3D Printing Flies High now. Articles on three-dimensional printers are popping up everywhere these days. And nowadays there are many 3D printer products. Some are small enough to fit in a briefcase and others are large enough to print houses.
Everything you ever wanted to know about 3D printing article tells that 3D printing is having its “Macintosh moment,” declares Wired editor -in-chief Chris Anderson in cover story on the subject. 3D printers are now where the PC was 30 years ago. They are just becoming affordable and accessible to non-geeks, will be maybe able to democratize manufacturing the same way that PCs democratized publishing.
Gartner’s 2012 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies Identifies “Tipping Point” Technologies That Will Unlock Long-Awaited Technology Scenarios lists 3D Print It at Home as important topic. In this scenario, 3D printing allows consumers to print physical objects, such as toys or housewares, at home, just as they print digital photos today. Combined with 3D scanning, it may be possible to scan certain objects with a smartphone and print a near-duplicate. Analysts predict that 3D printing will take more than five years to mature beyond the niche market. Eventually, 3D printing will enable individuals to print just about anything from the comfort of their own homes.Slideshow: 3D Printers Make Prototypes Pop article tells that advances in performance, and the durability and range of materials used in additive manufacturing and stereolithography offerings, are enabling companies to produce highly durable prototypes and parts, while also cost-effectively churning out manufactured products in limited production runs.
3D printing can have implications to manufacturers of some expensive products. The Pirate Bay declares 3D printed “physibles” as the next frontier of piracy. Pirate Bay Launches 3D-Printed ‘Physibles’ Downloads. The idea is to have freely available designs for different products that you can print at home with your 3D printer. Here a video demonstrating 3D home printing in operation.
Shapeways is a marketplace and community that encourages the making and sharing of 3D-printed designs. 3D Printing Shapes Factory of the Future article tells that recently New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg cut the Shapeways‘ Factory (filled with industrial-sized 3D printers) ribbon using a pair of 3D-printed scissors.
The Next Battle for Internet Freedom Could Be Over 3D Printing article tells up to date, 3D printing has primarily been used for rapid commercial prototyping largely because of its associated high costs. Now, companies such as MakerBot are selling 3D printers for under $2,000. Slideshow: 3D Printers Make Prototypes Pop article gives view a wide range of 3D printers, from half-million-dollar rapid prototyping systems to $1,000 home units. Cheapest 3D printers (with quite limited performance) now start from 500-1000 US dollars. It is rather expensive or inexpensive is how you view that.
RepRap Project is a cheap 3D printer that started huge 3D printing buzz. RepRap Project is an initiative to develop an open design 3D printer that can print most of its own components. RepRap (short for replicating rapid prototyper) uses a variant of fused deposition modeling, an additive manufacturing technique (The project calls it Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) to avoid trademark issues around the “fused deposition modeling” term). It is almost like a small hot glue gun that melts special plastic is moved around to make the printout. I saw RepRap (Mendel) and Cupcake CNC 3D printers in operation at at Assembly Summer 2010.
There has been some time been trials to make 3D-Printed Circuit Boards. 3D Printers Will Build Circuit Boards ‘In Two Years’ article tells that printing actual electronics circuit boards is very close. Most of the assembly tools are already completely automated anyway.
3D printing can be used to prototype things like entire cars or planes. The makers of James Bond’s latest outing, Skyfall, cut a couple corners in production and used modern 3D printing techniques to fake the decimation of a classic 1960s Aston Martin DB5 (made1:3 scale replicas of the car for use in explosive scenes). The world’s first 3D printed racing car can pace at 140 km/h article tells that a group of 16 engineers named “Group T” has unveiled a racing car “Areion” that is competing in Formula Student 2012 challenge. It is described as the world’s first 3D printed race car. The Areion is not fully 3D printed but most of it is.
Student Engineers Design, Build, Fly ‘Printed’ Airplane article tells that when University of Virginia engineering students posted a YouTube video last spring of a plastic turbofan engine they had designed and built using 3-D printing technology, they didn’t expect it to lead to anything except some page views. But it lead to something bigger. 3-D Printing Enables UVA Student-Built Unmanned Plane article tells that in an effort that took four months and $2000, instead of the quarter million dollars and two years they estimate it would have using conventional design methods, a group of University of Virginia engineering students has built and flown an airplane of parts created on a 3-D printer. The plane is 6.5 feet in wingspan, and cruises at 45 mph.
3D printers can also print guns and synthetic chemical compounds (aka drugs). The potential policy implications are obvious. US Army Deploys 3D Printing Labs to Battlefield to print different things army needs. ‘Wiki Weapon Project’ Aims To Create A Gun Anyone Can 3D-Print At Home. If high-quality weapons can be printed by anyone with a 3D printer, and 3D printers are widely available, then law enforcement agencies will be forced to monitor what you’re printing in order to maintain current gun control laws.
Software Advances Do Their Part to Spur 3D Print Revolution article tells that much of the recent hype around 3D printing has been focused on the bevy of new, lower-cost printer models. Yet, significant improvements to content creation software on both the low and high end of the spectrum are also helping to advance the cause, making the technology more accessible and appealing to a broader audience. Slideshow: Content Creation Tools Push 3D Printing Mainstream article tells that there is still a sizeable bottleneck standing in the way of mainstream adoption of 3D printing: the easy to use software used to create the 3D content. Enter a new genre of low-cost (many even free like Tikercad) and easy-to-use 3D content creation tools. By putting the tools in reach, anyone with a compelling idea will be able to easily translate that concept into a physical working prototype without the baggage of full-blown CAD and without having to make the huge capital investments required for traditional manufacturing.
Finally when you have reached the end of the article there is time for some fun. Check out this 3D printing on Dilbert strip so see a creative use of 3D printing.
2,037 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
HYREL 3-D Printers Were Developed by 3-D Printer Users (Video)
http://build.slashdot.org/story/14/11/13/1959248/hyrel-3-d-printers-were-developed-by-3-d-printer-users-video
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists create the world’s first fully functional 3D-printed LED – Electronic Products
http://www.electronicproducts.com/Lighting/Light_Emitting_Diodes/Scientists_create_the_world_s_first_fully_functional_3D_printed_LED.aspx
Tomi Engdahl says:
Flux’s 3D Printer Is Also A Scanner, Laser Engraver And More Thanks to A Modular Design
http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/11/fluxs-3d-printer-is-also-a-scanner-laser-engraver-and-more-thanks-to-a-modular-design/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity
3D printers are at a bit of a crossroads – after a lot of initial promise, they seem to have hit a roadblock between early adopter zeal and general consumer interest. A new entrant called Flux should at least reinvigorate hobbyist excitement, thanks to a modular design that makes it a veritable all-in-one maker factor for budding builders. The Kickstarter project for Flux launches today, making the gadget available for pre-order pledges starting at $499 for an early bird unit reservation, and $599 after that.
