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 »

 

Inside 3D Printing Conference Coming to NYC in April – Get 10% OFF

Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo is headed back to New York! Attendees will experience the biggest show yet, with a day of workshops on April 2, the new Maker Summit & Pavilion, more speakers, and bigger exhibitions than ever before.

Several exciting new elements have also been added to the New York conference, including a 3D printer giveaway before each morning and afternoon keynote session on April 3 and 4. In addition to the show’s B2B programming and exhibits, the Maker Summit & Pavilion will give attendees the chance to delve into the world of 3D printing DIY and design.

Inside 3D Printing NYC 2014

Inside 3D Printing, known as the largest 3D printing event worldwide, has already scheduled industry experts to speak at the New York event, including Jesse McGatha, Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, Christine Furstoss, Global Technology Director of Manufacturing & Materials Technologies at GE, and Carl Bass, President and CEO of Autodesk. View the full agenda here.

Additional dates for the conference are scheduled both in the US and internationally, including an event in Berlin on March 10-11 and one in Sao Paulo on April 16-17. Click here for the full world tour schedule.

We’ve partnered with Inside 3D Printing NY to offer 10% OFF full conference passes with code ON3DP. Plus, if you register before February 18, you’ll save an extra $600 with early bird prices. Register your spot now!

3D Printing Week: Schools, Mutual Funds, and Valentine’s Day

3D Printing Week

Here’s the top 3D printing news from last week.

3D printing filament is costly, so how will we get schools to start using 3D printers? Zeni Kinetic, a US-based filament manufacturer, launched a pilot grant program to provide free and low-cost American-made 3D printing filament for schools.

Zeni Kinetic Filament 3D Printing Ashley

You can now invest your IRA in a 3D printing mutual fund! Outlook Funds Trust announced the launch of the 3D Printing and Technology Fund, the Trust’s inaugural fund and the first-ever mutual fund covering 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing. The Fund is managed by 3D Printing Fund Advisers, LLC, with Alan M. Meckler serving as Senior Portfolio Manager and John M. Meckler as Co-Manager and Chief Compliance Officer.

There’s just a few days left in Valentine’s Day design competitions. One is hosted by CGTrader and another by MyMiniFactory.

Looking to hire folks in 3D printing or additive manufacturing? Gravity Recruitment Ltd is a new special purpose UK-based recruitment firm, focused specifically on the 3D printing industry.

Zeni Kinetic Launches 3D Printing Filament Grant Program for Schools

Zeni Kinetic Announces 3D Printing Education Initiative, Launches Pilot Grant Program

The greatest cost of 3D printing is in the filament itself, the plastic “ink” that enables 3D printers to do their magic and make real-world object. With regular use, an FDM style printer can easily go through 1 kg of filament in a day or two.

This creates a real challenge for introducing a 3D printer into every school, a mission espoused by MakerBot, the leader in desktop 3D printers.

Zeni Kinetic, a US-based filament manufacturer, is taking that challenge head on, with a new pilot grant program to provide free and low-cost American-made 3D printing filament for schools.

The company announced the program last month, stating that acceptance and participation in their program gives a 30% to 50% discount on all filament, and free material will be offered on a grant basis.

Zeni Kinetic Filament 3D Printing Ashley

“As 3D printing expands for both corporate and household use, those who have a working knowledge of this technology will be ahead of the game in the job market, in addition to restructuring their way of thinking about the world and their place in consumer society,” said a spokesperson for Zeni Kinetic.

Zeni Kinetic is an industry leader in high-quality filament manufacture, and offers a 30-year bio-degradable PLA (polyactic acid), which is a corn-based plastic. Their filament is eco-friendly, flows and bonds well and will not jam printers. It comes in 1.7 and 3.0 millimeter sizes and will work smoothly on any standard FDM style 3D printer.

“It took us 18 months of dedicated R&D to refine the control systems, write the software and develop the automated technologies that we use to produce our products,” explains Zeni Kinetic. “A typical extrusion line used for making monofilament or “plastic welding rod” can easily produce a useable printer filament but it takes a combination of industry standards and in-house developed systems to reach our unmatched tolerance and quality.”

Zeni Kinetic American Made 3D Printing Filament

For more details please visit us at http://zenikinetic.com/non-profit/

Now You Can Invest Your IRA in a 3D Printing Mutual Fund

As we covered in our 3D Printing Year in Review 2013, 3D printing stocks grew more than 350% last year, wildly beating the S&P500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

It’s no wonder then that firms are looking to capitalize on investment interest in the 3D printing sector.

3D Printing Stocks 2013

Outlook Funds Trust announced the launch of the 3D Printing and Technology Fund, the Trust’s inaugural fund and the first-ever mutual fund covering 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing.

The Fund is managed by 3D Printing Fund Advisers, LLC, with Alan M. Meckler serving as Senior Portfolio Manager and John M. Meckler as Co-Manager and Chief Compliance Officer.

According to the fund’s website, its investment strategy is as follows:

The Fund will invest in equity securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. 3D printing and technology companies. “3D Printing”, or “additive manufacturing”, produces three-dimensional objects from digital models. 3D Printing and technology companies include, among others, those in the manufacturing, biotech, computer software and hardware industries. In selecting securities for the Fund, the Adviser uses a “top down” approach to create a universe of securities in which the Fund may invest. The Adviser then employs a research oriented “bottom-up” investment approach to create the Fund’s investment portfolio, focusing on company fundamentals and growth prospects when selecting securities.

In a statement, the fund managers elaborated that 3D printing companies in their fund service many sectors, including automotive, aerospace, military/defense, dental, medical, bioprinting, fashion, footwear, jewelry, eyewear, education, geographic information systems and food products. 

The initial offering is available currently in one class –-Institutional (TDPIX) — and the minimum investment is $2,500.

Editor’s note: Alan Meckler is Chairman of Mediabistro, the company that runs the Inside 3D Printing conferences and a media partner of On 3D Printing.

One Week Left to 3D Print Your Valentine’s Day Gift

Want a really unique Valentine’s Day gift this year? Then check out these designs from 3D model marketplace CGTrader’s Valentine’s Day 3D printing challenge.

CGTrader has partnered with Sculpteo, 3DPRINTUK, iGo3D, and Plastic Scribbler in their latest design challenge, and is offering great prizes.

CGTrader Valentine's Day Challenge

The winner will receive:

Two runners up will receive:

  • 75 EUR gift card for 3D printing by Sculpteo
  • 2kg of premium PLA Filament from iGo3D
  • Promotional features on CGTrader
  • 3D Printing your model of choice by CGTrader
  • CGTrader T-shirt

There are already some great designs uploaded with the deadline of February 10th approaching. Here are three designs we liked:

CGTrader Valentine's Day Designs

Go to CGTrader’s Valentine’s Day Challenge to submit your own entry or get one of the designs.

Related: Check out MyMiniFactory’s Valentine’s Day competition