by Steve | Feb 23, 2015 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Advancing Technologies, MakerBot
MakerBot Update As a MakerBot reseller, we are very excited to let you know about their plans for the coming year. Rather than focusing on big changes like new releases in 2015, MakerBot is focused on fully providing a better user experience for the 5th Generation platform. Our favorite thing about MakerBot’s trajectory is that they reinforced the idea that the company is dedicated to continuous improvement of the current 5th Generation printers. This is great news for our customers, who often express concern that they will end up with a printer that is obsolete within a year or two. Instead of releasing the 6th Generation this year and the 7th Generation next year, MakerBot is adopting a model of steady positive change to make the 5th Generation the best machine that it can be. MakerBot has already been demonstrating this dedication to a better printer through continued upgrades to the firmware. From personal experience on the MakerBot Replicator that we have in the office, we have noticed a vast improvement in printing quality following the most recent firmware upgrade. MakerBot, as a subsidiary of Stratasys, it is the largest manufacturer of 3D printers in the world. This means that they have the resources to identify and fix problems while still innovating and working on what’s next. New Printing Materials Speaking of what’s next, MakerBot is rolling out some really cool ways that you can get even more use out of your 5th Generation printers. One of the first endeavors that they are undertaking is new materials. Citing their belief that the ability to print with more and more...
by Steve | Feb 9, 2015 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Advancing Technologies, Autodesk, Future of 3D Printing
Advancements in 3D Printing In order to take your 3D part from concept to tangible piece, the part must first be modeled in 3D software. Autodesk, the company behind software like AutoCAD, Maya, 3ds Max, Inventor, and Fusion 360, has been rapidly incorporating 3D modeling capabilities into their existing software. Between Autodesk’s well-established software programs and new software in development, Autodesk is charging head first into the 3D printing market. Over the last year, Autodesk has released a variety of app-based software that is specifically designed for 3D printing. These apps include 123D Catch, a program that allows users to take a series of photos of a model that are transformed into a 3D design, 123D Design, a basic 3D modeling program, and 123D Make, a program that allows users to create 3D models in slices from individual layers. With these apps combined with Autodesk’s Spark, an additional software platform, Autodesk has been described as the “Android of 3D printing.” Autodesk Talks About the Future Recently, IDG Connect was able to sit down with Aubrey Cattell, the Senior Director of Business Development and Operations. Here are some of the most interesting tidbits about the interview. Cattell reiterates that, although the printing industry is 25 years old, it hasn’t yet blown up. In fact, there have only been 250,000 3D printers sold over the last 25 years. Despite this, Cattell believes that we are on the cusp of huge growth, citing studies that predict that the industry will grow to $16 billion in 2018. Cattell compares the current state of 3D printing to a “Homebrew Computer Club.” Essentially, at this...
by Steve | Dec 1, 2014 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Stratasys
Now that Thanksgiving is over and the Black Friday madness has passed, it is really time to start checking the remaining names off of your gift list. If you are looking for something truly unique that you will not find anywhere else, a 3D printed design is a great option. With sites like Thingiverse and My Mini Factory, you don’t need to know anything about 3D design. All you have to do is find the design, contact us with the information, and we will print it out on our Stratasys uPrint SE Plus or MakerBot Replicator. To help you find a little inspiration for your gift, we have combed the internet to find the top 10 3D 3D printed holiday gifts. 10. Something for the centerpiece If you are looking for the perfect hostess gift, consider this unique 3D printed vase. Designed with a twisted style, this vase has tons of intricate line work and a nice, classic design with contemporary touches. For an extra special surprise, present it to your host or hostess with a bouquet of flowers already tucked inside. 9. Cloud Storage For all of your techy friends, give them a great way to organize any office with this cute little gag gift that they will actually use. The cloud-shaped storage container is printed in two pieces for a great place to keep your trinkets or small office supplies. 8. A blizzard of snowflakes If you are interested in learning more about 3D printing and want a simple place to start, take a look at these snowflakes. With multiple designs available, these downloads give you...