Flux’s modular units allow it to become a 3D scanner, later engraver, ceramics or pastry printer using modules either included, available as a separate add-on option or in development for later release. The startup has also opened up a module SDK to let others build hardware add-ons to potentially create lots more different capabilities for the Flux system in the future.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3-D Printer Powered Up on the International Space Station
http://www.nasa.gov/content/3-d-printer-powered-up-on-the-international-space-station/index.html#.VGtyG8kSrpU
Today, NASA took a big step toward changing the way we plan for long-duration space voyages when astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore successfully installed and prepared the first 3-D printer for upcoming manufacturing operations on the International Space Station.
“This printer is a critical first step for in-space manufacturing,” said Jason Crusan, director of NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Additive manufacturing with 3-D printers will allow space crews to be less reliant on supply missions from Earth and lead to sustainable, self-reliant exploration missions where resupply is difficult and costly. The space station provides the optimal place to perfect this technology in microgravity.”
Wilmore installed the printer in the station’s Microgravity Science Glovebox and started the printer, which extruded plastic to form the first of a series of calibration coupons, a small plastic sample about the size of a postage stamp. After calibration of the printer is complete and verified, the printer will make the first NASA-designed 3-D printed object in space. The goal of the 3-D Printing in Zero-G Technology Demonstration on the space station is to show that additive manufacturing can make a variety of parts and tools in space. The 3-D printer heats a relatively low-temperature plastic filament to build parts layer on top of layer in designs supplied to the machine.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ester, The Open Source SLS Printer
http://hackaday.com/2014/11/19/ester-the-open-source-sls-printer/
Filament printers are here to stay, and in the past year there have been a number of SLA and DLP resin printers that can create objects at mind-boggling high resolutions. Both of these technologies have their place, but printing really complex objects without also printing supports is out of the question.
[Brandon] has been working to create an open source printer using a different technology, selective laser sintering. That’s a laser melting tiny particles of stuff to create an object.
The machine is using a diode laser, with a few experiments with a 1 Watt diode providing some very nice parts. The mechanics of the machine were built at [Brandon]‘s local TechShop, and already he has an IndieGoGo for future development and a $3000 development kit.
SLS 3D Printer
3D printing, with lasers!
http://hackaday.io/project/3092-sls-3d-printer
Ester is a 3D printer that uses Selective Laser Sintering to print objects in plastic. Mechanically, it’s a standard X/Y gantry over dual powder hoppers. And there’s a laser. Lasers make everything better.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Print Thyself
How 3-D printing is revolutionizing medicine.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/24/print-thyself?currentPage=all
Tomi Engdahl says:
ISS’s 3-D Printer Creates Its First Object In Space
http://build.slashdot.org/story/14/11/26/0056237/isss-3-d-printer-creates-its-first-object-in-space
NASA reports that the 3-D printer now installed on the International Space Station has finally finished its first creation.
Open for Business: 3-D Printer Creates First Object in Space on International Space Station
http://www.nasa.gov/content/open-for-business-3-d-printer-creates-first-object-in-space-on-international-space-station/index.html#.VHUk8M6c3Io
The International Space Station’s 3-D printer has manufactured the first 3-D printed object in space, paving the way to future long-term space expeditions.
“This first print is the initial step toward providing an on-demand machine shop capability away from Earth,” said Niki Werkheiser, project manager for the International Space Station 3-D Printer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “The space station is the only laboratory where we can fully test this technology in space.”
The 3-D Printing in Zero-G Technology Demonstration on the space station aims to show additive manufacturing can make a variety of 3-D printed parts and tools in space.
Tomi Engdahl says:
It’s Alive! The 3D Printing of Living Tissues
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1324768&
Within a generation, we likely will not just hear of things like 3D-printed hearts serving as models, but as real, functioning organs.
A startup grows in Canada
One company that has worked out how to use 3D printing technology to build living tissue from donor cells is Aspect Biosystems.
The two groups came together to develop a way to 3D print living tissue. In truth, it would be more accurate to call it 4D printing, according to Mohamed, because time also plays a role in the formation of the functional tissue, which has to grow before it can be used. In his words, “It’s an enabling technology, a means to an end.”
The process of growing living tissue is not in itself new. Mohamed points out that researchers have worked with self-cultures and co-cultures in vitro before. However, this new technique enables engineers to “bring cells in close synergy with each other.” That “control over placement and composition” is the key improvement over previous methods that essentially threw cells together in a somewhat haphazard manner.
An advantage of the control offered by this technology is the possibility of setting up various combinations simultaneously to expedite the process of seeing which one works. Multiple variables can be modified to vary the composition, structure, and properties, thereby yielding the winning combination without waiting for each cycle to finish.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Authentication methods protect 3D printer integrity
http://www.edn.com/design/systems-design/4437739/1/Authentication-methods-protect-3D-printer-integrity?elq=cf4fd5d522ec46888673a37f0f26aa80&elqCampaignId=20373
It is fair to say that 3D printing is revolutionizing the manufacturing landscape. Can you imagine sending a 3D print of your feet to have a pair of shoes customized for you? This is not really that far-fetched.
The 3D printing technique has been evolving to create 3D models and prototypes in the automotive, aerospace, healthcare, and consumer industries. Aficionados believe that these 3D models could help companies complete a project in less time and/or with fewer resources. Consequently, 3D printing is emerging quickly,2 the impetus for a radical shift from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing. This is, indeed, a disruptive technology.
For vendors in this space, the dream is to put a 3D printer in every house. Costing often from $2,000 (U.S.), some 3D printers are now priced just under $1,000 (U.S.).3 Many see this as a fast-evolving market, still in its infancy. Canalys, an independent market research firm, predicts that the size of the overall 3D printing market (including printer sales, materials, and related services) will rise to $3.8 billion in 2014; that by 2018 the market will amount to $16.2 billion, an expected 45.75% CAGR during that period.
Is the Razor-Razorblade Model Key to 3D Printing Market Growth?
If you have ever purchased razors and their replacement blades, you have experienced the Razor-Razorblade business model. This business practice involves selling a main item at a discount just so the complementary (often disposable) secondary goods can be sold at a considerably higher price.5 Beyond razor blades, this business model has been successfully used for the traditional printer market for a long time and continues to be a very successful strategy.
One could argue that this Razor-Razorblade model is the best business strategy and the fastest path for moving a 3D printer to mainstream with a printer in every home.
