Most things you can think of are better when they’re in space, a space shuttle for example is a damn sight more exciting than those buses that take you from one airport terminal to another. And William Shatner certainly isn’t going to be remembered for humbler roles as some guy’s dad. Made in Space (MIS) has taken this theory to the extreme not only by producing the world’s first zero-gravity 3D printer, but also sending said printer to the International Space Station (ISS) and becoming the first 3D printer in space. In their latest venture, again aboard the ISS, MIS are breaking away from additive manufacturing, and are instead attempting to make fiber optics in zero-gravity conditions.
MIS CEO Andrew Rush had the following to say about t...
A special range of 3D printed chess sets, created by Etsy designer AberuizDesign, lets you play the game as your favorite US city. The designer has created 3D printed sets for six US cities, with tiny replicas of famous buildings taking the place of the regular pieces.
Chess is an incredibly difficult game to master—but that’s not the only difficulty some players have with it. Each piece of a chess set is designated a status based on its in-game significance: kings and queens are the most important pieces, while pawns are expendable and weak. But for those living outside of a monarchy, many of the terms assigned to chess pieces are outdated and simply irrelevant. What even is a rook, anyhow?
Fortunately, Etsy designer AberuizDesign has completely revamped the chessboard with a range of 3D pr...
Florida-based metal 3D printing company Atlantic Precision Inc. has been bought by Precision Castparts Corp., an Oregon-based diversified manufacturer of complex metal components and products. Previous owner Generation Growth Capital Inc. bought Atlantic Precision just two years ago.
Atlantic Precision, based in Port St. Lucie, Florida, is a metal 3D printing specialist with a foothold in th...
MakerSat, Idaho’s first satellite will be launched by NASA and uses 3D printing to advance scientific discovery. The satellite was made by a team of two professors and four students from Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) who developed the device over two years. The research project will investigate how 3D printed materials behave in the vacuum of space.
Speaking to Idaho local news station, KBOI, NNU student Connor Nogales said, “We’d like to someday 3D print a spacecraft or a structure in space, and this satellite tests ‘how much material do we use?’ and ‘how much does it degrade in space?’” These are both important questions that must be resolved before 3D printing can become...
3D printing has been making a big impact in various industries all around the world, by streamlining design and prototyping processes, and by allowing for the creation of more complex parts. Recently, we learned about how additive manufacturing technologies were making a difference at the Brazilian Air Force’s Institute of Advanced Studies (IEAv) in its Aerothermodynamics and Experimental Hypersonic Division. Through the use of a powerful Stratasys Fortus 900mc Production 3D printer, the IEAv has advanced its methods for testing prototypes and has found a more cost and time effective way of validating the flight feasibility of new parts.
According to a researcher from the IEAv, the Institute had been searching for a way to speed up the experimental and development process for its new aerospace components. 3D printing became an increasingly viable option for this, especially after the IEAv found success in additively manufacturing a spec...
Researchers are using a 3D scanner to predict the geographical conditions that cause dams to collapse. In a scaled-down model reservoir, the team used an Optech ILRIS (Intelligent Laser Ranging and Imaging System) to record different bank angles and determine the conditions where a critical failure might occur.
The study, titled Identifying the influences of geological factors on reservoir bank collapse by a model testdraws on years of research made by leading geologists, including the statistical Bank-Slope Structure Prediction Method (BSSPM) proposed by Tang et el. And Xu et al. in a study of the collapse area of the Three Gorges Dam, which stretches across China’s Yangzte River. At 2,335 meters long, the Three Gorg...
3D printing and slicing software developer Simplify3D is upping its international appeal with the launch of its recent V3.1.1 software update. Announced earlier today, the software update introduces multi-language support for 5 new languages, including Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, and German. With the new software translations, Simplify3D is establishing itself as an international brand with is without a doubt increasing its global accessibility.
As CEO Clayton Webster explains in a recent press release, “3D printing is a global phenomenon. We have software users in more than 120 countries so we’re excited to make the software more accessible to them.” Indeed, by offering a total of 6 language interfaces for their 3D printing and slicing software, Simplify3D will enable users from all over the globe to “communicate using a unified software ...
A group of researchers in Greece have proposed a new bioreactor – a vessel where tissue engineering or other biological processes can take place- with the goal of developing better bioengineered cartilage tissue growing around a 3D printed structure.
Cartilage is the thin layer of tissue on the surfaces of joints, it that shapes both the nose (septal cartilage) and ears. An advancement in the production of artificial cartilage could help a sizeable group who suffer limited mobility due to damage or wear in their joint cartilage, or have damage to other areas where cartilage plays an important role in the structure of body parts. The research group comprises multiple departments at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.TH.) and IESL-FORTH. The new research describes a bioreactor design that will advance the production of tissues, in particular those with high cell densities and enhanced mechanical properties leading to better quality of engineered cartilage.
