Category Archives: News
The Silver-Ink Challenge: Can 3D Printing Bring Us Renewable Energy?
Could we use 3D printing technology to create paper-thin solar strips that are capable of generating electricity?
That is the challenge presented by Chris Waldo from Kraftwurx in his blog: will we 3D print renewable energy?
Xerox is in the process of developing a special type of silver-ink that melts at a temperature lower than plastic. Silver is one of the key elements to dielectrics, semiconductors, inductors, conductors, and various circuits. With the ability to print silver on to films, fabrics, and plastics, there is a strong potential for paper thin solar strips, adaptable sensors, and a wide variety of circuits — all of which could be printed on to paper thin materials!
“Xerox (NYSE: XRX) has announced its development of special silver inks which have a melting point below that of plastic. Crafted into different versions which can act as conductors, semiconductors, or dielectrics, this silver ink could allow users to print integrated circuits onto plastic, fabric, or film. (source: Aaron Saenz)”
Printing solar strips sounds pretty fascinating, but how would it work? To understand how 3D printing can work within solar energy, one must first understand the process behind photovoltaic (PV) solar energy.
In simple terms, PV solar panels involve a non-reflective layer of film, on top of a semiconductor which is sandwiched by a front and back contact terminal for the electric current to flow through.
Chris continues to describe the photovoltaic process and then concludes:
Theoretically, silver used in conjunction with FDM 3D printing and film could result in damage to the non-reflective film, as the heated silver might melt and warp the film. Currently, silver is not used in FDM printing at all. However, Xerox’s silver can be melted at a temperature lower than plastic and many films. If Xerox’s silver could be printed as a semiconductor, we would very likely be looking at paper thin PV solar strips. This would involve doping of this silver to make two different materials – positively charged silver and a negatively charged silver. This would be the key to 3D printable solar strips.
This is a very innovative idea and the impact could be massive if low-cost solar strips could be printed on demand.
Read the full post at 3dprinter.net.
Solar photovoltaic photo by PNNL – Pacific Northwest National Laboratory used under Creative Commons license.
The MakerBot Met Hackathon Spreads with Art Derivations
Last week the MakerBot team joined forces with artists to democratize famous works of art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These 3D designs are now on Thingiverse and ready to be 3D printed. For example, the marble lion statue pictured above dates from 400 B.C. and is now available in digital form on Thingiverse.
As art is being democraticized, meaning users can download and print their own editions of these classical pieces, we are already seeing derivative digital works of art. In the example below, Jean-Antoine Houdon’s Bather was placed in a bath tub and uploaded to Thingiverse.
While this is in early days, it is incredible to now have the raw works of art at our digital fingertips for new creation.
Via MakerBot blog.
Top 3D Printing Headlines from Last Week: Stocks, Art, Architecture, Fujifilm Retail
A roundup of the top news On 3D Printing brought you from May 28 to June 3.
Monday, May 28
- 3D Printing Stocks are Hot: Top Public Companies Up 180% Over 6 Months
- The Debate Over Artistry and Modern Architecture vs 3D Printing
Tuesday, May 29
Wednesday, May 30
Thursday, May 31
- Winners Announced in Reality Redesigned Contest Sponsored by 3D Systems
- Objet 3D Printing: 16 Micron Puzzle Piece for RAPID 2012 Attendees
Friday, June 1
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.
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.