by Steve | Nov 11, 2014 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, 3D Startups, Additive Manufacturing, Future of 3D Printing
3D Printers Drive Startups When most people think about bringing in a 3D printer, it is to help expand their existing business. But, with the low overhead of a printer compared to traditional manufacturing practices, some industrious users have turned a 3D printer into their business. Here are some cool examples of how people are putting 3D printing to work for them by a using a 3D printer as a startup. Protos While Protos Eyewear is certainly not the first company to try to design their own glasses with a 3D printer, it is one of the most interesting. With this innovative concept,you start by taking photos of yourself, using a credit card as a reference point. Then, the computer uses an algorithm to determine which glasses they believe will best suite your unique features. The design team will send you three suggestions for different glasses. Of course, if you don’t like any of the options they present to you, you are free to choose whichever glasses you prefer. After you have decided on your frames, your glasses will be 3D printed to your exact specifications. Normal Earphones If you have problems getting earbuds that fit, you may want to check out the offerings at Normal. To make their fully customized earbuds, Normal starts by asking customers to take a photograph of each ear. These photos are a guideline that Normal uses to 3D print custom earbuds out of high-quality ABS plastic. Each earbud is rigorously tested for superior quality. Jewlr When giving a piece of jewelry to somebody special, you want to make sure that it is meaningful....
by Steve | Oct 31, 2014 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Autodesk, Future of 3D Printing, Uncategorized
Autodesk hopes to bolster the future of 3D printing The Announcement In May of this year, Autodesk announced that they were ready to jump into the 3D printing game. In a blog post by Carl Bass, Autodesk President and CEO, Bass explained how his frustration with the state of the 3D printing industry had led him to seek out a better option. The result of this search was twofold: the development of an entirely new open source software platform, Autodesk Spark, and a 3D printer, the Ember, that would be designed to work with the Spark platform. Through these innovations, Autodesk hopes to help shape the future of 3D printing in a more user-friendly direction. Development for Spark In an update from Autodesk CTO Jeff Kowalski at the Inside 3D Printing Conference this week, Kowalski spilled a few more details about the software. One of the things that really separates Spark from the competition is its “autocomplete” feature, which allows the software to anticipate the design and complete the shape for the user. The Spark software program will also be able to work with multiple materials and can be used on any available hardware platform. Like the software, Ember, the 3D printer, will be designed through a heavily collaborative process. So far, it is known that the printer will have a resolution of 10 microns and will primarily use photo-cured resin for its material, although it will also print other materials. It is estimated that the printer will go on sale for somewhere around $5,000. Raising the bar This week, Autodesk took their role in the 3D marketplace a...
by Steve | Oct 16, 2014 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, office, practical applications
Our 3D Printed Office – Network Cables Chords and clutter At Spectra3D Systems, we have an office problem that we think many of you can relate to – cluttered network cables. For years, we have done what we could to organize them by bundling the chords and shoving them into corners, over doorways, and behind wall hangings. But eventually, we decided that it was time to conquer the clutter. So we turned to our 3D printer for help. . . We decided to design a contraption to neatly hold the chords tightly in place as they stretched across the ceiling. The system we devised utilized four different pieces. The first is a clip that is fitted to snap over the metal part of the ceiling between the tiles. The second piece includes individual slots for each of the cables to fit inside of. We printed three different sizes so that they would hold either two, four, or six cables at a time. The third piece then snaps over the top of the second piece to hold the cables in place. The fourth piece allows you to gently re-route the cables if you want them to switch directions. This works great for us because we have several cables originating from the same space before heading to different computers and printers throughout the room. We printed the pieces on our Stratasys uPrint SE Plus printer. Then we snapped the pieces into place Everything fit perfectly. The first piece snapped right into the ceiling and the slots for the wires had just enough space to allow us to pull the wires through...
by Steve | Oct 15, 2014 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing
3D Buying Tips Buying a 3D printer can save you plenty of time and money in the long run but, for most of us, it is still a fairly major financial decision. Make sure that purchasing a home printer, such as the MakerBot Replicator (5th Generation) is the right decision for you with these tips for buying a 3D printer: Before purchasing your printer, take a moment to think about how it will benefit you. Although you will, no doubt, find things that you will do with your printer that you would never have anticipated, you should feel confident that you have enough print needs that the printer is worth the initial investment. As a beginner in the world of 3D printing, you are going to want to have plenty of support. Purchasing your printer from a knowledgeable team who will happily offer their assistance, such as The 3D Printer’s Guild, means that you will be left with fewer headaches as you learn to navigate your printer and design software. Familiarize yourself with the policies of the manufacturer. Check to see what sort of warranties and protection plans are offered. If you run into any issues with your machine, you want to be sure that you are protected. Check out some online resources. Forums, blogs, and reviews are fantastic ways to find out more about individual printers, design software, and materials. They are also full of great tips and tricks to help you customize your printer settings to get the exact effect that you are looking for. Before you purchase your machine, do a little research on 3D...