Biotissues
Bioengineered tissue often starts with the creation of a structure that mimics an extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM which supports cell, and could be thought of as a web of proteins and sugars. This is the process where 3D printing is crucial since it provides the structural support where the organic cell attach and subsequently develop tissue. 3D printing allow...
When I went to New York some years ago, I received four pieces of advice from a Texan gentleman philosophizing in an Irish Bar. The first three nuggets of wisdom he gave me were the vague kind of advice you’d expect e.g. ‘always have an out’, but the last one, in contrast, had a laser-like precision: Magnets, he said if you figure those out they’ll have a statue of you in Times Square. Fast forward to the present day, and researchers at TU Wien in Vienna have mastered how to control magnetic fields by using 3D modelling design methods and a 3D printer. No fuss. No fanfare. No statue of them in Times Square (yet).
“A magnet can be designed on a computer, adjusting its shape until all requirements for its magnetic field are met,” explains Christian Huber, a doctoral student in the 3D print of polymer bonded rare-earth magnets, and 3D magnetic field scanning with an end-user 3D printer project.
For those whose work requires it, time tracking can be a pain: jotting down minutes and hours in a day can be exhausting, and forgetting to do it can be incredibly frustrating. Even time tracking apps, while making the process a bit more automated, are still dependent on your input, essentially making it another task you have to account for. Fortunately, a team of developers have created a remarkably simple solution that combines innovative object design and IoT: the ZEI.
The ZEI, which resembles a large 8-sided die, is essentially a polygon device that can keep track of various timed activities throughout the course of the day, depending on which side of the device is facing upwards. Equipped with a WiFi connection to your computer and connection to an accompanying app, the ZEI allows users to assign a side of the device to a particular task, which can be customized on a regular basis. By simply changing the side of the device that faces upwards, users can keep track of how much time they are spending on certain tasks and activities without putting much effort in themselves.
If the ZEI device sounds like a dream to you, you can get your hands on one by pa...
3DPI readers may remember hearing about the Veronica Scanner earlier this year, when its Madrid-based creators Factum Arte announced that it would be installed in London’s Royal Academy of Arts (RA) for an exhibition in September. Moving on from London, the Veronica Scanner is going to be housed at Waddesdon Manor during half-term, offering visitors a unique 3D printed portraiture experience in the stately homes’ Coach House Gallery.
In contrast to the RA exhibition, Waddesdon Manor’s old stables give the Veronica Scanner a decidedly more rural setting, seemingly at odds with the futuristic...
The 3D bioprinting of organ and human tissue implants is fantastic, but it’s just one part of the larger field of tissue regeneration – the most widely anticipated medical breakthrough field, which could enable damaged tissues, organs and bones to simply grow back again. You’d almost never need a kidney donor ever again. A lot of 3D bioprinting and material studies can be seen as part of that field, and a Dutch research team affiliated with the Universities of Maastricht and Delft have realized a very important breakthrough on the road towards bone regeneration. They have successfully 3D printed smart implants with self-folding properties that can facilitate bone cell regeneration.
This 3D printed smart implant breakthrough has just been revealed in the journal Materials Horizons, in a cover story entitled ‘Programming the shape-shifting of flat soft matter: from self-rolling/self-twisting materials to self-folding origami’, by S. Janbaz, R. Hedayati, and A. A. Zadpoor. And as they reveal, this bone breakthrough could be applied to all kinds of medical implants used today.
As Dr. Amir Zadpoor explained, complete regeneration of functional tissue is the Holy Grail of tissue engineering, and could revolutionize the treatment of many diseases doctors currently struggle with. But effective regeneration methods require multifunctional biomaterials that facilitate cell growth, and that is exactly what this joint Maastrict and Delft project is focusing on...
There comes a time in most people’s lives when inspiration strikes, and when it does this burst of focused energy is generally rather impressive. Take for example Swiss Maker Christoph Laimer’s contribution to the 3D printed design world.
Early this year, he released the instructions on how to create a fully 3D printed mechanicaltourbillon watch (based on a 1795 design by French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet). What this means is that with nothing but a sophisticated array of 3D printed parts (as well as some pins and screws) you can make your own fully automated and accurately functional time piece.
But Christoph didn’t stop producing there. He’s continued to be driven by the maker spirit and has just recently announced two 3D printing projects many may have thought impossible only a few years ago.
The first is a 3D printed brushless motor, that once 3D printed with the necessary components in place, runs at over 65% efficiency at 90W. The other, is a wind power writer that, as it...
Researchers at Northwestern University, the same institute behind this month’s 3D printed hyperelastic bones, have now managed to 3D print bio-degradable stents. The tubes that are usually used to treat narrow or weak arteries, have been fabricated out of a citrus-based polymer. As a man-made structure the stents have the potential to be loaded with anti-coagulant, therefore limiting the risk of complications when used in the body.
