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 »
Father’s Day Gifts for Dad: Shapeways Friday Finds
3D printing marketplace Shapeways featured some fun Father’s Day gifts in its weekly Friday Finds blog series.
Death’s Head Hawkmoth Skeleton
The Wrap – cable winder for Euro iPhone charger
TriStand – iPhone Case with 3 Built In Stands
See more at Shapeways blog.
UP! 3D Printer in Action: Compact Desktop Printer from China [Video]
The UP! 3D printer is a compact desktop printer, 14″ tall by 10″ wide from Beijing, China, capable of printing 3D objects & 3D parts directly on your desktop, from your computer, using industrial strength ABS plastic.
From the UP! website:
Starting with an industry-standard 3D file (.STL format), the UP! includes it’s own software that allows you to import your 3D digital creations and then prepares them for printing as “real” objects that you can touch and hold in your hand.
Create your designs & parts in your favorite 3D CAD programs such as Solidworks, Autodesk Inventor, or TinkerCAD. Scan existing object using a 3d scanner and then save them to .STL or download shared models directly from the web.
Any .STL file can be imported into the UP! Software environment and once in, you can, scale, rotate & position your model then prepare it for printing 2 plastic, super strong ABS plastic that is! on the incredible UP! 3D Printer from PP3DP. Never has a technology been so fascinating. Watch as your digital creations are built up, layer by layer right before your very eyes.
Spend your time CREATING rather than calibrating & MAKING instead of maintaining. The UP! is ready to print, 15 minutes out of the box with no major assembly required. The UP! is 3D printing for the masses! Durable, affordable, portable & precise, the UP! is a dream machine and is built for making!
Here is a video of the UP! 3D printer in action:
Cheaper, Faster, Smaller 3D Printer: ORD BOT
In the world of $20,000 3D printers like the most recent professional desktop printer from Objet and the $1,700+ MakerBot Replicator, is there an alternative?
Yes. Discovered at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012: the ORD BOT, a 3D printer that is cheaper, faster, and smaller than the competition.
PC World’s Geek Tech blog featured the ORD BOT:
The ORD BOT is a simple 3D printer platform kit that uses an extruder to “print” 3D objects, just like the Cube or the MakerBot. However, unlike the MakerBot, the ORD BOT can only print using one color at a time (for now, anyway). But what it lacks in color it gains in speed: Its print speeds exceed 400mm per second and can reach up to a whopping 1 meter per second. This is considerably faster than the MakerBot’s output speed of 33mm per second. The ORD BOT comes with two different print areas with the largest, called the Hadron, being about 200 square milimeters.
Now the ORD BOT isn’t for just anyone–it’s made with serious makers and DIYers in mind. This platform kit is just that–a platform: You have to provide your own electronics and build the whole thing from scratch (this does make it highly customizable and flexible), but according to a spokesperson at the ORD BOT booth you can order one with the electronics included for about another $200.
There is also a wiki with various recommendations on electronics to use, as well as detailed specs and CAD files pertaining to the platform. The platform will cost you $290 for the smallest one, called the Quantum, and $400 for the Hadron–the platform plus necessary electronics is still several hundreds dollars cheaper than other commercial 3D printers out there.
Right now there are over 120 ORD BOT users, and you can get your own over at Inventables if they get enough pre-orders for another batch by May 31st. Inventables is selling the Hadron and it comes with stepper motors, you provide the rest.
Via PC World.
Shape Up Medical School! 3D Printing Instead of Human Cadavers
Medical School students have long used human cadavers in their training for diagnosis, treatment and surgery before they begin practicing with real patients. With improvements in 3D printing technology, realistic artificial body parts can be produced rather than relying on corpses. The U.S. military is currently evaluating this opportunity.
Such artificial body parts would “ideally not be actual biological tissues,” but instead would consist of materials that could physically simulate the feel of flesh and bone. Success in printing out entire body part sections containing bone, muscle, skin and blood vessels could lead to lower medical training costs and cut back on the need for animal or human cadavers.
“If such technology were possible, a wide variety of human anatomy sections could be printed on demand,” according to a U.S. Defense Health Program solicitation for small business issued on May 11.
The 3D printed artificial body parts would also ideally allow for normal CT or MRI medical scans, so that physicians could practice interpreting the scan images before diving in with scalpels. The U.S. military effort could also presumably benefit American physicians and medical schools back on the home front.
Via LiveScience.
Medical School photo by uonottingham used under Creative Commons license.
3D Printing with Nylon to Create Flexible and Durable Goods [Video]
As 3D printing matures, new printing materials emerge that allow us to build more durable goods. Nylon provides both durability and flexibility benefits over standard materials like ABS plastic. With a higher melting point, nylon is less brittle. Products that can be created out of nylon range from iPhone cases to gear parts to a bike planter like in the photo above.
The video below showcases some parts 3D printed in nylon.
And this video shows the printing process.
Via Engadget.