As history has taught us well, the Razor-Razorblade model only works when there has been a strong IP protection scheme implemented on the disposable against cloning, counterfeiting, replicating, and imitating.6 There is little doubt that counterfeiters will try to replicate 3D cartridges and defraud the legitimate manufacturers of those products.
Security with a SHA-256 Challenge-and-Response Authentication System
For many years in countless products and applications a secure hash algorithm (SHA) authentication scheme has been a very effective way to protect IP from counterfeiting and illegal copying. A SHA-256 security system based on a secure hashing standard, Publication FIPS PUB 180-4, defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) makes for a strong anti-counterfeiting or anti-cloning tool. Secure authentication of disposable products also has the positive affect of controlling material quality which, in turn, greatly affects the manufacturer’s brand identity.
The major components of the authentication scheme include the 256-bit random challenge, the cartridge’s ROM ID, and the secret that is unique and embedded in each slave IC at the manufacturing stage. The secret is programmed into the protected memory of a SHA-256 secure authenticator such as the DeepCover DS28E15.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printing Without Support
http://hackaday.com/2014/11/30/3d-printing-without-support/
3D printing is getting better every year, a tale told by dozens of Makerbot Cupcakes nailed to the wall in hackerspaces the world over. What was once thought impossible – insane bridging, high levels of repeatability, and extremely well-tuned machines – are now the norm. We’re still printing with supports, and until powder printers make it to garages, we’ll be stuck with that. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, though. It is possible to print complex 3D objects without supports. How? With pre-printed supports, of course.
[Markus] wanted to print the latest comet we’ve landed on, 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. This is a difficult model for any 3D printer
3D printing complex objects without support
http://digitprop.com/2014/11/3d-printing-complex-objects-without-support/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printing Lock Picks
http://hackaday.com/2014/12/01/3d-printing-lock-picks/
A few days after this demonstration, [C] realized he had a very fancy Objet 3D printer at work, and thought printing some pics out would be an admirable goal. After taking an image of some picks through the autotracer in Solidworks, [C] had an STL that could be printed on a fancy, high-end 3D printer. The printer ultimately used for these picks was a Objet 30 Pro, with .001″ layer thickness and 600dpi resolution. After receiving the picks, [C] dug out an old lock and went to town. The lock quickly yielded to the pick, and once again the concept of plastic lock picks was proven.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Systems v. Formlabs Patent Lawsuit Dismissed
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/01/3d-systems-v-form-labs-patent-lawsuit-dismissed/
The lawsuit between Formlabs and 3D Systems relating to stereolithography has been dismissed with prejudice, a move that frees Formlabs to make their printers without fear of further patent problems.
3D Systems first sued Formlabs back in 2012 for patent infringement related to their laser-based stereolithography techniques. In the interim, the company has grown to 100 people and has released two printers, the Form 1 and the Form 1+. The printers shot lasers through a UV curable resin that hardened into a solid, cohesive object. Unlike filament-based printers like Makerbot, the Form 1 produces objects that are sold without lines of filament.
“It’s a big deal for us,” said Colin Raney of Formlabs. The terms of the settlement are undisclosed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scanning On The Cheap
http://hackaday.com/2014/12/06/scanning-on-the-cheap/
Will] recently stumbled across the MakerBot Digitizer, a device that’s basically a webcam and a turntable that will turn a small object into a point cloud that can then be printed off on a MakerBotⓇ 3D printer. Or any other 3D printer, for that matter. The MakerBot Digitizer costs $800, and [Will] wondered if he could construct a cheaper 3D scanner with stuff sitting around his house. It turns out, he can get pretty close using only a computer, a webcam, and a Black and Decker line laser/level.
Software consisted of Python using OpenCV, numpy, and matplotlib to grab images from the webcam.
MeshLab to produce a 3D object that might or might not be 3D printable
3D Scanning – Digitizing on The Cheap
http://www.will-forfang.squarespace.com/3d-scanning-digitizing-on-the-cheap/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D printing: To the space station and beyond
http://www.edn.com/design/systems-design/4437817/3D-printing–To-the-space-station-and-beyond?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20141208&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20141208&elq=ecd75c9da2c343b79ff6ddd1b4fd8745&elqCampaignId=20560
It turns out the sky isn’t the limit for 3D printing. The technology, also known as additive manufacturing, can build complex prototypes, parts, tools, and models in various materials for a variety of uses, and is quickly expanding beyond making one-off products to the space industry–a place it can have a real impact.
Extensive testing is being done for in-space and for-space manufacturing with objects being printed on the International Space Station (ISS) and 3D-printed rocket parts outperforming traditionally manufactured alternatives, but the technology is also proving its worth in modeling objects in space.
The major space agencies have all taken notice of additive manufacturing as a key enabling technology, and so should you.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Royal Mail will now 3D print things and deliver them to you
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-12/08/royal-mail-3d-printing
The Royal Mail has noticed the trend for 3D printing things and has decided it could do with getting in on the act. After all, if something can be made, it can also be delivered, and when it comes to 3D-printed things, Royal Mail is keen to be the deliverer.
The move from purely a delivery service into a more sophisticated manufacturing and delivery service really can’t do anything to hurt Royal Mail right now. It also shows that at the very least, the company is aware of competing services, which don’t just provide a service but a product too, and may well be trying to raise its game accordingly.
At one of the Royal Mail’s central London delivery office, customers will be ables to purchase a range of ready-to-print items from MiniMeFactory.com and royalmail.com/3d to have printed and delivered. Alternatively, they can bring in their own designs to be printed.
To run the trial, Royal Mail has teamed up with iMakr, the 32 printing specialists in order to gauge customer interest in the growing technology.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Copyright Mess in 3D
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1324963&
No longer just rapid prototyping for niche markets, 3D printing is now used for mass customization in regular production flows and could soon relocate the manufacturing industry.
There isn’t a week that passes by without new 3D printing claims (faster, cheaper, more precise, more materials capabilities, more volume capacity, more colours etc…) and at any given time, crowdfunding sites such as KickStarter and IndieGogo typically host dozens of new 3D printer concepts to come.
But before you can print, you need a 3D model, easy for the CAD professional in an engineering company, maybe less obvious for the mere consumer. But hardware and software are catching up fast in the consumer space.
Reverse-engineering and metrology companies such as Kreon or Creaform Inc. have been offering professional-grade handheld 3D scanners for a while.
A number of other low-cost 3D scanners are being marketed or under development
But standalone solutions are not your only option as a consumer. Hewlett-Packard, which recently made big news with its entry in the 3D printers market (claiming much faster printing speeds on its professional-grade multi-agent HP MultiJet Fusion thermal inkjet 3D printer), is now integrating a 3D scanner to its latest PC offering, the Sprout.