Engineers behind the discovery, Guillermo Ameer and Cheng Sun, have used stereo-lithography at a micro...
Dutch company 3devo has launched what it claims are the world’s first industrial desktop filament extruders, which should help slash the costs of commercial grade filament.
The 3devo NEXT 1.0 and 3devo Advanced provide many of the benefits of a large format extruder with a small form factor that could make either one more attractive for small businesses or committed hobbyists that want to cut their 3D printer filament costs in the long term.
The NEXT costs $3,370 (€3,100) and the Advanced starts at $4,300 for the black powder-coated version, with both prices excluding sales tax and shipping. SO it’s a sizeable investment, but for serious hobbyists, business users or research institutes then it shouldn’t take long to recoup the initial expense and we expect this product to find a market.
The Blank Anodized and Black powder coated 3devo NEXT and 3devo Advanced, front and side view respectively.
Using either regrind or industrial virgin plastic granulate, both can have a significant impact on your 3D printing costs and even cut the cost of the finished products for the end user. They both measure just 50.6x21.6x54.0cm, too, so they’re small enough to fit on most workbenches and they won’t take up half the workshop like some recycling systems.
They both come with a self-regulating filament diameter control system that ensures a consistent output that stays where you set it, which can be anywhere between 0.5-3mm. It comes with a diameter sensor that is accurate to 43 Microns, too, which is tight enoug...
Seoul’s Rural Development Administration (RDA) and Hallym University have collaborated to create a 3D Silk-Printing System that produces components suitable for use in vivo, i.e. within a living organism.
The silk ‘filament’ is made from the fibroin protein that also constitutes 75% of the silk naturally produced by spiders and larvae of members of the moth family. Fibroin is also used in the production of medical-grade objects due to its biocompatibility, and has been the subject of a recent study exploring its potential as preservative in food. What the RDA and Hallym have managed to do with fibroin is recreate the plates a...
3D printing is heavily entrenched in the Maker movement in that the technology allows for any individual with a bit of a creative spark to create something entirely new from scratch. For many of these individuals they surround themselves with like minded others at maker spaces and conventions.
Then other times, there are folks like reddit contributor Annoying_guest (Yousif Ashoor) that simply think of something, design and 3D print that something and throw it up on Reddit and see for what happens.
In this case, he decided to make sunglasses that automatically move back and forth in front of his eyes depending on whether a specific amount of UV rays are present or not. And as you can see in the video below, the shades are already fully functional (although he admits a few glitches still remain in his early prototype).
Taking influence from the preview trailer of the always popular video game series Deus Ex, he didn’t expect much fan fare or necessarily feel he was part of some grand movement as many Makers do. Instead, as he suggests, he “created these gla...
AMUG (The Additive Manufacturers Group) has been in existence since the early 1990s when it started life specialising in the enhancement of stereolithography (SLA). With the spread of technologies encompassed by the umbrella term of 3D printing, it was only natural that the group then branched out to provide support for all users interested in all areas of additive manufacturing. Providing training, networking and education to the 3D printing community, AMUG are preparing for their 29th annual conference which will take place in Chicago next year, ...
3D printer manufacturer Titan Robotics has partnered with filament provider Push Plastic to develop a high-speed, low-cost pellet extrusion system for the Atlas 3D printer. According to Titan Robotics, pellet extrusion can push plastic three times faster than high-volume filament extrusion.
When comparing the costs of 3D printer filament with basic plastic pellets, it’s easy to see why 3D printing companies like Titan Robotics are eager to develop pellet extrusion systems. A 1kg spool of 3D printing filament can end up costing around $30, but 1kg of plastic pellets can cost as little as $2. At the end of the day, 3D printer users are paying a huge premium to obtain their plastic in evenly shaped, printer-friendly lengths, but what if that requirement was no longer necessary?
In order to take advantage of the low cost of plastic pellets, 3D printer manufacturer Titan Robotics has teamed up with 3D printing filament specialist Push Plastic to develop a pellet extrusion system for Titan’s Atlas 3D printer, an FDM machine with a huge build volume (915 x 915 ...
According to local news sources in the UK, Amazon has revealed the location of one its 3D printed drone labs. The test site is located on the edge of the British university town of Cambridge, while the research lab is in the center of town. The U.S. online retailer and tech pioneer has also confirmed the research lab is part of an initiative known as Prime Air Service.
3D printing drones for rapid iteration
Amazon are using 3D printing to develop drones that will deliver packages of up to 2kg in under 30 minutes. In the future, Amazon hopes to build drones to travel to delivery addresses, scan for landing spots, descend and deliver the packages in a completely autonomous manner.
The R&D facility located in the Castle Park area of Cambridge boasts the use of 3D printers to quickly prototype and test new versions of the experimental drones. Although exact details of the equipment used are still not out in the open, Amazon did show ...
