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:
Everything You Wanted To Know About 3D Printing Support But Were Afraid To Ask
https://hackaday.com/2020/02/18/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-3d-printing-support-but-were-afraid-to-ask/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/02/17/bubbly-filament-works-better-than-you-think/
Tomi Engdahl says:
$200 Resin Printer Reviewed
https://hackaday.com/2020/02/14/200-resin-printer-reviewed/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printable Nameplates From Your Web Browser
https://hackaday.com/2020/02/22/3d-printable-nameplates-from-your-web-browser/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/02/19/makerbot-targets-schools-with-rebranded-printers/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A 3D-Printed Bass Guitar
https://hackaday.com/2020/02/29/a-3d-printed-bass-guitar/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Practical Dual-Arm SCARA 3D Printer
https://hackaday.com/2020/03/18/a-practical-dual-arm-scara-3d-printer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printering: Getting Started Is (Still) Harder Than It Needs To Be
https://hackaday.com/2020/03/05/3d-printering-getting-started-is-still-harder-than-it-needs-to-be/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hackster.io/news/turn-your-3d-prints-into-glowing-displays-with-this-simple-spray-treatment-64a7ed5852d8
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stylish Mic Is Metal Printing Done Right
https://hackaday.com/2020/03/21/stylish-mic-is-metal-printing-done-right/
[Eric Strebel] wanted a microphone to record voiceovers, and being a designer, wanted something suitably impressive for the task. Inspired by the classic Unidyne 55, he set about designing his own mic, and used some pretty fancy techniques to get it built.
The mic was built around a ribbon element, providing good dynamic response. The design was created in CAD, and was initially intended to be constructed out of three seperate pieces. However, [Eric] realized that through the use of a binder jetting 3D printer, this wouldn’t be necessary.
METAL Printed Microphone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p9hCZEkD0Y&feature=youtu.be
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hackster.io/news/a-new-process-enables-rapid-3d-printing-of-electronics-d07982d1de09
A New Process Enables Rapid 3D Printing of Electronics
To improve the practicality of 3D printing electronics, engineers from UCLA have developed a new printing process that is very fast
Tomi Engdahl says:
Signal The End Of A Print With MIDI Of Your Choice
https://hackaday.com/2020/04/25/signal-the-end-of-a-print-with-midi-of-your-choice/
The end of every 3D print should be a triumphant moment, and deserves a theme song. [FuseBox2R] decided to make it a reality, and wrote tool for converting MIDI tracks to G-code that uses the buzzer on your 3D printer.
The tool is up on GitHub, and uses the M300 speaker command that is available in Marlin and some other 3D printer firmware packages.
https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/g3lqm2/i_wrote_a_program_that_converts_midi_files_to/fnrzp7p/?context=3
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mike Murphy / Protocol:
3D-printing companies have stepped in to help plug gaps in the supply chain during the pandemic, including HP, which has printed and shipped 50,000+ items
3D printing finally found its market, and all it took was a pandemic
When COVID-19 disrupted supply chains, 3D printing stepped in to fill the gap. Will it stick around once the dust has settled?
https://www.protocol.com/3d-printing-found-market-in-coronavirus-pandemic
Tomi Engdahl says:
FoodFab Uses 3D Printers to Help Curb Your Appetite
https://www.hackster.io/news/foodfab-uses-3d-printers-to-help-curb-your-appetite-106f44dd4e80
MIT researchers have developed a system that modifies a person’s perceived satiety given a defined amount of calorie intake.
FoodFab creates small portions of food to help control food intake. It produces food with different structures and patterns to increase chewing time, which has been linked to influencing people’s perception of how full they are.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Proto-the-3D-Printed-BattleBot/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coating printed layers in carbon nanotubes and heating them using an electric current carried by plasma results in much stronger prints.
Researchers Claim the Holy Grail of 3D Printing, Boosting Part Strength to Match Injection Moulding
https://www.hackster.io/news/researchers-claim-the-holy-grail-of-3d-printing-boosting-part-strength-to-match-injection-moulding-be47c0fa02e1
Coating printed layers in carbon nanotubes and heating them using an electric current carried by plasma results in much stronger prints.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Finding a way to remedy the inadequate bonding between printed layers has been an ongoing quest in the 3D printing field,” notes Professor Micah Green of his team’s work. “We have now developed a sophisticated technology that can bolster welding between these layers all while printing the 3D part.”
https://www.hackster.io/news/researchers-claim-the-holy-grail-of-3d-printing-boosting-part-strength-to-match-injection-moulding-be47c0fa02e1
Tomi Engdahl says:
This App Can Identify 3D Prints Based on Their Slicing Parameters
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-app-can-identify-3d-prints-based-on-their-slicing-parameters-6ef23ee4526c
G-ID looks at the surface of a 3D-printed part, analyzes that, and determines some of the parameters used to slice the model.
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3313831.3376202
Tomi Engdahl says:
HP Debuts Polypropylene for 3D Printing
https://www.designnews.com/3d-printing/hp-debuts-polypropylene-3d-printing/72808168063149?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13396&elq_cid=876648
In a flurry of announcements on June 4, HP demonstrated continued forward momentum in 3D printing and digital manufacturing through partnerships with BASF and Oechsler.
HP first announced an expansion of its strategic alliance with BASF. Together, the companies are working closely with innovators in the automotive, consumer, medical, and industrial manufacturing sectors to open up new market opportunities, jointly develop best-in-class applications, and achieve unmatched quality, breakthrough economics, and more sustainable production, said HP.
