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 »
mUVe 3D Printer Meets Funding Goal on Indiegogo
mUVe 3D Printer Raises Over $12,000 on Indiegogo
The mUVe 3D Printer has raised crowdfunding, once again showing that the crowd loves 3D printing.
The project creator’s name is Dean Piper. He started mUVe 3D in January of 2013 with the idea of releasing and selling parts and kits for an open-source stereolithographic 3D printer. Now his Indiegogo project has met the funding goal of $10,000 with less than 24 hours to go!
Dean says, “I have a true passion for 3D printing and hope to show that to all of you. I have worked with and built 3D printers for over 5 years. This entire project was done on in my spare time while working a full-time job, it doesn’t feel much like work though. 3D printing is truly a wonderful technology and it deserves to be in as many hands as possible. It has become a mission of mine to make it affordable for everyone everywhere.”
Well it looks like Dean’s dreams are about to come true via Indiegogo. Watch his pitch video below.
Below is a time-lapsed video of a Gyroid Cube being printed on the mUVe 1 3D printer. The cube was originally 100mm but to save time it was printed at 80% or 80mm.
Practical 3D Printing: 10 Things to Make With a 3D Printer
Practical 3D Printing: 10 Things to Make
Our friends at Internet of things blog Hack Things put together a list of 10 practical things to make with a 3D printer. Here’s the practical 3D printing list.
After digging through Thingiverse, Shapeways and Ponoko, there are plenty of practical, every-day creations to justify the purchase of a 3D printer.
Here are ten practical things to make.
1) iPhone cases
At the Apple store even a bumper is going to cost you $30. With a 3D printer, you could print a new case design every week. And there are a lot of beautiful designs out there.
2) Replacement parts
If you like to fix things, a 3D printer is magic. When a small plastic part breaks, you no longer have to throw the whole product away. This guy’s dishwasher had a broken handle, so he printed a new one.
3) Smartphone accessories
3D printers have come up with innumerable little ways to get more out of your smartphone, various stands, cord wrappers, sound amplifiers and camera attachments like this cheap and effective macro lens.
4) Camera gear
Photographers are willing to spend serious money for the right gear, and manufacturers set prices accordingly. From tripod mounts to lens cap holders, camera buffs can 3D print inexpensive accessories made to fit their kit.
5) Bicycle accessories
Cyclists are already used to tinkering to get their bike perfectly in tune. A 3D printer opens up whole new opportunities. Create clips to attach to the frame, a carrying handle, or even a whole pedal.
6) Science
From a tray for washing microscope slides to custom lens mounts, you can 3D print whatever tools you need to do science. Good for the grad student on a budget, or for family science projects. You can even print this anemometer.
7) Wallets and purses
It turns out you can make a great wallet or an interesting purse out of plastic. Like the iPhone case, this really changes the way you think about these kinds of accessories. If you are making them yourself you can experiment with designs you might not buy in the store.
8) Clocks
A cheap quartz clock movement and a little 3D printing, and you have a beautiful clock. Pick from many styles.
9) Containers
Look around your house and you’ll probably find a lot of small plastic containers. You can print those, and tailor them to their purpose, like this toothbrush holder.
10) Legos
If you are a Lego fan (and if you are reading this, you probably are), imagine printing any shape you want and just plugging it directly into the Lego universe. I guess you could even print a Lego-compatible Yoda head.
Obviously if you want to mass produce something there are more efficient tools than a desktop 3D printer. The same could be said about printing with ink. If you want to publish a bestselling paperback, you don’t do that at home. But no one doubts the value of an inkjet printer.
All the hype aside, for small plastic parts, when you factor in shipping and customization, a home 3D printer actually makes sense today.
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.
