Tag Archives: materials
Top 3D Printing News Last Week: MakerBot Digitizer, SXSW, Shoes, Drugs
A roundup of the top 3D printing news from March 4 to March 10:
Tuesday, March 5
Shapeways Offers Premium Silver Material for 3D Printing Fine Objects
3D printing marketplace Shapeways has introduced premium silver material for creating fine jewelry and other long-lasting items.
From the Shapeways blog:
Premium Silver is our 3D printed Sterling Silver taken to the next level with an incredibly smooth, glossy surface to give your designs a truly professional finish. We will be offering Premium Silver for a six week trial until Tuesday May the 14th, during which we will assess the pricing and design rules. If you love this new finish as much as we already do, we will keep it as a permanent material option on Shapeways.
Finished 3D prints are hand polished to give them that professional look.
During the trial, premium silver will be priced as follows:
- Handling Fee Per Model: $45 (up to 1.7 cm3), $78 (1.7 – 3.4 cm3), Free (above 3.4 cm3)
- Price Per cm3: $28 (up to 3.4 cm3), $75 (above 3.4 cm3)
This means:
- 1.0 cm3 item will cost $73.00
- 1.7 cm3 item will cost $92.60
- 1.8 cm3 item will cost $128.40
- 3.4 cm3 item wil cost $173.20
- 3.5 cm3 item will cost $262.50
More details at Shapeways.
Must-See Infographic: How 3D Printing Will Revolutionize the Classroom
As 3D printing becomes more accessible to the public, educators are learning how this technology can – and is – revolutionizing the classroom.
In this rich infographic by OnlineDegrees.org, the subject of 3D printing in education is explored.
Key topics include:
- Which universities have embraced 3D printing
- Materials used in 3D printing
- How 3D printing is being incorporated into the classroom
- 3D lesson plans
Published under Creative Commons license.
Make: Where Do We Really Stand On 3D Printing?
Make magazine has published an extensive opinion piece about 3D printing as part of its 3D Thursday series. The article is called 3D Printing Revolution: the Complex Reality.
The main thesis of the post is that while 3D printers are becoming increasingly popular, the reality might not match the hype. For one, designing for manufacturability is hard – from CAD software to industrial design techniques. Another issue is the durability and precision of materials used in 3D printing, such as ABS plastic, may not be engineering-grade.
Concluding, the author states:
One day, a silver bullet solution may materialize; if it does, it will be probably nothing like any of the existing technologies we are experimenting with. Until then, it pays to focus on the process, not on this week’s most-hyped tool.
These points are valid and one has to acknowledge that 3D printing won’t replace all manufacturing processes overnight. But look at the applications that are already commercial, from medical and dentistry to fashion to toys and games. Expect more to follow quickly with the rapid pace of innovation in 3D printing!
Filabot Reclaimer Turns Recyclable Plastic into 3D Printing Material
Introducing Filabot, a new device that lets you recycle plastic to use as filament in a 3D printer.
Originally conceived as a Kickstarter project by Tyler McNaney, a 20-year-old mechanical engineering student at Vermont Technical College, the startup raised over $32,000 to develop its first product.
Many 3D printers use commercial grade plastic filament to make objects. The MakerBot Replicator 2X, for example, uses requires thermoplastic ABS. This plastic isn’t cheap, and critics of 3D printing suggest that all of this plastic is not good for the environment.
Well, Filabot has the answer to make 3D printing a bit more eco-friendly. With a Filabot Reclaimer, one can deposit recyclable plastic into the machine and end up with 3D printing grade plastic filament.
Here is an overview from the Filabot shop.
The Filabot is the revolutionary system that can turn recyclable plastic into usable filament for 3D printing. This system creates a closed loop recycling environment. Filabot allows for the ultimate personal factory, giving greater control over what type of plastic material to use.
The Filabot Reclaimer, is our flagship system, that allows for the already innovative 3D printing movement, to become more self sufficient, experiment with new materials, and recycle bad prints.
The Filabot Reclaimer includes the grinding, extruding, and spooling systems. The Grinder will tear up bottles and can handle up to a good 3in by 3in chunk of plastic. Material from the grinder can either be stockpiled or fed directly into the extruder. From there the extruder will melt and pressurize the molten plastic to push it thought the interchangeable dies. There are two dies included with the Filabot Reclaimer, a 3mm and 1.75mm, depending on the filament size needed. The spool system will automatically roll the filament onto a spool after cooling and sizing.
And below is a video of the Filabot system.
Photo by Filabot/Whitney Trudo.
