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 »
Gravity, A Specialized 3D Printing Recruitment Firm Opens for Business
An established and successful video games recruitment specialist from the UK has set up a new recruitment service focused on the additive manufacturing and 3D printing industries.
Gravity Recruitment Ltd will help companies hire in a range of areas including engineering, design, software development, marketing, sales and R&D.
According to its founder, James Squires, ‘After surveying 100 key influencers in the 3D printing industry in 2013 we decided to put our skills and connections to work in the additive manufacturing industry. We became the first recruitment company to focus on this space, offering our clients and candidates a greater level of insight and industry knowledge than non-specialist recruiters.
Squires has been recruiting for over 13 years and has taken a keen interest in 3D printing technology since being inspired by a Ted Talk in 2013.
“We believe in the power of 3D Printing to change the world and benefit people and organisations in a multitude of ways,” said Squires. “Our mission is to act as ambassadors for the industry, bringing in top talent from around the world to ensure companies can keep pace with demand for 3D printing technology and its applications in the years ahead.”
The company offers a contingency based service, only charging a fee if a successful introduction is made. Placements can be made on a permanent or contract basis globally. To find out more, visit www.gravity3drecruitment.com.
3D Printing Week: Battle of the 3D Printed Figurines
3D Printing Week
This past week featured two cool new projects for 3D printing your own mini figurines. One in the fantasy realm and one of the bobble head form.
Hero Forge launched a Kickstarter campaign that has raised over $200,000 with 20 days to go. The company is offering customized tabletop fantasy figurines that are 3D printed.
Mixee Labs, a 3D printing startup that has launched creators for jewelry, cufflinks, dog bone tags, slim wallets, and figurines, now offers bobblers. It’s latest online creator lets your design a 3D printed bobble head doll that looks just like you!
Be sure to read our 3D Printing Year in Review 2013! It includes the top stories by month for 2013 and five predictions for 2014.
Hero Forge Custom 3D Printed Fantasy Miniatures a Hit on Kickstarter
This is a guest post by Abdul Rehman, whose bio is at the end of the article.
Have you ever looked at some fantasy character and said to yourself “Wow! I wish I could have a miniature version of that on my table here”? Hero Forge, a newly founded project, allows you to do just that.
Hero Forge – A Combination of Fantasy, Art and Science
While companies like ASDA have used the miniature 3D printing concept to create realistic models of real-life humans, Joshua Bennett and Teagan Morrison, founders of Hero Forge, have taken this concept to the realms of fantasy and imagination.
Started as a kickstarter project, Hero Forge promises to give you control of a simple web interface enabling you to create a unique 3D character which will then be brought to life using the power of 3D printing and sent to you by mail. Furthermore, you also have the option of selecting the material that you wish to print your character in, as well as the kind of paint you want on it.
The Team – Artists and Programmers
The founders of this project are Joshua Bennett and Teagan Morrison.
Joshua Bennett calls himself a jack-of-all-trades. He is a freelance artist and has been working with the table top community for 3 years. His work has appeared in Wayfinder Magazine, on Paizo.com, and in dozens of online shops and indie RPG releases.
Teagan Morrison is the technical art director at the game studio “Naughty Dog” and has diverse experience in 3D modeling and managing teams of artists.
Other members of the team are Nicole Cardiff, a freelance artist whose work has appeared in Dungeons and Dragons, War Hammer and Game of Thrones flash cards; Molly Maloney, a concept artist for Telltale Games; Margaret Dost, an expert 3D modeler; Beverly Sage, a freelance rigger and technical artist in the video game industry and David Lenna, whose background is in programming and pipeline.
Hero Forge has well-known artists and a computer programmer in its team, making it perfect for the project. Joshua Bennett writes, “We have an amazing team with passion, big ideas, and the technical chops and experience to back it up. We can’t wait to make Hero Forge a reality!”
3D Printed Miniature Characters
The 3D printed miniature characters belong to one of five races: Humans, Half Orcs, Halflings, Dwarfs and Elves. Additional races will be added subsequently such as Sci Fi, Half Demons and Half Dragons. Hero Forge uses two materials for printing most of the miniatures.
- Ultra Detail Plastic: This is high quality plastic offering a high level of detail and is also suitable for painting. It is more expensive as well.
- Strong Plastic: This plastic offers lower details and is harder to paint on. However, it has the advantage of being cheaper.
An array of weapons is also available which includes swords, hammers, saws, chains and scythes. You can select any of these in either or both hands of the character. The miniatures are available in three sizes: 28 mm, 3 inches and 6 inches. Faces, facial hair, clothes, armors and even poses of the characters are all customizable. This customization is done on an Open GL based web program through which you can customize your character by simple clicks. These miniature characters are detailed on Hero Forge’s youtube channel.
