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MOTA 3D Printer : Promising & Affordable

3D printers are becoming cheaper by the day and the MOTA team must have felt they should plays a part in the same. So they went out and created a MOTA 3D printer that is low on price and can deliver high performance. The price is as low as anyone can own it and the quality of the print is also quite good.

MOTA is basically an electronics company that previously made smart watches and various mobile accessories. The company wanted to make something more complex and sophisticated than watches and mobiles so it launched a Kickstarter campaign aiming to raise $100, 000 to produce the MOTA 3D printer with a few units priced at $99!

The MOTA 3D printer has a print head of 0.4mm and has a speed of 120mm/second with a layer resolution of 100 microns. The capacity of the printer is similar to that of the MakerBot Replicator 2 which is priced at $1999.

Technical specification of MOTA 3D Printer

  • Layer Thickness: 0.12 inches
  • Print Speed: 60- 120 mm/sec
  • Maximum Print Size: 6.5 x 6.1 x 6.1 inches
  • Printer Dimension: 13.38 x 13.38 x 14.96 inches
  • Printer Weight: 39.68 lbs
  • Build Plate: Cold/ heated (optional)
  • USB compatible
  • Positioning Precision (XYZ): X&Y: 11µm; Z: 2.5 µm
  • Model Support: Auto generated support
  • Input Format: STL
  • Printable Materials: ABS and PLA
  • Technology Used: FDM

The printer comes with an optional filament cartridge system that is capable of holding up to two spools at once and also allows the user to switch between colors during the printing process. The printer does not make much noise as compared to its counter parts, the reduction in the noise in due to a steel chassis and an enclosed build platform. The company has already sold out its $99 version of MOTA 3D printers however there are still a few printers that are available for $299 and $499. The MOTA 3D printer comes in a variety of colors from black, red, blue or white. The Alpha version of these printers is available for $799.

“Our vision is to make 3D printing ubiquitous, empowering as many people as possible to make real what they imagine,” said Kevin Faro, MOTA co-founder. “But that can’t happen until the cost of a printer is low enough and the functionality high enough to reach a tipping point. The MOTA 3D Printer represents this, a fully featured high-performance printer that’s production-ready. We’re utilizing Kickstarter to raise the funds needed for high-volume manufacturing. In return for people’s support we’re offering them a MOTA 3D Printer at a price can’t be beat.”

The company is firm on its decision to have open source software in the printer so that the library of the printer has predesigned figurines for the convenience of the users, which otherwise the user will have to make from the scratch.

While the price of the printer is low and draws quite many of the techie buyers but if you are after a 3D printer that is simple plug and play then this might not be the best bet.

Image Credit: mota.com

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“StrongPrint” Metal 3D Printer does not use SLA or SLS

The market is presently flooded with 3D printers that cover a wide price range, right from cheap 3D printers to really expensive ones. As time has tested the versatility of these printers many developers and manufacturers are ready to test and invest on this technology because of this trend 3D printers are becoming affordable by the day. Keeping all this progress in one hand, the mass production is still on the hold. The one prime reason for this is the speed of these printers and the other is the limited access to materials. Most of the consumer level 3D printers use plastic materials like ABS or PLA.

This constriction of material usage is about to break with the help of an architect and his team, Jean-Michel Rogero (aka Kolergy) of Toulouse, France, together with his team at the Artilect Fablab, has successfully developed a 3D printer that uses metals as raw materials to print objects by adding successive layers and they have named the printer as the “StrongPrint”. The printer is still in the developing phase: the main aim of the team is to make this printer affordable and so the price would be pegged somewhere below 1000 Euros or $1400. The printer uses a welding process which is known as Tungsten inert gas or TIG and also Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing or WAAM. The process is similar to the FDM based printer, the StrongPrint uses a metal wire through the wire feed system. Rogero hopes to print the object which had layers of thickness 2mm, and a layer height of around 0.5mm.

The area of concern for this entire venture is that not all metal scan be printed. The ones that are soft like Gold and Silver are relatively easier to print on as compared to Titanium which is a very hard metal.

