Tag Archives: Maker Faire
$300 3D Printer Printxel Shows at the Kansas City Maker Faire
The Kansas City Maker Faire was held this past weekend, celebrating things people create themselves. Geek.com posted a summary of the highlights from the show, one of which was the debut of a $300 3D printer called Printxel.
With 3D printing technology moving forward at a brisk pace, the KC Maker Faire was overrun by people who are doing some interesting things to broaden what can be done with the new printing process. Pictured above is one of the world’s first $300 3D printers, created by Billy Zelsnack. Coming out of a fully-funded Kickstarter campaign, the “Printxel” as it’s called sports the ability to print 6-inch items in its small frame using either regular plastic filament or PLA-based extrusion material.
The device is lightweight and surprisingly simple in person. While the resolution it’s capable of won’t knock your socks off, it’s capable of printing useful everyday items. The best part? After the initial Kickstarter delivery run, Zelsnack stated that he will be making the plans for the device open source so that you can build your own!
Below is the Kickstarter campaign video for the Printxel.
Facebook Investor Peter Thiel Backs 3D Printing Entrepreneur
Peter Thiel, the entrepreneur-investor who co-founded PayPal and was an early investor in Facebook, today announced the 2012 class of Thiel Fellows. This set of 20 young entrepreneurs are under 20 years old and embarking on ambitious technical and scientific projects. Thiel will be awarding them with $100,000 each as well as mentorship from his network of investors, entrepreneurs, scientists and innovators.
“Pundits and hand-wringers love to claim that universities are the only path to a successful life. In truth, an inquisitive mind, rigorously applied to a deep-rooted problem can change the world as readily as the plushest academic lab,” said Thiel. “In 1665 when Cambridge University closed due to the plague, Isaac Newton used his time away to pursue self-directed learning and ended up inventing calculus. The drive to make a difference is what truly matters.”
Projects pursued by this class of fellows span numerous areas of cutting edge technology, including energy, robotics, 3D printing, biotechnology and medical breakthroughs, software and digital communication, education, public health, artificial intelligence, and open source ecology.
“We continue to be blown away by the quality of ideas coming from 20 Under 20 applicants,” said Jonathan Cain, president of the Thiel Foundation. “The mentors in the Thiel Network are very excited to work with the 2012 class as they explore new frontiers, experience the setbacks and successes of entrepreneurial pursuits, and begin changing the world one idea at a time.”
We were very excited to see 3D printing as a primary focus of one of the entrepreneurs, Chris Olah.
Chris Olah (19, Toronto, ON, Canada) wants to use 3D printing to reduce the scope of scarcity. His goal: empower anyone with a 3D printer to make educational aids, basic scientific equipment, and tools that improve their quality of life. He is currently working on a project called ImplicitCAD, which is a math-based attempt to reinvent computer-aided design and make it more affordable.
Chris, pictured below presented at Maker Faire NYC, was gracious on Twitter upon being accepted into Thiel’s program.
“I’m pleased to be one of this year’s Thiel Fellows. I’ll be working on crazy 3D printing, functional programming, language design, and math.”
Good luck to Chris and the rest of the class!
Via MarketWatch.
Peter Thiel photo by thekenyeung used under Creative Commons license.
Top 10 Countdown: Most Popular 3D Printing Stories in May 2012
Here are the top 10 most popular stories On 3D Printing brought you in May 2012.
10. 3D Systems acquired FreshFiber for 3D printed electronics accessories.
9. We wrote an editorial analyzing the space of 3D printing creators and consumers.
8. We reviewed SketchUp, Tinkercad, and 123D modeling software.
7. The fashion runway was 3D printed in Belgium.
6. The Motley Fool weighed in on public 3D printing manufacturers.
5. We featured companies exhibiting at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012.
4. Why Google sold SketchUp and what it means for 3D printing.
3. A 3D printing vending machine surfaced at Virginia Tech.
2. This New House: constructing and printing WikiHouse.
1. We featured Brad Feld as a premiere venture capitalist looking at 3D printing investments.
Thanks for reading in May!
Cheaper, Faster, Smaller 3D Printer: ORD BOT
In the world of $20,000 3D printers like the most recent professional desktop printer from Objet and the $1,700+ MakerBot Replicator, is there an alternative?