Every year, Dutch Design Week (DDW) presents a number of impressive projects and products that have been realized with the help of 3D printing. In fact, the week-long design event has increasingly emphasized its focus on additive manufacturing technologies and their various design applications. Last year, for instance, a whole exhibition was dedicated to 3D printed footwear, which we were fortunately enough to experience first hand. This year, we can expect to be impressed once again, with the presence of such innovative designers as Jesse Howard and Jesse Kirschner, whose 3D printed projects have been on our radar for quite some time.
The Netherlands-based designers, who over the past two years have introduced Keyshapes, a series of 3D printed modular furniture connectors, and launched an open-source 3D printed desk lamp, are now ready to present their latest series called “Standard Products”. The collection, which consists of digitally-crafted furniture accompanied with an online-platform for reimagining and designing products, will not only be featured at the upcoming DDW (running from October 22 to 30th in Eindhoven), but has also launched through a Kickstarter campaign.
As Howard and Kirschner explain, “Standard Products is a web-based platform where users create their own products from a collection of digital designs by selecting the dimensions and materials that will define the finished product.” In other words, with their new product the designer...
It’s a very common feature in most science fiction concepts: sentient homes that, like Iron Man’s Jarvis, take care of all your needs with a sassy attitude. But though smart technology is improving with leaps and bounds, it isn’t exactly cost-effective or applicable on a very large scale. London-based startup Ai Build is seeking to change that, and sees construction 3D printing as an key technology to make these type of smart homes affordable and possible. As a first step on a long road, they have just unveiled the 3D printed Daedalus Pavilion, which showcases the viability of their custom large scale 3D printing robot and learning algorithms.
The pavilion itself is very impressive, and was unveiled as part of the GPU Technology Conference in Amsterdam. A 5m by 5 m by 4.5m construction, it is large enough to house several coffee tables. But it also looks fantastic, like some sort of mesh butterfly, and was built using more than 160 kg of biodegradable filament from Formfutura. Consisting of 48 separate pieces, it was 3D printed in just three weeks using a custom KUKA industrial robot 3D printing setup.
But this achievement is even more remarkable for what it could lead to in the near future. For the London-based Ai Build is dreaming about next-gen construction, in which AI and robotics become indispensable. Their intentions thus transcend 3D printing, as Ai Build is seeking to create a home-hub prototype that provides smart, intuitive and natural home control. This teachable platform could be operated using voice or app control, and will learn from its inhabitants through a series of cameras and other sensors that make gesture and voice commands possible. “Currently a mobile app takes multiple steps to activate,” cofounder and CEO, Daghan Cam recently explained to Forbes. “You unlock your phone, you open the app, you tell it to turn on a specific light. This is more natural. Instead of using a mobile or a remote control, you use existing skills and natural language.”
Of course this future sounds great, but is extremely ambitious. Facilitating such a future not only requires revolutionary algorithms, but a very cost-effective appro...
New York based Additive Manufacturing Research (AMR) are now offering analytical insights into the top 3D printing industries on a consultancy basis. Industries currently within remit are the areas of medicine, metals, and plastics, though they plan to expand into aerospace, automotive, and electronics industries over the course of 2017.
As a subscription-based service, AMR offers clients a three-part package of monthly reports, annual summaries and up to the minute telephone consultations with the company’s expert analysts. It is ideal for t...
Makex, an international company with bases in both China and America, are launching a new Kickstarter project today to fund a printer specially designed for making jewelry, and dentistry models. As a Digital Light Processing printer, using vat-polymerisation as opposed to the layering used in FDM (Fused Deposition modeling), the M-Jewelry is ideal for detailed projects. The printer promises ultra-high precision of either 32 or 50 microns XY resolution, and 1 to 100 micron thickness – compared to the 60 and 75 microns XY resolution and 15 to 150 micron thickness in Makex’s standard model: The M-One desktop DLP printer which was also funded via Kickstarter back in July 2014.
A focus on design precision
Amongst the portfolio of designs showing the capabilities of the M-Jewelry printer, Makex ...
That 3D printing can save lives is hardly a secret; just look at conjoined twins Anias and Jadon McDonald, who have just been given a fighting change through 3D printing and 3D scanning platforms. But 3D printing can also help to make the lives of those people who’ve survived medical nightmares a bit more normal. That is exactly what’s happening to the 11-year-old British girl Tilly Lockey, who has begun testing 3D printed prosthetic arms for 3D printed bionic pioneer Open Bionics, after losing both hands to meningitis as a baby. Their latest success is a fantastic arm inspired by the Deus Ex video game, which can even give a thumbs up.
Tilly is actually actively involved in the development of these bionics, by testing them, providing feedback and travelling around the world to raise awareness and funds for 3D printed prostheses. The inspiring girl takes after her mother Sarah, who has been a campaigner and fundraiser for meningitis since 2007 – when Tilly herself nearly died of the disease. Now, almost ten years later, Tilly is determined to work with the world’s best developers to develop the next generation of prosthetic limbs that give these children a chance to live a normal, active life.
