Category: Latest News

Categories
Latest News

3D Printing, The Good Samaritan in Syria

What UN is terming as “the worst humanitarian disaster since the end of the cold war,” is getting some aid from two organizations which are using technology and crowd sourcing concept to come up with solutions. They are all set to bring out the good Samaritan in everybody who does have some sense of 3D modeling.

Recently, Oxfam a nonprofit organization teamed up with iMakr, particularly for their online 3D printable platform MyMiniFactory for a mission in Lebanon. This duo is trying to help people in the midst of humanitarian crisis. Oxfam reached out to the 3D printing site iMakr earlier this year to find out a method for crowd sourcing 3D printable designs for addressing problems at various locations that were engulfed with humanitarian emergencies. In response to this, the collaborative efforts made by the duo brought out a brand new and highly innovative idea of launching a project by the name Donate by Design.

What exactly is this project?

In this project MyMiniFactory lists specifications for a solution to a given crisis and this is uploaded on the website. As designers send in their 3D blueprints for that emergency, on the other hand the Oxfam teams all over the world will print appropriate submissions and test them on the site. On the basis of the feasibility of the design appropriate improvements and changes can be made to the initial design. This will be done until the final design is complete. When this is achieved mass manufacturing will be carried out in order to address the problem on a larger scale.

The first project that this duo is attempting is in Lebanon and the project is an attempt to increase hand washing among Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Nick Insall, Project Manager at MyMiniFactory, announced that until May 27, the company will be taking in 3D blueprints for this cause.

So, if you have the knowledge as well as the skill, then just head over to the Donate by Design site and go through the specifications for the project. You now have a chance to help your neighbors in Lebanon.

Categories
Latest News

Memoires in Figurines via 3d Printing

As 3D printing is slowing tricking into the mainstream, the areas that have been influenced by it have also changed rapidly from printing prostheses to product prototypes. There is a lot of demand for making figurines that are replicas of themselves or of someone dear. The 3D printing of figurines has become quite an innovative gift for loved ones. The price of the product is also quite affordable by spending something like $39, you can get yourself a figurine that could impress everyone!

There are many companies that offer this service online. The only thing that you have to do is to send them your photograph and they will send you back the 3D printed figurines in less than 7 business days. As fun as it sound, the final output and the feeling of holding yourself in your hands is something which cannot be explained, it is something that has to be felt. The finished product is made with the help of a 3D scanner and a 3D printer.

A Berkeley 3D-printing startup, by the name of Twindom has been providing people with such services. The founders, Richard Berwick, David Pastewka and Will Drevno; in their new venture are on the way of immortalizing around 500 college graduates this year. Apart from physical products the company is conducting some experiments with animating the scans and enabling the customers to flaunt their figurines on Facebook.

Twindom is just one of the companies doing this; there are many other 3D printing companies that are providing this service online. Among the more famous companies that offer this service online is Shapeways.

Categories
Latest News

MakerBot’s Patents and Stratasys’s Financial Bump

The dominant force in the 3D printing industry, MakerBot is working on the concept of a dual-filament solution that can print colors on the fly. The filament is guided through a heated extruder using a slider system. In order to take this concept a step further MakerBot has patented this idea. The patents suggest that in future MakerBot should be able to change colors mid-print, a vast improvement over current dual-color solutions.

At present the dual-filament solution uses two nozzles to vent out two different colors. The vent spurts out hot filament onto the tray like toothpaste. But with this new change the nozzle will now spurt out different colors much in the same way that toothpaste dispensers can extrude blue and white paste which is later mixed. This change will enable non-monochrome builds.

The ultimate goal of the patent is to enable the machine to use multiple materials to be printed in the same object. For example: this new patent will allow a user to use plastic in the midst of taking a print out that is actually wood based or even embed conductive traces into plastic objects. The system also manages the output so that there is no overlap or mixing of the two filaments.

With the advancements of such genre on one hand, Stratasys the parent company of MakerBot has made an official announcement that the company has rendered a net income of $4.1 million in the first quarter itself. They have sold 8,802 printers last quarter and over 7,000 in quarter 1 in 2013. The company has also experienced a strong revenue growth of 54%. The success story of Stratasys rightfully belongs to the contributions made by the sale of MakerBot home printers.

