We are thrilled to share the latest advancements in the development of the Sync-Mor Putting Assistant, a game-changer in the world of golf. As we move closer to bringing this innovative product to your hands, let’s dive into the exciting updates.
Final Design: A Vision Realized
We have reached a significant milestone in our journey – the final design for the production version of the Sync-Mor Putting Assistant is now complete! This design embodies our commitment to quality, functionality, and aesthetics, ensuring that our product not only enhances your game but also appeals to your sense of style.
Perfecting the Print: Precision and Quality
Our team is currently engaged in meticulous printing tests. The goal is simple yet ambitious – to achieve the finest quality while reducing the need for post-processing. This step is crucial in ensuring that each unit of the Sync-Mor Putting Assistant meets our high standards of perfection.
The Ultimate Gift Set:
We have decided on a displayable case for the Sync-Mor gift set. This case is not just a container; it’s a statement of simplicity and elegance, and a testament to the premium quality of the product within.
Personalized Ball Marker: A Touch of Individuality
Adding a personal element to the gift set, we have completed the design for a personalized ball marker. This feature is more than just functional; it’s a way to make your Sync-Mor experience truly your own.
“Javelin” Golf Tees: Innovation Meets Design
We are also excited to announce the completion of the design for the “Javelin” golf tees. These tees are a part of the gift set and will also be available separately. Their unique design is not just visually appealing but also engineered for performance.
Precision-Cut Foam Inserts: Ensuring Protection and Presentation
Our development team is diligently working on the laser cutting paths for the foam inserts that will be featured in the gift set box. These inserts are designed to not only protect the contents but also to present them in the most appealing and organized manner.
As we continue to make strides in the development of the Sync-Mor Putting Assistant, stay tuned for more updates. With the pre-order period drawing to a close, this is an opportune moment to become a part of this exciting journey. Embrace the future of golf with Sync-Mor and elevate your game to new heights!
Spectra3D is excited to announce the acquisition of a new Makera Carvera CNC machine, designed to give us additional options for the way our customers approach their projects. The Carvera is a fully automatic desktop CNC machine, specifically tailored for makers, engineers, and designers, and it comes with a plethora of innovative features. With its quiet and easy-to-use design, this machine offers auto tool changing, auto probing, and auto leveling, making it a truly hands-off experience.
The Carvera enables us to provide small format 3-axis and 4-axis machining, allowing for the creation of 3D models using a variety of materials, including plastic, wood, and even metal. With the Makera Carvera, our customers can now create a wide array of products, from simple machined plaques and art pieces to custom components and prototypes, expanding Spectra3D’s creative possibilities and productivity.
How Open Source is Revolutionizing the 3D Printing Industry
RepRap Model (photo from Genomicon website)
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, further expanding its potential uses.
By utilizing the tenets of open source toward hardware applications, these amazing 3D developments, and others like them, are successfully transforming the way that we look at the home 3D printing niche.
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.
3D Printed 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.
The Cradle is designed to be able to easily charge while in use.
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 of the phone, I was able to significantly amplify the sound.
The channels in the design that amplify the sound
When comparing the sound quality of the phone with and without the cradle, those little channels really do make quite a difference.
How you can get your own cell phone cradle?
If you would like to download your own copy of my cell phone cradle design, you can find it in a few different places, including Threeding.com.
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.
The Penrose Triangle
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 interchange of design and ideas, and published his interpretation of Schwanitz’s solution.
The DCMA
Soon, a story about the mystery of the Penrose Triangle appeared, wrongly crediting Tchoukanov with being the first to arrive at a 3D solution. Schwanitz then responded by sending Thingiverse a DMCA (which stands for Digital Millennium Copyright ACT) Takedown notice, suggesting that the published Penrose Triangle solution was copyright infringement and that it should be removed from the site. Thingiverse promptly took the post down while explaining that it was the first such request that they had received.
Now that the first DMCA Takedown request has been handed out to a distributor of online 3D design content, it is possible that Schwanitz (who, by the way, allowed Thingiverse to put the post back up after he received a good amount of negative commentary over his request) has opened a whole can of legal worms. As 3D printers become more and more common and people are better able to produce their own parts and designs at home, these sorts of issues promise to be all the more prevalent.
Tell us what you think. If you were in Schwanitz’s position, how would you have handled the situation? How strictly do you think we should be policing copyright laws in regards to 3D print files?
