3D Printing Flies High now. Articles on three-dimensional printers are popping up everywhere these days. And nowadays there are many 3D printer products. Some are small enough to fit in a briefcase and others are large enough to print houses.
Everything you ever wanted to know about 3D printing article tells that 3D printing is having its “Macintosh moment,” declares Wired editor -in-chief Chris Anderson in cover story on the subject. 3D printers are now where the PC was 30 years ago. They are just becoming affordable and accessible to non-geeks, will be maybe able to democratize manufacturing the same way that PCs democratized publishing.
Gartner’s 2012 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies Identifies “Tipping Point” Technologies That Will Unlock Long-Awaited Technology Scenarios lists 3D Print It at Home as important topic. In this scenario, 3D printing allows consumers to print physical objects, such as toys or housewares, at home, just as they print digital photos today. Combined with 3D scanning, it may be possible to scan certain objects with a smartphone and print a near-duplicate. Analysts predict that 3D printing will take more than five years to mature beyond the niche market. Eventually, 3D printing will enable individuals to print just about anything from the comfort of their own homes.Slideshow: 3D Printers Make Prototypes Pop article tells that advances in performance, and the durability and range of materials used in additive manufacturing and stereolithography offerings, are enabling companies to produce highly durable prototypes and parts, while also cost-effectively churning out manufactured products in limited production runs.
3D printing can have implications to manufacturers of some expensive products. The Pirate Bay declares 3D printed “physibles” as the next frontier of piracy. Pirate Bay Launches 3D-Printed ‘Physibles’ Downloads. The idea is to have freely available designs for different products that you can print at home with your 3D printer. Here a video demonstrating 3D home printing in operation.
Shapeways is a marketplace and community that encourages the making and sharing of 3D-printed designs. 3D Printing Shapes Factory of the Future article tells that recently New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg cut the Shapeways‘ Factory (filled with industrial-sized 3D printers) ribbon using a pair of 3D-printed scissors.
The Next Battle for Internet Freedom Could Be Over 3D Printing article tells up to date, 3D printing has primarily been used for rapid commercial prototyping largely because of its associated high costs. Now, companies such as MakerBot are selling 3D printers for under $2,000. Slideshow: 3D Printers Make Prototypes Pop article gives view a wide range of 3D printers, from half-million-dollar rapid prototyping systems to $1,000 home units. Cheapest 3D printers (with quite limited performance) now start from 500-1000 US dollars. It is rather expensive or inexpensive is how you view that.
RepRap Project is a cheap 3D printer that started huge 3D printing buzz. RepRap Project is an initiative to develop an open design 3D printer that can print most of its own components. RepRap (short for replicating rapid prototyper) uses a variant of fused deposition modeling, an additive manufacturing technique (The project calls it Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) to avoid trademark issues around the “fused deposition modeling” term). It is almost like a small hot glue gun that melts special plastic is moved around to make the printout. I saw RepRap (Mendel) and Cupcake CNC 3D printers in operation at at Assembly Summer 2010.
There has been some time been trials to make 3D-Printed Circuit Boards. 3D Printers Will Build Circuit Boards ‘In Two Years’ article tells that printing actual electronics circuit boards is very close. Most of the assembly tools are already completely automated anyway.
3D printing can be used to prototype things like entire cars or planes. The makers of James Bond’s latest outing, Skyfall, cut a couple corners in production and used modern 3D printing techniques to fake the decimation of a classic 1960s Aston Martin DB5 (made1:3 scale replicas of the car for use in explosive scenes). The world’s first 3D printed racing car can pace at 140 km/h article tells that a group of 16 engineers named “Group T” has unveiled a racing car “Areion” that is competing in Formula Student 2012 challenge. It is described as the world’s first 3D printed race car. The Areion is not fully 3D printed but most of it is.
Student Engineers Design, Build, Fly ‘Printed’ Airplane article tells that when University of Virginia engineering students posted a YouTube video last spring of a plastic turbofan engine they had designed and built using 3-D printing technology, they didn’t expect it to lead to anything except some page views. But it lead to something bigger. 3-D Printing Enables UVA Student-Built Unmanned Plane article tells that in an effort that took four months and $2000, instead of the quarter million dollars and two years they estimate it would have using conventional design methods, a group of University of Virginia engineering students has built and flown an airplane of parts created on a 3-D printer. The plane is 6.5 feet in wingspan, and cruises at 45 mph.
3D printers can also print guns and synthetic chemical compounds (aka drugs). The potential policy implications are obvious. US Army Deploys 3D Printing Labs to Battlefield to print different things army needs. ‘Wiki Weapon Project’ Aims To Create A Gun Anyone Can 3D-Print At Home. If high-quality weapons can be printed by anyone with a 3D printer, and 3D printers are widely available, then law enforcement agencies will be forced to monitor what you’re printing in order to maintain current gun control laws.
Software Advances Do Their Part to Spur 3D Print Revolution article tells that much of the recent hype around 3D printing has been focused on the bevy of new, lower-cost printer models. Yet, significant improvements to content creation software on both the low and high end of the spectrum are also helping to advance the cause, making the technology more accessible and appealing to a broader audience. Slideshow: Content Creation Tools Push 3D Printing Mainstream article tells that there is still a sizeable bottleneck standing in the way of mainstream adoption of 3D printing: the easy to use software used to create the 3D content. Enter a new genre of low-cost (many even free like Tikercad) and easy-to-use 3D content creation tools. By putting the tools in reach, anyone with a compelling idea will be able to easily translate that concept into a physical working prototype without the baggage of full-blown CAD and without having to make the huge capital investments required for traditional manufacturing.
Finally when you have reached the end of the article there is time for some fun. Check out this 3D printing on Dilbert strip so see a creative use of 3D printing.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Unique 3D printing system is built in Joensuu
University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu campus built the world’s first 3D printing system of optical components for research and product development. Photonics Institute of the forthcoming device can be manufactured first example of top quality lenses.
Joensuu campus built the world’s first 3D printing system of optical components for research and product development. Nearly a million euros paid for the device
Professor Jyrki Saarinen, University of Eastern Finland, says that the project will Photonics, 3D printing immediately leap to the top of the world.