by greg | Sep 11, 2014 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing
How Open Source is Revolutionizing the 3D Printing Industry Like so many programs and applications before it, open source is driving innovation in the world of 3D printing, helping to make it a more economically feasible form of manufacturing. By bringing together some of the best and most passionate minds, open source has the power to create innovation through collaboration more quickly and efficiently than closed source alternatives. With huge strides in both the software and hardware that are available, open source is cornering its own little section of the home 3D printing market. Open Source 3D Printing Applications The roots of the open source 3D community can be traced back to the development of the RepRap by Adrian Bowyer. This innovative gadget is a 3D printer that can actually replicate other 3D printers, extruding the parts from the machine’s nozzle. Starting with the original printer, the RepRap can produce a new printer, piece by piece. Next up was the Fab@Home printer, which was designed through a collaboration of both hobbyists and professionals using an open source collaboration. Able to fit on your desktop, this home 3D printer marks the first time that a smaller model, affordable printer has been able to work with multiple materials at one time. Another recent innovation by Rabbit Proto has led to the creation of a printing tip that allows the printer to include electrical components. By printing these components together, engineers have unprecedented abilities to make functioning parts without having to go through the hassle of piecing together several different parts. Developments like this work to make 3D printing even more functional,...
by greg | Sep 11, 2014 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Spectra 3D Systems Designs, Stratasys
3D Design: Cell Phone Cradle The Inspiration Recently, having my cell phone just lying flat on my desk began to annoy me ever so slightly. When I was in the middle of working on the computer and my phone buzzed, I wanted to be able to glance over at the screen without it pulling me away from my workflow. Plus, if I wanted to watch a video, hovering awkwardly over the phone was less than ideal. This inspired my newest design for this cool little cell phone cradle. The Design At first, my idea was to just create a simple cradle that would let me keep my phone upright near my computer. I quickly realized that, since I am often charging my phone while it is on my desk, making it easy to plug in while it was in the cradle was essential. To facilitate this, I added a split in the middle of the base of the cradle so that the charger chord will fit through the bottom. I also made it large enough that my phone can slip in and out of the cradle without having to unplug it from the charger. Then, I started to really think about the functionality of a phone cradle and how I would like to be able to use my phone. I realized that something else that often bothers me when I am using my phone at my desk is how quiet the speakers are, especially when they are competing with the drone of the printer. By adding sound channels to redirect the sound from the speaker area to the front...
by greg | Sep 11, 2014 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing
3D Printing and Copyright Law With the development of 3D scanners and printers, anyone who has access to this technology can accurately reproduce objects found in the real world. This has many far-reaching implications, some of which could lead to greater innovation, others which could lead to a whole new host of problems. In this series, we will explore the copyright implications of 3D printing as designers, end users, and lawyers try to sort out the many legal implications of 3D printing and copyright law. The Penrose Triangle For the first installment, we will discuss the interesting case of Ulrich Schwanitz and The Penrose Triangle. To get to the root of this tale, we have to go all the way back to 1934 when artist Oscar Reutersvard drew the first-known Penrose Triangle. Referred to as an “impossible figure,” the Penrose Triangle connects on each side at a right-angle. For decades, this optical illusion was confined to drawings on flat surface and was thought impossible to reproduce in 3D space. That is, until Ulrich Schwanitz, a designer based out of the Netherlands, purportedly solved the problem. Rather than explaining how he solved the puzzle, Schwanitz simply included a YouTube video showing his design. The model was put up for sale on the Shapeways website for around $70. Now, this is where it really gets interesting. Along came Artus Tchoukanov who had formerly been an intern at Shapeways. Tchoukanov was able to watch the above video and figure out how Schwanitz had created his design. Tchoukanov then went to Thingiverse, a 3D printing community that actively encourages the free and open...
