Category Archives: News
Improving Education: 3D Printing Lab Equipment to Help Poor Schools
What can a school do when it does not have the budget to buy proper lab equipment for its students? The team at Tekla Labs believes they have a solution: 3D print your own.
Tekla Labs is an organization formed by students at University of California, Berkeley and has launched a PRINTmyLAB Design Challenge. They are looking for 3D printing blueprint submissions by April 30.
Some suggestions from the website:
1) DIY Alternative: A 3D printing blueprint for an item that can replace a commercial product or a specific component of a commercial product used in scientific laboratories or in scientific/engineering research. Especially helpful if this part tends to break or get lost.
2) Novel Gadget: A 3D printing blueprint for a novel item not commercially available that is of use in scientific laboratories or in scientific/engineering research. Invent! Imagine! Print!
Read more at Tekla Labs or in a feature by PC World.
Students image used under Creative Commons from lumierefl.
Top 3D Printing Headlines from Last Week: China, Kids, Guitars, Chocolate
A roundup of the top news On 3D Printing brought you from April 2 to April 8.
Monday, April 2
- Disrupting China: Interview with Horst Hörtner from Ars Electronica Futurelab
- A Look Back: 3D Printing in 2010 [Interactive Timeline]
Tuesday, April 3
- Dental Labs Redefine Personal Care with Onsite 3D Printing
- From Design to 3D Print: Making Moving Parts [Video]
Wednesday, April 4
- 3D Printing for Kids – Kickstarter Project PotteryPrint Fails to Raise Funds
- MIT Scientists Putting $10 Million Grant Toward 3D Printed Robots
Thursday, April 5
Friday, April 6
- Leapfrog Launches New 3D Printer Line in Europe
- Tinkercad Chess Set Design Contest: Winner Announced!
Saturday, April 7
Pentagon Offers Prizes for Crowdsourced Military Vehicle Designs
DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), in collaboration with MIT, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and GE, is initiating a program to crowdsource designs for the next generation of military vehicles.
The New York Times reports about the Vehicleforge.mil program:
The near-term target, they said, is to collaborate on a design for an amphibious vehicle for the Marines. The first contest, with a $1 million prize, is planned for early next year. It involves mobility and drive-train subsystems for the vehicle. Next, about six months later, will be the design for the chassis and other subsystems, a contest that will carry another $1 million prize.
While not directly related to 3D printing, there is a connection. By crowdsourcing ideas for new military vehicles, the government is extending military design beyond the walls of the Pentagon. DARPA is acknowledging that the wisdom of the crowds might be a great way to augment the expertise of its staff.
If this model proves out, it could lead to wider adoption of crowdsourced design for other industries, such as consumer products, fashion and sports. Enter 3D printers and you have a future where individuals can leverage crowdsourced designs to find new products and print them in their own home or community.
It’s going to happen.
Read more about the Vehicleforge.mil program at the New York Times.
A Sweet Alternative: 3D Printing Chocolate for Easter
While most 3D printers use plastic polymers, UK scientists have changed the game, developing a method for printing chocolate. All we can say is: Delicious!
Lead scientist Dr Liang Hao told BBC about the process:
“You just need to melt some chocolate, fill a syringe that is stored in the printer, and get creative printing your chocolate.”
Chocolate 3D Printers are expected go on sale in the April. Read more at BBC.
Below is a video of the chocolate printer in action.
Tinkercad Chess Set Design Contest: Winner Announced!
A few weeks ago, 3D design software company Tinkercad hosted a contest where users could submit their designs for 3D printable chess sets. The winner, announced today, was awarded a MakerBot 3D Printer.
The image above shows the winning submission, called Action Chess by cymon. This innovative design not only is a traditional chess set, but also pays homage to Transformers by allowing chess pieces to be combined into a larger creature.
Congratulations to cymon. Hope to see more creative designs like this soon!