Source: http://yle.fi/uutiset/ainutlaatuinen_3d-tulostuslaitteisto_rakennetaan_joensuuhun/6673110
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Anti-Gravity’ 3D Printer Uses Strands to Sculpt Shapes on Any Surface
http://singularityhub.com/2013/06/08/anti-gravity-3d-printer-uses-strands-to-sculpt-shapes-on-any-surface/
3D printers build objects by cross-section, one layer at a time from the ground up—gravity is a limiting factor. But what if it wasn’t? Using proprietary 3D printing materials, Petr Novikov and Saša Jokić say their Mataerial 3D printing system is gravity independent. The duo’s method allows a robotic arm to print objects on floors, walls, ceilings—smooth and uneven surfaces.
Tomi says:
Bill Regulating 3D Printed Guns Announced In NYC
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/105893-bill-regulating-3d-printed-guns-announced-in-nyc/
NEW YORK—A new bill to regulate 3D printed guns was introduced by Council Member Lewis Fidler (D-Brooklyn) on June 12.
The bill would amend the New York administrative code to make it illegal to use a 3D printer to create any part of a firearm unless the person is a licensed gunsmith. A gunsmith using a 3D printer to print any part of a gun would be required to notify the NYPD and register it within 72 hours.
Proposed revisions to the code include language ensuring 3D printed guns fall under the same regulations as other firearms.
A second piece of legislation was also announced June 12
Under federal law, it is legal for individuals to manufacture certain types of firearms as long as the guns are not resold, are not fully automatic, and comply with set limits such as on gun and barrel length.
The kicker is that in order for a homemade gun to be legal, the person who builds his or her own gun needs to make at least 20 percent of the receiver
A representative from a local makerspace that uses 3D printing said it’s unlikely the legislation would affect anyone who uses 3D printers for their regular work.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Buccaneer: A High-Quality, Wireless, 3D Printer That Costs Only 350 Bucks
The Buccaneer was 100% funded within 10 minutes of launching its Kickstarter campaign
http://www.electronicproducts.com/Packaging_and_Hardware/Prototyping_Tools_Equipment_Services/Buccaneer_A_High-Quality_Wireless_3D_Printer_That_Costs_Only_350.aspx
The Buccaneer is an affordable and wireless 3D printer that actually looks like a finished product rather than a construction site. Inspired by Apple’s industrial design standards, the Buccaneer hides all of its inner workings behind an acrylic covered aluminum façade. With the mission of making a product suitable for mass adoption, the Buccaneer costs only a couple hundred bucks, and combines quality, an accessible user experience, cloud printing, and, yes, affordability.
Buccaneer eliminates the USB connection entirely in favor of a Wi-Fi-only approach. The device is controlled through a cloud accessible using a browser
The Smart Objects software complements Buccaneer to create a full-bodied 3D printing solution.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CAD Maker Works to Smooth 3D Printing Process
http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=264556&dfpPParams=ind_186,industry_aero,aid_264556&dfpLayout=article
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers. And while that may be a difficult task, it is nevertheless doable, software experts told Design News.
“The printer has the ability to print and the engineers have the ability to design,” Igal Kaptsan, vice president of solution management at PTC, told us. “But right now, there’s not a good marriage between them. That’s what we’re trying to fix.”
PTC said that it has already begun streamlining that process on its Creo product design software. The software maker has accomplished that by incorporating some of the steps required for 3D printing into its software tool. Setting of part tolerances and verification of geometries, for example, can now be done inside Creo.
“Engineers can generate the physical parts and verify them from their computers,”
PTC expects such changes to be important going forward, largely because more manufacturers are considering taking 3D printing beyond the realm of prototyping and into low-volume manufacturing.
The union of design tools and 3D printing won’t always be a smooth one, especially as 3D continues to grow and evolve, Kaptsan said. But makers of product design software are working on it. “The reality is that it’s painful today,”
Tomi says:
MakerBot Sells to Stratasys for $403M — Plus $201M for Earn-Outs — as 3-D Printing Market Explodes
http://allthingsd.com/20130619/makerbot-sells-to-stratasys-for-403m-plus-201m-for-earn-outs-as-3-d-printing-market-explodes/
The democratizing of 3-D printing just saw its first big deal, with the sale of MakerBot to Stratasys for $403 million in stock, with an additional $201 million in performance-based earn-outs.
Stratasys is a larger industrial 3-D printing company, which has been around since 1989, while MakerBot has pioneered the desktop 3-D printing. But it has sold more than 22,000 3-D printers since it was founded in 2009, especially the most recent MakerBot Replicator 2 unit.
MakerBot will continue to operate independently, out of its new factory in Brooklyn, Minneapolis- and Israel-based Stratasys said.
“We have an aggressive model for growth, and partnering with Stratasys will allow us to supercharge our mission to empower individuals to make things using a MakerBot, and allow us to bring 3-D technology to more people,” MakerBot CEO and co-founder Bre Pettis said in a press release. He will continue to lead the company.
Tomi says:
3D printer made in Finland
http://minifactory.fi/
Tomi says:
Formlabs, 3D Systems in Settlement Talks over 3D Printing Patent
http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2013/06/24/formlabs-3d-systems-in-settlement-talks-over-3d-printing-patent/
Formlabs, one of the most notable startups in the suddenly frenzied market for consumer 3D printers, is in settlement talks with the publicly traded company that sued it for patent infringement after a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign last winter.
There aren’t many details available about the possible settlement, and neither company would comment on the ongoing negotiations.
Formlabs, founded by veterans of the famed MIT Media Lab, took its project to Kickstarter last fall, seeking $100,000. The Cambridge, MA-based startup raised nearly $3 million in a month, making it one of the most successful products thus far on the crowdfunding website.
But shortly after raising that money, the startup was sued by 3D Systems, an industry pioneer that sells professional and consumer 3D printers.
Formlabs’ founders have cited two changes that made their version of a 3D printer more affordable than the heavy-duty commercial models long used by professional engineers. On one hand, they said, the prices of lasers used in stereolithographic 3D printing have become vastly cheaper, particularly with the mass distribution of Blu-Ray video technology.
But Formlabs also contended that legal hurdles had been removed because some crucial 3D printing patents had expired.
Settling with 3D Systems seems like a sensible move for Formlabs.