Image Credit: Brandy Dopkins (flickr Handle: BrandyDopkins)

 

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Helios One 3D printer: Heliolithography replaces SLA and FDM Technique

Though the market for consumer level 3D printers is relatively new but among the ones that are present in the market have either of the two technologies Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) or the Stereolithography (SLA). Among these two techniques the SLA technique is the oldest method used for creating 3D printed objects. In this method the liquid plastic is hardened with the help of Ultraviolet (UV) ray layer by layer and this process converts liquid plastic to solid objects.

Orange Maker, a 3D printing start up based in Los Angeles is aiming to bring about a revolution in the 3D printing arena with the help of a new technique called Heliolithography method (HL). With each passing day there is always something new in the 3D printing industry but this technique is as abridged version of the SLA technique. This new technique uses UV light which is directed with high precision to polymerize liquid resin into solid plastic. In contract to SLA, the HL method is a continuous printing process which in other words mean saving time. The other benefit is that the finished product has a high level of detailing with was not possible with the SLA method. Doug Farber, co-founder of Orange Maker said, “The HL innovation provides a solution for photopolymer based 3D printing that solves the adhesion issues that are common in SLA systems. In addition, HL technology represents a major breakthrough in process scalability, allowing the printing process to be carried out from the micro-scale through theoretical size limits greater than current large-scale industrial printers.”

This new technique of HL has been applied to the Helios One a new 3D printer designed by Orange Maker. The company at present has proto-types ready for manufacturing and field testing. The Helios One is different from FDM and SLA type of desktop printers on the following grounds:

  • Continuous and efficient build process
  • Large scalable build area
  • Ultra-high resolution
  • Reliable printing process with fewer failed prints

Co-founder  of Orange Maker Kurt Dudley said, “Quite simply, we’ve found a way to streamline efficiency, design, and material economy in 3D printing, a medium that has hitherto suffered from restrictions on variables such as size, speed, and availability of materials,” “We’ve reached an ideal—greatly expanding functionality while achieving elegance and simplification through design and engineering.”

Orange Maker is currently all set to manufacture a second generation of proto-types to field test the product. Moreover the company is interested in research and development stage for formulating optimized printing materials for usage in the Helios One 3D printer. The company is also interested in developing tools including desktop applications and mobile apps that are specifically designed for the HL 3D printing systems. The Helios One will be released in the market most probably by 2015 and people can purchase the machine directly through Orange Maker or from some third party. The printer models are yet to be known. The guessing game is one about the price and the kind of work that can be done by this printer.

Image Credit: http://www.orangemaker.com

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Elemental SLA 3D Printer: Pressure controlled 3D Printer

Hardcotton, an Australian company based in Canberra has recently announced the release of a new 3D printer which they have named as Elemental. They are calling this printer as unique since it claims to be the first printer in the world to use pressure to control its functions. It uses a laser system to cure photosensitive resin but the difference between a SLA printer and an Elemental is that it uses a pressure control system to manage and monitor the level of resin in which an object is printed.

As the company’s co-founder and CEO, Scott Pobihun, says, “Elemental makes 3D printing simple, easy and affordable. Unlike other printers on the market, Elemental does not require complex set-up, assembly or calibration. Its modular design addresses cost concerns, usually a concern with SLA printers, as well as ensuring performance reliability with whisper quiet operation. When you use Elemental you aren’t faced with a daunting set up and you don’t need to worry about fiddly calibration procedures. All you need to do in setting up Elemental is to ensure that the printer is level, with its adjustable feet, then simply fill it up with printing material and it’s ready to go.”

