In August we featured the upcoming launch of Fab Lab Adelaide in South Australia.

In this fun video published by the Fab Lab, you can see how a whistle is made on a Thing-O-Matic 3D printer.

Read about all of our featured Fab Labs in our weekly series.

South Australia photo by S.H. Photography used under Creative Commons license.

3D printers, such as the MakerBot Replicator, are currently priced at over $1,700 and out of range for the typical student. Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering has devised a unique solution to giving students access to 3D printers without the associated costs.

The folks over at Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering are taking 3D printing to a whole new different level. Enter DreamVendor, a set of four MakerBot Thing-O-Matics that is enclosed in a glass. It’s not really your typical vending machine, but boy, the DreamVendor does one special thing – it turns Computer Aided Design or CAD into a physical object. The DreamVendor is the brainchild of Dr. Chris Williams, Director of Virginia Tech’s DREAMS Lab, and student Amy Elliot, who led the design. “We wanted an experience where someone could walk up and use a 3-D printer without having to worry about anything besides loading a file and selecting ‘Print,’” Williams said.

In order to use it, you’ll have to insert an SD card that has your CAD design file stored on it. Then, the Makerbot Thing-O-Matic 3D printers will fabricate your design and dispense the finished product into the bin for your taking. Although the DreamVendor 3D machine may not appeal to all, it’s perfect for tech students and designers who want to quickly fabricate their own prototypes for their projects. To learn more about DreamVendor and how to use it, you can visit Virginia Tech’s DREAMS Lab.

Watch the video below as Amy Elliott gives us a tour of the DREAM Vendor.

Via Ubergizmo.

2010 was a pivotal year in 3D printing technology. In an interactive timeline, TeamTeamUSA lists the key developments that moved the industry over the year.

Notably:

• January – HP announced a 3D printer
• January – First 3D printer featured at CES
• February – Apple sells 3D printed iPhone cases
• April/May – Shapeways introduces new materials, including glass and gold
• June – Lifesize King Tut Mummy printed
• July – 3D printed fashion
• November – 3D prints added to Smithsonian Collection
• November – Maker factory launches
• December – Thing-o-matic ships
• December – 3D printed flute

Check out the full timeline at Dipity.