Tomi says:
Windows 8.1: So it’s, er, half-speed ahead for Microsoft’s Plan A
A desktop failure gambling on slablet success
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/06/28/windows_8_point_one_review/
An eye-catching addition to Windows 8.1 is integrated support for 3D printers. The effect is that applications will be able to support 3D printing directly, rather than users having to run a dedicated application for each printer.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printing Indoors Is as Bad for You as Smoking a Cigarette Inside
http://gizmodo.com/3d-printing-indoors-is-as-bad-for-you-as-smoking-a-ciga-894193776
3D printing might be bad for your health, according to a new study by the Illinois Institute of Technology. Imagine that. Melting plastic in your home might be hazardous.
According to a paper published in the journal Atmostpheric Environment, the desktop 3D printers on the market can emit a pretty hefty amount of harmful ultrafine particles (UFPs) into the air. Typically a 3D printer will heat up a thermoplastic feedstock, extrude it through a nozzle, then deposit it onto a sort of landing pad where your item is built. Similar processes are known to emit harmful emissions in industrial environments, but the difference here is that in a factory, an operator might be required to wear certain protective gear and there might be better ventilation. In your home? Not so much.
Researchers measured the amount of UFPs let out into the air when a commercial printer (the study doesn’t specify which brands) creates a small plastic item. And the emission rates were high—about 20 billion particles per minute for a 3D printer working with PLA material at a relatively low temp and upwards of 200 billion/minute for those working at higher temps and with other materials. Researchers compared it to working with a gas or an electric stove in an inclosed space or smoking a cigarette inside.
Tomi says:
Cyclone PCB Factory: 3d printable circuit board mill
http://hackaday.com/2013/07/24/cyclone-pcb-factory-3d-printable-circuit-board-mill/
If you can 3D print most of the parts for another 3D printer, why not also for a PCB mill? That’s the question answered by the Cyclone PCB Factory. It will help you kiss those toner transfer or photo resist days goodbye.
Homemade circuit boards tend to be rather small, which really helps keep the cost and scope of this project down. Most of the mounting parts, as well as the gears, are 3D printed. Of course there’s the usual machine tool items which you pretty much have to purchase: the ball screws, precision rod, stepper motors, and a motor to spin the routing tool.
Tomi says:
Polishing optics milled from acrylic
http://hackaday.com/2013/07/23/polishing-optics-milled-from-acrylic/
[Ben Krasnow] milled some lenses out of cast acrylic and needed a way to get an optical finish on the tool-marked surface. He tested several acrylic finishing methods to achieve a crystal clear finish.
From there [Ben] sought out the best finishing step, starting with hand polishing tests, flame polishing, and methylene chloride vapor polishing (which is something along the lines of acetone vapor polishing for 3D printed ABS parts).
Tomi says:
Printing in gel takes 3D printing freeform and enables an undo function
http://www.gizmag.com/suspended-deposition-3d-printing/28508/
The additive layer process of conventional 3D printers means they are usually limited to bottom up fabrication on three axes. The Mataerial printer managed to defy gravity by using a quick-solidifying print material, but now the LA-based NSTRMNT team led by Brian Harms, a Masters student at the Southern California Institute of Architecture, has created a 3D printing process called suspended disposition that gets around gravity by printing objects within a gel. Not only does this allow freeform additive fabrication on six axes, it also enables an “undo” function.
At the moment, the NSTRMNT’s resolution is about 1/16 of an inch (about 1.6 mm), but the resolution is only reliant upon the diameter of the tube/needle used to extrude the resin, so smaller needles would result in better resolutions.
“You can inject resin along curving vectors in three dimensions without having to wait for your model to be generated in thin slices,” says Harms. Also, because the material is UV-cured and suspended in liquid-form, a designer does not have to commit to a form during a print. Users can alter forms, add components, and even undo bits of their print by removing resin via suction or scooping.
Tomi says:
Fuel3D Affordable Point-and-Shoot 3D Scanner To Complement Your 3D Printer, Now on Kickstarter
http://hothardware.com/News/Fuel3D-Affordable-PointandShoot-3D-Scanner-To-Complement-Your-3D-Printer-Now-on-Kickstarter/
When the folks behind Fuel3D say they have a 3D camera scanner, they’re not talking about a simple stereoscopic device; rather the Fuel3D is a “fully 3D surface scanner consisting of a large number of physical and color measurements” including geometric stereo and photometric stereo data, which it then combines to create the image.
The kicker is that the device—which kind of resembles a Roomba–costs under $1,000, and it works just like a point-and-shoot camera. You simply attach a tag called a target to the person or object you want to scan and snap the picture. Then, you can work with the image and export it in a variety of formats.
Fuel3D is designed for everyone from makers to game developers to artists to industrial applications, and it will be ready to go in nine months. The camera should be a boon to 3D printing, as it provides a fast, accurate way to generate an image to be printed.
Tomi says:
Printing an Aston Martin DB4
http://hackaday.com/2013/08/02/printing-an-aston-martin-db4/
With 3D printers finding their way into the workshops of makers the world over, it was bound to happen sooner or later. [Ivan Sentch] is making an Aston Martin DB4 with a 3D printer.
Before we board the hype train, let’s go over what this is project is not: [Ivan] isn’t making any metal parts with his 3D printer, and the chassis and engine will be taken from a donor car. Also, the printed plastic parts won’t actually make their way into the final build; the 3D printed body panels will be used to pull the final panels in fiberglass. That being said, it’s still an impressive undertaking that’s going to cost [Ivan] $2250 NZD in plastic alone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MakerBot to offer 3D printers, demos nationwide at Microsoft stores
http://gigaom.com/2013/08/07/makerbot-to-offer-3d-printers-demos-nationwide-at-microsoft-stores/
Summary:
Microsoft is currently selling MakerBot’s popular desktop printer, bundled with a service plan, online for $2,549.
After test-offering their Replicator 2 printer in Microsoft stores on the West Coast, MakerBot will begin stocking Microsoft stores across the country with 3D printers. The company will also offer demos that allow people to see 3D printing firsthand.
On top of the original stores in San Francisco, Seattle and Palo Alto, 15 more locations will be added.
“We’ve seen tremendous interest and enthusiasm at the three initial ‘MakerBot Experience’ stores,” MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis said in a release. “Rolling the program out to 15 additional Microsoft Stores supercharges our mission to bring 3D printing to more people.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wonders of 3D printing: 10 uncommon things printed in 3D
http://www.edn.com/design/diy/4419226/Wonders-of-3-D-printing–10-uncommon-things-printed-in-3-D
And don’t let the hype fool you. 3-D printing may be the maker buzz term of the moment, but such machines and thinking have been around for decades, with some research topics grasping the idea early on and now near tipping points that will have major impact.
