Category Archives: News
ExOne Takes On 3D Systems and Stratasys in 3D Printing Stocks
3D Printing Stocks Analysis
ExOne is the most recent 3D printing stocks to go public. Long overshadowed by 3D Systems and Stratasys, ExOne is now coming into its own limelight.
Investor site Seeking Alpha sheds some light on ExOne’s profile.
ExOne is a relatively new player compared to the other two heavy weights – the company was formed in 2005 as a spin-off of Extrude Hone Corporation, a developer of nontraditional machining processes and automated systems. The company is currently operating in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Through research and development, the company has achieved considerable success in additive manufacturing. Notable ExOne products include S-Max, S-Print, M-Print and M-Lab. Most of these products are meant for industrial use, and have the capability of manufacturing molds with sand printing and metal and glass printing.
Almost all of the ExOne products cater to the industrial customers, and the company has some of the largest printers available in the market. ExOne’s customers are showing considerable interest in the products and the company is receiving new orders. 3D printer sales have gone up for the company in the fourth quarter of the last year. As a result, ExOne was able to post impressive full year results. Another target market for ExOne is the researchers and educational customers – M-Lab is specifically designed to be used in labs and it is one of the smaller printers available in the company’s arsenal.
So, there are two sets of target markets for the company: industrial customers, which require ExOne products for rapid prototyping and building molds, and researchers and educational customers, which convert their experiments into reality using ExOne equipment. Industrial customers are a big segment and ExOne’s products are getting good response, which should allow the company to grow further in this segment.
Read the full analysis at Seeking Alpha.
3D Printed Robot Mobot Looks to Revolutionize STEM Education
3D Printed Robot Mobot to Enhance STEM Education
The Mobot modular 3D printed robot was developed for middle school and high school students to learn science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects. Modules can attach to each other and accessories to form new and exciting configurations.
“As 3D printers become more and more common place in the classroom there’s a need for engaging projects and curriculum to tie this powerful tool into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects,” said Graham Ryland, President and Co-founder of Barobo Incorporated. “We’re excited to launch the Mobot-A robot kit which offers students the opportunity to learn 21st century skills by building a robot from the ground up.”
Starting this month, all the plastic parts, accessories, assembly instructions, and curriculum for the Mobot-A will be available to download from the company’s website. The Mobot-A kit includes the internal electronics, motors, and fasteners. Users 3D print the rest. The launch of the Mobot-A kit follows a successful Beta program where over 300 robots were used in more than 30 high schools and middle schools to teach STEM subjects.
Once assembled, the Mobot-A can attach to other robots and accessories to form new and unique machines. Students can design their own accessories to attach to the robot and print on a 3D printer. In this way there’s no limit to what can be created. Curriculum ties these robot projects into math principles and students are exposed to basic programming.
“We’re breaking from traditional business models and relying on our users to, not just assemble the robot, but play an active role in manufacturing the plastic parts,” said Graham Ryland. “We’ve proven the technology in the classroom and want to get it into students’ hands as quickly and cheaply as possible. Relying on customers to manufacture their own plastic parts wasn’t an option just a few years ago, but 3D printing technology has made this new way of rolling out an educational product possible.”
Product Features:
- Wireless programming over Bluetooth.
- Structured curriculum tying activities into STEM subject.
- Kids learn 21st century skills.
Included in the Mobot-A Kit are:
- Electronics, Motor, Batteries, and Fasteners
- Detailed Assembly Instruction and Curriculum
- Easy to use Software
The kit is available for $139.95 and you can download the robot parts for free to 3D print yourself.
Below is a video showing the Mobot in action.
Here is a video by Bridgeway Island Computer Programming Elective who won 1st place at the UC Davis CSTEM Day.
3D Printed Fashion Show at London College of Fashion This Week
3D Printed Fashion Show Debuts in London
Come to the London College of Fashion to see 3D printed fashion this week. A new show features shoes, glasses and jewellery from designers creating fashions using 3D printers.
An exhibition at the London College of Fashion‘s Fashion Space Gallery from next week shows designers exploring digital print in fashion and the potential of 3D printing as a tool for design.
The organizers of the Layer by Layer show say that 3D printing is increasingly relevant to fashion and design, as seen last month when Dita von Teese made headlines sporting the world’s first 3D printed dress, designed by Michael Schmidt and generated by architect Francis Bitonti.
A MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer will be running in the gallery throughout the exhibition, printing objects which will then be put on display.
Designers exhibiting objects include Naim Josef, Souzan Youssouf, Ron Arad and Daniel Widrig. The show’s curated by Leanne Wierzba and Gemma Williams. Examples of their work are shown in the gallery below.
The exhibition runs from 10 April-18 May.
