I’ve just noticed that 3D Systems discontinued their final Cube 3D printer earlier this year, a milestone of sorts.
bfb
Exclusive: Inside the CubeX Factory
Hidden in the sleepy coastal town of Clevedon, UK, lies the secret factory that produces 3D Systems’ CubeX 3D printer. We recently toured the factory to find out how these popular machines are created. Aside from a modest research and development unit, the entire facility is dedicated to production of CubeX’s. It is indeed… Continue reading Exclusive: Inside the CubeX Factory
BFB Fades Away
One of 3D printing’s most venerable brands is set to disappear! Bits From Bytes, a.k.a. BFB, will no longer exist as a brand. According to their Facebook post: On April 1, 2013 we will be discontinuing the 3D Touch and Rapman and integrating our website and social channels with 3D Systems. Both printers will… Continue reading BFB Fades Away
Mod Your Un-Moddable 3D Printer
Some 3D printers are made for modification, such as the RepRap kits or early MakerBots. But some 3D printers were specifically designed to be used “out of the box” without modification. These 3D printers were not designed for modification by ingenious owners. However, in spite of such design constraints, we see continuing effort by… Continue reading Mod Your Un-Moddable 3D Printer
BFB’s AXON 3’s Colorful Speed
Bits From Bytes has suddenly released AXON 3, a new version of the software they use to slice models for their line of personal 3D printers, including the RapMan, BFB 3000 and 3D Touch. The new version has two incredible new features: multi-material capability and one more we’ll save for a moment. The… Continue reading BFB’s AXON 3’s Colorful Speed
BFB’s AXON Updated
For readers using BitsFromBytes personal 3D printing equipment (that means a RapMan, BFB 3000 or 3D Touch), there’s a present for you to download: a new version of AXON. AXON is the software used by BFB devices to prep the files for printing on BFB’s line of 3D printers. It accepts STL and converts… Continue reading BFB’s AXON Updated
Christmas at Bits From Bytes
The folks at Bits From Bytes have an interesting giveaway taking place this holiday season: their Advent Calendar 2011. According to Wikipedia, an Advent Calendar is “a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas”. Typically it involves a surprise each day, and BFB is doing… Continue reading Christmas at Bits From Bytes
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
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
Made In Space: Update
Last week we mentioned Made In Space’s achievement of testing two commercial 3D printers in a simulated weightless environment. But we wondered which 3D printers were used, as the material we saw did not specify the printer involved – only that one of the printers originated from 3D Systems. Today we see a press… Continue reading Made In Space: Update
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
3D Printing on CNN
CNN Money’s page today had a front-page article dedicated to 3D printing, featuring an interview with 3D System’s Rajeev Kulkarni, who spoke about their newly acquired BFB line of inexpensive 3D printers. He said: This is our attempt now to get at the consumer level, where we make 3-D printing accessible to the mass… Continue reading 3D Printing on CNN
BFB at PDM
We had the opportunity to spend some time with the BFB gang at London’s Plastics Design and Moulding show. They were demonstrating their flagship product, the BFB 3000 3D printer, as well as a 3D Systems V-Flash from their parent company. We spoke at length with BFB CTO and Founder Ian Adkins (above), who… Continue reading BFB at PDM
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
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 Different Flavors of Home 3D Printers
We’ve been reading a long thread on the MakerBot Operator’s Google Group initiated by Shawn M, who is considering purchasing a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer. He asks about the level of effort required to produce high-quality parts with this particular device. As is often the case, a simple question led to some insights. A… Continue reading The Different Flavors of Home 3D Printers
A Pink Controversy in 3D Printing
There are those of us who know about 3D printing, and those who don’t. We’ve all seen the looks of awe from those transitioning to “those who know”, and we want more people to come over and realize what can be done with this technology. Last week BfB made an attempt to bring 3D… Continue reading A Pink Controversy in 3D Printing
Bits From Bytes Gets New Website and a RapChick!
We’ve been waiting to see what 3D Systems will do with their latest corporate acquisition, Bits From Bytes. BfB’s market is quite a diversion from 3D System’s normal industrial/commercial clientele. How will they take on this marketplace. This week we see two elements of their new strategy. First, 3D Systems has completely replaced the… Continue reading Bits From Bytes Gets New Website and a RapChick!
BfB Acquisition Reactions From Across The Interwebs
There have been many opinions raised after the blockbuster announcement of 3D Systems acquiring Bits From Bytes. The official announcements are here and here. We scoured the web to find reactions: European Plastics News: gained a 17% share of the worldwide 3D printer market in its first year of operation. Rachel Park: My… Continue reading BfB Acquisition Reactions From Across The Interwebs
The Suits Meet The Hobbyists
Up to now, the 3D printer space has been occupied by two entirely different groups: the high-end, high-priced commercial printers typically affordable only by large firms or service bureaus, and the hobbyist, open-source market of low-end, low-priced devices typically found in DIY kit form. The two groups could not be more different in almost all… Continue reading The Suits Meet The Hobbyists
Bre’s Pumped!
We’re still excited by 3D System’s acquisition of BfB, and we’re not the only ones excited. We wondered how this move would affect BfB’s biggest competitor, MakerBot. Would 3D System’s massive resources put such a push into BfB that MakerBot would be sidelined? We contacted MakerBot mandarin Bre Prettis for his thoughts: I wish… Continue reading Bre’s Pumped!
Why 3D Systems Chose BfB
After Tuesday’s big announcement of 3D Systems acquiring Bits From Bytes, we wondered why 3DS chose to acquire BfB instead of the other major hobbyist 3D printer manufacturer, MakerBot. To get answers we asked 3D Systems VP of Marketing Cathy Lewis, who explained the reasons quite clearly: They have demonstrated execution and achieved the… Continue reading Why 3D Systems Chose BfB
Blockbuster Announcement: 3D Systems Acquires Bits From Bytes!
In a totally stunning announcement today 3D Systems has acquired the Bits From Bytes operation based in Bristol, UK. This is perhaps the biggest corporate manoeuvre we’ve yet seen in the 3D printer space, and heralds a bold move by 3D Systems into the ultra low-end 3D printer market, now competing directly against such… Continue reading Blockbuster Announcement: 3D Systems Acquires Bits From Bytes!
Another Slicing Option for BfB
BfB (Bits From Bytes) has announced the availability of a new 3D slicing software option that will be bundled with each of their new 3D printers: Axon. This software is built upon the traditional Skeinforge software that performs the delicate task of converting a 3D model into layered slices suitable for 3D printing. The issue… Continue reading Another Slicing Option for BfB
Bensons Has the BFB 3000
We’ve written about the BFB 3000 before: it’s a fully assembled 3D printer priced under £2,000. Marketed in the UK and US by A1 Technologies, we now see that the device is being sold in Australia and New Zealand by Benson Machines. The BFB 3000 is produced by Bits From Bytes and is a… Continue reading Bensons Has the BFB 3000
A Purple 3D Printer for Under USD$4000
3D Printer reseller Purple Platypus has added another item to their growing list of products. Previously, they marketed devices from Objet, but now they’re addressing the low-cost 3D printer market by adding the BFB 3000 Panther. The Panther is actually the same BfB 3000 we previously reported, and the benefits are the same: … Continue reading A Purple 3D Printer for Under USD$4000