Get a Free 3D Sample Print

3D printing is a new thing; so new that many people simply don’t believe you if you describe it to them. Blank looks, disbelief and heavy skepticism are typical reactions to “3D printing”. How then can one explain this very different concept to someone? You have to show them something – or even better, have… Continue reading Get a Free 3D Sample Print

Enter The Shapeways Student Contest

Shapeways 3D print service announced a brand new contest, this one for students only. Named the “2010 Shapeways Full Color 3D Print Student Contest”, it would appear this is an annual affair. It’s called a “Color” contest because the idea is to print your model with Shapeways new color material, “Full Color Sandstone”. One major… Continue reading Enter The Shapeways Student Contest

The Tyee on 3D Printing

There’s a long article introducing 3D printing concepts appearing at The Tyee, a British Columbia-based electronic newsmagazine: “The Replicator, No Longer a Star Trek Dream”. The article contains interviews with Neil Gershenfeld, Director of MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms, Adrian Bowyer, inventor of the RepRap, Fab Lab users, a RepRap owner, University of Missouri… Continue reading The Tyee on 3D Printing

Students Sketchup a New School

A great post on the Google Sketchup Blog tells the story of educator Michele Macloud of Louisiana who introduced Sketchup to her 8th grade students as part of their Mathematics curriculum. As you might imagine, the 8th graders were not terribly interested in traditional math material. But when shown Sketchup, they immediately took to it… Continue reading Students Sketchup a New School

Are 3D Skills Mandatory?

Fabbaloo readers are likely quite familiar with 3D concepts, including the idea of a digital representation of an object stored as a model, printing of objects from those models and perhaps even 3D virtual reality. But beyond those directly involved in the space, who needs to understand 3D concepts? According to Bill Williams, Career Focused… Continue reading Are 3D Skills Mandatory?

Metropolitan Works

  In London they’re getting set to open a new facility for designers: the Metropolitan Works Building in February of this year. Metropolitan Works is part of the London Metropolitan University, and the Creative Industries Centre will: helping designers and manufacturers develop ideas and bring new products to the marketplace through access to digital manufacturing,… Continue reading Metropolitan Works

Z Corporation Leads the Way

You might not be familiar with “Project Lead The Way”, but it’s a: not-for-profit organization that promotes pre-engineering courses for middle and high school students. PLTW forms partnerships with public schools, higher education institutions and the private sector to increase the quantity and quality of engineers and engineering technologists graduating from our educational system… Today,… Continue reading Z Corporation Leads the Way

Oklahoma 3D Printing

We’ve seen 3D printers appear at many educational institutions across the world and reported on them previously. Here’s another example, this time at Oklahoma City Community College as reported by the Pioneer Press. While this type of event has been repeated many times over in other schools in the past and soon in the future,… Continue reading Oklahoma 3D Printing

Steampunk 3D Printer

  Design students at the Victoria University of Wellington have created a kind of “Steampunk” 3D printer. It’s not clear if this is simply a modification of RepRap or Fab@home, but it seems to do the job.   The interesting bit is the main action component: a sewing machine! We suspect this unusual device is… Continue reading Steampunk 3D Printer

“Without the Pine”

Jeff Gomez reports on how Utah students are making use of a 3D printer to compete in the Utah Valley University’s 3D car racing derby. They’re using a “$40,000 machine” (probably a ZCorp or Dimension) to quickly transform the student’s envisioned vehicles into reality. Well, at least the 10+ hours required for 3D printing. The… Continue reading “Without the Pine”

Kids and 3D Printers

A technology center in Wahpeton, North Dakota, USA, now offers students the use of a 3D printer. We’re quite certain this isn’t the only school doing so, but we suspect a trend is beginning. In fact, it isn’t the only one. Thorpe St Andrew School in Norfolk, UK is also installing a 3D printer, specifically… Continue reading Kids and 3D Printers