prints. According to Rania Hoteit and Malek Idriss, principles at ID4A, their new method for architectural “hyper-prototyping” employs a “rigorous exchange between computational design, physical prototyping and additive… Continue reading 3D Printing Pre-Formed, Expandable Structures
A 3D Printed Movie Character Collection
At this year’s 3D Printshow we were excited to visit the large display of 3D prints by Legacy Effects. If you don’t know about Legacy Effects, they are one of the premier special effects shops in Hollywood, and have produced numerous famous characters for motion pictures you’ve no doubt seen. While much of Legacy… Continue reading A 3D Printed Movie Character Collection
3D Printed Coral Reefs
Forbes published more information on the 3D printed reef produced by concrete 3D printer D-Shape, whom we met with earlier this year. Why 3D print a reef when you can simply drop concrete blocks or sink redundant ships at the correct locations? The answer lies in the shape of the reef. Evidently artificial… Continue reading 3D Printed Coral Reefs
The World’s First 3D Printed Car Needs Your Help
You might recall the Urbee, the world’s first 3D printed car (or at least 3D printed body), unveiled in 2011. Now the folks behind the project are looking to build interest and funding to proceed to Urbee-2, a more advanced vehicle. The new vehicle will have not only a 3D printed body, but also… Continue reading The World’s First 3D Printed Car Needs Your Help
3D Printed Robotic Futures
Michael Overstreet has written his thoughts on the future of robotics as affected by 3D printing on i.Materialise. He believes that 3D printing should encourage rapid creation of new forms of robotics over the next few years. Clearly, the first and most obvious point is that robotic models and associated ideas are accessible via… Continue reading 3D Printed Robotic Futures
McDonald’s Considering 3D Printed Toys?
A report in The Register quotes the Director of IT for McDonald’s UK operation as stating at an event in Munich that the giant food mega-corp may be considering using 3D printers to produce small toys to be included in their popular (amongst youngsters) Happy Meals. We suspect the idea would be that customers… Continue reading McDonald’s Considering 3D Printed Toys?
3D Printed Dinosaurs So Large They Could Eat You
If you manage to make your way to the rear of this year’s 3D Printshow in London, you’re in for a treat – and a shock. There, you will be face to face with not one, but several full-size 3D dinosaurs. They have many teeth. Big teeth. They are so gigantic they could not… Continue reading 3D Printed Dinosaurs So Large They Could Eat You
ESA’s Launch into Metal 3D Printing
The European Space Agency has launched an initiative to develop complex metal 3D printing techniques for space missions. The Amaze initiative (standing for “Additive Manufacturing Aiming Towards Zero Waste and Efficient Production of High-Tech Metal Products”, somehow) brings together 28 different organizations that have a stake in the process, either by research (Universities) or industry… Continue reading ESA’s Launch into Metal 3D Printing
3D Printed Robotic Arm
Over the last week the London Science Museum has been showcasing 600 objects created by 3D printers. While every piece in the show highlights the strength of the technology, one object, a transparent robotic prosthetic, is unique in that it offers a forecast of where 3D printing is headed. Created by researchers at the… Continue reading 3D Printed Robotic Arm
Printing a 1927 Miller 91 Race Car
It’s one thing to print simple items with your 3D printer, like a coat hook or clamp, but some people take the power of the technology to the limit. The folks at CIDEAS, a commercial 3D print service bureau, pulled out all the stops to produce a small scale replica of a 1927 Miller 91… Continue reading Printing a 1927 Miller 91 Race Car
3D Printing Brings an Ancient Camera to Life
Photographer Aaron Foat had a serious problem: he had obtained a classic No. 1a Pocket Kodak camera, circa 1905, in perfect condition. It was is such good shape that it could take pictures. If only he could buy the long-unavailable Kodak 116 film for it. Determined to succeed, Foat contacted his local makerspace,… Continue reading 3D Printing Brings an Ancient Camera to Life
Stratasys Tech Flys UAVs
One of Stratasys’ clients is UAV Solutions of Maryland, who, obviously, manufacture UAVs. But they now do this with 3D printing. Their journey is similar to many manufacturers who encounter 3D printing: at first it’s a novelty, then it becomes something used for unusual situations and finally: 3D printing has now “crept” into… Continue reading Stratasys Tech Flys UAVs
Analyzing Rembrandt and Van Gogh in 3D
Most of us have only see society’s most important paintings through 2D reproductions. Unfortunately, painting is actually a 3D art that layers color atop color to create an image. So, without being able to see the actual strokes a painter has made, much of the information stored in a painting is lost. In an… Continue reading Analyzing Rembrandt and Van Gogh in 3D
The 6-Second 3D Printed Toothbrush
