Category Archives: Design
Father’s Day Gifts for Dad: Shapeways Friday Finds
3D printing marketplace Shapeways featured some fun Father’s Day gifts in its weekly Friday Finds blog series.
Death’s Head Hawkmoth Skeleton
The Wrap – cable winder for Euro iPhone charger
TriStand – iPhone Case with 3 Built In Stands
See more at Shapeways blog.
Shapeways Introduces Flexible 3D Printing Material: Elasto Plastic
Most 3D printed products today are created in firm plastic, giving a bland and sterile feel. Other materials available have included stainless steel, glass, and ceramics. Shapeways is now testing a new material called Black Elasto Plastic, which has a rubberized look and feel.
This material would be great for a variety of applications. We’ve seen designs in jewelry, tech gadgets, erasers (yes it can function as an eraser), stress toys, gloves and so much more! Let your creativity shine and please give us feedback to help us learn about this awesome experimental material!
Make Your Own Superhero: Your Face 3D Printed on Batman
Have you always wanted your own superhero action figure … of yourself? Now Firebox can help you fulfill that dream.
Step 1: Take 2 photos of your face and upload them to Firebox.
Step 2: Select a superhero template to personalize, from Batman to Superman to Captain America to Batgirl.
Step 3: Firebox 3D prints your action figure and ships it to you for $128.
Besides the cool factor, we were interested in this novel application of 3D printing. Firebox explains how it works:
Using advanced 3D printing technology your photographs will be turned into a fully-formed 3D version of your noggin – including eye colour, skin tone, hair style (or as close as possible) and hair colour. Accurate? It’ll be like looking in a teaspoon.
Learn more at Firebox.
Hat tip to geekosystem.
Strange Ideas: Eat Your Own 3D Printed Brain [Video]
In the realm of strange ideas, here’s a winner.
One researcher decided to MRI scan his own brain, 3D print a replica, and then use that print as a mold to cast a chocolate version of his very own brain. Then he ate it.
Inition co-founder Andy Millins gave his MRI brain scan data which he had on file after participating in an Imperial College research project. The team got to work by first extracting a 3D model from the sliced-image MRI data which was then 3D printed and used to create a latex mould for the casting of the chocolate brain. After consuming his own brain, Andy Millins, co-founder at Inition said: “I’ve been involved in some weird 3D projects over the years at Inition but eating my own chocolate brain was one of the most bizarre . We hope the detailed how-to on Instructables will give others food for thought.”
While I wouldn’t refer to this idea as world-changing, the attention to detail on this project is impressive. Watch the video below to see Andy Millins’s entire process. Perhaps some of the other chocolate 3D printing teams will be inspired.
Via Inition.
Brain scan photo by Liz Henry used under Creative Commons license.
What to 3D Print: Wired Showcases the Best of Thingiverse
Wired and Thingiverse teamed up to showcase some of the most impressive 3D printing designs that can be printed on your MakerBot.
Above is a genuine Mario Kart Koopa shell racer.
His goal was to build a full-size RC vehicle based on Mario Kart Koopa shells. The Makerbot’s constraints would have stymied a lesser designer, but by breaking the design into small parts, Skimbal created a large, multi-color object, where the resolution is barely noticeable. The project takes over 40 hours to complete, but it’s like being able to print the Mona Lisa in your garage.
Next we have a Lincoln Log cabin. We have covered the disruptive impact that 3D printing will have on the toy industry. Why buy expensive toys when you can 3D print cheap generics?
And finally, we have a novel design called Big Love Heart Gears. This is something that would not be possible with traditional manufacturing processes because the design is printed as one interconnected object.
Via Wired.
