There’s a new open-source 3D printer in town, and its name is Pwdr.

In a change from the technique used by MakerBot 3D printers of extruding plastic onto a platform layer by layer, Pwdr operates like the expensive industrial powder printers. This opens new doors for the consumer 3D printing market.

A whole new range of materials become available for experimenting with open-source rapid-prototyping; for example, when using the 3DP process: gypsum, ceramics, concrete, sugar, etc. And when the SLS process is fully supported, plastic materials like ABS, PP, Nylon and metals become available as building material.A Hewlett Packard inkjet cartridge is used for the deposition of binder. The cartridge can be refilled with custom binders using a syringe. A custom binder of 20% alcohol and 80% water has been proven to work.

The Pwdr Model 0.1 consists of chassis, tool head and electronics. The printer entirely consists of off-the-shelf components. It has a simple design and can be built within a couple of hours. The machine is easy and affordable to build and modify. Building a Pwdr Model 0.1 machine costs about €1000.

As 3D printing matures, new printing materials emerge that allow us to build more durable goods. Nylon provides both durability and flexibility benefits over standard materials like ABS plastic. With a higher melting point, nylon is less brittle. Products that can be created out of nylon range from iPhone cases to gear parts to a bike planter like in the photo above.

The video below showcases some parts 3D printed in nylon.

And this video shows the printing process.

Via Engadget.

We have seen 3D printing on the fashion runway before, but the N12 bikini from Continuum Fashion is bringing 3D printed fashion into the home.

Clothing-maker Continuum calls themselves “part fashion label, part experimental design lab,” combining emerging technology with high fashion.

In this case, Continuum’s designer Jenna Fizel wrote a program that generates a custom bikini swimsuit lattice pattern based on the contours of the customer’s body.

The N12 bikini is the world’s first ready-to-wear, completely 3D-printed article of clothing. All of the pieces, closures included, are made directly by 3D printing and snap together without any sewing. N12 represents the beginning of what is possible for the near future.

N12 is named for the material it’s made out of: Nylon 12. This solid nylon is created by the SLS 3D printing process. Shapeways calls this material “white, strong, and flexible”, because its strength allows it to bend without breaking when printed very thin. With a minimum wall thickness of .7 mm, it is possible to make working springs and almost thread-like connections. For a bikini, the nylon is beautifully functional because it is waterproof and remarkably comfortable when wet.

Watch the video below for details on how this bikini is custom designed and 3D printed.