In the following pages we look at 10 goods—from space equipment, to cars, to biotech, to toys, and more—that go beyond the everyday 3-D printing project and printer, to larger efforts that aim to save lives, help the environment, and redefine music, as well as others that have made some shutter with fear or tear up with joy.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
3-D Printing Stirs Copyright Clash on Homemade IPhone Gear: Tech
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-13/3-d-printing-stirs-copyright-clash-on-homemade-iphone-gear-tech.html
Fernando Sosa had no doubt his sword-covered iPhone dock inspired by the hit TV series “Game of Thrones” would become a top seller for his small manufacturing startup. Then he heard from HBO.
Defending a copyright on electronics featuring its show, HBO in February demanded Sosa halt sales on his website. He did, and gave more than a dozen customers refunds for $49.99.
Sosa is part of the swelling ranks of designers facing legal challenges for using consumer versions of 3-D printers once found only on factory floors.
“It’s going to be a problem for the future,” said Sosa, co-owner of Nuproto LLC in Orlando, Florida. “A lot of new products are going to come out, and big companies are going to squash the little companies.”
Clashes are cropping up as 3-D printers become more affordable and websites such as Thingiverse.com post blueprints to help the machines build everything from toy tanks to replacement toaster parts. The disputes are ushering in a new era in legal skirmishes over high-tech designs, threatening a printing market that’s estimated by Wohlers Associates Inc. to surge to $10.8 billion by 2021 from $2.2 billion last year.
“We’re at the tipping point,” Darrell Mottley, a patent and trademark attorney at Banner & Witcoff Ltd. in Washington, said in an interview. “The technology has got to where it’s not that expensive. If you’re a manufacturer and people start making their own replacement parts, what does that mean?”
‘Right Safeguards’
As 3-D printing becomes more ubiquitous, websites that help people profit from their creations are being asked to remove some designs, according to Pete Weijmarshausen, CEO of New York-based Shapeways Inc. The company, which prints made-to-order products based on blueprints uploaded by users, has had five requests to remove items so far this year, he said. That’s about as many as Shapeways got in 2012.
Weijmarshausen is on the defensive to keep that number from climbing.
Many more legal disputes have been prevented by his team of engineers who vet every design, making sure nothing violates copyrights, trademarks or patents. If it raises a flag, Shapeways takes it down, he said.
“We have to be diligent about it,” Weijmarshausen said. “We have to put the right safeguards in place.”
In cases that do escalate, two things could tip the scales in designers’ favor: websites can protect themselves from litigation by warning users against transmitting blueprints for copied products; and, corporations may not want to risk the backlash of taking their fans to court.
‘Legal Alternative’
Another startup, Sweden-based 3DBurrito.com, is developing software that would safeguard designs sold on its marketplace. The company plans to negotiate licensing agreements to sell blueprints from corporations that sell everything from toys to movies.
“It’s important that they adopt this technology and work with marketplaces like ours to offer consumers a legal alternative,” CEO Max Fodérus said in an interview.
In the meantime, some corporations are embracing 3-D printers, as long as the machines aren’t being used to produce objects for sale.
Lego A/S, for example, is well aware that its fans use 3-D printers to create new bricks to enhance the sets it sells. One popular design on Thingiverse enables kids to adapt Lego bricks so they can connect to wooden train tracks made by Brio AB.
While personal use of these hybrid toys is fine, their sale may cross a legal line, Roar Rude Trangbaek, a spokesman for Lego, said in an e-mailed statement.
“We will definitely want to pursue infringements as and when we see them, in order to ensure the protection of our brand and ultimately the consumers,” he said.
Nokia Oyj, the mobile-handset manufacturer, goes even further in sanctioning 3-D printing. At the Mobile World Congress earlier this year, Nokia used a MakerBot machine to print custom cases for its Lumia 820 phone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed Robotic Arm: Colorado Teen Designs $500 Prosthetic Controlled By Bluetooth Headband
http://www.ibtimes.com/3d-printed-robotic-arm-colorado-teen-designs-500-prosthetic-controlled-bluetooth-headband-1387677
A Colorado teenager has used 3D printing to create a robotic prosthetic arm that costs less than $500 and is fully functional. At TedxMileHigh in Denver, Easton LaChappelle, 17, demonstrated his robotic arm, and how he constructed it to keep costs low.
LaChappelle said he came up with the idea when he was 14. He then turned to the Internet to teach himself the engineering and programming skills needed. When the costs involved in making a full-size arm became too great, LaChappelle looked into 3D printing.
LaChappelle entered his robotic arm in the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair, where he met a 7-year-old girl with a prosthetic arm that cost $80,000. LaChappelle decided to add a control system to the robotic arm and direct his fun project toward helping people.
LaChappelle said 3D printing was essential not only in building custom gears and prototypes at comparatively low cost, but also in allowing him to construct a prosthetic arm that looks relatively organic. LaChappelle used acetone vapor on the 3D printed hand to give it a clean, glossy finish.
Advances in 3D printing technology are making huge waves for people with disabilities.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Makerbot Desktop 3D Scanner Goes On Sale
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/13/08/22/198201/makerbot-desktop-3d-scanner-goes-on-sale
“A desktop device that can quickly scan objects so they can be replicated using a 3D printer has gone on sale. The Makerbot Digitizer, which costs $1,400 (£900), will be shipped to the first buyers in October. Demand for the machine appeared to overload the company’s store when it went on sale on Thursday evening. The Digitizer is the latest product looking to bring 3D printing to mainstream technology users — but experts are sceptical.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Makerbot Digitizer: Desktop 3D scanner goes on sale
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23795303
A desktop device that can quickly scan objects so they can be replicated using a 3D printer has gone on sale.
The Makerbot Digitizer, which costs $1,400 (£900), will be shipped to the first buyers in October.
The machine is designed to allow the replication of objects without any need for the user to learn any 3D modelling software or have any other special expertise.
It works by pointing several lasers at the object and detecting contours in the surface.
It also allows users to upload their 3D designs directly to Thingiverse, a website where 3D designs can be shared.
