Here’s a comparison of various metals the aerospace industry uses to additively manufacture parts.
usage
The Six Types of Desktop 3D Printer Personalities
There are certain personas that tend to use desktop 3D printers. Which one are you?
Why Aerospace and Dental Have So Deeply Embraced 3D Printing
Two industries have developed extremely deep usage of 3D printing, but for entirely different reasons.
Maria Bartiromo and Formlabs Interview
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi look at the recent appearance of Formlabs on a major media outlet.
The First Part Is The Hardest: Marine Engine 3D Printing
Interesting research from the Technical University of Denmark shows how to break into a new industry.
Expanding Workforce Training for 3D Printing
ss various ways in which companies and organizations are providing opportunities for a current and future workforce to foster and fine-tune their 3D printing skillset.
How Important Is Reverse Engineering?
How complex is reverse engineering, and is it a major activity?
3D Printed Air Diffusion System Aims to Reduce Emissions and Enhance Distribution
BVN Architecture and University of Technology Sydney researchers have designed a 3D-printed air diffusion system to replace standard steel systems.
Automotive 3D Printing For The Assembly Line
A recent case study reminds us that industrial 3D printing doesn’t just mean large industrial equipment.
Creality To Launch New Subsidiary For Specialized 3D Printers?
I’ve learned that Creality is apparently about to open a new subsidiary to market an interesting variation of their 3D printers.
Ultimaker To Focus On 3D Printing Ecosystem And User Journey In 2021
I caught up with Gregory Elfering, President of Ultimaker Americas, for a discussion of Ultimaker’s 2020 reflections and 2021 trends and predictions.
Cannabis And 3D Printing: R&D On The Ascent
Charles Goulding Jr. considers the place of 3D printing in the growing cannabis industry.
Transportation Moving Away From Carbon With 3D Printing
Charles Goulding Jr. examines how 3D printing fits into critical plans to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector.
Manhattan To Hamptons Resident Influx And 3D Printing
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi find 3D printing to be along for the ride in recent movements.
How Is 3D Printing Improving The Manufacturing Industry?
3D printing has become a staple in industries throughout the world.
Parker Hannifin And 3D Printing
Charles R. Goulding and Peter Favata take a look at Parker Hannifin’s adoption of additive manufacturing.
3D Printing Hiking Equipment
Charles R. Goulding and Peter Favata take a hike — with help from 3D printing.
The Innovation Of Daikin HVAC And 3D Printing
Charles R. Goulding and Mindy Zhu consider Daikin’s burgeoning usage of additive manufacturing.
$9.5 Billion For National Parks And 3D Printing For Camping And Hiking
Charles R. Goulding and Peter Favata take a look at 3D printing for the great outdoors.
Eight Ways 3D Printing Can Help Manufacturing
With the recent spotlight on 3D printing as a result of the pandemic’s bump on supply chains, I listed some ways the technology can help manufacturers.
When Complex Internal Structures Are Cricket Tubes
3D printing is well known for creating complex designs with intricate internal structures; sometimes those structures serve as tubes for crickets.
When 3D Printing Makes Sense For Serial Production
Many companies requiring thousands of components use 3D printing to perfect their design before moving to injection molding for production, but sometimes it makes sense to stick with additive manufacturing.
Reimagining The Supply Chain With Large-Format 3D Printing
As the global supply chain is focusing on transitioning for better agility, large-format 3D printing from BigRep offers a few interesting ways to integrate advanced manufacturing throughout operations.
RVs Take To The Road – And Take To 3D Printing
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi discuss 3D printing opportunities in the RV industry.
Embroidery and 3D Printing: Mending Ways
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi stitch up a look at 3D printing and embroidery.
CBD Products, Hemp, and 3D Printing
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi discuss the conjunction of 3D printing and growth in CBD products.
Progress With Desktop Metal’s Newest 3D Printing Systems
In the last few months, Desktop Metal has introduced its Shop System and Fiber setup; we caught up to discuss progress and updates.
3D Printing And The Coronavirus
Coronavirus is on the rise, and so are efforts to deploy 3D printing to combat infection.