 

Categories
Latest News

Made in China Consumer-Grade 3D Printer

China, a country with an exotic mix of both ancient and modern culture is all set to get into a stiff battle with the giant nations of the 3D printing industry. With the recent developments in the 3D printing industry the Chinese have made it clear that they are all set to cruise into the 3D printing industry, like they have already dominated the appetites of millions by their Chinese cuisine. The Chinese consumer grade 3D printers are the next on the list to hit the household of millions of users all over the globe.

In the past one of the 3D printing companies in China has claimed to have made a new breed of gigantic 3DP that is expected to have a diameter of 1.8 meters. Now, a 3D printing company in China by the name of Beijing Tiertime Technology, which is also the leader in rapid prototyping and 3D printing industry in China will launch a new consumer-grade 3D printer in the Beijing Fair this year. The printer as described by the officials of the company says that the family version printer is of the size of a coffee maker and is very affordable. The price is expected to be around 6,000 Yuan, which in dollar would be US$968. Tiertime is all set to attend the 3rd Digital Content Business Convention which is to be held on May 30 in Beijing during the 3rd China (Beijing) International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS).

China will benefit a lot by expanding the length and breadth of using 3D printing. Today the user base of 3D printing in China is very tiny but with all these efforts that are being made by entrepreneurs, researchers and government officials, the 3D printing industry will in no time come at par with countries like the US and other European countries.

Categories
Latest News

A ride-able 3D Printed RC Car

There were many efforts by 3D designers to venture in to automotive field from the last few years. From small fittings to larger parts and full body prototypes, 3D printing was used widely. But now, it went one step ahead, with the creation of a 3D printed RC car by a man called Michael Curry.

Michael Curry, a Kansas based designer who is also known as Skimbal and his invention a giant 3D printed RC car is the answer to all the skepticism. In order to make this car it took Curry almost 5 months and 2 MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printers. The weight of the car is around 70 pounds. The parts are all printed at the default medium settings of 2 shells, 10%density, 2mm layer height except for the blue pins, which are pointed at 20% density and 4 shells.

This car will be on display at this weekend’s Bay Area Maker Faire. What Curry has built is a ride-able RC vehicle which has four wheels and is entirely made of PLA except for the motor and the electronics. The vehicle could hold up to 70 pounds of weight. The invention of Curry cannot be termed as the first 3D printed car for adults but it surely can be termed as the first 3D printed Power Wheels for kids.

 

The earlier works of Curry include the Gothic Cathedral Playset and the Turtle Shell Racers on Thingiverse.

Categories
Latest News

Customize your Teddy bear and print it too!

We have seen the wonders of 3D printers in a variety of fields, starting from healthcare to education, electronics to automobiles, and many more. Most of these innovations were done with plastics or metals as the medium. Now, a new handy technology has come up with the help of 3D printing, to solve one of our daily needs.

Disney Research and Scott Hudson of Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, have collaborated to come up with a cool way of turning and blending wool yarns into fabric objects of interests with the principles of 3D printing. They have developed a device called felting printer, which can be best described as a cross between a 3D printer and a sewing machine.

The operation of this device is similar to the FDM technology used in 3D printing. In a FDM printer, melted plastic is extruded in a thin line into a layer and subsequent layers are added to create the desired shape. In the felting printer, however, the printer head feeds out yarn instead of lines of melted plastic. The device has a barbed felting needle, which is attached to the printer head to pierce the yarn repeatedly. This will drag down individual fibers into the yarn in the layers below, entangling the fibers and bonding the layers together.

Like other FDM 3D printers, Hudson’s machine can create fabric objects by working directly from computerized designs. This will really help to customize objects easily and also to create rapid prototypes. The applications for this printer are many. They could include apparel, accessories such as scarves and hats and even Teddy bears. This is surely a cool innovation!

