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
The MakerBot Team is Democratizing Art at the Met
The MakerBot team is democratizing the art world. Using an app called Autodesk 123D Catch and the MakerBot Replicator, the team is scanning exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then 3D printing replicas. From the MakerBot blog:
June 1-2, for the first time in history, a collection of brilliant digital artists from the MakerBot Community will be graciously welcomed by the Met in New York City to study, capture, and recreate pieces from the Met’s vast collection of art and artifacts. These artists – stay tuned and we’ll tell you who! – will capture significant works into the digital domain using Autodesk’s 123D Catch, clean up and manipulate the resulting models, and then produce replicas and original pieces of art on our 3rd generation 3D printer, The Replicator.
From The Next Web:
Imagine an art class where you can see the Statue of David right in front of you. Imagine what will happen now that contemporary artists will be able to explore and hack famous works from the past. This is huge for the art community, The Met is absolutely awesome for letting this happen, and I couldn’t be more excited about this.
And in Bre Pettis’ own words:
I was an art teacher in Seattle Public Schools and with my students I could only get them to a museum once a year. Together we would get on a bus, go get a tour of a museum and go back to school.
It was great to go to a museum, but it was limited. I had a wish then that I could bring the museum into the classroom. Little did I know that 6 years later, I would be in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with some of the best artists and designers in the world scanning art and sharing it on Thingiverse for the world to download and make. We’re taking it even farther than that though. I don’t think I imagined that the work could be changed, mashed-up, hacked, and remade. It is truly a brilliant and wonderful future we live in where you can go into a museum that allows photography, take lots of pictures and then use 123D Catch to turn it into a model and share it on Thingiverse.
I’m so proud of the Met. It’s my town’s museum and it’s a brave and bold institution and it is so forward thinking that they’ve invited us in to scan, hack, and make things. When I started Thingiverse, I knew that I wanted the classic sculptures of the world to be in the universal library of things, but I imagined that someone would have to pull off the ultimate heist to make that happen. Instead of having to steal the art, the Met shares the future vision of MakerBot where the greatest artworks of the world are accessible to everyone and they’ve invited us in to make history and share the art with the world.
I’m thrilled about this, but it’s just the beginning. I hope that you will explore and capture and share the great artworks of your town. Together, we can create a great database that will inspire the next generation of artists.
Met Photo by makerbot used under Creative Commons license.
TED Talk on 3D Printing by Lisa Harouni [Video]
2012 may be the year of 3D printing, when this three-decade-old technology finally becomes accessible and even commonplace. Lisa Harouni gives a useful introduction to this fascinating way of making things — including intricate objects once impossible to create.
Fujifilm Looking to Break Into 3D Printing Retail Market [Video]
Fujifilm is looking to break into the 3D printing retail market with a new line of consumer devices that could fabricate personalized products like jewelry, toys and other home design items. Some printers would be sold to consumers for home use and others would be sold to businesses as in-store kiosk 3D printers.
Michael Mostyn, Fujifilm Key Account Manager, commented on the company’s new direction:
“Fujifilm is also looking to make 3D Printers available for consumer purchase from retailers in the near future, enabling the family and do-it-yourself enthusiasts to produce low cost, high quality finished parts for their projects at home.
“However, consumer printers would not have the capacity to produce all of the customised 3D products that would be available in-store through kiosks or online.
“Although 3D printing has been around since the 80s, the technology has only recently emerged from speciality prototyping markets.
“The principle of 3D printing is similar to ink-jet printing which uses inks applied as droplets onto paper in thin layers in two dimensions (2D).
“In a retail environment, a customer could use a kiosk to create their customised 3D product from a range of customisable designs or even a photograph, place their order with the retailer and then return to the store at a later time to pick up the product.”
In the video below, FUJIFILM showcases it latest technology in iPhone printing from kiosks to 3D Object printing at The Digital Show in Melbourne 25-27th May 2012.
Via buy-n-shoot.com.
Objet 3D Printing: 16 Micron Puzzle Piece for RAPID 2012 Attendees
At the RAPID 2012 show in Atlanta, attendees were given a 3D printed puzzle piece from Objet. Once fit together, the puzzle pieces formed a solid cube.
Objet featured this design on their blog:
For those new to 3D printing, there are 2 things about the Objet model that make it truly unique: ONE is that it features various opaque 3D printed objects suspended within a clear, smooth 3D printed transparent body – yet the entire part is printed in a single step. This is the only technology in the world capable of jetting and segregating different materials within a homogenously grown part.
And TWO is the incredible fine detail resolution achieved!! Check out that micro-scaled skeletal hand, spring coil and Eiffel Tower in relation to the size of the lines on my fingers…
This 3D print was achieved on a Objet Connex using a combination of 16 micron resolution and simultaneous multiple material jetting.
Via Objet blog.
Winners Announced in Reality Redesigned Contest Sponsored by 3D Systems
3D Systems recently sponsored a contest called Reality Redesigned which was produced by Edge Factor.
From the 3D Systems blog:
Reality Redesigned provided an opportunity for students to design part of a mountain bike, learn and win a variety of great prizes – plus recognition. The students were part of the entire process, from ideation to the production of the part. 3D Systems printed the full color prototypes of the finalists designs for display at the announcement event. The winner of the contest was chosen by a panel of expert judges and formally announced at RAPID 2012 in Atlanta, GA. What is really exciting is the winning part will be manufactured and tested by a pro rider. So, not only did the contest engage students in a fun and productive way – it allowed them to use 3D printers!
More from the press release:
“We are thrilled to leverage our full color 3D printing capabilities to inspire innovation and bring student contestants’ creativity and designs to life,” said Cathy Lewis, Vice President, Global Marketing for 3D Systems. “‘Reality Redesign’ is just one more example of 3D Systems’ commitment to education, something we are deeply passionate about as we work to democratize creativity for students at all grade levels and disciplines through access to affordable 3D printers and compelling 3D content.”
Check out all of the winners here.
Below is a video of the 3 top winners.
Below is a video of the grand prize winner Cody with his Thomson to I-beam adapter.