The main attractions of the printer are:

  • A simple design that is attractive and functional
  • Pressure control system moves the printing material to or from the build area
  • The only 3D printer capable of operating by way of resin suspension (resin floating on top of a support material such as saline) or by utilising any resin with broad range of viscosity
  • User friendly
  • Minimal calibration required
  • Multiple operating configurations with single or dual control chambers
  • Reduced dependency on support structures
  • To print, users slice 3d models to g-code using their own preferred slicing software and use Hardcottons client software to operate Elemental

The specifications of the printer:

  • Custom hardware, firmware and client software that accepts industry standard g-code
  • Very large build area for SLA
  • Z control accurate to 1 micron (depending on resin used and limited to 1 micron by microcontroller settings
  • XY control resolution up to 24.4 micron (variable through software
  • Variable output 405nm laser
  • Pressure control of layer height
  • Bluetooth functionality

A Kickstarter campaign will be launched in 2014 and the people who support this campaign will be able to secure an Elemental printer worth AUD$1000. The CEO of the company Scott Pobihun further suggested that this design could be used to make other 3D printers as well, he said, “It really is amazing seeing something 3D printed. It is even more amazing when the print is done quickly, quietly and simply. Utilizing pressure control, Hardcotton has developed a 3D printer that employs SLA technology but creates the 3D print without the use of a mechanical platform. This is a massive step forward for 3D printing. Because there are very few complex parts to be assembled in Elemental, we see this architecture as being the basis for the mass manufacture of 3D printers very soon.”

Image Credit: http://www.hardcotton.com.au/

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3D Printing Business In India – Detailed Analysis

3D Printing in India
3D Printing in India

3D printing is in a very early stage in India when compared to various developed economies across Europe, America and Asia. It can be primarily attributed to the cost of printers which are priced upwards $2000 and also to the lack of proper eco-system. But the future holds lot of promise in India with the price of printers falling down and with various new 3D printing applications emerging on a daily basis. According to Zala Shah, Gartner’s research analyst, 3D printing movement started in India in 2012 with various local manufacturers building printers based on the open-source RepRap technology. In the last 2 years, many local printers were produced based on RepRap technology. These printers have certain shortcomings like quality and speed. Many experts believe that it takes another 3-4 years before a truly world-class, low cost desktop 3D printer emerges out of India. 

According to a research conducted by 6Wresearch, India’s 3D printing market is projected to grow at around 20 percent CAGR during 2014-19. While various technologies like FDM, SLS, Polyjet, Stereo lithography are in active use in India, Fused deposition modelling (FDM) based 3D printers account for majority of the market in India because of its affordable price and ease of use. Prosthetics, Toys, Gifts are some of the most common applications of 3D printing in India. Many passionate entrepreneurs in India are jumping into the 3D printing bandwagon to bring this technology closer to the common man. These entrepreneurs have already set up some very interesting business models surrounding 3D printing. 

Also Indian government started supporting 3D Printing technology in a big way from 2015 onwards. Under Atal Innovation Mission, government is giving mandate to various public schools to set up 3D Printers and teach the kids as part of Atal Tinkering Labs. Also, government is sponsoring INR 10.00 Cr worth rapid protyping related machinery under Atal Incubation Mission. All these policies provide added incentive to entrepreneurs to get into this space. 

3D Printing startups in India

think3D is one such company in India. It was founded by two young passionate entrepreneurs Raja Sekhar Upputuri and Prudhvi Reddy. A small Youtube clip on 3D printing is what it took them to quit their jobs and launch 3D printing company in India. think3D can be considered a one stop shop for all things 3D. As the market is in a nascent stage, they decided to focus on building the ecosystem instead of confining to one particular niche. think3D has a news portal covering all the latest happenings in the 3D printing space, an online store selling various printers and filaments, a dedicated training section to educate people on 3D printing and its advantages. 

think3D also launched a seed fund in partnership with iMakr, the seed fund behind world’s largest dedicated retail store for 3D printing. The aim of this fund is to encourage and inspire various 3D printing entrepreneurs in India. Talking about opportunities in 3D printing space Raja Sekhar Upputuri has to say “We strongly believe 3D printing is going to revolutionize the entire manufacturing industry in days to come. It makes manufacturing more local thereby generating local employment. In India, we aren’t finding as much activity or buzz around 3D printing as we see in other parts of the world. It is primarily due to lack of proper awareness and support. So, we launched a seedfund in association with iMakr to build that ecosystem in India. Interested entrepreneurs can apply for any of our programs”.