Ford vs. Ferrari: Using 3D Printing
Charles Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi consider how two prominent automotive firms, Ferrari and Ford, are using 3D printing.
3DAeroventures is the Future of 3D Printed RC Aircraft
Eric Haddad is the founder and Pilot in Command of 3DAeroventures, a Texas-based outfit specializing in 3D printed RC aircraft.
3D Printing Disappearing Into Specialized Firms
The use of “3D Printing” is beginning to fade, at least with respect to application-focused 3D print services. As for the rest, we’ll find out what happens.
Will There Be Many Seismic Shifts Enabled By 3D Printing?
While there are breakthroughs occurring in several industries as a result of additive manufacturing, how many other industries could be affected?
Gaming Chairs That Sit Well With 3D Printing
Charles Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi look at the potential for 3D printed designs in gaming chairs.
XJET Found A Niche In Ceramic Applications
XJET has found their way into a very interesting and profitable application niche for their powerful ceramic 3D printing technology.
3D Printing More Affordable Cranial Implants
A recent case study out of India highlights the low-cost benefits of 3D printing to create personalized medical implants.
Manufacturing Aids As Leading 3D Printing Application
Charles Goulding and Dylan Comerford of R&D Tax Savers discuss 3D printing in creating all-important manufacturing aids.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Professors Give Presentation on 3D Printing in the Lighting Industry
Charles Goulding and Peter Favata of R&D Tax Savers delve into 3D printing in the lighting industry.
The Importance and Potential of 3D Printing
3D printing has the potential to transform numerous industries. From medicine to automotive, many sectors have felt the benefits of this technology and what it can do.
Peak Testing For 3D Printed Parts
SolidEngineer CEO Björn Lindwall successfully scaled Mount Everest using 3D printed climbing gear and equipment, showing peak testing in real-world conditions.
Applying 3D Printing Technology to Kitchen Appliances
Ian Brown and Tyler Gianchetta of R&D Tax Savers examine use of 3D printing in kitchen appliance manufacture.
Drones Are Taking Off Rapidly With Help From 3D Printers
Cameron Torti and Charles Goulding of R&D Tax Savers examine 3D printing’s impact on drones.
Maturing Conversations In Desktop 3D Printing: Materials And Applications
A conversation with MatterHackers points to a maturing digital fabrication environment.
3D Printing Final Aircraft Parts
Marshall Aerospace and Defense has revealed its use of 3D printing for prototype and final flight parts.
XJet CEO: Metal And Ceramic 3D Printing Applications Come From The Customers
XJet’s CEO shares a look into operations and applications in metal and ceramic 3D printing.
Nano Dimension Increases Application Footprint
Space, defense, smart homes: Nano Dimension is expanding the reach of 3D printed electronics.
3D Printing in the Electrical Industry
Charles Goulding and Dylan Comerford of R&D Tax Savers discuss electrical industry usage of 3D printing technologies.
Heineken Toasts To Ultimaker
3D printing tooling is something for beer company Heineken to toast.
Speed Is King: Ambulance & Fire Truck 3D Printing Technologies
Charles Goulding & Preeti Sulibhavi of R&D Tax Savers examine 3D printing usage in emergency medical services.
Cleaning Up The Competition: 3D Printed Vacuum Cleaners
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi examine 3D printing put to use in vacuum cleaner design.
The Coming Increase in Specialized 3D Print Firms
Recently we’ve seen several new companies emerge whose purpose it is to leverage 3D printing technology.
3D Printed Housings Help Track Vanishing Vultures
3D printed GPS housings are helping to track endangered vultures.
Getting Maximum Value from Your Expensive 3D Printer
You’ve done it — finally pulled the trigger and invested in a majestic new 3D printer.
What’s Holding Back 3D Printed Spare Parts?
3D printing enables many new business models, one of which is on-demand spare parts.
Sculpteo’s 3D Printed Bike Project is an Inspiring Manufacturing Feat
The 3D printing revolution is well underway.
