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
Shapeways Opens NYC 3D Printing and Distribution Center
3D printing marketplace Shapeways has opened a NYC-based 3D printing and distribution center. This comes just a few weeks after raising $6.2M in Series B funding.
The NY-based startup began printing from a single 3D Systems ProJet 3500 Plus printer last week at its Long Island City factory/distribution center. Because the machines are customized for specific materials, the ProJet will only be churning out UV curable acrylic plastics until other printers are installed.
This past March, the Long Island City location began distributing its 3D printed wares, which paved the way for the company to begin ramping up its US production efforts. While this isn’t the “factory of the future” that was announced last November, Shapeways says the real deal will be up and running by the end of summer or early fall. There are also plans to implement a “lab” for creators and students alike to experiment with different materials and production methods to further improve and iterate upon current methods.
To date, Shapeways has over 150,000 active community members/designers with over 6,000 of them having their own online shops delivering their custom wares.
Via TechCrunch.
Harry Houdini First, Now 3D Printing Challenges Handcuff Security
Magician and escape artist Harry Houdini was knows as “The Handcuff King” in the early 1900s for his amazing ability to free himself from handcuffs. Now there is a new handcuff king in town, one who uses 3D printing to fabricate custom keys. As Forbes reports:
The security of high-end handcuffs depends on a detainee not having access to certain small, precisely-shaped objects. In the age of easy 3D printing and other DIY innovations, that assumption may no longer apply.
In a workshop Friday at the Hackers On Planet Earth conference in New York, a German hacker and security consultant who goes by the name “Ray” demonstrated a looming problem for handcuff makers hoping to restrict the distribution of the keys that open their cuffs: With plastic copies he cheaply produced with a laser-cutter and a 3D printer, he was able to open handcuffs built by the German firm Bonowi and the English manufacturer Chubb, both of which attempt to control the distribution of their keys to keep them exclusively in the hands of authorized buyers such as law enforcement.
This 3D printing achievement shows that even high-end handcuffs are no longer always secure. Keys can be reproduced and 3D printed into plexiglass or other materials that are not captured by metal detectors. It’s perhaps time to upgrade the technology used by law enforcement.
The photo below shows the 3D printed handcuff key.
Read the full story on Forbes.
Handcuff photo by Marcin Wichary used under Creative Commons license. 3D printed handcuff key by CabFabLab used under Creative Commons license.
Top 3D Printing Headlines Last Week: Stocks, Cloud, Virality, Children’s Books, Olympics
A roundup of the top news On 3D Printing brought you from July 9 to July 15.
Monday, July 9
Tuesday, July 10
- Designed to Win: 3D Printing Could Help Athletes Break World Records
- Moddler is Making the Market in High-End 3D Printing [Video]
Wednesday, July 11
Thursday, July 12
Friday, July 13
Fab Lab of the Week: Fablab Amsterdam in the Netherlands
This week’s featured Fab Lab is called Fablab Amsterdam in the Netherlands. They are offering classes on how to build your own 3D printer.
Fablab Amsterdam offers you the opportunity to build your personal 3D printer and learn all there is to know about 3D printing. After an introduction of the Fablab and the basics of 3D printing, you will learn how to set up a model for printing (day 1). In the next three days you will build your own printer, this is a model based on Orca (RepRap Mendel). On the last day (day 5) you will be printing your model(s) and get a hands-on troubleshooting on operating your 3D printer.
The summer school is available for maximum of 16 participants. You are to bring your own laptop and a 3D model, that you would like to print. Summer school only continues when it has at least 8 participants!
When? From 6 to 10 August 2012, 10.00 AM till 18.00 PM
Where? Fablab Amsterdam, Nieuwmarkt 4, 1012 CR Amsterdam
Learn more about Fablab Amsterdam from Fablab.nl or this article.
Fab Lab photo by TonZ used under Creative Commons license.
Video: 3D Printing in Glazed Ceramics, Best Practices and Cost
Earlier we posted about a 3D printed coffee cup that went viral. This innovative design was 3D printed in glazed ceramics.
Want to learn more about 3D printing in ceramics? Watch the video below from Shapeways’ tutorial.
Glazed Ceramics are food safe, recyclable and heat resistant. The glaze is heatable up to 600 degrees celsius, at which point the glaze will start to damage. The pricing for Glazed Ceramics is calculated by surface area, not volume of material used. Minimum wall thickness is 3mm, interlocking parts (ie chains) are not possible currently.
We offer glazed ceramics in a few different glazes.
- Gloss White Glaze is $0.18/cm2
- Gloss Black Glaze, Satin Black is $0.19/cm2
- Eggshell Blue, Avocado Green, and Pastel Yellow is $0.20/cm2