A New Era of 3D Printed Entertainment
3D printing is revolutionizing all fields of life. It has opened up new possibilities. Being able to create a character on the web and receive it within days was unimaginable a few years back. However, Hero Forge has made it a reality. The interest in this project can be gauged by the fact that Hero Forge’s initial funding goal of $95,000 was reached within 72 hours! This project definitely heralds a new era in entertainment: The era of 3D printed entertainment.
If you’re interested in Hero Forge’s project, you can support them on their Kickstarter page and follow them on Facebook or on their blog.
About the author: Abdul Rehman is a medical student with a keen interest in all things technology. Computers, graphic cards, mobiles, tablets, 3d printing and tissue engineering are just a few of the things he’s been following for years. A regular author at 3dprinthq.com for about an year, he’s written on dozens of 3D printing topics from aviation to fashion.
Create Your Own 3D Printed Bobble Head Doll from Mixee Labs
Mixee Labs is one of our favorite 3D printing startups. With new announcements every few months, this company is one of the fastest innovating in the industry. Mixee has launched jewelry, cufflinks, dog bone tags, slim wallets, and figurines.
Today, Mixee Labs announces a new product: 3D printed bobblers. Yes, bobble head dolls with your own face.
Mixee Bobblers are the world’s first customizable, fully 3D printed bobble heads. Unlike other custom bobble head services, with Mixee Labs everything is automatic via their online creator. You select hair styles, facial expressions, and see the results immediately in 3D before you purchase. If you don’t see some graphic you want, contact Mixee Labs and they add it to their design tool for free.
We caught up with Nancy Yi Liang, co-founder of Mixee Labs for an interview.
On 3D Printing: It looks like you are reviving the original figurines. Was this based on customer demand?
Nancy Yi Liang: Yes! A lot of customers have commented that the Mixee Me original figurines look like bobble heads. It’s actually a very good description. They are fun, cute, cartoon caricatures with big heads. However, we’d always have to add on almost apologetically.. “except the Mixee Mes don’t bobble.” Well, one day we thought, “why shouldn’t they bobble?” So we got to work designing a bobble head version.
On 3D Printing: Was it a challenge to design bobblers that could be customized? How much more complicated are they to 3D print than the original figurines?
Nancy Yi Liang: This was indeed more challenging than the original figurines, or really any static, non-moving models. There were a few things that were tricky:
1) Springiness: we wanted just the right amount of springiness. It had to have a bounce that lasts for a few seconds at least. So getting the right about of bounce took a few iterations. I attached a picture of the range of springs we tried. We thought about using pre-made, mass produced springs. But, we love the simplicity of 3d printing (print on demand, no inventory, etc.) and we believe this can show just some other applications for 3d printed materials.
2) Getting everything to fit together. We wanted to design a spring that could just insert into the bobble head, no screwdrivers, no glue, just plug and play. So we had to get the tolerances right and account for the slight variations from one print to another. We actually had some help from a community member, Asher, who is only a freshmen in high school! He gave us a few ideas that eventually led to the current design.
3) Balance. When you make a bobble head go, you’re applying external pressure on the object. So the object has to be stable. We added a bigger base to the figurines and made the head a little smaller. Our original Mixee Me had a bigger head, which ended up toppling over when you perched it on a spring and flicked it. The new head works amazingly well!
Below is a photo gallery showcasing the Mixee Bobblers.
Mixee Labs is selling bobblers for $25 each, as compared with prices ranging from $70 to $200 on other sites. These figurines are 2.5 inches (6.5 cm) tall and are fully 3D printed in sandstone and nylon plastic.
Visit Mixee Labs to create your own 3D printed bobbler.
Share your bobbler designs with us on Twitter @On3DPrinting and Facebook.
3D Printing Week: will.i.am, Google Glass, Threeding, Wearable Art
3D Printing Week
Here is a roundup of the top 3D printing news from last week.
In an industry first, On 3D Printing’s owner was scanned with a 3D Systems Sense handheld 3D scanner wearing Google Glass at CES 2014. It was like going into a vortex. Watch our exclusive video.
Music Icon will.i.am joined 3D Systems as Chief Creative Officer. We were there live at the announcement at CES 2014 with exclusive coverage and @iamwill tweeted to us about his announcement.
An eBay for 3D printing is emerging in Bulgaria. We spoke with Threeding founder Tony Kitipov. With a foothold in Eastern Europe, Threeding is challenging incumbent 3D printing marketplaces.
MyMiniFactory launched a Valentine’s Day 3D printing contest. The grand prize is an all expenses paid break for two at a 5 star spa retreat, including travel and dinner, with a value of £1000.
Chicago-based artist Joshua Harker showed off his 3D printed “wearable art,” a headdress laser sintered on an EOSINT P 760 additive manufacturing (AM) system, at the 3D Printshow’s fashion show.
Be sure to read our 3D Printing Year in Review 2013! It includes the top stories by month for 2013 and five predictions for 2014.
