Hasta La Gadget!

Granted, it’s not a 3D printer in every home, but it’s surely a step in the right direction. MakerBot announced today that its Replicator 2 will be joining Amazon’s new 3D Printer Store, a central location on the site for devices, accessories, books and the like. The store features a number of other devices from the competition, though MakerBot seems to be far and away the biggest name involved at the moment. Surely the days of printing up those Amazon orders can’t be too far off, right?

Filed under: Peripherals, Amazon

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See that squeezable bunny up there? It was created in a material 3D printing mail-away company Shapeways calls Elasto Plastic. The substance is the latest medium offered up from the organization, currently available exclusively to makers to help test out its effectiveness. The resulting 3D printed objects can be squeezed, squished, twisted and can hold liquids. It does have some shortcomings, however, as it dislikes high temperatures, fire and isn’t so great for printing small objects. To see the material in action — and to hear a grown man utter the phrase “flexible squishy goodness,” check out the video after the break.

Filed under: Peripherals

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Shapeways

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and nowhere was it more necessary than in the case of Kaiba Gionfriddo’s life. The infant was born with a condition called tracheobronchomalacia that results in weakened support for the trachea, and his fate seemed all but decided until researchers at the University of Michigan proffered an unlikely solution: a 3D-printed tracheal splint. The splint was custom-made just for the child and designed to hold the trachea in place as the bronchus builds around it, giving it strength. In two to three years, the trachea will be able to stand on its own, and the polycaprolactone biomaterial used to create the splint will be absorbed into the body. After a successful operation, Kaiba was taken off ventilator support — and he hasn’t needed it since. From 3D-printed skull prosthetics to this recent innovation, it’s clear 3D printing has a far more noble future than just making pizza.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Via: Gizmodo

Source: New England Journal of Medicine

Defense Distributed’s plan is to put the power of guns in the hands of every person with access to the internet and a 3D printer. Until now, however, we’d only seen the Liberator pistol built using an expensive industrial-grade printer — despite the fact that the blueprints for gun have been downloaded by thousands of people who don’t have access to such a high-end machine. One of those folks decided to put the Liberator in the hands of the printing proletariat by making it with a consumer-level Lulzbot A0-101 3D printer, a nail and some common screws.

This new version, called the Lulz Liberator, differs from the original in that it’s got a rifled barrel and uses metal hardware to hold it together (as opposed to printed plastic pins). Printing it took around two days and used about $25 worth of generic ABS material, and the pistol produced was fired successfully nine times, but its creator claims it could’ve shot more. It’s still a far cry from a Glock or Beretta, of course, as the gun misfired several times, and removing spent shell casings required the use of a hammer. So, it’s not quite ready for prime time, but it’s one more bit of proof that the age of printed pistols is officially upon us.

[Image Credit: Michael Guslick]

Filed under: Misc, Alt

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Source: Forbes

Some might say it’s been a long, long while since October — with “some” referring to the swath of Kickstarter backers who’ve been waiting oh-so-patiently for a Form 1 to call their own. Formlabs has just confirmed via a company blog post that the very first Form 1 3D printer shipped out today, as the Collector’s Edition Form 1 and half of the Initial Formation tier of pledges hopped on a variety of delivery trucks. The rest of you backers can expect to begin printing “by the end of next week.” For those keeping count, the Form 1 is actually a few months behind schedule, but in all honesty, that’s pretty good considering the up-and-down nature of crowdfunded projects that manage to find the limelight.

The outfit is reminding folks that Form 1 units are shipped as they’re produced, fulfilling Kickstarter rewards and preorders by priority. Specifics on group deliveries won’t come for a few more weeks, but those in the Bay Area can swing by Maker Faire (or ICFF if you’re in the Big Apple) to catch an early glimpse. Oh, and if you’re just now hearing of this thing? You can place a $3,299 order right now, but you probably won’t get it until July. Them’s the breaks, kids!

Filed under: Peripherals

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Source: Formlabs