This is even more amazing because Tilly was left very disabled after developing Group B meningococcal septicaemia – meningitis – as a baby. As a result, she lost both hands, her toes, and probably will suffer from stunted growth over the coming years. The disease even destroyed her baby teeth, and left her adult teeth severely underdeveloped. Even now, nearly a decade after developing the disease, hospital visits are a very common part of her life.
But even with this situation, her parents Sarah and Adam count themselves as blessed. Back in 2007, there was no vaccination for this deadly form of meningitis, and Tilly very nearly died. While originally a very healthy baby girl, Tilly contracted the disease when she was just 15 months old. Suddenly she started to lose all energy and developing bluey grey mottled spots. “The marks did not disappear and instantly meningitis came into my head,” her mother recalled. “I ran to the telephone and called an ambulance mentioning all the symptoms of rapid breathing, high temperature, not interested in anything and not wanting to be picked up and especially the marks on her skin. I told them that I thought it was meningitis. They were ready for her and they agreed that it looked like meningitis and they gave her a shot of penicillin straight away. Thank God they did that – otherwise ...
Everyone may be talking about Clinton vs Trump, but our 3D printing news roundup sees two graphene-based 3D printing filaments vying for your vote. In other news: Airbus and Stratasys strike a deal, Nano Dimension expands into 3D bioprinting, and the Boy Scouts of America get 3D printing.
Shares in major 3D printing companies may be falling, but Monday’s opening bell at New York City’s NASDAQ Stock Market was rung loud and true by the cofounders of 3D printing startup TriFusion Devices, winner of the 2016 Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC). Cofounders Blake Teipel and Brandon Sweeney took part in the ceremony after their 3D printing venture impressed judges at the global startup contest. According to its creators, the young company offers breakthrough 3D printing products and services aimed at revolutionizing the healthcare and sports equipment industries, meeting the needs of both amputees and prosthetists.
Prior to its competition prize and NASDAQ escapades, TriFusion Devices was brought onto the scene by Startup Aggieland, an award-winning business incubator and accelerator program at Texas A&M University. With the help of Startup Aggieland, as well as other university initiatives,such as the National Science Foundation I-Corps program, TriFusion was able to perfect its medical 3D printing solution, which creates custom-fit prosthetic devices within 48 hours, and eventually received a $400,000 cheque from RBPC.
“Be on the lookout for this company,” said Don Lewis, the 3D printing company’s mentor and coach at Startup Aggieland. “They are a team to watch because of what they do. They’ve created a revolutionary way to 3D print plastics that are extremely durable and strong, and they are crafting them into very useful objects, like the prosthetics.”
Next time you take a flight, just think how many parts of your aircraft will be 3D printed in just a few decades time. On Thursday, Airbus and Stratasys shook hands on what could be a significant deal in the aerospace additive manufacturing world, with the aircraft manufacturer standardizing on Stratasys’ ULTEM 9085 3D printing material for the production of flight parts for the A350 XWB aircraft.
ULTEM 9085, a resin 3D printing material used in FDM 3D printers, is certified to an Airbus material specification, and combines a high strength-to-weight ratio with FST (flame, smoke, and toxicity) compliance for aircraft flight parts. According to Stratasys, the material enables the production of strong yet lighter parts while lowering manufacturing costs and production time. Use of additive manufacturing with the resin material will enable Airbus to produce parts on demand and at locations optimized for delivery to final assembly lines. “In 2014 Airbus produced a significant amount of parts on its Stratasys FDM-based 3D Printers for use in new A350 XWB aircraft, enabling Airbus to meet delivery commitments on-time,” commented Andy Middleton, President, Stratasys EMEA.
Israeli 3D printer manufacturer Nano Dimension, which recently began shipping its DragonFly 20 20 PCB 3D printer, confirmed on Monday that it will conduct R&D in the field of 3D biopri...
Adding weight to the argument that the materials space is one of the most interesting aspects of 3D printing, a new company has recently entered the additive manufacturing industry.
Chromatic 3D Materials LLC of Maple Grove, Minnesota has raised $175,000 of a $200,000 financing goal. Leading the new 3D printing materials company is CEO Cora Leibig.
Biochemicals and Premier League Football
Around this time last year Leibig was employed as Chief Operating Officer at Segetis, a venture capital backed company producing levulinic acid derivatives. The assets of Segetis, including 50 patents, were acquired earlier this year by GF Biochemicals: an Italian company started, in secret, by former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini.
According to GF Biochemicals’ website levulinic acid is “recognized by...
Japanese multinational company Panasonic, known primarily for its televisions and smartphones, has ventured into the realm of cosmetics with a new product that will surely leave half of consumers excited and the other half perplexed. Recently, the electronics company has unveiled a smart mirror which is capable of not only analyzing the user’s facial and skin flaws, but can then essentially 3D print a “map” of makeup for the user to apply.
