Category Archives: News
3D Systems Acquires FreshFiber for 3D Printed Electronics Accessories
3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) has announced the acquisition of Amsterdam-based FreshFiber BV, a leading 3D printing consumer goods brand. The photo above showcases several custom iPhone case designs sold by FreshFiber, each depicting the landmarks of a different major city and manufactured using 3D printing.
From their press release:
3D Systems plans to integrate FreshFiber into its growing consumer business and leverage the FreshFiber brand and leadership position to expand its reach into individualized and personalized electronics accessories.
“This is an exciting development that will allow us to bring an expanded range of accessories and services to our customers,” said Christian Dijkhof of FreshFiber.
FreshFiber is the leading 3D printed consumer electronics accessories brand sold on-line and in retail stores today. Over the past two years, FreshFiber grew its product offering and presence globally through high-end retail stores like Apple, FNAC and Gravis.
“FreshFiber delivers extraordinary personalization and style through a wide range of co-creation APPS and choices that empower consumers to customize their accessories, including its flagship iPhone® cases,” said Cathy Lewis, Vice President Global Marketing for 3D Systems. “We plan to enhance FreshFiber’s portfolio through our technology and manufacturing infrastructure as well as our growing Cubify.com platform.”
This acquisition comes just weeks after the acquisitions of My Robot Nation and Paramount Industries, and Q1 results with record revenue.
Stratasys Announces Mojo: Lowest-Price Professional-Grade 3D Printer
BREAKING — Stratasys today announced the Mojo 3D Printer, which comes in a complete system called a 3D Print Pack. The Mojo 3D Print Pack is the market’s lowest-priced professional-grade complete 3D printing system.
Priced at $9,900, the Mojo 3D Print Pack is more than just the printer. The package contains everything needed to produce models (including material and a support-removal system). Like all 3D printers from Stratasys, Mojo is a genuine, patented Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM(R)) system.
A desktop 3D printer, Mojo measures only 25 inches wide and 21 inches deep. It measures 18 inches in height (64 x 53 x 46 cm). As with a paper printer, no training is needed to get it set up and running, and settings are selected at the host computer, not the printer itself. Modeling operations are easy with Mojo’s preprocessing software, Print Wizard, which helps users efficiently manage workflow. Support material removal is also a simple process with the included WaveWash55. It is a self-contained, hands-free cleaning system, and it requires no plumbing.
Leading up to this announcement, Stratasys hosted a countdown timer on their website with the message: “The magic begins on May 8. Check back to see what’s new in the world of 3D printing.”
Via MarketWatch and Stratasys.
Impact of 3D Printing on Indian Labor Market “Mind-Boggling” [Opinion]
Much of the press coverage on 3D printing we feature is from the US and other developed countries. Today, we want to highlight an article from The Economic Times of India.
Arvind Singhal writes an opinion piece for called “The nation must focus on transformational changes around us“, highlighting 3D printing as one of a few changes that will transform the world we know today:
One of the most potentially impactful of these changes is the rapid progress a relatively new technology ’3D printing’ is making. Till a few years ago, 3D printing-based manufacturing was in the realm of a technology that could have applications mostly for defence and industrial prototyping applications.
They have already moved into the realm of mass consumer applications. The possibilities are fascinating and range from printing human organs including complex ones such as kidneys using the recipient’s own body cells, to the elimination of several types of manufacturing with the end consumers directly ‘printing’ at their home things like crockery and cutlery or small home appliances after they have electronically paid for the ‘application’ to the designer and creator of the products.
With dramatic reduction or near elimination of labour from many manufacturing processes the implications are mind-boggling.
The other transformational changes are: the digital age, nanotechnology, and biomedical engineering.
Via The Economic Times of India.
Churchill Club photo from jurvetson used under Creative Commons license.
3D Printed Legs: Giving Amputees the Power of Personal Expression
The mission at San Francisco-based Bespoke Innovations is to bring more humanity to people who have experienced the loss of a limb, simply stated on their website as: “Because Every Body is Different.”
Founded in 2009 by an Industrial Designer and an Orthopedic Surgeon, Bespoke is part of the movement towards individualized and innovative medicine. Again, from their website:
Each of our bodies is unique, as are our tastes and styles. Humans are anything but one-size-fits-all, and we want to recognize that fact. We achieve this by creating products that allow our clients to personalize their prosthetic legs. Our hope is to enable our clients to emotionally connect with their prosthetic limbs, and wear them confidently as a form of personal expression. Our products turn something ordinary into something amazing.
Deborah
Bespoke shares a case study of a woman named Deborah:
In 2004, Deborah lost her lower leg in a motorcycle accident, changing her life from that moment forward. Initially, Deborah was fitted with a standard prosthetic limb in order to regain some of the basic functionality from her life before. Later, she purchased a ‘running leg’ and resumed competitive running through the Challenged Athletes Foundation. She now swims regularly, runs in marathons and is currently training for her first triathlon.
Although the prosthetic limb returned much of the mobility and activity to her life, the titanium hardware and mechanical fittings comprising the new leg simply could not represent her individuality or uniqueness. In 2010, Deborah met with Bespoke Innovations, who presented her with the opportunity to have a custom ‘Fairing’ made. The Fairing, a product that results from a process developed by Bespoke, recreates Deborah’s unique body shape, while allowing her to express her personal style and fashion sense.
How it Works
Bespoke Fairings™ are custom coverings for an existing prosthetic leg, precisely designed to fit the body through 3D scanning technology, and 3D printed to express personality and individuality never before possible. Fairings typically sell for under $5,000.
The video below shows the 3D printing process.
Bespoke has been featured in Bloomberg BusinessWeek and other major publications.
Below is video from Mashable discussing the design and customization process.
Top 3D Printing Headlines from Last Week: SketchUp, Medical, Toys, Jobs
A roundup of the top news On 3D Printing brought you from April 30 to May 6.
Monday, April 30
- Why Google Sold SketchUp and What It Means for 3D Printing
- 3D Printing Companies Exhibiting at Maker Faire 2012
Tuesday, May 1
- Top 10 Countdown: Most Popular 3D Printing Stories in April
- Futuristic Medicine: 3D Printed Jaw Implant Rescues 83-Year-Old Woman
Wednesday, May 2
- 3D Printing the Rosetta Stone for Kids Toys: Nerd Dad Triumph
- Inspiring High School Students to be Tomorrow’s Designers: 3D Printing [Video]
Thursday, May 3
- Shapeways Feed is a Pinterest for 3D Printing Designs
- Stable Design: 3D Printing with Autodesk 123D and MakerBot [Video]
Friday, May 4