Even before you get to buy dedicated hardware, or before 3D scanners become mainstream, you can already turn your smartphone into a 3D scanner using apps like AutoDesk’s free 123D Catch or Replica Labs’ Rendor.
While the former is free (enticing users to buy CAD file manipulation software), the latter allows you to create a 3D scan of almost anything by taking surround video (the object being positioned on a specially printed paper grid for reference) and then sending the files to the Rendor servers for processing (for a small fee).
When cheap 3D scanners and printers meet
So as prices come down, what will happen when consumers will be able to 3D scan any gadget they like and replicate it through a low-cost 3D printing service (think of all the portals out there such as i.materialise.com, Design Feed) at a better rate than buying the original product?
Copying is bad, and typically, you would get sued for infringing copyrights if you were caught replicating and reselling items originally designed by someone else.
But what happens if as a consumer you do it for your own good, simply because you want to change the colour, the material, or add a minor personalized touch to what you’ve seen in a shop?
Sooner than later, you’ll find 3D copy shops in most cities, ready to print on demand whatever CAD files you throw at them.
As for intellectual property rights, no company will check for the origins of the CAD files, whether they come from a scanned object or whether they are modified files from someone else’s original design. In fact, an easy and simple disclaimer consists in assuming that the persons who upload a 3D model for print are the rightful owners of the IP (they only remove the conflictual IP if the rightful owner comes by and happens to notice the copyright infringement).
Now, even if you are not reselling a gadget that you took time to scan and model for your own needs, potentially thousands or even hundreds of thousands of consumers creating their unique personalized copies could potentially represent quite a loss for a traditional business (producing toys or whatever).
Would there be a way to register CAD contours and patterns (with volumetric and density signatures) against which printing shops could match submitted designs?
“In fact, no one would want to have any limitations on the manipulation of the data sets they acquire with a 3D scanner.”
Today’s copyright law already applies, just as it does for MP3 files and software in general, but it will become more difficult to enforce as the data manipulation tools become mainstream.
When becoming cheap enough, 3D scanning and printing technologies may encourage some original equipment manufacturers to lease CAD files rather than produce the actual goods in far flung countries.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed Lenses Open Up Possibilities
http://hackaday.com/2014/12/13/3d-printed-lenses-open-up-possibilities/
Now this is some seriously cool stuff. The folks over at FormLabs decided to try a little experiment to test the optical clarity of their clear resin. It’s pretty damn clear.
Using their own slicing software, PreForm, [Craig Broady] printed the lens piece in an orientation that would maximize resin flow around the lens to help prevent defects, keeping it as smooth as possible.
Printing Lenses on the Form 1+ 3D Printer
http://formlabs.com/en/company/blog/2014/09/24/lenses-3D-printed-formlabs/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Casting Engagement Rings (Or Other Small Metal Parts!)
http://hackaday.com/2014/12/10/casting-engagement-rings-or-other-small-metal-parts/
As a masters student in Mechanical Engineering, he wanted to give his wife (to be) to be a completely unique engagement ring — but as you can imagine, custom engagement rings aren’t cheap. So he decided to learn how to make it himself.
Casting Rings – From Startup to Finish
http://www.instructables.com/id/Casting-Rings-From-Startup-to-Finish/
The method that I have used is called the Lost Wax Investment Casting process and is probably the most common way that professional jewelry is made today. This process has 5 basic steps that are followed:
Create a version of the part using a melting/burning material (such as wax or certain plastics).
Place the part into a heat-resistant cementing material using sprue channels.
Heat up the cemented mold such that the part melts/burns out through the sprue channel.
Melt down the metal to be used and force the molten metal into the mold through the sprue opening.
Cool the part down and clean as appropriate.
There are really 2 different ways that you can make rings for casting:
Wax working – The process of taking a wax blank and subtracting and/or adding wax to make the shape of the ring by hand. This is the traditional way and takes many years of experience to perfect.
3D Printing – With the revolution of the 3D printer, printing a ring is a great way to integrate complex geometries without too much effort or skill, as long as you are somewhat familiar with CAD (Computer Aided Design) software.
Because I am a mechanical engineering student and have access to both quality CAD software and 3D printers, and because I really suck at hand carving geometries more complicated than a simple band, I chose to go the second route.
For a CAD program, I ended up using Creo (formerly known as Pro/ENGINEER). Solidworks is another high-end program.
I had school access to a Stratasys Objet260 Connex (think big, expensive, high resolution printer). The resolution on this sucker is plenty for making nice, smooth geometries. However, because the resin used in this printer is not designed to be able to cleanly “burn-out” (more about this process later), this is not the ideal way to make a plastic ring. A great printer to get fantastic resolution AND compatible resin would be the Formlabs Form 1+ printer. This printer eliminates a difficult step in the casting process, making things much more streamlined. Plus, it is within the price range of hobbyists!
Step 7: Optional Rubber Mold and Wax Injection (for saving your design)
The ideal fix for me would be to get a 3D printer (like the Form 1+) which has compatible resin thus saving me from needing to do this step which is difficult for complex parts.
Tomi Engdahl says:
4D-Printed Medical Devices Move Closer to the Supply Chain
http://www.ebnonline.com/author.asp?section_id=1162&doc_id=276033&
Healthcare will be one of the first industries to take advantage of 4D printing, a technology that could have a profound effect on supply chain practices in many sectors.
Medical device makers are already developing applications using 4D printing, after researchers begin describing how the much-talked-about variation of 3D printing was possible in theory over a year ago.
4D-printed medical applications could see the prototype stage by end of next year, analysts say.
First described by Skylar Tibbits of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Selfassembly Lab, 4D printing takes 3D printing further by designing devices to adapt and change their structure, in real-time if needed.
Developers are now looking for ways to design devices that might change physically once implanted in the human body in the medical field. A 4D-printed device, for example, might be programmed to change its shape and function if it comes into contact with certain cells or biochemical.
