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
CNET Reviews the MakerBot Replicator: Most Capable 3D Printer Under $2000 [Video]
In the video below, CNET reviews the MakerBot Replicator. This is the first 3D printer reviewed by CNET.
Rich Brown, Senior Editor for CNET, tells us, ”Chances are if you’ve heard of 3D printing, you’ve also heard of MakerBot,” and concludes that the Replicator is the most capable 3D printer under $2000.
Via CNET.
MakerBot Replicator photo by Creative Tools used under Creative Commons license.
3D Systems CEO: 3D Printing Will Be As Big As the iPad
The Cube is coming and it’s going to help 3D printing be as big as the iPad.
That’s the message 3D Systems CEO Abe Reichental wants you to understand. The Cube is 3D Systems’ new printer targeted at the mass consumer. It simplifies the process of getting from design to print via embedded Wi-Fi and cloud printing. The Cube will retail for $1,299 which undercuts the current consumer standard MakerBot Replicator by $500.
There is no doubt that Mr. Reichental has conviction about his belief in the growth of the 3D printing industry. 3D Systems transfered from NASDAQ to NYSE just one year ago and has grown its market cap by 40%. It has since been on an acquisition tear, picking up My Robot Nation, FreshFiber and several other companies. The 3D printer company recently reported record revenue for Q1 and is now placing bets on its Cube consumer printer and Cubify design portal.
In an interview with VentureBeat, Mr. Reichental commented on why 3D printing will become as big as the iPad:
There are very few artists around the world that can start painting on a blank canvas, but there are millions of people who can use a coloring book.
And further on his expectations for printer prices over time:
The prices will come down. It’s inevitable that in the next year or year-and-a-half prices will be half of what they are today, and then come down again.
We are excited to see the launch of the Cube printer!
Via VentureBeat.
iPad Crowd photo from niallkennedy used under Creative Commons license.
3D Printed Curves: How the N12 Bikini Fits Your Body Perfectly
We have seen 3D printing on the fashion runway before, but the N12 bikini from Continuum Fashion is bringing 3D printed fashion into the home.
Clothing-maker Continuum calls themselves “part fashion label, part experimental design lab,” combining emerging technology with high fashion.
In this case, Continuum’s designer Jenna Fizel wrote a program that generates a custom bikini swimsuit lattice pattern based on the contours of the customer’s body.
The N12 bikini is the world’s first ready-to-wear, completely 3D-printed article of clothing. All of the pieces, closures included, are made directly by 3D printing and snap together without any sewing. N12 represents the beginning of what is possible for the near future.
N12 is named for the material it’s made out of: Nylon 12. This solid nylon is created by the SLS 3D printing process. Shapeways calls this material “white, strong, and flexible”, because its strength allows it to bend without breaking when printed very thin. With a minimum wall thickness of .7 mm, it is possible to make working springs and almost thread-like connections. For a bikini, the nylon is beautifully functional because it is waterproof and remarkably comfortable when wet.
Watch the video below for details on how this bikini is custom designed and 3D printed.
MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis is 3D Printing’s First Celebrity
Congratulations to MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis for being called “3D Printing’s First Celebrity” by Bloomberg BusinessWeek! We are sure that fame is not his key driver, but it’s great to see him getting recognition for being a pioneer in consumer 3D printers.
MakerBot has received more than $10 million in venture capital from a huge variety of sources and has put that money to good work so far. Pettis is just about the only 3D printing celebrity—holding his own, for example, during an appearance on The Colbert Report last June. Using a hand-held laser scanner, Pettis captured a three-dimensional image of Stephen Colbert’s head and then printed it on the spot. “We no longer have to rely on the Chinese for our plastic pieces of crap,” Colbert said. “Because what’s cheaper than a Chinese worker? A robot.” Pettis also presented Colbert with a chimera, fusing Colbert’s head to the body of an eagle, perched atop the dome of the Capitol Building.
Read the full editorial at Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
Bre Pettis photo from bre pettis used under Creative Commons license.
Hey Red Sox Fans: 3D Print Your Own Fenway Park [video]
Objet, a leading provider of 3D printing systems and materials, has designed the dream of every Red Sox fan: a 3D printed replica of Fenway Park.
First featured on local news, this story has now been picked up by ESPN and other national press:
The 3-foot-by-5-foot model was printed at Objet North America’s Billerica, Mass., headquarters, less than 20 miles from Boston. The massive creation is about 1/200th scale, includes 40 separate printed sections and weighs in at around 105 pounds. The detail of the piece, however, is meticulous enough to capture not only the Green Monster, the Pesky Pole and the exact number of lights, but even the famous red Ted Williams seat in right field.
From the Objet blog:
- The 3D printed model itself was printed in 40 seperate interlocking pieces on the Objet Connex500 – Objet’s largest multi-material 3D printer.
- When put together the final assembly weights about 105 pounds.
- The final 3D model shows off the fantastic print resolution of the Objet machine to great effect. Some of the noticeable details include Pesky’s Pole, Ted Williams’ red seat, the Green Monster (including seats atop).
- The model also includes the exact number of lights, concourses, dugouts and bullpens.
Below is a video of the construction of the model:
