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
3D Printing for Kids – Kickstarter Project PotteryPrint Fails to Raise Funds
3D Printing for kids: it’s a noble and imaginative concept. Just as other disciplines, from math to basic science to foreign language, are being introduced to children at a young age, there could be many educational benefits to giving kids a hands-on 3D printing toolset.
The team at PotteryPrint launched a Kickstarter project to raise $12,000 to build an iPad app where kids could design pottery that would be 3D printed. Unfortunately, only $6,000 was raised by the deadline.
Why Did It Fail to Raise Funds?
First, perhaps the focus on pottery is too much of a deviation from the core developments in 3D printing today. Pottery is a decorative art, and pottery pieces can be quite fragile. 3D printed objects in production today are mostly utility, though some are art, but all are made from commercial polymers to ensure durability.
Second, the key deliverable of this Kickstarter project was the iPad app. What will truly drive kids education in 3D printing is access to printers, not access to software. The PotteryPrint concept outsources the 3D printing itself, thereby removing that hands-on experience from the educational cycle.
I hope PotteryPrint resubmits a new project with a promise to make 3D printing as accessible as its design software.
Below is their Kickstarter pitch.
From Design to 3D Print: Making Moving Parts [Video]
The video below shows an Objet Connex 3D printer making wrenches with moving parts. Objects of different sizes are created from the same design, demonstrating the versatility of this technology.
Dental Labs Redefine Personal Care with Onsite 3D Printing
The world of dentistry and tooth repair dates back about 9000 years to the Indus Valley Civilization where evidence of tooth drilling has been found in a Neolithic graveyard. In 1840, the first dental school opened in the US, and over the last 160 years, preventative dental care has advanced signficantly.
Now modern dentistry is on the verge of a revolution with help from 3D printing and related technologies.
Imagine walking into your dentist’s office. She says: “You need a new crown.” She pulls over a machine that takes a 3D digital scan of your teeth and annotates that scan in her computer. Instructions are then sent to a 3D printer located in the dental office, which prints your crown onsite in 60 seconds. Your dentist can finish the job without you leaving the chair to get a magazine.
This real-world application is a good example of how 3D printing will be the catalyst for major change in the medical arena, leading to explosive growth and a $5 billion 3D printing industry by 2020.
Read more about dental advances at Today’s Medical Developments.
A Look Back: 3D Printing in 2010 [Interactive Timeline]
2010 was a pivotal year in 3D printing technology. In an interactive timeline, TeamTeamUSA lists the key developments that moved the industry over the year.
Notably:
- January – HP announced a 3D printer
- January – First 3D printer featured at CES
- February – Apple sells 3D printed iPhone cases
- April/May – Shapeways introduces new materials, including glass and gold
- June – Lifesize King Tut Mummy printed
- July – 3D printed fashion
- November – 3D prints added to Smithsonian Collection
- November – Maker factory launches
- December – Thing-o-matic ships
- December – 3D printed flute
Check out the full timeline at Dipity.
Disrupting China: Interview with Horst Hörtner from Ars Electronica Futurelab
Austrian-native Horst Hörtner is a visionary in the 3D printing field and sees a disruptive future ahead. Hörtner is a founder and senior director of the Ars Electronica Futurelab, where innovations have ranged from foldable digital newspapers to car navigation systems.
Disrupting China?
Hörtner comments on the impact of 3D printing to the global supply chain:
In the short-run – about five to 10 years – 3D printing will change our way of how we produce things, it will change the logistics of the entire global production.
[The next big things] could hasten the demise of the traditional factory and manufacturing model that has dominated since the industrial revolution. The business model built around factories that make things – a product-driven business model – is under threat from many transformative forces; 3D printing not least of all.
Hörtner was in Brisbane, Australia this past weekend to share his views. Read more about this interview and his research at the Brisbane Times.