Categories
Latest News

Autolift system: the handy upgrade for 3D printing

3D Filament
3D Filament

Autolift system developed by Dglass3D is the perfect and handy upgrade that we need in 3D printing. It is actually an engineering system that comprises of a micro linear bearing and spring that activates the retracted nozzle position. The system automatically lifts the nozzle during filament retraction which in turn eliminates the dragging and prevents the extra plastic from being deposited. The system is also adjustable which gives the user the extra benefit to fine tune the retraction amount depending on the project, material or the objectives of printing.

The key features of the product are:

  • Plug-and-play groove style mount
  • All-metal design for high temperatures
  • Micro linear bearing for maximum durability and performance
  • Compact design allows for simplified adaptability
  • 1.75mm or 3mm filament
  • 40w cartridge heater included
  • 300º C thermistors included (500º C optional)
  • 0.35 mm nozzle included
  • Fan included Locally sourced parts, hand assembled by D3D team
  • Thermistor & Heater affixed with setscrews without the need of a Kapton Tape

The idea of Autolift hot ends was conceived on a development process for the RUGGED HPX line of extruders which was funded on Kiskstarter earlier this year. After many tests the team found that the rigid mounted hot ends were capable of printing quality prints but the only problem with them was that they lacked the ability of imparting fine details or resolution while printing 2 colors. The reason behind this was that it could not fully retract and the end output of this fault was plastic stringing and deposits left on the print. This limitation was the reason behind this breakthrough. Now, Cofounders of Dglass3D, Brian and Carl hope to raise $10,000 on Kickstarter for the autolift, to allow them to purchase the volume of materials needed to keep production costs low.

Image Credit: Jonathan Juursema (www.jonathanj.nl)

Categories
Latest News

3D Printed Cars – Can they be mass produced?

We have heard reports about fully 3D printed concept cars making their appearance in major exhibitions and 3D printing events. Now, it seems the day is not far when we can see the 3D printed cars zooming next to us on the roads.

Major car manufacturers like Daimler and Ford are already trying to use 3D printing for prototyping car parts. Now a promising new 3D printed light weight car called Urbee is on the block.

A few years ago, KOR EcoLogic president Jim Kor unveiled Urbee, his vision for the future of energy-efficient cars that can be manufactured digitally. Urbee, was planned to be two-person car, a lightweight hybrid made of recyclable plastic and capable of reaching a speed of 70 mph running with a combination of electricity, and a biofuel like 100-percent ethanol.

KOR EcoLogic has partnered with Stratasys’s RedEye On Demand 3D printing business to fabricate a lightweight electric car that be on to the streets in about two years. The collaboration has successfully printed an Urbee prototype, Urbee 1, using Stratasys’s Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process.

The crucial body parts for Urbee were first developed as CAD files, and then printed using Stratasys’s RedEye on Demand service for rapid prototyping of the large exterior panels required to build a car. Amazing detail can be built into the 3D printed part, along with amazing accuracy, and the part starts out in the form of a continuous roll of plastic of round cross section. In this way, the FDM 3D printers tirelessly make parts, without any human intervention required from start to finish. Sounds interesting? Let’s wait for 2 more years then.

Categories
Latest News

ISO standards for 3D Printing

3D Printing industry is now relatively more mature, and is getting into the premises of the regulatory agencies. Canada, one of the 18 countries involved the ISO/TC 261 international standardization committee on additive manufacturing, will be working on setting standards for 3d printing. ISO/TC 261 was set up in 2011 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is working with the Bureau de Normalisation du Québec (BNQ) to help set international standards for additive manufacturing.

Speaking about the technology, John Walter, the chief executive officer of Standards Council of Canada said, “Additive manufacturing is revolutionizing the high-tech manufacturing field – facilitating the work of innovators with their designs, re-designs and prototypes”. BNQ director Jean Rousseau shares that ““BNQ is proud to partner with product manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, research centres, and governments to manage the SCC mirror committee’s work on additive manufacturing”, and emphasizes that “Advances in technology such as additive manufacturing require standards to set quality parameters and develop testing procedures,”

The rapid increase in applications of 3D printing in the cutting-edge sectors such as aeronautics, plastics, and metal fabrication, necessitates a need for standards governing a number of aspects, including terms and definitions, process chains (materials and software), testing procedures, quality parameters for primary materials and end products, and other basics.