Yes. Discovered at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012: the ORD BOT, a 3D printer that is cheaper, faster, and smaller than the competition.
PC World’s Geek Tech blog featured the ORD BOT:
The ORD BOT is a simple 3D printer platform kit that uses an extruder to “print” 3D objects, just like the Cube or the MakerBot. However, unlike the MakerBot, the ORD BOT can only print using one color at a time (for now, anyway). But what it lacks in color it gains in speed: Its print speeds exceed 400mm per second and can reach up to a whopping 1 meter per second. This is considerably faster than the MakerBot’s output speed of 33mm per second. The ORD BOT comes with two different print areas with the largest, called the Hadron, being about 200 square milimeters.
Now the ORD BOT isn’t for just anyone–it’s made with serious makers and DIYers in mind. This platform kit is just that–a platform: You have to provide your own electronics and build the whole thing from scratch (this does make it highly customizable and flexible), but according to a spokesperson at the ORD BOT booth you can order one with the electronics included for about another $200.
There is also a wiki with various recommendations on electronics to use, as well as detailed specs and CAD files pertaining to the platform. The platform will cost you $290 for the smallest one, called the Quantum, and $400 for the Hadron–the platform plus necessary electronics is still several hundreds dollars cheaper than other commercial 3D printers out there.
Right now there are over 120 ORD BOT users, and you can get your own over at Inventables if they get enough pre-orders for another batch by May 31st. Inventables is selling the Hadron and it comes with stepper motors, you provide the rest.
Via PC World.
Maker Faire Bay Area 2012: Highlights and Headlines
Maker Faire 2012 took place in San Mateo, CA this weekend. Visited by over 120,000 people, Maker Faire featured exhibits ranging from robots to 3D printing to electric cars to art installations. Here are some of the highlights that made headlines.
TechCrunch: In Which The Maker Faire Restores Your Humble Correspondent’s Faith In Humanity
The maker movement has hit an interesting flux point; its amateurs and enthusiasts, much like the computer geeks of the 1970s and 1980s, now stand on the verge of watching their hobby erupt into big business that will reshape the way people everywhere live.
Make: Maker Faire 3D Printer Census
While walking around the Maker Faire grounds this morning I took a quick census all of the 3D printers. All told I saw 55 3D printers on the fairgrounds, 23 of which were unique designs. That’s not including the CNC machines or the stock of three dozen or so Replicator, Up! printers, and Printrbots for sale in the Maker Shed. I’m impressed!
MakerBot: Maker Faire Emergency Averted By Tinkercad And MakerBot!
Here’s the scene: a middle school boy goes to a fantastic summer day camp, Galileo Learning, in Hillsborough, CA. He builds a great go-kart as his final project. But when Galileo transports the go-kart to Maker Faire, the steering wheel is dangling by a single bolt. Missing a nut!
San Jose Mercury News: Maker Faire explodes into the ultimate DIY project
Maker Faire has exploded into the ultimate do-it-yourself project: In only six years, the once-intimate weekend gathering is now attracting massive crowds and exporting the experience around the globe, from Chicago to Cairo.
SF Gate: Maker Faire: Festival of invention and creativity returns to Bay Area
It’s mad science for the masses. A celebration of the do-it-yourself-mindset. A place where you go to play with robots, see a giant metal dragon breath fire, turn old computer parts into cool sculptures, and watch Coke react with Mentos mints, sending geysers of soda shooting the air over twenty feet high. Think Burning Man for geeks and kids with a dizzying array of DIY projects and science demonstrations.
PC World: Maker Faire 2012: A Gallery of Creations
That said, one of the big themes at this year’s event is the fusion of digital and tangible, with recurring favorite 3D printers taking center stage.
Patch: Eye-Catching Creations at the Maker Faire
Outside, an even more jaw-dropping world of larger-than-life displays were set up in a festival-like atmosphere, such as a two-stories-tall metal dragon that actually breathed fire, and all manner of decked-out homemade vehicles, animatronic figures and more.
And finally, neon robot land sharks!
Maker Faire photo by Kiet Callies used under Creative Commons license.