The Blizzident is a revolutionary new approach to brushing your teeth, created by the intersection of 3D scanning and 3D printing – in your mouth. The Blizzident is a mouthpiece you chomp on for (apparently) six seconds, during which each of your teeth are brushed on all surfaces by “a dense field of… Continue reading The 6-Second 3D Printed Toothbrush
D-Shape Prototypes 3D Printed Lunar Bricks
D-Shape, makers of a massive 3D printing solution capable of printing large, building-sized structures, has apparently been working with the European Space Agency on lunar building experiment. The idea is to use on site materials (lunar regolith, which is simply a mix of sand, dust and other particles) as the 3D print materials. In… Continue reading D-Shape Prototypes 3D Printed Lunar Bricks
3D Printing Helps the Blind See
3D Print UK reports they’ve been working on a special project that has been able to provide limited sight to the vision impaired. The concept is to simplify the visual field by displaying a coarse set of pixels on the inside lenses of a pair of prototyped glasses, done, of course, with 3D printing.… Continue reading 3D Printing Helps the Blind See
3D Printing the One Hundred Year Starship
Not too long ago DARPA and NASA began hosting symposiums to discuss the possibility of interstellar travel. The brightest minds in the fields of technology, science, philosophy, sociology and economics all gathered to determine what it would take to build a 100 Year Starship. While some proposed massive spaceships reminiscent of the Starship Enterprise,… Continue reading 3D Printing the One Hundred Year Starship
Ancient Tudor Sculptures 3D Printed
First they were 3D scanned, then they were 3D printed. Researchers at the University of Leicester, University of Oxford and Yale worked together to replicate a tomb monument originally designed for King Henry VIII’s illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond by Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk in the 16th century. You… Continue reading Ancient Tudor Sculptures 3D Printed
The iDecoLamp
The iDecoLamp is a remarkable combination of 3D printing technology and smartphone app. It’s basically a night light powered by a specially designed app. The designers realized there was an opportunity being lost: every night your smartphone sits charging, typically by your bedside. But why have it sit idly by doing nothing? The iDecoLamp… Continue reading The iDecoLamp
When 3D Printing Shoes, Start with the Heel
We’re reading a post by i.Materialise on the work of Physics PhD student Katrien Herdewyn on developing a 3D printed shoe as part of the Shoe Design program at Academy of Fine Arts, Sint-Niklaas in Belgium. She says: The main theme of these shoes is nano technology. The inspiration came from my studies: I… Continue reading When 3D Printing Shoes, Start with the Heel
HOG Scrubber Saved by 3D Printing
You probably don’t know what a HOG Scrubber is. We didn’t either. It turns out it stands for “Hang On Glass” aquarium filter. Ok, wait a minute, don’t aquariums already have filters? They do, but they are mechanical in nature and simply clog up, requiring cleaning or replacement. They also don’t get rid… Continue reading HOG Scrubber Saved by 3D Printing
SpiderFab Weaves Massive Space Structures
Tethers Unlimited hopes to enable inexpensive construction of truly massive structures in outer space by leveraging 3D printing and robotics. The company is developing a “Trusselator” as a first step under a NASA experimental contract that will be able to build large trusses in a weightless environment. The machine spins out a completed… Continue reading SpiderFab Weaves Massive Space Structures
Coca Cola 3D Prints Mini-Me’s
Here’s an interesting marketing angle: Coca Cola Israel recently launched their new “mini bottle”. To promote it they offered a free 3D print of the winners. Yes, “of the winners”. A contest selected a small number of winning entrants, who were then invited to Coca Cola Israel’s factory, where sophisticated full-body 3D scanners captured… Continue reading Coca Cola 3D Prints Mini-Me’s
3D Printing an Injection Mold?
The traditional process for making plastic parts is to first create a metal mold into which hot plastic is injected. After the plastic cools, remove the mold and you have your plastic part. This is called, “injection molding”. People owning a 3D printer have wondered how to print a injection-capable mold, but it’s obviously… Continue reading 3D Printing an Injection Mold?
Lexus Creates 3D Printed Car-Mice For iPads
Follow the White Rabbit, the 3D Printed One
In the classic movie, The Matrix, Neo is challenged by a mysterious online message to “Follow the White Rabbit”. Such a rabbit appears before Neo who follows it all the way to the famous quote from Morpheus: “You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole… Continue reading Follow the White Rabbit, the 3D Printed One
He’s 3D Printing a James Bond Car!
New Zealander Ivan Sentch must be a big Bond fan as he’s undertaken a spectacular project to 3D print a life-size replica of James Bond’s 1961 Aston Martin DB4. To be clear, he’s not actually 3D printing the car itself, but rather a mold from which he will produce fiberglass body sections. These will… Continue reading He’s 3D Printing a James Bond Car!