Understandably, many people are excited about the prospect of a smart mirror telling you how to get perfect looking skin (think of how much time could be saved trying on makeup tones and such), though others are less enthused about having a device point out their flaws.
Panasonic unveiled its first prototype for the smart mirror earlier this year, but just recently unveiled an updated version of the smart mirror at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC) in Japan. The latter includes 3D printing makeup capabilities. As Panasonic explains, the smart mirror is equipped with ...
Remember HP’s new industrial 3D printer, the Jet Fusion 3D printer? It created huge buzz in the 3D printing world when first unveiled back in May of this year, due to some revolutionary abilities. Up to ten times faster than competing machines and capable of cutting down production costs by up to 50 percent, the Jet Fusion 3D Printer could have the power to change industrial 3D printing as we know it.
It was an immediate hit with industry partners upon its release, and companies like BMW quickly adopted it for serial part production. But the Jet Fusion 3D printer’s quirkiest characteristic has only just been revealed by HP’s head of 3D printing Stephen Nigro. As he explained in an interview, about half of all the plastic components and panels used on the two Jet Fusion 3D printer models, the Jet Fusion 3200 and the Jet Fusion 4200, were actually 3D printed using that same technology.
This is much more than just a cool bonus feature, as it says a lot about the quality of the parts involved. Of course, DIY RepRap 3D printer makers pride themselves on manufacturing every possible part on a desktop 3D printer, but this does not necessarily improve ...
A collaborative project between five 3D printing and 3D scanning companies has produced what could be the world’s tallest 3D printed person: a three-meter-tall statue of Polish soccer star Robert Lewandowski. FabLab Kielce, one of the companies involved, will apply for the official Guinness record.
Defenders in the Bundesliga, Germany’s premier soccer division, must have regular nightmares about Robert Lewandowski. The 28-year-old Polish striker is one of the most clinical finishers in the game, and last season scored a phenomenal 30 league goals for FC Bayern Munich, including a near-impossible five goals in nine minutes in a match against Wolfsburg. In truth, the only thing that could make Lewandowski more terrifying—especially given his fearsome heading ability—would be making him ten feet tall.
Unfortunately for traumatized German defenders, a team of five Polish 3D printing and scanning companies has made Robert Lewandowski ten feet tall, turning the world-class soccer ace into a three-meter-tall 3D printed statue in a bid to score a Guinness world record. The immense 3D printed statue, over a meter taller than the existing 3D prin...
The National Space Society (NSS) program Enterprise in Space (EIS), are calling for university teams to send in their visions of interplanetary transport, construction, and habitats for the opportunity to have them fabricated in space. The competition is called Print the Future (PTF) and is a collaboration with four other partners, one of which is space manufacturing giants Made In Space who will be sending the first commercial 3D printer to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017.
“An essential technology to extending humanity’s reach in space is in-space manufacturing. By manufacturing new designs in space, we’ll be able to forgo the high cost of shipping supplies by rocket and instead fa...
While it may still take a few years before we can 3D print and implant completely new blood vessels, a team of engineers from Northwestern University are using 3D printing to help maintain and support the blood vessels we already have. That is, they have pioneered flexible 3D printed biodegradable stents, which can easily be customized for individual patients and provide life-saving support in the case of weak or clogged up arteries.
This important breakthrough has been realized by a team of researchers from Northwestern University’s Engineering Department, led by Guillermo Ameer and Cheng Sun. Through support from the American Heart Association, they have just published their research in a paper in the Advanced Materials Technologies journal, with postdoc Robert van Lith and graduate student Evan Baker serving as co-first authors.
Guillermo Ameer and Cheng Sun
As they explain in the paper, their 3D printing breakthrough has the potential to fundamentally change the way patients are treated. Currently, artery stents almost completely rely on a one-size-fits-all approach that can cause significant complications. Made from metal and only available in a few sizes, there’s always a danger that stents move into the artery and fail – necessitating an expensive opening surgery or even a bypass with vascular grafts. “Right now, the vast majority of stents are made from a metal and have off-the-shelf availability in various sizes,” said Ameer, who is professor of biomedical engineering at Northwestern and professor of surgery in the Feinberg School of Medicine. “The physician has to guess which stent size is a good fit to keep the blood vessel open. But we’re all different and results are high...
Slovakian based software startup Vectary is moving to New York! Following a Seed round that raised $2.5 million, led by BlueYard Capital, a Berlin-based VC, Vectary will use the money to make the move and ready itself for a f...
Scientists at Harvard have used a 3D bioprinter to 3D print a tubular renal architecture that mimics human kidney function. The research advances the collective goal of 3D printing functional human organs for drug screening, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine.
