SwissPen 3D printing pen brings 3Doodler competition well before launch

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One’s an anomaly, two’s a trend, right? And certainly after 3Doodler managed to collect a staggering $2.3 million on Kickstarter (after a modest $30,000 goal), no one would be particularly surprised to see a few other folks rushing to grab a piece of the 3D printing pen action. Really, it’s a fairly simple idea with impeccable timing, a glue gun-like device that melts plastic and essentially lets you draw in mid-air as it cools, arriving in the midst of a desktop 3D printing explosion.

From what we can tell, the SwissPen is an awfully similar product with two distinctions. First, the company proudly flaunts the fact that the device was designed and is assembled in Switzerland, a fact it assures us is reflected in the quality of the product. Second, the $103 pen (plus international shipping) is expected to ship in October, which puts it well ahead of the $99 3Doodler’s anticipated February ship date. The first batch, the company cautions us, is pretty limited — which is likely to be less of a concern with the 3Doodler, given that company’s rather generous backing. It’s creators assure us, however, that they’re hard at work on accessories, new colors and more for the device.

Update: 3Doodler contacted us to clarify the ship date. Those who backed the pen will be getting their device next month. February is being listed as the “latest shipping date” for folks who pre-order the device now.

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Source: SwissPen

Elon Musk’s Hyperloop 3D printed to show what could be

After mentioning it earlier this year, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX fame released detailed information on the Hyperloop he imagines, something that could quickly transport passengers from one location to another. To give the curious and ambitious a better look at what could be, the plans have been rendered and 3D printed to scale. […]

Small Firm Creates A 3D-Printed Scale Model Of The Hyperloop

This video shows you probably the closest we’ll ever get to seeing a physical representation of the Hyperloop. It is a 3D scale model made by a nascent company called WhiteClouds and it showcases the teams 3D modeling prowess and, more wistfully, shows what the Hyperloop could be.

The team at WhiteClouds went to work. Each designer took a component of the Hyperloop concept and designed digital 3D models based on images released by Musk. The model consists of elevated tubes that are supported by pillars. There are passenger transport capsules that run through the tubes and a station where people will load and unload.

The Odgen-based team printed the model on three different printers using three different materials. They added a bit of color to the seats, smoothed them out, and now are the proud owners of a small, non-working model of the Hyperloop suitable for children’s parties and futuristic stop motion animations. Now if they could just 3D print these things full-sized using aluminum tubing and billions of dollars of right-of-way land grants then I think they’d really be in business. Regardless, it’s a noble effort.



BotObjects Vows To Put A 3D Printer In (Almost) Every High School

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BotObjects, an intriguing 3D printing outfit that builds real, full-color additive prints out of multiple colored plastic filaments, has announced that it will offer free printers to select high schools in the United States and the U.K.

High Schools can register at the BotObjects website in late August. Between 150 and 200 classrooms will receive a suggested curriculum, a ProDesk3D printer, and a 3D design package designed specifically for students.

“After we’re done giving away the freebies, we’ll reduce the price of the ProDesk3D by 65 percent only for high schools,” said Martin Warner, co-founder of the company. “We envision schools having up to seven of these in a lab that will create what hopefully is a computer room for the future.”

The education initiative will begin on August 23 and then be available in the U.K. in November. They will ship the ProDesk3D in October, in time for back-to-school season. Schools will get a continuously updated curriculum for the machines as well as yearly updates for the study guides and software.

“It’s a way to really get fast penetration,” said Martin. “I think it’s going to really accelerate things in the 3D printing space.”

The printer itself is quite unique in that it uses a cartridge of multiple colored filaments, as well as a standard “base” color. It is best at producing color gradients and can create 25 micron prints using a mix of five separate colors to create separate bands of color. Theoretically it could also print full-color objects with a bit of design trickery. You can see it at work here.

Inexpensive color printing has always been a dream in the 3D printing world and it seems like Martin and his partner Mike Duma may have it licked. It will be particularly interesting once kids get their hands on these things and start creating — and learning — in ways deemed impossible only a few years ago.

3D-Printed Lego-Like Blocks Can Be Assembled by Robots into Spaceships

3D-Printed Lego-Like Blocks Can Be Assembled by Robots into Spaceships

Not too long ago, a couple of MIT scientists asked themselves a lofty question: "Can you 3-D print an airplane?" It didn’t take long for them to realize that 3D printing anything on that scale was impractical. But 3D-printing thousands of small, Lego-like building blocks? That could work.

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How Shapeways Squeezes Every Last Bit Out of a 3D Printing Run

How Shapeways Squeezes Every Last Bit Out of a 3D Printing Run

With the help of the latest in 3D printing technology, Shapeways has redefined how a factory floor works. Instead of an assembly line where workers slowly assemble a single product, a sea of 3D printers methodically build up a myriad of different objects all at the same time. And to maximize the print runs—which can usually take anywhere from 24 to 36 hours—the company uses a special piece of software that lets them cram as many 3D models onto the printbed as possible.

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Final Fantasy VII Figures Created Through 3D Printing

Final Fantasy VII Figures Created Through 3D Printing

3D printing has made some amazing products ever since it’s been made available to the public a few years ago. 3D printing has made it possible to print the face of your unborn child, has saved the life of a baby as well as a duck. This time, 3D printing has gone to be used for something way more important than saving lives: printing Final Fantasy VII characters. (more…)

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  • Final Fantasy VII Figures Created Through 3D Printing original content from Ubergizmo.

        



    MakerBot Digitizer 3D scanner shipping next week

    Back in March, MakerBot unwrapped their latest product, but it wasn’t another 3D printer this time around. Instead, it’s a 3D scanner called the Digitizer, which allows users to take an object and duplicate it by scanning it, uploading it to the 3D printer, and printing it out. The company has announced that the Digitizer […]

    MakerBot’s Digitizer will go on sale next week, promises 3D scanning to the masses

    MakerBot's Digitizer will go on sale next week, promises 3D scanning to the masses

    With UPS’ incoming 3D printing service and the growing availability of consumer-ready kits, printing objects is easier than ever, assuming you actually have something ready to print. If not, don’t fret –MakerBot is on the case, announcing today that its upcoming Digitizer will be available for sale next week. The company hasn’t yet put a price on 3D scanning, but the device (seen above) is quite a bit cleaner than the prototype MakerBot trotted out at South by Southwest. “It’s the easiest, fastest way for anyone to create 3D models,” boasts the product’s announcement email (seen after the break). “We optimized the whole process to work perfectly with MakerBot’s Replicator Desktop 3D printers.”

    Scanned objects can be resized, edited and uploaded to Thingiverse, and will be saved as a standard 3D design file compatible with third-party modeling programs. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have some crew members to replicate.

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    These 3D-Printed Titanium Watches Will Probably Outlive You

    These 3D-Printed Titanium Watches Will Probably Outlive You

    Titanium is one of those rare wonder materials that sounds like it could only exist in the movies as a fanciful plot device. It’s real, though, and stronger and lighter than steel, which makes it a little tricky to work with. That is, unless you grind it into a powder and recombobulate it into any shape you want with a 3D laser printer—like the folks at rvnDSGN did for this lovely collection of titanium wristpieces.

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