Stratasys’ Manufacturing Strategy Becomes More Real
Stratasys announced a deal with Siemens for 3D printing, but I think there is much more behind this arrangement.
A New Frontier For 3D Printing: Fishing?
I’m looking at a 3D model and wondering if this could be the start of something interesting.
Another Industry Ripe for 3D Printing: Military
An amusing story on Military.com got me thinking about how industry uses – or doesn’t use 3D printing.
3D Bioprinters Are the Latest in a Line of Medical 3D Printers
3D printers have quickly changed from new technology to manufacturing miracle to household toy — you don’t need much more than a printer and a computer to create amazing 3D items from plastic, metal or even glass.
3D Printed Soft Robots Could Be “A Thing”
Eindhoven-based 3D print aficionado Joris Peels makes the case for 3D printed soft robots.
3D Printing May Foil Facial Recognition Systems
A piece in New Scientist describes how specially designed eyeglasses may be able to “confuse” digital face recognition systems. But could 3D printing do the same?
Would You Trust A 3D Print With Your Life?
As 3D printed goods make their way into everyday life, one has to consider the question, “Would You Trust A 3D Print With Your Life?”
Push Vs. Pull 3D Printer Marketing
BEEVERYCREATIVE posted a tale of how their 3D printer is being used, and it illustrates a change in how 3D printers are marketed.
US Army Testing Mission-Specific Custom 3D Printed Drones
The US Army is conducting a test to investigate whether it is feasible to design and 3D print highly specific drone designs for specific missions.
How Many 3D Printers Are There, Really?
This is a question that should be of utmost importance to all in the 3D printing world: how many 3D printers exist?
A 3D Printer, Lying Around The Office…
There is an increasing number of 3D printers found across the world today, as they spread from factories to offices and workshops. But that’s the thing – they are found in designer studios, hobbyist labs, architectural offices, etc. But you don’t find them in a typical random office setting. Or do you? … Continue reading A 3D Printer, Lying Around The Office…
3D Systems In USA Today
A great piece on 3D printing appeared recently in USA Today. While the piece says nothing we haven’t already known about here, there is something to notice: USA Today is a very consumer-oriented publication. It’s about as mass-media as you can get and still be a newspaper. The fact that such a publication has… Continue reading 3D Systems In USA Today
3D Printing In Antarctica?
Hundreds of thousands of readers from an amazing 185 countries and territories have visited Fabbaloo since our inception in 2007, but only two visits have ever originated from Antarctica. We’re wondering whether 3D printing could play a significant role at the bottom of the world in the research stations, which are often cut off… Continue reading 3D Printing In Antarctica?
Unfold Imagines Streetside 3D Printing
Several design firms specialize in doing amazing things with 3D printing and one of them is Belgium-based Unfold. Their new concept is streetside 3D printing. What? Yeah, it’s exactly that – a street vendor that prints arbitrary stuff on demand. Not hot dogs, but objects. Possible? Technically yes, but we suspect the clientele… Continue reading Unfold Imagines Streetside 3D Printing
Stamp Your Website!
Recently we described Shapeways’ new rubber stamp service, where images are transformed by software and 3D printing into a custom rubber stamp. But now we find a truly innovative use of rubber stamps that brings that pre-20th century technology into the 21st. It all has to do with something called “QR Codes”. They are… Continue reading Stamp Your Website!
Sony Ericsson’s 3D Printing Habits
It seems there are new mobile phones every day, but exactly where do these new designs come from? The SolidWorks APAC Blog posts an interesting article and video of how Sony Ericcson design engineers come up with unique designs. Evidently 3D printing permits the designers to punch out a physical prototype very early in… Continue reading Sony Ericsson’s 3D Printing Habits
Keith Prints a Puck
Keith’s Electronics Blog has a series of posts on the development of an “LED Puck”. What does it do? Special Purpose Lighting: Power goes out and you need to enough light to shut down the UPS-protected computers? LED puck. Camping and you need to find your gear inside your tent? Puck. Kidnapped and locked… Continue reading Keith Prints a Puck
Shapeways on Rails
No, they’re not producing a magical 3D development framework with a ton of plugins. At least not that we know of. No, they’ve just joined up with Beneluxspoor.net, a community of European model railroad enthusiasts. We’ve written about the application of 3D printing to model railways before, and it seems to be a natural fit.… Continue reading Shapeways on Rails
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
You Can Put Spares In Your Pocket!
