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 »
Maker Faire Bay Area 2012: Highlights and Headlines
Maker Faire 2012 took place in San Mateo, CA this weekend. Visited by over 120,000 people, Maker Faire featured exhibits ranging from robots to 3D printing to electric cars to art installations. Here are some of the highlights that made headlines.
TechCrunch: In Which The Maker Faire Restores Your Humble Correspondent’s Faith In Humanity
The maker movement has hit an interesting flux point; its amateurs and enthusiasts, much like the computer geeks of the 1970s and 1980s, now stand on the verge of watching their hobby erupt into big business that will reshape the way people everywhere live.
Make: Maker Faire 3D Printer Census
While walking around the Maker Faire grounds this morning I took a quick census all of the 3D printers. All told I saw 55 3D printers on the fairgrounds, 23 of which were unique designs. That’s not including the CNC machines or the stock of three dozen or so Replicator, Up! printers, and Printrbots for sale in the Maker Shed. I’m impressed!
MakerBot: Maker Faire Emergency Averted By Tinkercad And MakerBot!
Here’s the scene: a middle school boy goes to a fantastic summer day camp, Galileo Learning, in Hillsborough, CA. He builds a great go-kart as his final project. But when Galileo transports the go-kart to Maker Faire, the steering wheel is dangling by a single bolt. Missing a nut!
San Jose Mercury News: Maker Faire explodes into the ultimate DIY project
Maker Faire has exploded into the ultimate do-it-yourself project: In only six years, the once-intimate weekend gathering is now attracting massive crowds and exporting the experience around the globe, from Chicago to Cairo.
SF Gate: Maker Faire: Festival of invention and creativity returns to Bay Area
It’s mad science for the masses. A celebration of the do-it-yourself-mindset. A place where you go to play with robots, see a giant metal dragon breath fire, turn old computer parts into cool sculptures, and watch Coke react with Mentos mints, sending geysers of soda shooting the air over twenty feet high. Think Burning Man for geeks and kids with a dizzying array of DIY projects and science demonstrations.
PC World: Maker Faire 2012: A Gallery of Creations
That said, one of the big themes at this year’s event is the fusion of digital and tangible, with recurring favorite 3D printers taking center stage.
Patch: Eye-Catching Creations at the Maker Faire
Outside, an even more jaw-dropping world of larger-than-life displays were set up in a festival-like atmosphere, such as a two-stories-tall metal dragon that actually breathed fire, and all manner of decked-out homemade vehicles, animatronic figures and more.
And finally, neon robot land sharks!
Maker Faire photo by Kiet Callies used under Creative Commons license.
Industry Leaders Discuss Consumer 3D Printing Market [Video]
Dale Dougherty, co-founder of O’Reilly Media, hosted a panel on consumer 3D printing at the MIT/Stanford VLAB in April.
3D Printing is poised to become a part of our daily lives, allowing consumers to make things in a new era of mass customization. Once an expensive technology used by engineers, 3D printers today print car bodies, medical and dental prosthetics, high-fashion shoes and much more. Layer by layer, 3D printers deposit material to build up one-of-a-kind products, even with complex internal shapes.
Virtual marketplaces, cheaper printers and cloud-based consumer software are transforming the 3D Printing ecosystem, bringing the technology within the reach of everyone. With a current market size of $1.3 billion, the 3D printing industry is set to explode to $3.1 billion by 2016, according to industry consulting firm Wohlers Associates.
Join us and our industry leading panelists to understand business models and see the technology in action.
Shapeways CEO Peter Weijmarshausen joins leaders from 3D Systems, Autodesk, and London College of Fashion, and MAKE Magazine in the video below.
MakerBot Builds 3D Printed Robot Petting Zoo for Maker Faire [Video]
The MakerBot team has taken some time away from their day jobs to build a Robot Petting Zoo in time for Maker Faire. Of course, the robots are 3D printed on the Replicator.
Watch the video below to see all of their amazing creations.
Nano-Vaccines: 3D Printing Small to Fight Large-Scale Epidemics
Vaccines are a controversial topic today, but there is no doubt they have had a major impact on society by eradicating major diseases in the past. Scientists are continuing to research ways to make vaccines more effective.
North Carolina-based Liquidia Technologies is innovating on the manufacturing of vaccines. By utilizing 3D printing and nano-technology, Liquidia believes they can mass-produce more effective vaccines at a lower cost.
Applying nanoparticle fabrication techniques to vaccine production could dramatically cut their cost per dose. Joseph DeSimone and his spin out Liquidia, presented their nano-production process for vaccines at the American Chemical Society annual meeting in San Diego, US, and hope that their work will improve immunisation rates in the developing world.
DeSimone has done a lot of work on the mass production of nanoparticles using nanolithography – materials are moulded and then transferred to films in a streamlined, reel to reel, process. ‘We say we’re harnessing the power of the precision and uniformity of the microelectronics industry for making vaccines and medicines,’ he explains. And because this is a dry moulding technology, with no concerns about partitioning, DeSimone adds, ‘you can access compositions you couldn’t access before’.
Via RSC.
‘We say we’re harnessing the power of the precision and uniformity of the microelectronics industry for making vaccines and medicines,’ DiSimone explains.
Liquidia now has one vaccine in Phase I clinical trials and several others in development.
The video below provides an overview of Liquidia’s PRINT platform.
Vaccines research lab photo by Novartis AG used under Creative Commons License.
Objet Launches 3D Printing Joint Venture in Japan
Objet announced the establishment of Objet Japan KK, a new joint venture formed together with the 3D Printer division of Fasotec Co. Ltd, Objet’s longstanding distributor in the region.
From the press release:
The new entity is established in line with Objet’s global strategy to offer local support in key strategic markets, meeting the increasingly intricate requirements due to complexity of product portfolio and adapting to suit unique local conditions. Objet holds majority of ownership share of the new entity.
Objet has been providing the Japanese market cutting-edge 3D printing technology since 2003. Demand for the latest technology and advanced applications have been growing steadily over the years, and are expected to continue. Driven by the advanced requests, the new entity is established to be closer to the market for better understanding of specifications and to keep with the pace of the fast-changing Japanese market. Combining the experience of market knowledge and industry best-practices, Objet Japan is committed to satisfy both partners and customers on both products and services.
We profiled the merger between Stratasys and Objet in April, and showcased Objet’s 3D printed Fenway Park in May.
Via MarketWatch.
Akihabara photo by Danny Choo used under Creative Commons license.