Via DigitalArts.
i.Materialise Launches 3D Printing Design Challenge for Ceramics
3D Printing Design Ceramics Challenge from i.Materialise
3D printing marketplace i.Materialise has launched its latest 3D printing design challenge. This challenge asks for innovative ideas for ceramics.
Running April 8 to May 23, 2013, the competition asks entrants to submit a design on i.Materialise and the winner will get a free 3D print of their design.
Here are more details about the i.Materialise 3D Printing Ceramics Challenge.
Spring is finally entering our doors and we are in desperate need for more colors in our lives! So we’re ready to launch our first ceramics challenge where you can choose between nine vibrant colors. Are you ready?
THE CHALLENGE
For this competition, your challenge is to use 3D printing to create a product in ceramics. We give you carte blanche, so you can design anything you want: from tiles to vases, from jewelry to kitchen ware.
Surprise us by your creativity!
PRIZES
On the 23th of May the jury will select 1 winning design. The winner will receive his or her 3D print.
WHO CAN ENTER
This challenge is open to all designers, professional and amateur, regardless of sex, age or nationality.
CHALLENGE PERIOD
Submissions will be accepted up to 23:59 May 23th Central European Time, 2013.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
There is no limit on the number of entries per contestant. To enter, you need to upload your design(s) here and provide a clear explanation (under ‘desciption’) in at least 50 words.
JURY
The i.materialise team will vote upon the entries.
MATERIAL & BOUNDING BOX
Participants need to upload their file here. You can find more information about the file formats in our FAQs under ‘website’. The material for this challenge is ceramics.
There are limits on the size of the design:
Bounding box ceramics: 15 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm
i.Materialise is also hosting an Accessories Challenge, looking for accessories that are inspired by birds.
3D Printed Pets: Researchers Scan and 3D Print Animal Skeletons
3D Printed Pets
3D printing is now being used for nearly everything, but what about 3D printed pets?
Researchers at Notre Dame have combined their study of Biological Sciences with 3D printing. The team created a method for CT scanning anesthetized animals, such as rats and rabbits, converting the scans into contiguous 3D models, and then 3D printing the animal skeletons on a range of 3D printers.
Here is the abstract for their publication on this research.
Three-dimensional printing allows for the production of highly detailed objects through a process known as additive manufacturing. Traditional, mold-injection methods to create models or parts have several limitations, the most important of which is a difficulty in making highly complex products in a timely, cost-effective manner. However, gradual improvements in three-dimensional printing technology have resulted in both high-end and economy instruments that are now available for the facile production of customized models. These printers have the ability to extrude high-resolution objects with enough detail to accurately represent in vivo images generated from a preclinical X-ray CT scanner. With proper data collection, surface rendering, and stereolithographic editing, it is now possible and inexpensive to rapidly produce detailed skeletal and soft tissue structures from X-ray CT data. Even in the early stages of development, the anatomical models produced by three-dimensional printing appeal to both educators and researchers who can utilize the technology to improve visualization proficiency. The real benefits of this method result from the tangible experience a researcher can have with data that cannot be adequately conveyed through a computer screen. The translation of pre-clinical 3D data to a physical object that is an exact copy of the test subject is a powerful tool for visualization and communication, especially for relating imaging research to students, or those in other fields. Here, we provide a detailed method for printing plastic models of bone and organ structures derived from X-ray CT scans utilizing an Albira X-ray CT system in conjunction with PMOD, ImageJ, Meshlab, Netfabb, and ReplicatorG software packages.
3D Printer Comparison
The research team used three different methods for 3D printing the skeletons: consumer 3D printer MakerBot, 3D printing service Shapeways, and industrial 3D printer ProJet HD 3000.
Below is a detailed comparison:
| Method of Printing | Advantages | Disadvantages | Cost per Model |
| MakerBot | Extremely fast, variety of color options, able to print in two colors, extremely inexpensive | Lowest level of detail. Removal of support materials is slow (on the order of a couple hours). | $3.50 |
| Shapeways | Varity of color options, variety of materials for printing, high level of detail, relatively inexpensive | Two-week time to process and receive an order | $41.61 |
| ProJet HD 3000 | Relatively quick turnaround, highest level of detail, high throughput, easy to remove support materials (wax). | Most expensive up front cost ($80,000 equipment), only one color option during practical use. | $30.00 |
A video is available that walks through their method of scanning and a comparison of the results. You can watch the video at the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE). Chapters include:
| 0:05 | Title |
| 1:41 | Image Acquisition and Data Processing |
| 4:21 | Makerbot Printing |
| 6:33 | Shapeways Printing |
| 7:32 | ProJet HD 3000 Printing |
| 8:45 | Results: 3D Printed Models |
| 10:39 | Conclusion |