New Scientist reports on a medical breakthrough using 3D printing: exact replicas of finger bones have been produced. Christian Weinand of Berne Switzerland has been testing a new technique in which a 3D model of a finger bone is fed into a 3D printer, and an exact duplicate is printed. By using a suitable print… Continue reading You Can Put Spares In Your Pocket!
3D Printing Wins the Race(s)
Two recent articles show the potential for custom designed objects in competitive racing. BMW’s F1 team uses several rapid prototyping techniques to create the unique parts used in their Formula One race cars. A series of videos shows many of the techniques, resulting ultimately in the curing of strong carbon-fibre parts placed on the vehicles.… Continue reading 3D Printing Wins the Race(s)
Rocks From 3D
After a few hints of 3D printing entering the jewelry manufacturing space, we bumped into an article from the All About Rocks blog. They say: The world of Jewelry Manufacturing is right now entering a phase of evolution, the old arts of sketching, modeling, reviewing and restarting that long time consuming process until satisfaction are… Continue reading Rocks From 3D
More’a Coraline
Last week we posted the inside details of how the popular movie Coraline was produced. The makers of the film shunned conventional CGI techniques and went with a traditional stop-motion approach with a twist: many model components were produced on an Objet Connex500 3D printer. This enabled them to make many, many more custom components… Continue reading More’a Coraline
Tape Wrangling
We’ve all struggled with a roll of packing tape, trying frantically to find the edge of the tape. Finally we realize we need one of those tape dispensers, you know the kind – they look like a pistol and can swiftly tape up anything placed within arm’s length. We’ve seen many different designs for such… Continue reading Tape Wrangling
Entire House Produced on 3D Printer
The catch: it’s a home for a hermit crab. Yes, 3D printing has produced pre-fab replacement homes for “needy hermit crabs”. It’s actually not a laughing matter, as hermit crabs habitually reside in leftover shells from other creatures, discarding and replacing them as the crab grows in size. The problem these days is that there… Continue reading Entire House Produced on 3D Printer
Jay Leno Wants A 3D Printer!
How mainstream is this? Late night host Jay Leno, one of the world’s most notable car fanatics. As the owner of very large number of vehicles, he has a problem that anyone with a collection of old things may have: “I can’t get a replacement part!” In a video on Jay Leno’s Garage, Jay describes… Continue reading Jay Leno Wants A 3D Printer!
DiMora’s V16 Engine Powered By 3D Printer
Admit it – you need a 1200-HP car, just like us. But now they’re being made much more efficiently due to the use of ProMetal‘s “Rapid Casting Technology”, which can build molds and casting cores of sand directly from 3D models. DiMora Motors is using this new approach to build the startling 1200-HP motor… Continue reading DiMora’s V16 Engine Powered By 3D Printer
Print Your Baby!
Most women would expect to proceed normally through their pregnancy, but perhaps a few 3D geek fathers would prefer to print their baby instead. Faster, safer, choice of materials, etc. Now it turns out you can actually do this! Well, in plastic or bronze at least. The London Ultrasound Centre in the UK offers… Continue reading Print Your Baby!
3D Printing on the High Seas
You might think you can’t seriously print an entire boat with current 3D printing tech, but Robotboat thinks otherwise. Their ingenious plan: print miniature robotically controlled boats! Robotboat is a startup company intending on producing “advanced robotic boats for the global oceanographic surveillance market”. They intend on using 3D printing to rapidly produce unique hull… Continue reading 3D Printing on the High Seas
Can You Print a Stadium?
Yes you can, although it will be a touch smaller than you’d expect. That’s precisely what HOK Sport is doing. They are one of the world’s leading architectural firms specializing in major sports facilities. Among their projects is the London 2012 Olympic Stadium. According to a recent Z Corp press release, HOK recently acquired… Continue reading Can You Print a Stadium?
