Motorola Mobility, a Google company, is building a 3D printed modular phone, and has partnered with 3D Systems for commercial fulfillment. More »
The Captured Dimensions pop-up studio was located in the Smithsonian Castle and featured approximately 80 digital cameras all connected to 3D software. More »
Microsoft expanded their support for 3D printing by launching a Windows 8 app called 3D Builder. It includes a library of objects you can edit and 3D print. More »
3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) announced the availability of the Sense 3D scanner, the first 3D scanner designed for the consumer and optimized for 3D printing. More »
With rumors circling that 3D Systems will be purchased by IBM, the stock soars. We look at why IBM might be interested in the 3D printing giant. More »
Nano Rubik’s Cube: Shapeways Member 3D Prints Puzzles in Millimeters [Video]
With the announcement of Shapeways’ $6.2 million funding, we thought we would look back at some of the amazing designs their community has produced.
Community member Evgeniy Grigoriev (aka grigorusha) has designed a number of micro-sized twisty puzzles. These are popular puzzles shrunk down to millimeter size, only made possible by 3D printing.
Here is a video of a customer assembling the Evgeniy Grigoriev’s 12mm Rubik’s Cube. You can buy this and some of his other puzzles at his Shapeways shop.
And, for comparison, here is a video of the smallest Rubik’s Cube made without 3D printing, available at http://tonyfisherpuzzles.net.
Rubik’s Cube photo by athos[hun] used under Creative Commons license.
3D Printing Marketplace Shapeways Raises $6.2 Million Series B Funding
With over 1 million 3D printed products, 150,000 community members, and 6,000 shops, 3D printing marketplace Shapeways has just announced a new round of funding to help fuel growth in creative commerce. Lux Capital led a $6.2 million financing, joining existing investors Union Square Ventures and Index Ventures.
Below is a letter from CEO Peter Weijmarshausen we received about the funding:
On a daily basis, we make thousands of unique products and deliver them to people all over the world. We create an online experience that ignites creativity and increases access to the best of 3D printing, at the lowest cost. We work hard to open manufacturing such that everyone — regardless of technical background or expertise — can create the products that populate their lives.
As you can imagine, this is no easy task. To help us realize our vision and support our community, we’re growing an awesome team, building out the “factory of the future” in NYC, and expanding US distribution.
We’re excited to announce that we have a new partner on board to help us fuel our growth and the rise of creative commerce: Lux Capital. Lux led a $6.2M financing, joining existing investors Union Square Ventures and Index Ventures.
We plan to use these additional funds to help the Shapeways team grow and bring creative commerce and 3D printing to everyone. With over 6,000 independent designers selling their products through our marketplace, Shapeways shop owners are tapping into a new economic model in which their products are created on demand for their customers, at no additional cost. With over 30 material options including the recent launch of colored ceramics and Elasto Plastic, our community members have access to materials that rival the quality and cost of what you can buy in a store. And with over 150,000 community members from all backgrounds using Shapeways regularly, we’re in a really exciting time for 3D printing — you no longer need to know 3D modelling software to make ideas real.
Lux’s local NYC presence and network, as well as its expertise in commercializing emerging technologies, will help us as we expand and in particular, build out our NYC “factory of the future.” Josh Wolfe, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Lux shared, “We seek investment opportunities to help turn technical breakthroughs into world-changing businesses, and see Shapeways at the forefront of bringing the magic of 3D printing to everyday consumers.”
We’re moving really quickly to help bring Shapeways and 3D printing to everyone – to make it easier to make anything you want, to make it more affordable, and to make it faster, and faster.
We’re so lucky to have you on board for the ride.
Happy making,
Pete, Shapeways CEO and Co-Founder
Congratulations to the Shapeways team!
Shapeways Friday Finds: Cheshire Cat, Kaleidoscope Clock, Dragon Transformer
3D printing marketplace Shapeways featured beautiful designs in its weekly Friday Finds blog series.
Pictured above is a design familiar to fans of Alice in Wonderland: a Chershire Cat Ring by SG Designs. This ring is designed to be printed in silver and has an inscription on the inside that reads ”We’re all mad here.”
A Kaleidoscope Clock by Made by Wombat. Once you print the two parts, assemble them together and you will have an intricate 9″ hanging wall clock.
Finally, a dragon that can collapse into a cube shape: Dragon Die by Reaper Media. Watch the video below to see how it unfolds.
Via Shapeways blog.
Objet Launches Versatile Objet30 Pro Desktop 3D Printer in Japan
We covered the announcement of the Objet30 Desktop 3D Printer back in May. It was touted as the most versatile desktop 3D printer and Objet released a catchy promo video to showcase its capabilities.
Today, Objet announced the launch of the Objet30 Pro in Japan.
The new desktop 3D printer offers 7 different materials, including, for the first time on a desktop system, clear transparent material and high temperature resistant material. Objet30 Pro is positioned as the ultimate rapid prototyping solution for designers and engineers, ranging from industries including consumer goods and consumer electronics to medical devices and design consultancies. Objet30 Pro will be showcased at DMS from Jun 20 – 22, 2012 at Tokyo Big Sight.
Objet30 Pro is the top-of-the-line addition to Objet’s existing desktop 3D printer line which starts at JPY1,980,000*, offering professional 28 micron print quality and wide ranging material versatility, opening the doors to limitless possibilities.
Mr. Eric Goguy, President & CEO of Objet Japan Co. Ltd commented, “Demand for 3D printers has been growing steadily over the years on a global level. At the same time, 3D printing applications are becoming more diverse due to the increasingly complex requirements as a result of the ever-changing market conditions. The need to shorten time-to-market has become a critical competitive advantage; thus rapid prototyping is indeed a cost-effective solution for many manufacturers. We believe that such trend will in turn heighten the demand for 3D printers such as the Objet30 Pro, one that is versatile, compact and most importantly, without compromising quality.
Read the full press release for more details.
Fab Lab of the Week: Milwaukee Makerspace Adopts 3D Printing
Milwaukee Makerspace is part social club, part hackerspace. They held their grand opening party in April 2011 and have been growing ever since.
At its heart, [Milwaukee Makerspace] is a social club for people who like to build, invent, tinker and/or collect new skills and expand their minds. We have a wide range of skill sets in our membership and you’re likely to find someone who can talk about most any technical concept with you in a meaningful way. We are also a physical space where you can come, 24/7 as a full member, and have access to wide array of equipment you are not very likely to have at home. Plus, there are folks around the space that can give you tips and pointers on operating that equipment effectively. (About page)
The space is home to a variety of equipment and tools, from woodworking to electronics to robotics to metal working to photography. Unfortunately, their only 3D printing equipment, a MakerBot CupCake is not currently in the shop. But it looks like this is about to change.
In May, some members came together to showcase 3 different 3D printers: a MakerGear Prusa Mendel, a MakerGear Mosaic, and a Printrbot.
In June, they are expecting a visit from MakerBot to “show off their Replicator and talk about 3D printing.”
And in July, the Makerspace is hosting a 3D printing meetup:
3D Printing is getting more and more popular, and we’ve got a bunch of members who have built printers, or are building printers, or just know a heck of a lot about 3D Printing, so we figured we should meet up and discuss the topic.
So if you’ve ever wondered what in the world a MakerBot was, or heard of RepRap or Printrbot, or just wanted to see an actual 3D Printer laying down molten plastic to make a real-world object, well… we’ve got just the ticket.
We’re excited to see the Milwaukee Makerspace adopt 3D printing!
Want to learn more? Watch the video below to hear from the founding members of Milwaukee Makerspace.
