Mar 19
This Is A 3D Printed Kayak
Posted in: Today's ChiliEver wanted to buy a boat but couldn’t swing the cost? Well, print one. That’s what the guy behind Grass Roots Engineering did. Read More
Mar 18
Watch out Ken. Barbie’s packing some steel. Actually Jim Rodda’s Barbie armor is made of biodegradable plastic. Jim originally wanted to print glitter cannons that fit on My Little Pony toys as a birthday gift to his niece, but it proved to be too complicated. Four cups of coffee and a hot shower later, the idea for Barbie armor sprang out of his mind, fully formed.
The field plate armor in the image above and in the video below is one of Jim’s first prototypes. He’s currently designing a parade armor, a more detailed version of the field plate armor that has “filigrees, engravings, gewgaws, gubbinses, and assorted skeuomorphisms.”
Aside from being silly, Jim is also generous. He’s sharing the 3D files for the Athena Makeover Kit, another Barbie costume, on his website.
Pledge at least $5 (USD) on Kickstarter to get the 3D files for the field plate armor as a reward, while a pledge of at least $10 gets you the files for the parade armor. Jim will most likely make those files available after the Kickstarter, but he isn’t planning on selling the printed armor themselves because that would be beyond his means.
If you want to get the printed armor right away, pledge for the higher reward tiers ASAP because Jim probably won’t print anymore of them after his fundraiser ends. Pledge at least $200 to get the field plate armor set and at least $250 to get the parade armor set. This reminds me, I’ve yet to finish Jeanne D’Arc.
Mar 18
Zortrax, The Polish 3D Printing Company, Looking To Go Public As It Raises $3.5 Million In Public Bonds
Posted in: Today's ChiliZotrax, a Polish 3D-printer company based in Olsztyn, is raising funds through public bond issues. They will begin selling 10,000 unsecured bonds worth 1000PLN ($329) each through Invista Brokerage House to raise a total of $3.5 million. The company plans to be the only publicly traded printer manufacturer in the country when it goes public later this year. Read More
Mar 17
Late last year we found out about Looking Glass, a volumetric printing service. Each 3D object consists of printed slices stacked and stuck together in a case. This month the company relaunched with a better and more affordable service.
I talked with Looking Glass founder Shawn Frayne shortly before their relaunch. Shawn said they’ve “made dramatic improvements in the resolution and color-fidelity” of their product since we first heard about them. They can also now make prints out of CT scan data, in addition to .obj, .ply and .skp files. With the help of these improvements, Shawn said that they’re barely keeping up with orders. Doctors in particular have been asking Shawn for prints of CT scans.
The two images above show a Looking Glass print of an injured foot based on CT scan data. Shawn says it’s the first volumetric printed object with varying opacity. Speaking of which, Shawn said that Looking Glass isn’t looking to compete with 3D printing services. The company is focused on making prints that are great to look at instead of ones that are meant to be touched or used.
In my first article about Looking Glass, I mused that the prints would be much better if the slices were removable. Shawn said he’s gotten requests about that option as well and that it is possible, though his company isn’t going to offer that option anytime soon. I wonder if making the slices removable is a lot more complicated than it sounds.
Shawn did offer an alternative to my suggestion. Instead of one Looking Glass print with removable slices, the company can take a 3D model and split it into multiple prints: “We do however offer cross-sectional prints, where several Looking Glasses can be combined like building blocks to reconstruct, say, a heart or enlarged cell volumetric image. When these blocks are pulled apart, the internals of the volumetric image can then be examined.”
Looking Glass accepts orders online if your source file is .obj or .ply. Their standard size is 9 cm x 5 cm x 4 cm (approx. 3.5″ x 2″ x 1.6″), and costs $65 (USD) plus $10 shipping anywhere in the world. Email Shawn at smf[at]lookingglassfactory.com for other print requests, such as printing from CT scan data or printing large objects. Shawn says they can make prints as large as a person if they want to. You can also check out and buy customer-submitted prints on the Looking Glass site.
Mar 14
We’ve seen pies with fruit inside. Instructables member Rick Winscot created a fruit with a whole Pi inside. Rick designed and printed a case for the Raspberry Pi that looks just like the Raspberry Pi Foundation logo.
Before you grab your 3D printer, just know that you’ll have to do more than print the case and stuff a Raspberry Pi inside. You’ll have to get some spare USB connectors and power adapter jacks, then solder those bits and fit them onto the base. You’ll then connect those to the Raspberry Pi’s ports, which will stick out of the bottom of the case. That way the whole thing can sit upright just like in Rick’s picture. You’ll also have to get magnets to secure the leafy lid.
Head to Rick’s Instructables page for more on his sweet case.
Mar 14
If you think 3D printing is only good for making flimsy paperweights, then you’re pretty much right. A group of audacious Dutch architects, however, have just begun 3D printing an entire canal house in Amsterdam. Is the first 3D printed house a gimmick? Definitely! Is it an experiment that pushes the possibilities for 3D printing technology and architecture ? Maybe!
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Mar 12
You wouldn’t download a sneaker. Oh you would? Check out Recreus hot off the extruder Sneakerbot II. Unlike Kobes, KDs, LeBrons and other signature kicks, Sneakerbot II won’t ever be hoarded by celebrities and eBay sellers. You can get its 3D model and print a pair anytime you want.
Recreus unveiled Sneakerbot II to promote Filaflex, a 3D printer filament that lets you create flexible or elastic objects.
Here’s a time lapse video of a Sneakerbot II being printed:
I don’t think you should wear these as they are; they don’t have insoles or ankle support. But if I had a 3D printer I’d definitely try to make myself a pair of Sneakerbot IIs just for the heck of it. Head to Thingiverse to download the Sneakerbot II’s files. You can order Filaflex from Recreus’ online shop.
[via Ubergizmo]
Mar 12
MakerBot is one of the most popular names in 3D printers and during CES 2014 the company announced new products. One of those new products was the Replicator Z18 3D … Continue reading
Mar 05
EDAG is a German design and engineering firm that has been working with most car manufacturers for the past four decades and also built a Pontiac Solstice shooting brake because wagons rock. Their latest concept is a 3D-printed composite passenger cell that was inspired by turtles and goes beyond today’s possibilities.
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Mar 04
Data can be boring and confusing, but not when it’s visualized right. That’s why a company called FABMOB is gathering atmospheric information and turning it into real-life 3D printed objects.
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