Another interesting startup in 3D printing space in India is Brahma3, based out of Bangalore. It was co-founded by Nikhil Velpanur and Aravind Nadig in August 2013. This startup focuses mostly on manufacturing 3D printers and on offering 3D print services to the companies. The team built one 3D printer in India with the help of an open-source community . Encouraged by the reception that the product got, Nikhil and Aravind now wants to build a good quality and aesthetically appealing 3D printer from scratch. They both are now focused on building one of the finest quality printers in the world.  The Brahma3 team strongly believes that every single industry will be revolutionized by 3D printing technology in ways unimaginable now. Talking about the skill-sets for 3D printing Nikhil says “To work in 3D printing space, one needs to have a multi-disciplinary expertise – The software, the materials, the hardware and so on. Thus the primary requirement for a person to work in 3D printing space is to be open to learning and absorbing as many skills as possible”

ProtoPrint is a social enterprise in 3D printing space in India. ProtoPrint empowers urban waste pickers with the technology to ethically produce fair trade 3D printer filament from the waste plastic they collect. That filament is marked globally providing consumers with a competitively priced, ethically sourced, recycled alternative to virgin plastic. ProtoPrint is a perfect example of how 3D printing technology can be used for social causes. Plastic waste material gets recycled, rag pickers get employment and consumers get the plastic filaments, a key raw material for 3D printing. It is a win-win situation for all the stakeholders. 

LBD Makers is another start-up co-founded by three young engineers with a mission to create awareness on 3D printing technology for school and college students. When conducting the training sessions, many educational institutions started approaching them asking them for 3D printers for their institutions. They then realized that the 3D printer available in the market had some shortcomings and worked on making a 3D printer that is user friendly. 

There are many more such start-ups exploring various business models. And very few of these companies raised investment capital. One such company that raised capital and is noteworthy to mention about is Biotz. Biotz is a Kerala based 3D printing startup offering 3D printing solutions for enterprises. It raised a $50,000 seed fund in April 2013 and has raised Series A round of funding from a group of investors, including a Gurgaon based private equity firm Ncubate. This capital will be used for setting up a manufacturing unit, R&D facility in addition to product development, marketing and hiring. 

Challenges in 3D printing industry in India

There are various challenges faced by 3D printing industry in India. But most of these challenges can be attributed to the fact that the industry is still very nascent. And there is no single compelling application built using 3D printing technology. Most of the current applications aren’t really solving the day to day problems. Secondly, not many people are aware of 3D printing. So, the entire market should be educated first on 3D printing industry and on how it can be used to solve various problems in an efficient manner. Also the current range of good quality 3D printers are priced upwards Rs. 1,20,000 ($ 2000). At this price, the printers are very expensive for the majority of the market and the prices should come down by atleast 75% for 3D printing technology to become mainstream.

Except for few investors, majority of the  investor community in India plays it safe and invests only in the business models that are copied from successful Silicon Valley business models. Since the 3D printing industry is also in a nascent stage in USA, there is no single highly successfully 3D printing company to emulate. So, investors aren’t backing the 3D printing start-ups in India yet. And this is hurting the eco-system as the hardware is very expensive and thus require lots of investment.

All the 3D printers and raw material required for 3D printing have to be imported from abroad. This adds to the costs making the whole 3D printing process very expensive. Only if materials are locally engineered and produced, the costs of 3D printing will come down. Also the size of 3D printing equipment and the variety of materials that can be used limits 3D printing to only a small set of products and applications.

Summing it all, current 3D printing industry in India faces multitude of challenges and isn’t economically viable. But it is a matter of time before these challenges are addressed to bring the industry into the mainstream. 

What investors are looking for?

Many investors in India are maintaining a wait and watch stance when it comes to 3D printing though most of them are aware of 3D printing technology. The reason for that being lack of successful business models in Silicon Valley that can be emulated in India. And this boils down to the fact that industry is in a very nascent stage in India. But with the 3D printing industry evolving at a rapid pace, this is bound to change in the near future. Investors are primarily looking at three aspects when considering to invest in a 3D printing startup. 

1. Team – For most investors, having a strong team running the show is absolutely essential. The team should be aware of the complete 3D printing technologies inside out. 