Indeed, a major medical device application for 4D printing is medical implants, Rajan said. With 3D printing, custom-designed implants based on a patient’s anatomy allows for a better fit and, therefore, a lowered likelihood of complications, compared to when a template design is implanted. “4D printing allows for additive manufacturing components that enable the printed object to adapt or react to its surroundings. In the case of a 4D-printed medical implant, it could allow it to expand or self construct in a manner that ensures greatest fit within the body,” Rajan said. “Also, there is the potential for it to react and adapt to changes in the body–in the same way our native tissue might.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Software enhances 3D printing for rapid prototyping
http://www.edn.com/design/design-tools/development-kits/4438098/Software-enhances-3D-printing-for-rapid-prototyping?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20141229&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20141229&elq=b6b8e17027ee4094b74ea741f5a8687f&elqCampaignId=20945
Version 2.0 of RS Components’ free 3D design software features new functionality, making the tool more powerful than ever before to support engineers in the rapid development of product concepts
RS developed DesignSpark Mechanical, the company’s fully featured 3D concept modelling and design tool, in conjunction with SpaceClaim, provider of flexible and affordable 3D modelling software. Together with the DesignSpark PCB design tool, DesignSpark Mechanical is a key element in RS and Allied’s initiative to provide tools for engineers that enable them to rapidly develop prototypes in the innovation and product concept design stage. An important element of DesignSpark Mechanical is its STL-output format, which allows the direct export of designs to 3D printers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New 3D Printing Technique – Friction Welding
http://hackaday.com/2014/12/30/3d-printing-technique-friction-welding/
Even though 3D printers can fabricate complex shapes that would be nearly impossible to mill, they are not well suited to designs requiring bridging or with large empty spaces. To overcome this, [Scorch] has applied an easy plastic welding technique that works with both ABS and PLA. All you need is a rotary tool.
“Friction welding” is the process of rubbing two surfaces together until the friction alone has created enough heat to join them. Industrially, the method is applied to joining large, metal workpieces that would otherwise require a time-consuming weld. In 2012, [Fran] reminded us of a toy from decades ago that allowed children to plastic weld styrene using friction.
http://www.scorchworks.com/Blog/friction-welding-with-a-dremel-rotary-tool/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Parametric Spherical Speakers Are Not A Moon
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/01/parametric-spherical-speakers-are-not-a-moon/
A good speaker enclosure is not just about building a box out of plywood and covering it with carpet
for a good speaker enclosure you need the right internal volume, the right size bass port, the right speaker, and it should definitely, certainly, not be a moon. [Rich] figured out he could do all of this with a 3D printer, resulting in the NOMOON: The NOMOON Orbital Music-Making Opensource, Openscad-generated Nihilator.
The NOMOON is available on the Thingiverse Customizer with variables for the internal diameter, the volume of the enclosure in liters, wall thickness, speaker hole, bass port, and wire holes. Of course a customized design is also possible with a stock OpenSCAD installation.
Project NOMOON – A Parametric Spherical Speaker Generator
http://nothinglabs.blogspot.fi/2014/12/project-nomoon-parametric-spherical.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hands on with MakerBot’s 3D printed wood
Later this year you’ll be able to print with materials containing wood, metal or stone
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/563390/hands-makerbot-3d-printed-wood/
3D printing has lost its novelty value a bit, but new printing materials that MakerBot plans to release will soon make it a lot more interesting again.
MakerBot is one of the best-known makers of desktop 3D printers, and at CES this week it announced that late this year its products will be able to print objects using composite materials that combine plastic with wood, metal or stone.
At CES, I handled a 3D-printed hammer made from composites of maple and iron, and I came away impressed. It was a bit lighter than a real hammer but still had some heft to it, and the surface of the wood actually looked and felt like wood grain. It even smelled of wood, because there is real wood in the composite.
The iron head was a bit less convincing. The surface texture felt right, but it wasn’t heavy enough to be iron and it was too warm
Tomi Engdahl says:
Makerbot announces new filaments that mimic limestone, metal, and wood
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/6/7500945/makerbot-announces-new-filaments-limestone-metal-and-wood-ces-2015
Makerbot has announced a new line of printing mediums as part of CES, expanding its product line far beyond the traditional plastics. Planned for late 2015, the new filaments will let 3D printers mimic the look and feel of limestone, maple wood, iron, or bronze, using the same Makerbot Replicator hardware. The new filaments are heavier and dry to a different texture, but they’re designed to behave roughly the same as previous models, giving users the chance to add new weight and texture to old designs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printing Circuits Gets Rid of the Box Altogether
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/06/3d-printing-circuits-gets-rid-of-the-box-altogether/
Many think that the next big step in 3D printing is when we’ll be able to print in metal, well, at an affordable rate. But what about printing in metal and plastic at the same time?
The thing is, most electronics are typically two-dimensional. Layers upon layers of relatively flat PCBs make up the brains of every bit of technology we know and love. The funny thing is, we live in a three-dimensional world, and we like to shove these flat circuits into three-dimensional boxes.
What if the circuit could be embedded directly into whatever shape we want?
Anyway we’ve seen some great hacks over the years attempting this, like adding a copper wire strand into your 3D print, embedding components into your print by pausing the job, or even going old school and using the point-to-point Manhattan style circuit construction to add some electronic features to your part. But what if your printer could do it for you?
That’s exactly what Optomec is attempting with the Voxel8 3D printing electronics platform. It is your standard run of the mill FDM style 3D printer, but it has a 2nd extruder that is capable of squeezing out liquid silver ink that dries at room temperature.
http://www.optomec.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
You can now 3D print complex chocolate structures
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-01/08/cocojet-chocolate-3d-printer
All of our 3D-printing dreams have come true thanks to a collaboration between Hershey and 3D Systems that has resulted in the creation of a food printer designed especially for chocolate.
The CocoJet 3D food printer was shown off this week at CES in Las Vegas and WIRED.co.uk was there to take a look at it.
Printing white, milk and dark chocolate, CocoJet can accept custom designs and print complex structures. You could even use a 3D scanner to print a sugary replica of your own face, if you wished to do so. That was 3D Systems’ suggestion
The chocolate itself has to be melted and mixed in with a solution before it is actually printable and as it prints it cools in a temperature-controlled chamber to guarantee that it stays at the perfect consistency.
3D systems were vague about what the chocolate needed to be mixed with before it was printed, but we’d like to presume that whatever it is is a legal and edible substance.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3Doodler 2.0 printing pen is smaller, sleeker, quieter
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-01/06/3doodler-2
Cutesy Kickstarter success story 3Doodler has unveiled the second iteration of its 3D printing pen for nippers at CES in Las Vegas. The 3Doodler 2.0 is less than a quarter of the size of the original product and weighs just 50 grams — less than half the weight of an apple.
As well as being smaller, the new pen is quieter. It is also encased in aluminium instead of plastic, transforming it into a more expensive-looking product. Internally, a reengineered drive system, a new nozzle and enhanced airflow make the 3Doodler more efficient in terms of power with more stable heating and the ability to produce crisper doodles.
The first version of the 3Doodler has sold over 125,000 and the team is no doubt hoping to replicate its success with this improved model. “As we continue in our pursuit to create the world’s first and best 3D printing pen, we’re excited to see how our community pushes the boundaries of 3D art and creation,” commented cofounder Daniel Cowen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Circuit printers: Voltera and Voxel8
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/09/circuit-printers-voltera-and-voxel8/
There are two printers being shown off at the 2015 Consumer Electronics shows which really spark our interest. They are the Voltera and the Voxel8. Each is taking on the challenge of printing circuits. They use similar techniques but approach the problem in very different ways.