The time it takes to scan an object varies, but one demonstration involving a small gnome was said to take around 12 minutes.
“The MakerBot Digitizer is for early adopters, experimenters, and visionaries who want to be pioneers in Desktop 3D Scanning,” the company says.
“This includes, but is not limited to, architects, designers, creative hobbyists, educators, and artists.”
However, Makerbot has made it clear that the scanner is not suitable for intricate designs and that users should not expect “too much” from the machine.
“Expectations should be realistic,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Print Yourself
http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1394&doc_id=266961&cid=nl.dn14&dfpPParams=ind_186,industry_consumer,bid_26,aid_266961&dfpLayout=blog
Before there were cameras, people commissioned artists to create paintings or sculptures of themselves to give as gifts or to be displayed in their own homes. Today, you are hard-pressed to find a home without a deluge of pictures of the residents, or smartphone users shooting “selfies.”
TwinKinds, a German startup, is taking this to a whole new level by offering customers miniature statues of themselves or their pets that are easy to display anywhere (you just can’t put them in your wallet). The figurines are produced by using a full-body 3D scanner that takes an image of customer. Once the image is taken, it is then ready for printing in around 30 minutes (image file conversion), after which a 3D printer (it’s unknown at this time which 3D printer is used) laser-sinters a composite powder layer by layer into the final product.
Sadly, customers need to be at the company’s headquarters in Germany in order to be scanned for their “mini-me,” and the figures themselves are highly delicate
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printing support for Windows 8.1 solidified: as easy as paper
http://www.slashgear.com/3d-printing-support-for-windows-8-1-solidified-as-easy-as-paper-23294739/
If the Makerbot 3D scanner weren’t enough to get you excited about the longevity of 3D printing this week, the Microsoft Windows 8.1 exploration of 3D printing standards might. What the team at Microsoft is doing this week is going through how users of the next-generation update of Windows 8 will be able to work with 3D printing from the core of the software. This sort of update means that Microsoft – one of the most influential technology companies in the world – has confidence enough in the future of the 3D printing universe that they’re willing to dedicate real time to it for the common user.
What you’ll find in Windows 8.1 is a workflow in printing 3D objects that’s (for the most part) as simple as printing traditional 2D ink on paper. In a demonstration offered up by Microsoft this morning, a 3D Systems Cube 2 printer is hooked up with a Lenovo touchscreen all-in-one PC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Solidoodle 3D Printer – 9mm For Everyone!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq0TOFAKpAc
This is a 9mm dummy round I thought I could use for training but really just printed it for fun to test the new settings.
Does the World Need to be scared of 3d Printed BULLETS?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn8vsP5E2BI
Rections about the reporting of 3d printed bullets by the news media.
3D Printed Knife – Will It Cut Paper?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4FBpN_vjoM
rough out a knife in SketchUp and print one on the Solidoodle 3D printer. It turned out pretty good
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printering: Scanning 3D models
http://hackaday.com/2013/08/24/3d-printering-scanning-3d-models/
The Makerbot Digitizer was announced this week, giving anyone with $1400 the ability to scan small objects and print out a copy on any 3D printer.
Given the vitriol spewed against Makerbot in the Hackaday comments and other forums on the Internet, it should be very obvious the sets of Hackaday readers and the target demographic Makerbot is developing and marketing towards do not intersect.
The Makerbot digitizer is actually a pretty simple device. It’s just a turntable, camera, and a pair of laser diodes. This is something we’ve seen before with a DSLR and laser pointer as well as a digicam, laser level, and an old LP turntable. The hardware is just one part of this equation – a lot of the effort that goes into making a digital 3D object with this method is put into the capture algorithm. The builds above use everything from MATLAB to a Python script, all available for your perusal.
The ‘laser and camera’ method isn’t the only way to capture 3D objects. With the availability of small pico projectors, a few tinkerers have looked into structure light scanning. This method records several images of black and white bars projected onto an image.
Microsoft’s Kinect has also been used to great effect in the world of 3D printing
Of course all these solutions to the problem of scanning in 3D only work with relatively small projects. If you want to scan something bigger – a car or even a building – your best bet is probably something along the line of Kintinuous. This amazing application allows you to take a Kinect into the field and scan huge areas, turning them into a model that can be printed, or just a Counter Strike map.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
An Insider’s View of the Myths and Truths of the 3-D Printing ‘Phenomenon’
http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/05/an-insiders-view-of-the-hype-and-realities-of-3-d-printing/
From a major VC firm’s recent $30 million investment in the industrial-grade 3-D printing space to the news that Staples will become the first major U.S. retailer to sell consumer-friendly 3-D printers, it’s clear that 3-D printing has reached its inflection point.
3-D printing won’t replace other manufacturing technology
We need a different kind of Moore’s-like Law for 3-D printing
The 3-D printing ecosystem is changing
3-D printing needs better business models
These are the important research directions
The next shift is from prototyping to limited production
3-D printing won’t bring manufacturing back to the United States
The 3rd power law of 3-D printing: Everything from cost and time to amount of material increases to the third power.
Tomi says:
3D Printering: Electronics Boards
http://hackaday.com/2013/09/06/3d-printering-electronics-boards/
If you’re gearing up to build a 3D printer, one of the first things you’ll need to look at is your options for electronics boards. Whether you decide to optimize for cost or capability, the choices you make during the planning stages of your build will drastically affect what the final project will look like and how it will behave.
There are a ton of electronics boards out there, so for this installation of 3D Printering, we’re going to take a look at what’s available.
Tomi says:
This Intern Figured Out How to Make a Crazy-Small 3-D Printer
http://www.wired.com/design/2013/09/intern-turns-frustrating-busywork-into-design-award/
Like most interns, Stefan Reichert was assigned a bunch of menial tasks while working for top tier design consultancies in Silicon Valley. No one asked the German student to fetch coffee, but he was assigned the art school equivalent—setting up and maintaining the office’s 3-D printer. Most interns would have turned to Twitter to gripe, but Reichert got busy working on design concepts for a new and improved solution that would eventually become the award-winning Xeos 3-D printer concept.