2. Value Proposition – 3D printing process impacts the cost, quality and speed of production. So, one important thing investors want to see in the product is its value proposition. If the product can help a company bring down the cost of manufacturing by 50% without any impact on quality, that is a compelling value proposition. 

3. End Customer – Startups should have a clear idea on who their end customers and what their requirements are. Only if the founders have clear idea on their end customers, investors will be able to better evaluate them.  

Future of 3D printing in India:

3D printing industry has a very bright future as various 3D printing patents are expiring thereby opening up lot of opportunities for Indian entrepreneurs to build more efficient, high quality printers. It is a matter of time before some compelling applications will be built using 3D printing technologies. According to Gartner, consumers and companies spend more than $600 million on 3D printer related products in 2014. Given the rapid advancements in the 3D printing technology, 3D printing will be soon adopted by various industries and consumers alike. Hope that by 2020, many billion dollar 3D printing startups emerge out of India. 

Advice to entrepreneurs wishing to get into 3D Printing:

3D Printing is definitely an emerging field and has lot of scope. But unlike mobile technology which has major application in B2C, most of the applications of 3D Printing are in B2B segment and most of these are in Retail, Automotive & Manufacturing industries. Entrepreneurs can choose between manufacturing 3D Printers, trading in 3D Printers, providing 3D Printing services. We advice entrepreneurs to first start with offering 3D Printing services to clients. Identify an industrial zone, set up office there, find few clients and start offering 3D Printing services.  It is important to be present in an industrial zone as it provides a catchment area to cater to.  If you wish to get more insights into 3D Printing technology, feel free to shoot an e-mail to info@think3d.in 

 

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LionCrewer 1.0 Desktop SLA 3D Printer review

Till now companies that have manufactured desktop printers have focused on making printers that function by using the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technique. This technique acts like a hot glue gun; the melted plastic is put on layers to make the finished object. There have been other techniques as well other than FDM but those techniques are relatively expensive.

A Spanish company named LEÓN3D has announced a new SLA 3D printer called the LionCrewer 1.0. LEÓN3D collaborated with José Gemez Blend and equipment to make this 3D printer. This printer was first presented infront of everyone in the Madrid Mulafest Festival in Madrid. With the launch of this machine LEÓN3D has become the first company in the world to produce desktop printers using this technique.

The printer has a high resolution since it uses a laser photolithography based resin the finished product is of much better quality than other machines which use plastic and Cyanoacrylate for fixation. The machine would be using both Photolithic and biomechanic resins. The quality of the various parts that are produced by the printer is far superior to that which can be achieved by the usage of deposition printers’ plastic filament. Another feature of this printer is that it takes lesser time to complete the object since it does not gets involved with the process of feeding, heating and extrusion of plastic filaments. The printer has a maximum resolution of 0.03mm, optimal resolution of 0.05mm, and standard resolution of 0.1mm. It also features a size build volume of 80 x 80 x 80mm which is quite decent. SLA printers have a higher resolution as compared to the FDM printers and the work done by the SLA printers are very neat. They leave little evidence that the object has been 3D printed.

It would be quite interesting to see the demand of this printer in Spain and also around the world. The company at present is eager to let out its product in the Spanish market alone but in the near future if they plan to set foot in foreign soil like US, UK and other European countries, it would be very interesting to see the demand for these machines. In less than two thousand Euros the machine can be bought from the market. This machine is currently the best option available for obtaining a high quality three dimensional printing at a cheaper rate. So, the works that can be done by the printer, the design as well as the price all are highly competitive as compared to the other printers that are currently available in the market.

LionCrewer 1.0 is not the only printer that is a SLA 3D printer. Many companies have announced similar products recently that are affordable and also are targeted at the consumer level. This looks like a growing trend in the consumer 3D printing market. Some of the known printers that are going to offer stiff competition to LionCrewer 1.0 are the Sedgwick, the M-One, and the mUVE 1.

