Motorola Mobility, a Google company, is building a 3D printed modular phone, and has partnered with 3D Systems for commercial fulfillment. More »
The Captured Dimensions pop-up studio was located in the Smithsonian Castle and featured approximately 80 digital cameras all connected to 3D software. More »
Microsoft expanded their support for 3D printing by launching a Windows 8 app called 3D Builder. It includes a library of objects you can edit and 3D print. More »
3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) announced the availability of the Sense 3D scanner, the first 3D scanner designed for the consumer and optimized for 3D printing. More »
With rumors circling that 3D Systems will be purchased by IBM, the stock soars. We look at why IBM might be interested in the 3D printing giant. More »
Yearly Archives: 2012
Top 10 Countdown: Most Popular 3D Printing Stories in September 2012
Here are the top 10 most popular stories On 3D Printing brought you in September 2012.
10. Interview: Protos Eyewear Combines Fashion, Tech, and 3D Printing
9. The Variable Cross: Create Your Own 3D Printed Cross Pendant Necklace
8. Unique 3D Printed Art Featured at the 3D Print Show in London
7. 3D Printing Mobile Labs: A New Combat Strategy for the U.S. Military
6. 3D Printing iPhones in America: Disrupting Foxconn’s Assembly Line
5. 3D Printing Will Be As Disruptive As the PC, Thanks to Piracy
4. Could 3D Printing Save the Public Library System? Mixed Opinions
3. 3D Printing on the Horizon: Can You Spot the Trend?
2. Interview: Idle Print Looks to Monetize Spare Cycles in 3D Printing
1. 3D Printing a Futuristic Airplane Cabin: Innovation at Airbus
Thanks for reading in September!
Oops-Ed: TechCrunch Writer Says Consumers Don’t Need 3D Printers
In the early 1980s, Bill Gates was widely known to say “640K is more memory than anyone will ever need on a computer.” This famous quote seems laughable today as your standard home computer, tablet and phone are equipped with gigabytes of memory.
Well, today TechCrunch writer Jon Evans makes a similarly myopic claim about the 3D printer market, “There is no reason for any individual to have a 3D printer in their home.” We are sure Evans would love being compared to Gates, but let’s look more closely at his argument.
3D printing will be a serious threat to manufacturing as we know it. But not at home. That doesn’t make sense. Instead, we’ll have two kinds of communal 3D printer shops.
In high-infrastructure areas, there’ll be a clutch of online providers a la Stratasys (and I expect one of them to be Amazon.com): you’ll pick your 3D design from a huge online menu, send them size information and maybe a few photos from some kind of cunningly designed app, tweak the 3D preview until you’re happy, and they’ll print it out in some vast warehouse full of high-end high-speed 3D printers and ship it to you, possibly that same day.
In low-infrastructure areas, or if you’re a casual hobbyist, or if you have very specific requirements, you’ll head down the road to your nearest local printing facility. Depending on where you are, maybe this is tomorrow’s TechShop, maybe it’s a cluster of converted shipping containers on the outskirts of Uganda each with their own specialties and strengths. They’ll customize your order, render it in the cloud as needed, print it out, and tweak and iterate until it’s done. More expensive but more specific.
While we agree with Evans’ two predictions about online providers and tech shops, we do not agree with his assertion that there won’t be 3D printers in the home. Look at other markets: personal computers, inkjet or laser printers, photo printers, etc. In each of these cases, this technology started out expensive and niche, but eventually moved into the mainstream and enabled new industries to blossom.
Read Evans’ full post and the comments that ensue.
Bill Gates photo by MATEUS_27:24&25 used under Creative Commons license.
Top 3D Printing Headlines Last Week: iPhones, Fab Labs, Brazil, Manhattan
A roundup of the top news On 3D Printing brought you from September 24 to September 28.
Friday, September 28
MakerBot Store Grand Opening in Manhattan: Photo Tour and Video
MakerBot held the Grand Opening of their new MakerBot store in Manhattan last week. In the store, they have their latest 3D printers – called Replicator 2 – printing away, they sell the special plastic spools to fit the printer, and they sell 3D printed goods. It’s as much of a showcase as it is a store.
The photo above is of a proud Bre Pettis manning the store. See the full photo tour at Engadget.
Fab Lab of the Week: – Fab Lab Portland at U of Oregon
This week’s featured Fab Lab is the Fab Lab Portland at the University of Oregon.
From the fab lab’s website:
The primary function of the lab is to support students and faculty members conducting research in Portland. Access is offered to patrons that are actively enrolled or teaching in the current term. The culture of the lab supports an open atmosphere of learning. Patrons are responsible for safely operating all equipment and tools themselves, and must first complete a basic safety orientation and sign a release waiver before working in the woodshop or spary booth. Patrons may also use equipment in the fabrication lab if they have received technical training and been approved to operate the machines. Workshops and courses are offered each term to provide patrons with opportunities to improve their protoyping skills and fabrication techniques.
Fab Lab Portland has 3D printers and other equipment for use.
The facility supports two laser cutters, a 3D printer, a CNC milling machine, and a CNC router. Prices and specifications for equipment are as follows:
| Laser Cutters: | Universal ILS 9.150D 100 watts 36”x24” $0.50/min |
Universal VLS 4.60 50 watts 24”x18” $0.30/min |
| 3D Printer: | Dimension 1200ES SST ABS plastic (natural) 10”x10”x12” max dimensions $8/cu.in. |
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| CNC Milling Machine: | Roland MDX-540 14”x14”x5” (9”x6”d.) travel dimensions *cost varies with material |
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| CNC Router: | ShopBot BT48 48”x96”x5” travel dimensions *cost varies with material |