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
Léo Marius Interviewed
Remember that amazing 3D printed SLR camera? It was created by French designer Léo Marius, who recently was interviewed by Sculpteo. In the interview, Marius says the most difficult and challenging aspect of the OpenReflex design was in fact the shutter: Habitually a shutter is an extremely precise mechanical piece, and I had… Continue reading Léo Marius Interviewed
The First Commercial 3D Printed Metal Gun Part
In the last year, 3D printed guns have, unsurprisingly, rather polarized the 3D printing community. While Defense Distributed’s Liberator gun project has been shut down, reverberations from the project continue across the internet, and others are still developing 3D-printed firearm components. Neal Brace, founder of Sintercore LLC and a former US Marine infantryman, has… Continue reading The First Commercial 3D Printed Metal Gun Part
Over The Top: The World’s Biggest Rubik’s Cube is 3D Printed
We’ve been reviewing the accomplishments of puzzle makers who have made the leap into 3D printed designs and found, quite literally, the world’s biggest Rubik’s cube. 3D printing unleashes the imagination of designers, permitting ideas to become reality. One particular creation industry has strongly latched onto this capability: puzzle making. Master puzzle… Continue reading Over The Top: The World’s Biggest Rubik’s Cube is 3D Printed
3D Printed Rocket Parts Fired
You may recall our post on NASA’s plan to use 3D printed parts to replace conventionally-made parts in future rocket engines? It’s much further along than you’d think – the video below shows an actual test firing of a prototype rocket using a 3D printed liner. This, as far as we can tell, is the… Continue reading 3D Printed Rocket Parts Fired
3D Printed Keys Unlock Schlage Locks
At the recent Defcon event student researchers from MIT exhibited a new technique that could reduce the security of physical locks from Schlage. Schlage’s most secure lock is the Primus model, touted as “asdf”. The idea is that you would have great difficulty duplicating the unusual key shape used by the Primus system. Schlage’s… Continue reading 3D Printed Keys Unlock Schlage Locks
Fab All Thing’s Unusual Business Model
A new startup called Fab All Things is attempting to use a new business model involving 3D printing. Here’s how it works: Every month, we fabricate new products using 3d printing, lasercutting and cnc milling and put them in our marketplace – the twist is that you design the products and you pick what… Continue reading Fab All Thing’s Unusual Business Model
Protos 3D Printed Eyewear
Startup Protos is offering the opportunity to purchase 3D printed eyeglass frames. The obvious benefit is that the frames are precisely fit to your measurements, as shown in the image above. The frames are said to be 3D printed with a “proprietary material is lighter than titanium and more flexible than commonly used acetate… Continue reading Protos 3D Printed Eyewear
Puzzle Complexity Rises With 3D Printing
3D printing technology has begun to change many industries and even individual lives, but one area we hadn’t considered was the making of 3D puzzles. A piece on GigaOM details the journey of two master puzzle makers into the modern 3D world. Traditional puzzle making involved time-consuming hand carving and construction, limiting the number… Continue reading Puzzle Complexity Rises With 3D Printing
It’s A 3D Printed Rifle
First it was a pistol, now it’s a rifle. Over the past year we’ve seen deeper and more complex experiments into the possibilities of 3D printing, some remarkable and others simply pose difficult questions. One of the challenging experiments was the first 3D printed gun, a pistol designed by Defense Distributed. While the pistol… Continue reading It’s A 3D Printed Rifle
Your Rocket Is Now 3D Printed
Aerojet Rocketdyne has been working with NASA to develop a way to 3D print rockets. Well, not the WHOLE rocket, but certain critical parts, namely an Injector Assembly. They’re working on a completely integrated manufacturing process with Selective Laser Melting technology that will be capable of rapidly producing “highly critical rocket engine components”. We… Continue reading Your Rocket Is Now 3D Printed
Google Class: Modded By 3D Printing
A new Kickstarter project uses 3D printing to produce “cap” for your Google Glass. GlassKap, a project launched by Todd Blatt, hopes to raise funds to start production of this handy add-on. Google Glass, for those unfamiliar, is a wearable computer in the form of “glasses” that can provide instant geo-relevant information directly to… Continue reading Google Class: Modded By 3D Printing
A 3D Printed Camera – That Works
Complexity in 3D print design can come in two species: a single, highly detailed printed object or a composition of many printed objects. A project that captures the latter approach is Leo Marius’ OpenFlex 3D printed SLR Camera. It captures images, too. The SLR camera print was a project Marius completed for his studies… Continue reading A 3D Printed Camera – That Works
Polychemy’s Personalized Necklaces
Polychemy, a Singapore-based 3D print company now offers personalized 3D printed necklaces. The company, up to now, has offered a variety of 3D printed objects such as phone cases, sculptures and jewelry. Today they’ve launched a personalized feature in which your name can be 3D printed directly into jewelry models. The necklaces are composed… Continue reading Polychemy’s Personalized Necklaces