Tag Archives: Denver
Demo Exhibits Open-Source Complexity: 3D Printing Conference (Part 4)
3D Printing Conference: Complexity is Free, or Costly?
Brian Evans, Metropolitan State University of Denver professor and 3D printing educator, struggled to get a 3D printing demo to work at today’s Inside 3D Printing Conference in New York City. Showing conference attendees the multitude of open-source 3D CAD and slicing software available, he also exposed the complexity facing those choosing to go the low-cost, open-source route to consumer 3D printing.
“Fail early and fail often,” he sheepishly said to the crowd when his part failed to begin printing. “This is the challenge of using open-source,” he admitted. Mr. Evans also praised higher end consumer 3D printer MakerBot for its easy-to-use user experience.
When asked which slicing software he recommended for slicing 3D files for 3D printing, he responded, “It depends on how dedicated you are. If you really like to tinker, I’d go with Slic3r.” Otherwise he recommends finding another program that takes some of the complexity out.
Authored by Brian H. Jaffe, founder of Mission St. Manufacturing and contributor to On 3D Printing.
3D Printing Retail Store Hosts Open House in Denver, CO
Denver, CO, is now one of the first cities to have a 3D printing retail store, joining the ranks of Manhattan where MakerBot held its grand opening in September 2012. Aleph Objects, a Loveland, CO startup founded in 2011 that makes the LulzBot 3D printer, joined forces with The 3D Printing Store and welcomed over 400 people to an open house on February 7.
The Store blogged about the 400 people who swarmed their open house:
People started showing up at 1 and didn’t leave until 7:45 pm. This is additional proof that there is a great deal of interest in how 3D printing works.
Principal Deb Wilcox said, “It was so gratifying to see kids that seemed to know about and people much older wanting to learn more….. whether they were hobbyists, inventors or architects, and we had all of these and more.” In fact, she continued “It was so crowded that some people couldn’t even get up to see any of the 6 printers we had in operation and are making an appointment to come back. We’ll have to do this again.”
At the 3D Printing Store in Denver, customers can select a digital design to print on site, or they can purchase a consumer 3D printer for about $1,725.
Aleph Objects was also recently featured in the Denver Post:
At its Loveland headquarters, Aleph has about 40 LulzBots, each printing parts that are used to build the 3-D printers themselves. The machines, which retail for $1,725, can create objects that are up to 8 inches in length and width and 4 inches in height.
Aleph’s next generation printer, dubbed the TK-0, will take those dimensions up to 12-by-12-by-11. It is an open-source machine, meaning anyone can download component designs to build their own 3-D printer.
A 5-pound spool of ABS plastic — which can create hundreds of objects — costs $100. Other printable materials include nylon, PLA plastic and wood.
Moe said broader adoption beyond hobbyists and tech geeks is not far away as the software to create digital designs gets easier to use and the price continues to drop.
“I think we’re getting really close to that price point,” he said, adding that the company has shipped printers and parts to 59 countries.
Read more about 3D printing goes big with help of Loveland’s Aleph and Denver store – The Denver Post
In the video below, Aleph Objects CEO Jeff Moe takes us on a tour of his company’s 3D printing capabilities.