The Voxel8 marries the idea of a 3D printer with a silver conductive ink dispenser. You start by modeling your entire design, hardware and electronics, all in one. The printer will then begin the 3D print, pausing when necessary for you to add electronics and mechanicals.
The Voltera is a PCB printer that uses silver conductive ink. It prints the ink onto a substrate. Pads made of the ink are used to solder the components in place after the printing is finished. The trick added to this design is the ability to print two layers, both on the same side of the board. There is a second ink material which is an insulator.
Tomi Engdahl says:
I rode in a 3D-printed car (and I kind of liked it)
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/13/7539341/3d-printed-car-local-motors-strati-naias-2015
A quick look at the Local Motors Strati might elicit a reaction like, “why does it look like it’s made out of Rubbermaid garbage cans?” It’s a fair question — continuous tubes of dull black plastic outline virtually every major component of this car in places where you’d normally expect bright, shiny colors. Metal. Chrome. Pretty stuff.
There’s a good explanation, though: the Strati is basically willed into existence by an enormous 3D printer that extrudes those lines of plastic making up the car’s frame. After that, it’s refined using a CNC milling machine, a few mechanical bits are slapped on, and boom, you have a running car.
Local Motors is in the process of assembling a Strati here at the North American International Auto Show
Tomi Engdahl says:
Knitting In The Round
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/15/knitting-in-the-round/
There have been a few posts on Hackaday over the years involving knitting, either by modifying an old Brother knitting machine to incorporate modern hardware, or by building a 3D printed knitting machine. All of these hacks are examples of flat knitting, and are incapable of making a seamless tube. Circular Knitic bucks that trend by using 3D printing and laser cutters to create an open source circular knitting machine.
This isn’t the first completely open source knitting machine; OpenKnit can be made with aluminum extrusion, some electronics, and a few 3D printed parts. Circular Knitic is, however, the first circular knitting machine we’ve seen, and according to the Github is completely open source.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Make Awesome, Win Smoothieboard
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/16/make-awesome-win-smoothieboard/
If you haven’t looked around the RepRap project in a while, you probably haven’t heard about the Smoothieboard. It’s an extremely unique electronics board for 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines that is trying to get away from Atmel and AVR microcontrollers and towards more powerful ARM micros. On the Smoothieboard, you’ll find enough five motor drivers, six big ‘ol MOSFETs for hot ends, fans, and beds, enough thermistor inputs for just about anything, and an Ethernet jack, because all 3D printers should be able to run headless.
http://www.reprap.org/wiki/Smoothieboard
Tomi Engdahl says:
Simple DIY Pen Plotter, Great First CNC Project
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/16/simple-diy-pen-plotter-great-first-cnc-project/
[Morten] creates his geometry with Rhino, then uses a plugin called Grasshopper to generate the g-code that controls the machine. That g-code is sent using gRemote to an Arduino flashed with the contraptor.org g-code interpreter. A RAMPS board takes the step and direction signals generated by the Arduino and moves the two stepper motors appropriately.
Laser cutted Plotter
A plotter wich is made from laser cutted acrylic, and designed as an inject printer
http://hackaday.io/project/3840-laser-cutted-plotter
The G-code interpreter running on the Arduino is currently the one from Contraptor.org.
I generate gcode in Grasshopper for Rhino, stream it to a file, and send the Gcode with gRemote made in processing, this creates a nice and fast workflow for testing and printing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Explainer: What Is 4D Printing?
http://www.iflscience.com/technology/explainer-what-4d-printing
Additive manufacturing – or 3D printing – is 30 years old this year. Today, it’s found not just in industry but in households, as the price of 3D printers has fallen below US$1,000. Knowing you can print almost anything, not just marks on paper, opens up unlimited opportunities for us to manufacture toys, household appliances and tools in our living rooms.
But there’s more that can be done with 3D printed materials to make them more flexible and more useful: structures that can transform in a pre-programmed way in response to a stimulus. Recently given the popular science name of “4D printing”, perhaps a better way to think about it is that the object transforms over time.
These sorts of structural deformations are not new – researchers have already demonstrated “memory” and “smart material” properties.
Head of the MIT’s Self-Assembly Laboratory, Skylar Tibbits, started this line of research a few years ago with expanding materials and simple deformations. The collaboration of researchers from MIT’s Camera Culture group and Self-Assembly Laboratory and the companies Stratasys and Autodesk Inc took this further.
Our approach was to print 3D structures using materials with different properties: one that remained rigid and another that expanded up to 200% of its original volume. The expanding materials were placed strategically on the main structure to produce joints that stretched and folded like a bendy straw when activated by water, forming a broad range of shapes.
Forget the 3D Printer: 4D Printing Could Change Everything
Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/Objects-That-Change-Shape-On-Their-Own-180951449/#yE1xdO7RaWp0Ao11.99
Tomi Engdahl says:
Husband Uses MRI images to 3D print Wife’s Skull and Tumor
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/17/husband-uses-mri-images-to-3d-print-wifes-skull-and-tumor/
[Michael Balzer] shows us that you are your own best advocate when it comes to medical care – having the ability to print models of your own tumors is a bonus.
[Michael], host of All Things 3D, asked for the DICOM files (standard medical image format) from her MRI. When Pamela went for a follow-up, it looked like the tumor had grown aggressively; this was a false alarm. When [Michael] compared the two sets of DICOM images in Photoshop
Pamela decided to look for an alternative surgery that was less invasive. [Michael] created a 3D print of her skull and meningioma from her MRIs. He used InVesalius, free software designed to convert the 2D DICOM files into 3D images. He then uploaded the 3D rendered skull to Sketchfab, sharing it with potential neurologists. Once a neurologist was found that was willing to consider an alternative surgery, [Michael] printed the skull and sent it to the doctor. The print was integral in planning out the novel procedure
If you want to print your own MRI or CT scans, whether for medical use or to make a cool mug with your own mug, there are quite a few programs out there that can help. Besides the aforementioned InVesalius, there is DeVIDE, Seg3D, ImageVis3D, and MeshLab or MeshMixer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Man Saves Wife’s Sight by 3D Printing Her Tumor
http://makezine.com/magazine/hands-on-health-care/
When his wife was misdiagnosed, Michael Balzer used 3D printing and imaging to get her well
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed LED Guitar Chord Chart
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/18/3d-printed-led-guitar-chord-chart/
Learning to play guitar can involve a lot of memorization – chords, scales, arpeggios, you name it. [MushfiqM] has made the process a bit easier with his Digital Chord Chart.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Digital-Chord-Chart/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Cute Little 3D Printed Skateboard
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/19/a-cute-little-3d-printed-skateboard/
[Julian] has been wanting a tiny little skateboard for a while now, and decided to make something useful on his 3D printer. A little more than twenty hours later a tiny and cute printed skateboard popped out.
