Tag Archives: iPhone case

Top 10 Countdown: Most Popular 3D Printing Stories in April 2013

Inside 3D Printing Conference Entry

Here are the top 10 most popular stories On 3D Printing brought you in April 2013.

10. Topology Optimization in Additive Manufacturing: 3D Printing Conference (Part 5)

9. The Crowd Loves 3D Printing! Kickstarter 3D Printing Summary

8. 3D Printed Phone Cases: UCreate3D Seeks Crowdfunding to Best Nokia

7. 3D Printing’s Apple 1 Moment: 3D Printing Conference (Part 1)

6. 3D Printed Fashion Show at London College of Fashion This Week

5. Sold Out: Play-Doh Kids 3D Printer and iPad App

4. Medical 3D Printing Breakthrough: Man Gets a New 3D Printed Face

3. mUVe 3D Printer Meets Funding Goal on Indiegogo

2. Inside 3D Printing Conference: Day 1 Top Stories

1. Practical 3D Printing: 10 Things to Make With a 3D Printer

 

Thanks for reading in April!

Practical 3D Printing: 10 Things to Make With a 3D Printer

Practical 3D Printing List

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 ThingiverseShapeways 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.

iphone case1) 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.

handle replacement2) 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.

macro lens3) 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.

camera mount

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.

mudguard5) 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.

anemometer6) 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.

purse

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.

clock8) Clocks
A cheap quartz clock movement and a little 3D printing, and you have a beautiful clock. Pick from many styles.

toothbrush holder

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.

legos10) 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.

Hack Things concludes:

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.

UK Retailer Sainsbury’s Sees Disruption to Retail in 3D Printing

Sainsburys Retail 3D Printing

Sainbury’s IT director Rob Fraser sees a disruptive shift on its way, thanks to 3D printing. Speaking at BETT, the UK’s largest trade fair for education technology, Fraser commented on the potential impact 3D printing would have on retail.

“We have to prepare for the fact that consumers may soon not want to buy pre-packaged iPhone cases of the shelf, but build and design their own,” said Fraser. ”The big challenge is we don’t know what’s coming but we have to prepare for it. Technology is changing at a rate we can’t predict, and if we can predict it, it’s already been established. The technologies we can’t predict will be with us in five years’ time.”

Sainsbury’s Fraser told UK publication V3 to expect more information about its 3D printing plans later this year.

 

Via V3.co.uk.

Sainbury’s photo by nogger used under Creative Commons license.

Top 3D Printing Headlines Last Week: Kids, Stocks, Suitcases, Fab Labs

Cubify Google Name Plate on3dprinting

A roundup of the top news On 3D Printing brought you from August 6 to August 12.

Monday, August 6

Tuesday, August 7

Thursday, August 9

Friday, August 10

Finally, an iPhone Case That Does Something Useful (Opens Beers)

3D Printed iPhone Case Beer Opener

iPhone cases have always been designed to protect the iPhone, but now there is one that does something very useful: carries cash and opens beers.

A designer on 3D printing marketplace Shapeways named Mstyle183 has created the Macgyver of iPhone cases. With a money clip, credit card holder and bottle opener built into the case, this design is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

In the video below, Mstyle183 shows off his ingenious 3D printed product.

 

Via Shapeways blog.