The Xeos 3-D printer would use the same fused filament fabrication technology as the MakerBot and Stratasys systems, but the similarities end there. The central feature of Reichert’s concept is a dynamic arm, inspired by robots used in semiconductor manufacturing, that controls the printhead that deposits the molten material on the build platform. “In my opinion, this is the best way to reduce the overall footprint of a 3-D printer,” says Reichert. “While keeping the build size of printed parts as big as possible.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Some translated comments on 3D printing from
https://kfalck.net/2013/09/03/muutama-sana-3d-tulostamisesta
“The vessel several times with different settings printed out slowly I began to realize what a 3D enthusiasts fascinated by this business . It’s not so much about what the final printed piece of plastic can be made public , but the challenges and solving problems . 3D printing is a bit like baking : the dough must be correct , the oven at the right temperature at the right level in the damper . Variables , but more and they can be fine-tuned further . Single 3D model of the complete print settings are different from those of another.”
“Challenges and creativity gets a completely new dimension , then , when you start to design a new fit to print 3D models. I try only to quickly convert a JPEG image STL model Shapeways 2D -3D converter. That, too, was surprisingly difficult”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Shapeways: Create 2D to 3D
http://www.shapeways.com/creator/2d_to_3d/?li=nav
Turn a flat image…
into a custom 3D design!
Step 1: Import a black & white .JPG image
Step 2: Make your 3D design
Tomi Engdahl says:
Slideshow: Watch Out, Hobbyist 3D Printing – Here Comes DIY Injection Molding
http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1392&doc_id=264158&cid=nl.dn14
Although many people now think of hobbyist 3D printers when they want to make small quantities of plastic parts at home, 3D printing isn’t the only way to go. A $1,500 benchtop injection molding machine has been funded via Kickstarter’s crowdsourcing funding process. The hand-operated machine, which reminds me of an innovative, professional-looking Gadget Freak project, can be used to mold small, quality, plastic parts on demand. For materials, users can either purchase plastic pellets or recycle their own plastic milk and water containers, assuming these are made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE).
John Warobiew, president of LNS Technologies and the machine’s inventor, told Design News he built the PIM-SHOOTER Model-150A to fill a gap in the market:
If you want to make small, commercial-quality plastic parts or prototypes, it can cost $5,000 to $10,000 or more to make a steel mold. Then you send the mold to China, where a manufacturer will use large hydraulic molders to make 10,000 parts at 1 cent each. But if I only need 10 parts a week and want to make them quickly, on demand, there’s no practical way to do that.
Although low-end 3D printing has been receiving a lot of press recently for producing finished objects, not just prototypes, high-quality parts are still reserved for the high end of the spectrum, such as those used in automotive and aerospace applications. Warobiew said that before deciding to build his own injection molding machine, he looked at several hobbyist 3D printers in the $1,000 range. But, as many readers have commented on Design News’s 3D printing blogs, the quality of finished parts these low-end machines can achieve isn’t good enough to be sold commercially. Printing time is also slow, and materials are limited to ABS or PLA.
n contrast, inexpensive injection molding machines offer better detail in finished parts, higher production rates, and lower per-item costs after amortizing the initial mold cost. Warobiew told us:
I envision a desktop 3D printer and a desktop injection machine sitting side-by-side as part of the natural design and engineering flow of design to prototyping to manufacturing. A plastic part can be created in CAD, then 3D-printed to verify the design or to produce marketing samples. Then, the CAD file can be translated to CNC for producing an injection mold, and production can be moved to the benchtop injection molding process. Eventually, if there is sufficient demand, production can move to full-size injection molding equipment.
Low-cost aluminum molds can be used with the Model-150A, or users can get molds made at local machine shops, or mill their own if they have CNC machines.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed Prosthetic Hand
http://hackaday.com/2013/09/09/3d-printed-prosthetic-hand/
3D printing – with the promise of low-scale manufacturing and custom parts – is ideal for the prosthetic industry, but so far prosthetic hands have been a very, very hard nut to crack. [Joel] has been working on the Open Hands Project, a project that aims to make robotic prosthetics accessible to makers, researchers, and amputees alike.
Even though the mechanisms inside the hand are fairly simple – DC gear motors retracting steel cable ‘tendons’ – [Joel] was able to pack all this equipment into a very small volume that isn’t much bigger than real, meat-based hands.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Slideshow: 3D Print, Scan, Copy & Fax in 1 Machine
http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1392&doc_id=267490&cid=nl.dn14
You can design products in a CAD program, or you can 3D scan an existing object to generate a CAD file for 3D printing. You can also upload an .STL file to various sites to get it printed and shipped, or use a content creation site such as Cubify where you don’t have to be an engineer to turn a photo into a 3D-printed object.
But what if you could 3D scan and copy objects and fax your files as well as 3D print them — using only one machine? After Oct. 4, you’ll be able to buy a multifunction 3D scanner/printer/copier/faxer when AIO Robotics’ Zeus — which reached its initial Kickstarter funding goal in under 24 hours — becomes available, for a minimum pledge of $1,999 (no longer available). For $2,499 you can get a guaranteed printer from the first two batches to be delivered in July or August 2014.
Aimed at small businesses and consumers, the Zeus is equipped with proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) that automatically scans and reproduces objects using features like auto-leveling and auto-calibration.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printering: Key Patents
http://hackaday.com/2013/09/11/3d-printering-key-patents/
Here’s a little tip about tech blogs, and journalism in general: absolutely everything you read is one hundred percent true, except in the cases where you – the reader – know anything about the story being discussed.
Such is the case with ‘key 3D printing patents set to expire in 2014′ – a phrase bandied about tech blogs with the fervency of news the seventh seal has been broken. If you believe everything you read on the Internet, we’re looking at a world of 3D printed lollipops, unicorns, and rainbows in just a few short months.
The current crop of 3D printers use fused deposition modelling, FDM, or the ‘squirting melted plastic’ method. This technique was patented in 1989 by [Scott Crump], co-founder of Stratasys, one of the largest manufacturers of 3D printers. This patent expired in 2009, and there’s no coincidence 3D printing really started to pick up around that time with the development of the Reprap Mendel and the founding of what was previously the Open Hardware community’s golden child, Makerbot.
If past results are any indication of future performance, the expiration of these key 3D printing patents will result in yet another boom in the field of one-off manufacturing, rapid prototyping, and some really cool projects coming out of hackerspaces in the next year or two.
What is SLS, you ask? It’s actually pretty simple: take some powder, shoot it with a laser, let the powder melt, and put a dusting of new powder over the mess you just created. You can use a wide range of plastics with SLS compared to the FDM Repraps and Makerbots we have today; you can even print in metal and make yourself a rocket engine. If NASA is doing it, it has to be awesome, right?