[Julian] got the files for his 3D printed skateboard from Thingiverse and printed them off on a MakerGear M2. The parts printed easily, each part taking about six hours to print. The parts are bolted together with five threaded rods, the trucks were screwed on, and the wheels popped into place.
3d Printed Pennyboard!
http://juliansarokin.com/3d-printed-pennyboard/
The 4 pieces were printed on a MakerGear M2, with no supports.
Each piece took about ~6 hours to print, so total print time for the project was around 22 hours.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Beam Me Up, Print Me Out, Scotty
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325347&
Astronauts and researchers have made advances that suggest the equivalent of the Star Trek transporter may already be at hand, according to the CTO of design firm Logic PD.
Logistics engineers at FedEx and UPS probably fall asleep dreaming of transporter beams every night. One could argue that this is actually a time machine application because it involves the reduction of time required to get something from point A to point B, but somehow a transporter seems more practical.
Perhaps the time machine is not far off because a kind of transporter was recently demonstrated. Astronauts on the International Space Station needed a special wrench only available on earth and there were no FedEx or UPS trips planned for their address. The space station happened to have a 3D printer for manufacturing testing purposes.
Some engineers in California created a database for the design of the wrench, beamed the design code, via radio waves, up to the 3D printer and — Voila! – the wrench appeared on the space station. By all accounts, a transporter was invented.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Designing with Linux
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/designing-linux
3-D printers are becoming popular tools, dropping in price and becoming available to almost everyone. They can be used to build parts that you can use around the house, but more and more, they also are being used to create instruments for scientific work. Although a growing library of objects are available in several on-line databases, there is nearly an infinite number of possible things you might want to build. This means you likely will want to design and build your own creations.
In this article, I take a look at FreeCAD, an open-source parametric 3-D modeler (http://www.freecadweb.org). A parametric modeler builds the structures in the design based on a set of properties. Changing the design, thus, is simply a matter of changing the properties of said design.
FreeCAD can read and write several different file formats used in modelling and 3-D printing.
Once you have finished your object, you will want to have it in a format that can be used in some other context. To do this, you can export your design in one of any number of available formats. For example, if you want to send your design to a 3-D printer, you can export it in an STL file format. To do that, click on File→Export and select the stl option from the drop-down list (Figure 5). You then can take this file and use it in the printing software for your 3-D printer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Scotty” Is More Hungry 3D-printing Fax Machine than Teleporter
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/25/scotty-is-more-hungry-3d-printing-fax-machine-than-teleporter/
Researchers at the Hasso Plattner Institute have created “Scotty,” a so-called teleportation system. While the name is a clear homage to the famous Star Trek character, this is not the Sci-Fi teleporting you may be expecting. The system is composed of two 3D printers (they used a pair of MakerBot Replicators). The “sender” printer has a camera and built-in milling machine. It uses deconstructive scanning – taking the picture of an object’s layer, then grinding that layer down to expose the next layer – and then sends the encrypted data to a “receiver” printer with a RasPi to decrypt the data so that it can immediately print the object. The ultimate idea behind this is that there is only one object at the end of the process.
Scotty
Teleporting Physical Objects
https://hpi.de/en/baudisch/projects/scotty.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printable Robot Arm
A printable robot arm, a little bigger than the usual hobby servo once.
http://hackaday.io/project/3800-3d-printable-robot-arm
My printable robot arm is inspired by the well known industry robots, but printable.
http://chaozlabs.blogspot.de/2015/01/3d-printable-robot-arm.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Part Day: Silent Stepper Motors
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/24/new-part-day-silent-stepper-motors/
In case you haven’t noticed, 3D printers are very slow, very loud, and everyone is looking forward to the day when high-quality 3D objects can be printed in just a few minutes. We’re not at the point where truly silent stepper motors are possible just yet, but with the Trinamic TMC2100, we’re getting there.
Most of the stepper motors you’ll find in RepRaps and other 3D printers are based on the Allegro A498X series of stepper motor drivers, whether they’re on breakout boards like ‘The Pololu‘ or integrated on the control board like the RAMBO. The Trinamic TMC2100 is logic compatible with the A498X, but not pin compatible. For 99% of people, this isn’t an issue: the drivers usually come soldered to a breakout board.
There are a few features that make the Trinamic an interesting chip. The feature that’s getting the most publicity is a mode called stealthChop. When running a motor at medium or low speeds, the motor will be absolutely silent. Yes, this means stepper motor music will soon be a thing of the past.
The spreadCycle feature of the TMC2100 is what you’ll want to use for 3D printers. This mode uses two ‘decay phases’ on each step of a motor to make a more efficient driver. Motors in 3D printers get hot sometimes, especially if they’re running fast. A more efficient driver reduces heat and hopefully leads to more reliable motor control.
In addition to a few new modes of operation, the TMC2100 has an extremely interesting feature: diagnostics.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed Surfboard
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/26/3d-printed-surfboard/
You whippersnappers these days with your 3D printers! Back in our day, we had to labor over a blank for hours, getting all sweaty and covered in foam dust. And it still wouldn’t come out symmetric. Shaping a surfboard used to be an art, and now you’re just downloading software and slinging STLs.
Joking aside, [Jody] made an incredible surfboard (yes, actual human-sized surfboard) out of just over 1 kilometer of ABS filament, clocking 164 hours of printing time along the way.
3d Printed Surfboard
http://hobbies.boguerat.com/3d-printed-surfboard/
Okay, the initial board shape was actually pretty easy. Using the defalut shortboard template in BoardCAD, I scaled it out to 6’2″ x 20″ x 2.675″ then exported it as an STL file.
This design was imported into Solidworks for the Extruded Cut pattern.
I used netfabb Studio Basic to cut the STL down into chunks my printer can handle. 9 sections lengthwise with 7 split along the stringer. Each piece was saved as a separate STL file.
After removing the brim, the board was assembled using some fast set acrylic glue (gel) which gave a strong join in 60 seconds.
Glassing consisted of a sheet of whatever oz glass I had laying around and Sun Cure polyester resin.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed Speaker Pushes Rapid Prototyping Boundaries
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/27/3d-printed-speaker-pushes-rapid-prototyping-boundaries/
We think FormLabs has really figured out the key to advertising their line of 3D printers — just design really cool stuff that you can 3D print in resin, and release them publicly! To celebrate a firmware upgrade to the Form 1+, they’ve designed and released this really cool 3D printed speaker which you can make yourself.