Image Credit: http://www.leon-3d.es/lion-crewer/

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Replicating Rapid Prototype (RepRap) movement is poised to change the world

Reprap Movement, Reprap Printer

Imagine if you could replicate a replicator or a machine creates a copy of an object! Sounds awesome right? The RepRap is the very first self replicating machine which is capable of printing plastic objects. Rep Rap is the abbreviated version of the idea that lies behind this technology which is Replicating Rapid Prototype. The RepRap itself is made of plastic and it also prints in plastic. So, the RepRap replicates itself by making a kit. This kit is user friendly and anyone can assemble it in a matter of minutes. This means that if you have this machine you can print another machine out of it and gift it to a friend!

The founder of this amazing machine, Dr. Adrian Bowyer is also the head of this movement which is popularly known as the RepRap movement. This movement aims to circulate low cost 3D printers among the masses. The RepRap can be considered as the first low-cost 3D printer. The idea of creating a printer that was designed to popularize the technology of 3D printing among the masses came to Bowyer when the University of Bath in England got its first 3D printer. Bowyer has been using this machine since 2005. When Bowyer first saw the 3D printer he felt that the technology of 3D printing was exceptional but the price rendered to buy the device was very steep. According to Bowyer the first time he saw the machine, he felt: ‘This is really neat technology, pity that it costs so much money’, when I looked at how they worked it seemed there was nothing much in there that was worth £30,000. I reckoned that I could probably do it for a few hundred pounds, and as it turns out I was right.” This is when he decided to make a 3D printer that was low on cost, could print in plastic and also replicate itself. The first RepRap replicator was named Darwin which was out in the market way back in 2007. Bowyer kept the source design open to all so that anybody could build their own version of the machine.

The working of the machine is quite similar to the process that is employed by most 3D printers. RepRap printers print typically by layering molten plastic onto a base. The time consumed to build a small plastic joint takes about 30 minutes. The type of plastic used in the machine is ABS, Polylactic acid (biodegradable plastic derived from plants), Nylon (possibly not all extruders capable), HDPE and similar thermo polymers. These RepRaps can be customized so the material that is being used in the machine can also be changed. In the past, people have used materials like clay and ceramics in their RepRaps. The machine in the near future is expected to use different types of materials like metals and rubbers at once. Once this is accomplished complex objects like cell phones, laptops etc can be fabricated in matter of hours.

So, by this it is clear that the RepRaps are not only cheap 3D printers but are also all set to be omnipresent in the constant changing world of technology. The father of the RepRap- Bowyer aims to make the machine so useful that people will be eager to build new copies of this machine for themselves. Bowyer says, “I have made about 300 machines for other people and my co-workers in my company have made getting on for 1,000. You don’t need very many people making hundreds of machines for there to be an awful lot of machines out there.” This machine at present can print around half of the parts except for the nuts and bolts that are required to set this machine up but according to experts the machine would print 90% of the parts by itself in the next five to six years.

The assembling of the machine could be complicated as bolting together the scaffolds, connecting the print heads and wiring it up requires some expertise in electronics, computing or engineering. To help those who do not have any firsthand experience in setting up a printer is an online community that comprises of wikis, forums and chat channels which provide information on how to build, maintain and improve the machine.

Taking print outs from the machine is quite simple, users can download the blueprint of the object from the internet or develop a blueprint themselves and drop it into one of the open source packages like Skeinforge, Slic3r, pronterface, Cura or Repetier host, which format the blueprints for the RepRap and then sent it to the machine and press the print button. Within a few minutes the desired object will be printed.

Today there are almost 20,000 people who are using this RepRap machine and also the schematics which are freely available online. Many people and groups have taken the design and have created successful low cost 3D printers. Among such organization are the now big shots of 3D printing industry such as MakerBot and Bits from Bytes. The RepRaps have definitely come along way now, with the introduction of RepRaps in schools by GADGETS3D. GADGETS3D has introduced a new RepRap Printer G3D which is small in size and also small on the pockets of many. It has been specially designed for schools, small businesses and individual customers. The name of this project is “3D Printer in every school”, for $245 each school will be able to buy these printers along with a special set of educational kit. Slowly the RepRaps are capturing the market.