Even though the current lineup of ‘squirting plastic’ printers is fairly capable and can do a lot in the right hands, there’s some stuff an FDM machine such as a RepRap or Makerbot can’t do.
Why You Won’t Have an SLS Printer in Your Garage
Oversimplifying everything a great deal, these printers are basically made of two parts: a laser cutter on top, and a plunger and roller system to build up parts layer by layer below. Simple enough, right?
First things first. We’re going to need something that moves a laser beam around on an XY plane
That’s half of our build right there. Now all we need is some sort of roller to dispense the powder and a plunger mechanism to build a part layer by layer. This is where things get a little more difficult.
In the end, you’ll probably looking at around $2000-$3000 for a low-end, home built SLS printer.
Here’s the problem, though: we’re around the price point of a Makerbot or Ultimaker – both proven machines – and an SLS machine is not going to be that much better.
As for printing in metals, that’s a pipe dream for any machine cheaper than a car. Sintering metal with a laser requires a vacuum chamber, diffusion pumps, and some very hard core equipment to do it right. Not to mention you won’t be able to melt any appreciable amount of metal with a 40 Watt laser.
If not homebrew, then what?
The reason everyone is so excited by the expiration of ‘key patents’ is the fact that other large companies besides 3D systems – Stratasys and Zcorp, for example – will be able to manufacture their own SLS printers. That’s great and all, but even 3D systems, the maker of these SLS printers only use them for their professional range
Will the expiration of key 3D printing patents in 2014 change anything in the arena of 3D printing? Well, large, already established 3D printer manufacturers will be putting out cheaper printers that can print in metal.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rubicon gives the Makerbot Digitizer a run for its money
http://hackaday.com/2013/09/11/rubicon-gives-makerbot-digitizer-a-run-for-its-money/
Look out MakerBot, there’s a new 3D scanner on the block and it’s about 10% of the cost of the Digitizer. Enter the Rubicon 3D Scanner which just hit Indiegogo, a device much closer to being worth its price $199.
Just like the pricey Makerbot Digitizer it’s a very simple design made up of a webcam, two laser lines, and a stepper motor controlled turn table. Still very easy to make yourself, but at $199, it’s not a bad price for an all-in-one kit, especially compared to the Digitizer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3-Sweep: Turning 2D images into 3D models
http://hackaday.com/2013/09/12/3-sweep-turning-2d-images-into-3d-models/
As 3D printing continues to grow, people are developing more and more ways to get 3D models. From the hardware based scanners like the Microsoft Kinect to software based like 123D Catch there are a lot of ways to create a 3D model from a series of images. But what if you could make a 3D model out of a single image? Sound crazy? Maybe not. A team of researchers have created 3-Sweep, an interactive technique for turning objects in 2D images into 3D models that can be manipulated.
But by combining the cognitive abilities of a person with the computational accuracy of a computer they have been able to create a very simple tool for extracting 3D models.
3-Sweep: Extracting Editable Objects from a Single Photo
http://www.faculty.idc.ac.il/arik/site/3Sweep.asp
Tomi Engdahl says:
Slideshow: 3D-Print, Etch & Mill in 1 Machine
http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1392&doc_id=267641&cid=nl.dn14
I’ve been hanging out more on Kickstarter. That’s where a lot of not just clever, but ingenious and useful manufacturing products are showing up, many created by engineers for engineers (and sometimes for others, too). For example, there’s the scan, fax, copy, and 3D-print Zeus all-in-one machine we told you about last week. Earlier this year there was a DIY injection molding machine.
The latest one I found on the site is an all-in-one machine that 3D-prints, etches, and mills called the Microfactory. It technically fits on a desk, although it’s larger than most desktop printers.
I’m not sure if the four will reach their goal of $1 million by September 27
The Microfactory prints multiple-colored, multiple-material parts. It also does computerized etching and computer-controlled milling. Combining these functions in one machine means you can mill precision features into parts you’ve already 3D-printed. You can also print different layers of colors and/or materials and mill through the layers to create different designs. Build volume is 12 inch x 6 inch x 6 inch (30.48 cm x 15.24 cm x 15.24 cm).
The system includes on onboard computer with USB and Ethernet connections for wired networks. It runs industry-standard g-code on a customized version of LinuxCNC.
Tomi says:
Students build a 3D printed plane
http://hackaday.com/2013/09/13/students-build-a-3d-printed-plane/
A student team has successfully designed, built, and flown a 3D printed RC plane using only $16 of plastic with a consumer-grade 3D printer (Makerbot), plus the necessary electronics and motor.
According to the WBI, this is the first functional aircraft that has been fully 3D printed (sans electronics) using FDM technology, and the first low wing 3D printed plane to be flown. Hate to burst their bubble, but 3D printed quadcopters have been around for quite a while!
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed Injection Molds
http://hackaday.com/2013/09/15/3d-printed-injection-molds/
A team at Budapest University has successfully created a functional injection mold for prototyping by using a Stratasys 3D printer.
Prototype injection molds are expensive. They are typically machined out of steel or aluminum which is both costly and time consuming, due to the complex geometries of most molds.
The mold was printed in Digital ABS PolyJet Photopolymer plastic using a Objet Connex 3D printer. The injection material used was polyacetal; which has a fairly low melting point of 175°C. By using this method they were able to go from a prototype mold to a test part in less than 24 hours.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY manufacturing, open source hardware, and the New Long Tail
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/powersource/4307824/DIY-manufacturing-open-source-hardware-and-the-New-Long-Tail
Remember The Long Tail? The Long Tail is Chris Anderson’s theory he proposed in a 2004 Wired magazine article that in the Internet world, where the cost of information storage has become vanishingly small, it’s now profitable to sell (mostly digital) products to much, much smaller market sizes.
Anderson has a new article in Wired magazine, Atoms are the New Bits, where he proposes that a similar change is taking place in hardware design and manufacturing: One of the biggest obstacles for start-ups that sell new hardware products (as opposed to software) is the capital required for tooling and parts/labor. Anderson writes, “As ideas go straight into production, no financing or tooling is required.” Hoo-boy, that’s a gross simplification, but his point is that hardware startup businesses are moving into the realm of the garage tinkerer who can make use of low-cost 3D design tools and fast-turn-around prototyping, and China-based manufacturing.