In recent years, a group of Harvard materials scientists has demonstrated its ability to 3D print tissue constructs made up of several types of living cells patterned alongside a vascular network in an extracellular matrix—one of many techniques currently being used by scientists to “print” tissue structures for various medical and biological applications. The researchers could then scale up these constructs to create thick, vascularized tissue constructs capable of remaining viable for over a month in vitro. The same group of researchers has now taken the project a step further, using similar techniques to create a functional 3D renal architecture containing living human epithelial cells, which line the surface of kidney tubules.
Behind the groundbreaking research is Jennifer A. Lewis, the Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and Core Faculty member of Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. After developing the modular Voxel8 Developer’s Kit 3D printer and taking part in a number of 3D printing ventures, Lewis has made a name for herself as one of the most important women in 3D printing. This latest study, which has been published in Scientific Reports, confirms Lewis’ place amongst 3D printing’s elite while advancing the collective effort towards fabricating human organs. “The current work further expands our bioprinting platform to create functional human tissue architectures with both technological and clinical relevance,” Lewis said.
For all makers and 3D printing enthusiasts out there, here is a roundup of some of the coolest 3D printed gadget projects we’ve seen last week. From a hacked Nokia 1100 cellphone, to a 3D printed OpenRC Tractor, to geometrically stunning 3D printed chocolates, we just can’t enough of what’s been happening in the world of 3D printing. Check it out:
If you happen to be one of the many people with an old brick of a cellphone lying around, you might be surprised to hear that there may be a way to repurpose it and turn it into something cool and contemporary. As maker Daniel Davis demonstrates in a Youtube video, he successfully hacked an old Nokia 1100 (you know, the world’s best selling phone handset) and turned it into a functioning, though admittedly bulky, smartwatch.
As the maker explains in his step-by-step tutorial, he was able to take apart his old Nokia cellphone and reuse both its LCD screen, and its vibration motor. From there, Davis was able to connect the screen to an Arduino using a few resistors, and installed a bluetooth module programmed to receive phone and text notifications. The DIY smartwatch, which displays the time and date as well as notifications, is equipped with a 3.7v rechargeable battery and is enclosed in a 3D printed case and watch strap.
The maker does advise, however, that if you attempt to make your own DIY Nokia 1100 smartwatch, you might have better results using a thinner battery and a circuit board with surface mount components (to cut back on bulkiness). Either way, however, the project could be a fun way to repurpose and up-cycle your old cellphone that’s lying around.
Imagine there was a way to visualize how your bank accounts are doing without actually facing the numbers and having to check your bank balance on a daily basis, which as we all know, can be a very stress-inducing chore. German designer Peter Sörries may have come up with an interesting and novel solution with Flux, a 3D printed wall-hanging pendulum that lets people visualize and see in simple terms how their bank balances are fairing.
Essentially, the 3D printed device consists of a round body and two cords which hang from it—the left cord represents your savings account, while the right is your checking account. As you spend your money, the dev...
The beloved Microsoft Paint may finally be getting the revamp it deserves. Videos leaked on twitter demonstrate tools to give 2D drawings a third dimension, bringing things like ‘fish tanks’ and ‘flower arranging’ to life.
The development has not yet been officially confirmed (or denied) by Microsoft, but it certainly appears to be an interesting move for the software which has become something of a cult classic since its initial release in 1985. Although the extended capability of MS Paint is still unlikely to make it a challenger in the increasingly crowded world of 3D printing software.
As a user of Windows 98, I remember all the hours spent making full use of...
How many times have you been stuck in class or at your desk wondering whether a Charizard or even a Mewtwo (can you imagine?!) is right by you? Well, Adafruit’s the Ruiz Brothers have released a 3D printing tutorial that is sure to get Pokémon Go users as excited as ever. In it, the innovative makers explain how one can easily build a Raspberry Pi based “reverse lure model” which notifies players what types of Pokémon might be in their vicinity, whether they are common, rare, or even legendary. If this sounds like just the device you’ve been looking for, we have to advise that you proceed with caution, as the device is against Niantic’s (the game developer) terms of service.
Nevertheless, the device and its 3D printed case are undeniably awesome, so we just have to tell you how its done. Basically, the Pokémon Go finder device is made up of a Raspberry Pi Zero, a 3D printed case, and three LED lights, which are programmed to light up when a Pokémon of a certain type is around you. For instance, when a common Pokémon is around the first light will turn on, for rare Pokémon the second light will turn on, and for legendary Pokémon the third light will turn on.
TriFusion Devices, winners of the Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC) and manufacturers of custom 3D printed prosthetic devices, rang the NASDAQ opening bell earlier today.
This morning in New York, Blake Teipel, TriFusion Devices’ CEO, joined Brad Burke from the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship to announce the opening of the tech focused stock exchange for the first day of the week. Commenting on the event the CEO said,
Texas based TriFusion Devices beat 41 rival companies to take the RBPC prize earlier this year in April. The young company aims to revolutionize “the health care and sports-equipment industries in powerful and profitable ways” by using 3D printing to create tailored solutions for “amputees and prosthetists”.