The ultimate goal of the team of this project is to produce a self replicating device for everybody by giving minimal stress on the pockets of people. The team wants to generate something which is like a desktop manufacturing system so that anyone can print the objects that are used in everyday life. The replicating nature of the RepRap could bring about a huge change in the design and manufacturing of consumer products. The project surely is a revolutionary step taken to bring this technology to the common people but the negative side of this technology cannot be neglected. If the RepRap becomes a common household item then a major setback will be faced by the manufacturing industry as the RepRap project aims to amalgamate different materials so that a complex object can be printed will ruins the market for many.

Some popular variants of RepRap 3D printers include Prusa I3, Mendel, Darwin, Huxley, Prusa Mendel,  Printrbot, Simpson, Wallace, Wilson, Mendelmax etc

Image Credit: Mika  (flickr Handle: soulfish)

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3D Printing changes the World of Art for better

3D printing influence on Art Industry

3D printing is a game changer in the world of arts and crafts. It really transforms ones perception of what can be done. The reason why people are ready to invest billions of dollars in this industry is because the technology is mind blowing and can adapt, change and grow very fast with each passing day. Like in most industries 3D printing is leaving an ever lasting impression of the contribution made by it, in the world of arts and crafts it is bridging the gap between technology and hands-on crafting. If seen with a broader perspective no area of the art world has been untouched by this technology from architecture to dance to painting to music.

Artists have understood have understood well the potential of 3D printing and the wonder that it can create once two diverse areas (i.e. 3D printing and arts) are merged together.

Recently the best example of this amalgamation was done by the husband- wife duo of Rob and Nick Carter. They 3D printed the painting of the world renowned French artist Vincent Van Gogh. They transformed the painting from a 2D image to a tangible object. The structure was achieved by the collaborative efforts of MPC which is an international visual experience and effects studio. They generated the digital adaptation of the flat artwork. The replica is outstanding because the strokes that Van Gogh had used in the painting were also replicated with the help of zbrush. The artwork is currently on display at eth Fine Art Society Contemporary until November 2, 2014.

Researchers in Canada have designed a family if prosthetic musical instruments which create music in response to body movements and gestures. These wearable instruments include an external spine and a touch sensitive rib cage. These wearable were made by Joseph Malloch and Ian Hattwick who are PhD researchers at McGill University, Canada. These prosthetic musical instruments are attached to the body and then connected to electronics via a thin wire which runs through the acrylic. Touch and motion sensors pick up body movements and radio transmitters are used to transmit the data to a computer that in turn translates this data into sound.

Ioan Florea, a Romanian artist has this unique addiction of turning the ideas in his head into 3D printed objects using machines to print plastic which he later changes into metal for his work of art is usally quite large and intricate. The most unexpected work of 3D printing art was the 1971 Ford Torino which he “encapsulated” in form fitting metal using 3D printing and nano- materials.

Architects Michael Hansmeyer and Benjamin Dillenburger have built the world’s first 3d printed room. They have named this as the “Digital Grotesque”. This room was generated by using 3D modeling software. The room was constructed from grains of sand bonded together in order to create a new kind of sandstone that is capable of achieving the intricate forms as can be seen on the walls of the room.

If someone takes a look at the video of the famous art piece of “Bears on Stairs”, it would look quite normal and nothing that can be considered as a high concept art piece or a revolutionary piece of work. It is indeed simple and short which showcases a simple idea that will be fabricated by most animators. The company DBLG has come up with an interesting concept of creating a stop motion short with the help of 3D modeling software, animation software and a 3D printer. The bear and the stairs were created by using the 3D animation software and then each element was printed out frame by frame. The creators feel that this might not be the best way to create a stop motion short but it can definitely be considered as an exceptional example showcasing how 3D printing can be integrated into traditional art form like stop motion animation.

When we hear the word data our mind automatically creates a picture of a series of numbers of words which is fed in the computer or is found in papers. But image if you could wear data? Amazed? Xuedi Chen and Pedro Oliveira, NYU graduate student have come up with a dress named x.pose which links the dress to the wearer’s Smartphone to determine how much metadata is being collected at any given point. The 3D printed dress adjusts according to the data that is being shared. In other words the dress starts exposing the skin on the basis of the data that is being shared.

