Interesting article at Packaging Digest that explains how several packaging companies are using 3D printing tech to prototype various types of intricate packages and retaining structures for parts. Some companies look at new technology such as 3D printing and think outside the box, but these companies are literally thinking OF the box. One of… Continue reading The 3D Package
ideas
Is It What I Want?
Mateusz Pozar of Monocultured poses an interesting question: what happens when 3D printing technology advances sufficiently such that the printed objects are just as good as the original? His answer: If the remix and DIY approach will hold true for personal fabrication (fabbing) then you’ll be forced to shift gears from “is it what it… Continue reading Is It What I Want?
From Hands to Model
ZCorp, one of the leading 3D Printer manufacturers, also makes and markets 3D Scanners, such as the ZScanner 800 shown above. In a recent article posted by The Engineer Online and republished by ZCorp, they describe the case of Portuguese product development firm Protosys. Protosys recently assisted a boat manufacturer who had difficulties with hull… Continue reading From Hands to Model
Yet Another Kind of Repository?
With all the chatter about 3D model repositories lately, we thought we’d add another twist to the puzzle. Could a virtual world act as a 3D model repository? There are many virtual worlds available today, including Second Life and grids built on its open source cousin OpenSim, the upcoming BlueMars, There and others. Each of… Continue reading Yet Another Kind of Repository?
Simple Wins. Every Time
A brief post on the Daily PLM Think Tank Blog resonated with us. The topic was the complexity of interfaces to PLM/PDM systems (Product Lifecycle Management and Product Data Management). The same problem infects many of the 3D design tools used by those who 3D print. The interfaces are often overwhelming. We’ve seen many times… Continue reading Simple Wins. Every Time
Designer Power
An interesting concept got stuck in our heads, as you can see above. It’s from the Power Of 8 project in London, UK. What is it? According to their site: In this collaborative project, 8 people from different walks of life work together to build a public conversation about their individual aspirations for a… Continue reading Designer Power
Busted!
In amongst last week’s torrent of posts from Shapeways, there was one describing a cool HP Lovecraft bust printed on their 3D print service. You can buy one yourself for USD$17 or USD$33 for the 12 or 15cm versions, respectively. However, this got us thinking again. Shapeways (and other 3D print services) often try… Continue reading Busted!
Designers: Needed or Not?
We’re written on this topic before, where the proposition goes something like this: 3D printing devices and technology become widespread; either they’re installed in homes or are in easily usable nearby service centers Consumers use the devices and begin designing their own models. But, they’re 3D laymen The need for designers begins to dry up.… Continue reading Designers: Needed or Not?
A Different Input
The process seems straightforward: Design a model with 3D Modeling software Tweak the 3D model for printing suitability Send the 3D model to a 3D printer Play cards while the printer buzzes Enjoy your printed model The fundamental element of this sequence is the 3D model itself, that digital artifact that represents the desired… Continue reading A Different Input
A 3D Collision
There’s a sweet spot somewhere in the middle of the 3D printer market being pursued from two directions. That sweet spot could be described as the place where inexpensive 3D printers could be obtained by any small business or any interested consumer, where supplies and designs are easily found and used. The 2D printing… Continue reading A 3D Collision
DIY Car Manufacturing?
Bob McCarty predicts that: within the next 10 years, begin designing and manufacturing their very own vehicles using in-home three-dimensional printing systems, services and consumables. That’s a tall order, given that a 3D printing is still a toddler among technologies. We suspect it may eventually come to the point he describes, but it might… Continue reading DIY Car Manufacturing?
NanoPixies?
Years ago Eric Drexler proposed the concept of Nanotechnology in his breakthrough book, “Engines of Creation”. The book envisioned titanic swarms of microscopic machines beavering away at problems in an almost magical way. Converting a vat of raw chemicals into a house, picking off virus cells one by one from within your living body,… Continue reading NanoPixies?
Living in the Past with Future 3D Printing Services
3DScanCo, makers of what else, but 3D Scanners, published an interesting case study involving their scanning products. They were approached by Priceless Past, who wished to obtain a highly detailed digital capture of a priceless bronze dagger from ancient China: Priceless Past entrusted 3DScanCo to perform non-contact 3D laser scanning on the dagger at… Continue reading Living in the Past with Future 3D Printing Services
Shapeways Take on Mass Customization
We read a very interesting take on the future of mass customization from the Shapeways blog, in which they propose a future vision of 3D printing. They view the current mass media understanding of 3D printing, in which everyone has a 3D printer on their desk and they happily create 3D models and print them… Continue reading Shapeways Take on Mass Customization
Shapeways Enters the Bronze Age
An interesting announcement from Shapeways this week says they are offering bronze prints of their popular Ringpoem model for the first time ever. The catch? It’s an experiment that concludes on 31 March 2009 (today, sorry!), so you may have missed out. They say that if there is demand and if they can work out… Continue reading Shapeways Enters the Bronze Age
Better Than Cheap
Intent Design, a UK-based design firm specializing in retail environments recently acquired a Z Corp ZPrinter 450. As readers will recall, the 450 is one of Z Corp’s popular units, capable of rapidly popping out stunning colored objects according to the models fed to it. As many other design firms have discovered, Intent Design… Continue reading Better Than Cheap
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?
Gateway to the Fourth Dimension
No, it’s not another Stargate, but Richard Jin postulates on the manner of depicting the elusive Fourth Dimension in a thought-provoking article, and his ideas relate directly to our world of 3D printing. Regarding our inability to successfully visually the fourth dimension, he says: I would contest to say that much of the failure during… Continue reading Gateway to the Fourth Dimension
Do We Really Need 3D Printing?
Of course we do! We at Fabbaloo would have little to write about otherwise. However, there are those who may think otherwise. We’ve been looking at tech from Total Immersion, a company that produces Augmented Reality. What’s Augmented Reality? Simply put, it is a way of adding virtual objects to real life situations. In reality… Continue reading Do We Really Need 3D Printing?
The Sarrus Linkage
Forest Higgs posts an interesting approach to a key problem in building a self-replicating 3D printer. This of course, is the main objective of the RepRap project. They’ve actually performed a replication already, but there are always ideas for improvement. That’s where the idea of a linkage comes in. As you might imagine, the 3D… Continue reading The Sarrus Linkage
Dreaming of 3D Food
We’ve written on the concept of a chocolate printer, and others have produced candy objects, and perhaps even eaten them. But blogger Andy Skeleton goes quite a bit farther, as he ponders various possibilities offered by 3D Food Printing. Among his perhaps not-so-crazy ideas: Print ice cream in layers containing messages, such that the “eater”… Continue reading Dreaming of 3D Food