When 3D Printing Industry first covered BotFactory in April of this year, the 3 year old start-up had already won the Best Technical Development Manufacturing Award at IDTechEx, for the development of their full-package PCB printing technology Squink. Maintaining momentum, the team has now received a $1.3 million investment from the New York Angels, a group of angel investors. The added cash injection sees Angels director Larry Richenstein joining the board at BotFactory who, incidentally, is also chairman on The CEA Foundation; an affiliate of the Consumer Electronics Association which seeks to use technology ...
It’s an urge all owners of desktop 3D printers have to deal with sooner or later. While FDM 3D printing technology can obviously achieve a lot, its 3D printing resolution pales in comparison to that of DLP and SLA 3D printers. Fortunately for our wallets, it’s a comparison that never leads to anything because those models are usually far out of the price range of home users. But that might not be the case any longer. Chinese startup MakeX, who created a lot of buzz back in 2014 with their competitively priced M-One 3D printer, are now back with the ultra-high precision M-Jewelry DLP 3D printer, which starts at just $1,999 USD and reaches resolution levels good enough for dental and jewelry applications.
It’s a 3D printer that also builds on a lot of experience, as startup MakeX (from Ningbo, China) previously dealt with all aspects of 3D printer manufacturing with the M-One. Back in 2014, they were able to gather a massive $180,000 USD in Kickstarter pledges for that 3D printer. The M-Jewelry builds on that experience, and is also a compact, sleek quiet and efficient 3D printer that stands out due to its very appealing price tag. It has also been under development since 2014, and every new lesson from their MakeX’s Kickstarter challenge was incorporated into this new machine.
But while the M-One was a one-model-fits-all type 3D printer with a d...
Fictiv, the San Francisco based “manufacturing platform” recently expanded their services. I spoke with co-founder and CEO Dave Evans to find out what the company is doing and where the 3D printing industry is going.
“Our goal is to help people build physical objects faster,” says Evans. Since founding in 2013, the U.S. based enterprise has grown to employ approximately 30 people. Fictiv provide an “online platform that allows engineers and designers to order parts from idle machines, or machines that have extra capacity.”
Merging Efficient Automation with Human Innovation
“It’s really about trying to give people better access to tools to build physical products,” says Evans. This service might sound familiar to readers, and other companies do on first glance appear to offer a similar service. “The major difference between us and 3D Hubs is that while they are a directory to go and find a printer, for us when you upload a file we’re turning around 3D printed parts the next day, within 24 hours.”
To achieve their speed Fictiv combine elements of automation with a human touch, offering a degree of consulting alongside their approach to the modern machining shop. “When a model gets uploaded to Fictiv we computationally analyze that model to see it is actually producible and get Design for ...
BotFactory, the New York City-based manufacturer of the Squink Multilayer PCB Printer announced today that is has completed a $1M seed round of financing led by New York Angels. The funding is largely being allocated for expanding sales and marketing efforts as well as product development. New York Angels Director Larry Richenstein will join BotFactory’s Board of Directors.
BotFactory first made headlines back in 2014, when they launched a Kickstarter campaign for their promising Squink PCB 3D printer. For those of you who missed it, the Squink is a $3000 desktop Wi-Fi connected PCB 3D printer that takes care of all the messy steps involved in custom PCB making. After uploading your circuit design, the Squink first 3D ...
It’s been quite a silent revolution, but 3D printed glasses are slowly taking over the eyewear industry. Startups like Roger Bacon Eyewear, SpeX and scope for design are all offering users the opportunity to wear customizable and perfectly fitting 3D printed frames. In many cases even storeowners are profiting from this approach, as several companies are offering digital fitting booths relying on 3D facial scanning technology. In those cases, the frames are only 3D printed after selection, keeping overhead costs as low as possible.
But if you’re going to 3D print the frames, you might as well do so as environmentally friendly as possible. That is, in a nutshell, the reasoning behind Yuma – a Belgian startup that will be producing 3D printed, circular sunglasses made from old dashboards, recycled bamboo and even old refrigerators at the beginning of 2017. As the materials themselves are reusable, you can get a discount if you want to switch to a new model.
The name Yuma refers to Yuma, Arizona – often called the sunniest place on Earth. “Not a bad name for a sunglasses manufacturer, we hoped,” says founder Sebastiaan de Neubourg. This Belgian startup was set up in an attempt to start a conversation about the ‘circular economy’, which is focused on local manufacturing and recycling. It’s a way for everyone to make a very small contribution to reducing the vast amounts of plastic that is filling the world’s oceans.
3D printing is expected to play a huge part in that, as it’s essentially the easiest way to set up local production and recycling initiatives. Virtually every material can be transformed into sunglasses through 3D printing, De Neubourg argues. “Our supplier grinds down dashboards and transforms them into filament, though we are also using recycled PET bottles, refrigerators, bambo...