Imagine with we could conserve the heritage sites with the help of 3D printing. It would be great! Isn’t it? A similar thing happened after the degradation of the tomb of Egyptian king Tutankhamun. The ancient burial chamber was ravaged by tourists and tourism. In order to prevent the structure from further degradation a British artist Adam Lowe spent five years to recreate a life size replica of the tomb. Adam used 3D printing to recreate the magic of this tomb with keeping every bit of micro bacteria, crack and even flakes of paints in the right position.

Producing center pieces with the help of sugar and derivatives of sugar, artists are using 3D printing to do this. They have broken the barrier of plastic and metal. They are experimenting with food now. Many labs and also individual researchers have made objects with the help of 3D printing that are made entirely of edible materials. For example: the igloo made by design studio Emerging Objects which was made of salt panels.

Doodling in 3D has become the new in –thing. The new LIX 3D Printing Pen enables the user to doodle 3D images; it makes sketches of objects which can be used as blueprints for larger projects. The tool is very portable as it fits perfectly in ones pocket. The pen works like a 3D printer; it melts and cools colored plastic which allows the user to create free standing structures in thin air! The pen has a hot end nozzle which is supplied by power with the help of a USB port which is connected to the laptop or computer.

The list is actually never ending as to how 3D printing is changing the world of arts and crafts. There might be other ways as well by which 3D printing will change the way artists work. This amalgamation of 3D printing with art might also change the definition of art as a whole.

Image Credit: Dustin Gaffke (flickr Handle: onepointfour)

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Learning Center

School kids love 3D Printing as a Learning Tool

3D Printing learning tool for students

3D printing or the additive manufacturing method is one of the most revolutionary ideas of all times. It is equipped with transforming dreams into reality, from a digital file into a three dimensional physical object 3D printing is the dream machine and is rapidly becoming a must have appliance. This dream machine which enables 3D printing was earlier tagged with a high price but as time is passing the applications of 3D printing is expanding and the prices are falling, making them more accessible to commoners. Many schools and colleges are taking up this technology to improve the way students gain education. The introduction of this technology into the learning space will undoubtedly have many benefits. A student can learn better if there is a model to represent the topic that is being explained rather than a pictorial representation.

So, with these benefits in mind a three months research project was conducted by three researchers named Vasilis Kostakis, Vasilis Niaros and Christos Giotitsas. This research project was aimed at finding out to what extent does technological capabilities of open source 3D printing effect or compliment means of learning and communication. The project was based on a theory known as the learning theory constructionism which point out that learning can be more effective when people involve tangible objects in their learning process.

In order to check this around 33 students aged 15- 16 years from various public as well as private schools in Ioannina, Greece were asked to design and produce functional artifacts of their choice. The students did this with the help from an open source 3D printer and a 3D design platform. This innovative project started in January 2013. The primary thing that the students had to do was to grasp the fundamentals of 3D printing. This was done with the help of simple 3D software. These 33 students learned about 3D printing for two hours every week. They were also encouraged to think critically and also participate in discussions. After these exercises they were divided into working groups of twos and fours. They had to select an object that they wanted to be printed on an open source 3D printer. The terms and condition for this assignment was that the object that they print should carry a message which would be in Braille; it should be novel and functional so that the blind kids can use them.

At the end of it all there were 17 pieces of objects that were 3D printed. A few examples include a 3D comic book, a Braille version of the Sudoku puzzle game, a cup with the message ‘drink me’ inscribed in Braille and a Rubik’s cube with Braille language letters instead of colors.

This project made students think differently and innovatively than before and also changed the way they perceived things to be in the real world. One of the researchers says, “My class consisted of generally uncooperative, especially concerning the project course, students who – surprisingly enough – were very willing to engage in this particular project.”

The experiment was a hit and some schools readily accepted the new technology while some failed to comprehend the use of this experiment.

Image Credit: K T King  (flickr Handle: xtrah)