Of course, this isn’t the first time someone has 3D printed a speaker, but [Adam’s] done a pretty slick job of it. They’ve released all the design files for free (you do have to request them), but it’s foreseeable that it could be printed on a standard FDM machine with support material — it’s just much easier with a resin based printer.
http://formlabs.com/en/company/blog/2015/01/06/new-year-new-resolution/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dumpster Dive Results In 3D Print Server Project
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/27/dumpster-dive-results-in-3d-print-server-project/
3D Printers are super convenient when you need a part quickly. However, they can be seriously inconvenient if the 3D printer has to be tethered to your computer for the duration of the entire print.
Then one day [Matt] was dumpster diving (don’t roll your eyes, we all do it) and found a Netgear WNDR3700v1 WiFi router. This particular router has a USB port and it made [Matt] think, “can I use this to run my printer?”
[Matt] started by checking out 3D print server software OctoPrint and found out that it was entirely written in Python. He had a feeling that he could get Python running on that found Netgear router. The first step was to install OpenWrt to the router and configure it as a client. That was straight forward and went well. The router only had one USB port so a hub was necessary in order to connect a USB drive and the printer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printering: Remote control of 3D printers
http://hackaday.com/2013/08/07/3d-printering-remote-control-of-3d-printers/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists 3D-Printing Cartilage For Medical Implants
http://science.slashdot.org/story/15/01/28/1945219/scientists-3d-printing-cartilage-for-medical-implants
Scientists and physicians at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered a way to use MakerBot’s 3D-printing technologies to create cartilage and repair tissue damage in the trachea.
“Researchers found that it’s possible to use the MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer to print what’s called ‘scaffolding,’ made up of PLA, a bioplastic commonly used in in surgical implant devices.”
Scientists are 3D-printing human tissue for medical implants
http://www.dailydot.com/technology/makerbot-3d-print-trachea/
In healthcare, 3D-printing technologies are already used to give people prosthetic hands, replicate tumors to save loved ones’ sight, and create model organs to practice life-saving operations.
Now, scientists and physicians at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, have discovered a way to use MakerBot’s 3D-printing technologies to create cartilage and repair tissue damage in the trachea.
Researchers found that it’s possible to use the MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer to print what’s called “scaffolding,” made up of PLA, a bioplastic commonly used in surgical implant devices. The team customized the printer so that living cells could be printed onto the scaffolding. The 3D-printed mixture of healthy cells found in cartilage, and collagen, eventually grew into the shape of a trachea that could be implanted into a patient.
“We were able to modify the exterior heads to accept a syringe with the bio-ink and cells we’re using,” Todd Goldstein, an investigator at the Feinstein Institute, told the Daily Dot. “The computer controls it as if it’s extruding plastics, but it’s extruding cells.”
The cells survived the 3D-printing process, and continued to multiply and grow, just like cartilage in the body.
In order to create the trachea, researchers used what’s called “tissue engineering.” This science is similar to computer programming, but instead of code, cells from your body, including muscle tissue and cartilage, are used to build things.
A section of a trachea—a hollow, two-inch cylindrical shape—can be printed in less than two hours. However, the entire process takes much longer. Like other medical grafts, doctors need to take cells from cartilage on the patient, like an ear biopsy, then grow the cells so there are enough to print. Depending on how large the graft is, and the optimal incubation time, it could be a months-long process.
“We really want to take this into the clinic, however we’re not willing to do that until we test out everything,” Goldstein said. “Just because it works in a lab, doesn’t mean it works on a person”
The trachea itself wasn’t the only thing the research team used the MakerBot for.
“We also used the 3D printers to make other machines to help with the process,” Goldstein said. “We use specialized stuff that isn’t commercially available, and some of the medical stuff that is commercially available is super expensive.”
A bioreactor, a machine that warms the cells while they’re growing, can cost up to $150,000—instead of paying for a new machine, Goldstein created an incubator by printing plastic parts and gears to create his own.
“Having a 3D printer to rapidly prototype is so helpful,” he said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
SPATA: shaving seconds and saving brainpower whilst 3D-modeling
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/29/spata-shaving-seconds-and-saving-brainpower-whilst-3d-modeling/
a proof-of-concept tweak on conventional calipers that saves him time switching between tools while 3D modeling.
both tools are bidirectional; not only can they feed measurement data into the computer with the push of at button, both tools can also resize themselves to a dimension in the CAD program, giving the user a physical sense of how large or small their dimensions are.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CNC Plotter Uses Only the Good DVD Drive Parts
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/31/cnc-plotter-uses-only-the-good-dvd-drive-parts/
Plotters made from scrapped floppy, optical drives, and printers are a popular hand, and well worth a weekend of your time. This one, however, is quite a bit different. [Wootin24] used the drives to source just the important parts for CNC precision: the rods, motors, motors, and bearings. The difference is that he designed and 3D printed his own mounting brackets rather than making do with what the optical drive parts are attached to.
Extremely Low Cost 3D Printable 3D Printer / Plotter / CNC Machine
http://www.instructables.com/id/Extremely-Low-Cost-3D-Printable-3D-Printer-Plotter/
how to build a basic three axis CNC machine
Tomi Engdahl says:
The “Cool Brick” Can Cool Off an Entire Room Using Nothing But Water
http://build.slashdot.org/story/15/02/02/0419234/the-cool-brick-can-cool-off-an-entire-room-using-nothing-but-water
Emerging Objects, a company which experiments with 3d printing technology has created what they call the ‘Cool Brick’. Using basic concepts of evaporation, it holds water like a sponge, takes in hot dry air and converts it into cool moist air. 3d printed with a specially engineered lattice using ceramics
3D Printed ‘Cool Bricks’ Can Cool an Entire Room Using Water
http://3dprint.com/41447/3d-printed-cool-brick/
Using 3D printing technology, Emerging Objects has come up with a solution which may be able to greatly reduce the use of air conditioning systems in these hot dry climates. The device, which is called the “Cool Brick” has the ability to cool off an entire room simply by using the most abundant compound found on Earth — water.
In actuality, the Cool Brick is not a new invention, as it is based on a system that many believe dates back over 3,300 years. However, using 3D printing, Emerging Objects was able to perfect the system, and improve upon earlier designs.
The system, which was designed by Virginia San Fratello and Ronald Rael, works via evaporative cooling, based on the simple concept that water will evaporate if air with a lower dew point passes by.
Because the air in dessert environments is so hot and dry, and provides for the capability of holding a lot of water vapor, the cool brick could be the perfect solution.
The bricks can be set into mortar to create walls of virtually any size.