Digital Stone Rises in China
We’ve seen examples of interesting uses previously, and here’s another one. Four sculptors were to build exhibits for the Digital Stone Exhibition in China. The purpose of the exhibition was to demonstrate the links between the 21st century digital world and traditional stone carving techniques. Western artists first produced some 20 3D models, “Digitally Sculpting”.… Continue reading Digital Stone Rises in China
Print That Chopper!
Stratasys’s service division, RedEye RPM produced a rather eye-catching surprise at the recent Autodesk University conference in Las Vegas. Yes, it was a complete, life-size custom designed motorcycle made entirely from parts produced on a 3D printer. According to their press release: The prototype chopper included many fully functional parts, including: articulating steering, illuminating headlights,… Continue reading Print That Chopper!
Guitar Technology Fabbed
GooCart reports on a musical adventure involving his ’98 R8 honeyburst guitar and 3D printing. Evidently the pick guard did not fit, so he “scanned the ’53 GT guard into my 3d software and modified it for the R8, then I used our 3d printer for this cutting template”. The new part (pictured) will be… Continue reading Guitar Technology Fabbed
Two Hours to Stargate!
Madox has done the impossible – building a real Stargate in less than two hours! Heh, it’s not a *real* Stargate, but it is a true 3D object you can hold in your hand. And the iris does open and close, mostly. What’s this all about? Engineer Madox observed the recent 66% off materials cost… Continue reading Two Hours to Stargate!
ReFabbing!
Tipster Jean-François Allie points us at a couple of very interesting projects that exploit 3D fabbing in a way we hadn’t considered: ReFabbing! The idea springs from observation of tremendous waste deposits of unused manufactured gear. For example, what happens with that old toothbrush, cell phone or other non-functional plastic thingy? They get thrown into… Continue reading ReFabbing!
Individual Olympic Shoes Fabbed
3D Systems recently assisted Loughborough University in the UK to produce highly customized shoe soles for olympic athletes. Researchers observed that the margin of victory in recent Olympic track events has been vanishingly small, sometimes as low as 0.01 seconds. You can’t get much closer than that. But a close margin of victory means that… Continue reading Individual Olympic Shoes Fabbed
A Jeweler’s First Time
MadeByDan reports on his first experience using 3D print technology. Ironically, it was not jewelry that came out of the printer, but instead o a simple platter. We expect that he’ll soon be printing jewelry models too. He used Shapeways, a popular 3D print service. Here’s the part we found most interesting: I thought it… Continue reading A Jeweler’s First Time
Sell Property With 3D
We know that architectural firms produce 3D printed models of their designs in order to sell the proposal to a client, but what about more common realty activities? The estatepromo service goes all out by providing full 3D services to “Investors, Developers and Estate Agents”. They use “3D models, architecture visualisations and 3D printing” to… Continue reading Sell Property With 3D
Equipping Your Lab Via 3D Fabbing
Plausible Accuracy proposes a question: Labs often require specialized or one-time parts, jigs or other components. Typically they are roughed together, sometimes “straight out of the trash bin”. The post suggests that lab workers are by definition, “Tinkerers”, and that they are constantly called upon to solve small and unique experimental construction issues. The idea… Continue reading Equipping Your Lab Via 3D Fabbing
Tiny 3D Trains
An intriguing discussion is taking place on Trainboard.com, a place for model railway engineers to discuss, well, model trains! User ppuinn asks, “Has anyone used 3D printers to make structures for their model railroad?” We think that is an excellent question, since railway engineers will have need for all manner of small plastic building items,… Continue reading Tiny 3D Trains
The Tooth Fabber
This one is so obvious we didn’t even think of it until mjarkiver wrote up his recent experience at the dentist. We’ve all been there before, where a section of a tooth is to be replaced. Typically, the remaining surface on the tooth is prepped by leveling and smoothing. Then a mold is obtained by… Continue reading The Tooth Fabber