Unlike most journalists, he has some real-world experience to base his premise upon
Tomi Engdahl says:
Plastic piracy: DRM won’t cripple 3D printing
Changes are coming, but don’t expect a lockdown
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/17/4741264/plastic-piracy-drm-wont-cripple-3d-printing
You wouldn’t steal a car, goes the old anti-piracy warning. But would you print one from The Pirate Bay? It’s a question that’s been asked since 3D printers started entering the mainstream. It’s also one that raises an inevitable follow-up question: if 3D-printing piracy grows, will companies be tempted to wage war against it by controlling where, when, and how much you can print?
3D printing’s first copyright skirmish came in 2011
Since then, questions about piracy and DRM have cropped up on a regular basis. A patent by the notorious troll firm Intellectual Ventures raised the spectre of locked-down 3D printers that would scan all incoming files for potential infringement. And some companies have started issuing takedown requests for models of copyrighted objects and characters. So far, though, there’s been little connection between those two things.
Copy protection for 3D printing, though, is very much a reality — it’s just one that most consumers may not see any time soon.
“The whole 3D printing market in the consumer sense is probably in the same space where personal computers were when they started appearing,” says Kimmo Isbjörnssund, founder of 3D copy protection company Fabulonia. “Security wasn’t an issue; it was about the novelty.” Despite the prevalence of Yoda and other copyrighted designs on Thingiverse, companies still often ignore them as long as they’re not a commercial product.
If more consumers buy printers (or they become more common in schools, libraries, and retail outlets) companies may start cracking down and selling their own models. But Isbjörnssund doesn’t think they’ll make a move until there’s an alternative to the current practice of sending over a file, whether copy-protected or not.
For now, that means Fabulonia is more like an anti-counterfeiting tool than traditional DRM. With traditional manufactured goods, factory owners might sign a contract preventing them from copying or illegally distributing the items they make. If they disregard that agreement, though, it’s still possible to run a “ghost shift” pumping out counterfeit products that are virtually identical to their official counterparts.
“On the consumer side, I don’t think we’ll see more than a million printers in the next five years.”
Both Authentise and Fabulonia are controlling how a file is used in some form, but they’re aware that in 2013, DRM is little more than a dirty word.
If printers get locked down in the near future, it probably won’t be for copyright reasons. Cody Wilson’s printed Liberator pistol set off a flurry of debate over how to stop rampant gun-printing, and Danish company Create it Real thinks it’s found a solution. Earlier this year, it announced a kind of firewall for firearms, which would check each file in a 3D printer’s queue against a database of printable components. If an exact match was found, it wouldn’t print.
It’s always possible that another company will copy the system, or that rights holders will start pushing aggressive anti-piracy tactics as they move into a new market. But many people still don’t even know how consumer 3D printers will ultimately be used, much less how or if they’ll be regulated.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Surfing in 3D: Printed Boards Make Waves in Custom Design
http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1386&doc_id=267248&cid=nl.dn17&dfpPParams=ind_183,aid_267248&dfpLayout=blog
creating a custom-made surfboard is both a precise and creative science, as well as a painstaking laborious process that takes a lot of time and energy.
Now 3D printing is poised to take the actual handmade production aspect of that out of the equation, with companies like Chicago-based startup MADE Boards emerging that promise 3D-printed quality custom surfboards, wind-surfing boards, and stand-up paddle boards.
My first thought is to wonder whether these 3D-printed boards would be strong enough to withstand the often-severe conditions of the sport, and my second is what happens to the custom-board shaper — an artist in his or her own right — and the actual craft of shaping a board by hand when 3D printing begins to take over the production process.
People can also further customize the board according to their preferences, but the app “takes the guesswork and complexity out of the process,” he said.
Once the board is designed, MADE’s 3D-printing process takes over, constructing the board out of two aviation-grade thermoplastics — ABSm-30 and Ultum — with a bamboo substrate. MADE uses an FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) process on a Fortus 900mc 3D printer made by Stratasys. “The (Fortus 900mc) can print a wide range of materials from metals to plastics,” Marks said. “It’s capable of printing materials no other machines can, as well as having the largest build envelope out there.”
Once the boards have been printed, they are then shaped, glassed, and epoxied — finished with fiberglass, Kevlar, or carbon fiber wraps.
While that’s certainly a positive sentiment, Marks may have a harder time convincing shapers that 3D printing is the way forward for surfboards.
“It is killing the art of shaping surfboards and ending the feeling of having a new board without knowing how’s it going to be in the water,” he told us. “That’s something that other sports don’t have — the unknown and the thrill of riding a new craftsman-built board.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Slideshow: Robots Will 3D Print & Build Space Structures
http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1392&doc_id=267732&cid=nl.dn14
NASA is funding technology that would use robotics and 3D printing to construct parts of very large spacecraft and other structures in space. Doing this in space (instead of on the ground) could reduce the cost and risk of building systems and then launching them into orbit, and it could allow these structures to be bigger than is now possible.
SpiderFab, part of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program, recently received Phase II funding of $500,000 for two years.
Tomi Engdahl says:
GitHub Adds Support For Diffing 3D Files
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/09/18/011236/github-adds-support-for-diffing-3d-files
“A few months after releasing support for viewing models in .STL format, GitHub just added support for viewing changes to .STL formatted 3D models directly in the browser.”
3D File Diffs
https://github.com/blog/1633-3d-file-diffs
Back in April, we introduced the 3D file viewer. Today we’re improving this by displaying diffs of STL files on GitHub.
How does this work? We take both versions of the model, and using binary space partitioning, we compute the added, removed, and unchanged parts. This is done using csgtool, a C library paired with a Ruby gem via FFI. These pieces are cached and displayed by the 3D viewer
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printering: Alternative Filaments
http://hackaday.com/2013/09/18/3d-printering-alternative-filaments/
ABS and PLA are the backbones of the 3D printing world. They’re both easy to obtain and are good enough for most applications. They are not, however, the be-all, end-all filaments for all your 3D printing needs. Depending on your design, you may need something that is much tougher, much more flexible, or simply has a different appearance or texture. Here are a few alternative plastics for your RepRap, Makerbot, or other 3D printer:
Soft PLA
Wood and Stone
Nylon
PET
PVA