At the center of the collaboration is the launch of a new material — a first-of-its-kind polypropylene (PP) for additive manufacturing (AM). The new HP 3D High Reusability PP, enabled by BASF, is a versatile, durable, and chemically resistant material that has been qualified for HP’s production-grade 3D-printing systems, including its Jet Fusion 5200 Series.
“The introduction of PP is another important step as we collaborate on best-in-class materials to transform manufacturing,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/04/07/3d-printering-when-resin-printing-gets-smelly/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The world’s first 3D-printed vegan steak is here and it could be hitting restaurants soon
https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/30/worlds-first-3d-printed-vegan-steak-hitting-restaurants-soon-12924017/?fbclid=IwAR2zmGZ0o2flLspGb4gT1xGaZM2z9K3s-PdxH9Mc6AJvMOxbQrdnWYMftnk
Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t possibly get any more bizarre, a company has brought out the world’s first 3D-printed vegan steak.
The new Alt-Steak is made out of soy and pea proteins, coconut fat and sunflower oil, along with natural colours and flavours.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Expandable Foam Allows for Large-Form 3D Printing
Material developed at UC San Diego allows commercial printers to print considerably larger objects than before.
https://www.designnews.com/materials-assembly/expandable-foam-allows-large-form-3d-printing?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13683&elq_cid=876648
3D printing has become quite advanced, however commercial printers are currently limited to printing objects smaller than the machine itself. While 3D printing of large-form objects exists, it’s usually limited to expensive, site-specific machines that are used for industrial purposes. That could change going forward thanks to new research from researchers at the University of California (UC), San Diego, who developed a material and process for printing large objects even with a low-cost and commonly available 3D printer.
After testing different resin formulas, the team developed one that could allow them to print an object that would expand to a larger size with heat, and then tested it by printing a hollow, latticed sphere. Heating the resin in an oven caused a volatile component of the material to be emitted as a gas, which created a porous, polystyrene foam-like material that was up to 40 times larger in volume than the original printed object.
The method solved both problems with printing large-scale objects with commercial printers “because the objects are printed at a small scale and expand into a much larger volume,” Pokorski told us.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reverse engineering of 3-D-printed parts by machine learning reveals security vulnerabilities
https://techxplore.com/news/2020-07-reverse-d-printed-machine-reveals-vulnerabilities.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://futurism.com/the-byte/3d-printer-two-story-house
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printing Interactive Maps For The Visually Impaired
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/11/3d-printing-interactive-maps-for-the-visually-impaired/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printing Latex Is Now Possible
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/27/3d-printing-latex-is-now-possible/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hackster.io/news/michal-baran-mixes-resin-with-dish-soap-to-create-organically-inspired-uv-cured-foam-3d-prints-80134f630140
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printing Technique Brings Hollywood to Human Organs
The breakthrough 3D printing technique has implications for COVID-19 and paves the way for autonomous robotic surgeries.
https://www.designnews.com/3dp/3d-printing-technique-brings-hollywood-human-organs?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=14092&elq_cid=876648
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.materialise.com/en/blog/30-years-innovation-stereolithography?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_campaign=MAN-A-30Years&utm_term=GT-SLA-August&utm_content=ad2-MJF-July-blog
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/18/e3d-teaches-additive-machines-how-to-subtract/
Tomi Engdahl says:
15 3D Printed Objects You Have Got to See
https://www.designnews.com/automation/15-3d-printed-objects-you-have-got-see?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13930&elq_cid=876648
Tomi Engdahl says:
Your Guide to Additive Manufacturing: Part I
https://www.designnews.com/3dp/your-guide-additive-manufacturing-part-i
Companies across all industries from automotive to aerospace to consumer products and even architecture misunderstand how many 3D printing technologies there are and which applications each should be used for.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Philips’ Lightbulb Moment: 3D Printing Becomes Essential Production Thinking
https://www.materialise.com/en/cases/philips-lightbulb-moment-3d-printing-becomes-essential-production-thinking?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_campaign=XBU-A-Corona2&utm_term=RM-Phase1&utm_content=ad4-PhilipsCase
Working together Materialise and Philips Lighting explored the benefits 3D Printing could offer for components in a production environment. The first two parts they developed; a lamp holder bracket, previously prone to part failure and a redesigned suction gripper, are together realizing cost savings of around €89,000 a year through the operational benefits they deliver.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Impossibilities And 3D Printing
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/29/impossibilities-and-3d-printing/
This week our own [Donald Papp] wrote a thought-provoking piece on buying and selling 3D-printer models. His basic point: if you don’t know what you’re getting until you’ve purchased it, and there’s no refund policy, how can you tell if your money is being well spent? It’s a serious problem for these nascent markets, because when customers aren’t satisfied they won’t come back.
It got me thinking about my own experience, albeit with all of the free 3D models out there. They are a supremely mixed bag, and even though you’re not paying for the model, you’re paying in printing time, filament, and effort. It pays to be choosy, and all of [Donald]’s suggestions hold in the “free” market as well.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printering: The World Of Non-Free 3D Models Is Buyer Beware
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/26/3d-printering-the-world-of-non-free-3d-models-is-buyer-beware/
There are more free 3D models online than one can shake a stick at, but what about paid models? Hosting models somewhere and putting a buy button in front of the download is certainly a solved problem, but after spending some time buying and printing a variety of non-free 3D models online, it’s clear that there are shortcomings in the current system.
What the problems are and how to address them depends a little on the different ways models get sold, but one thing is clear: poorly-designed 3D models are bad for consumers, and bad for the future of pay-to-download in general.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This 3D printer, laser engraver, and CNC router features a robust construction and huge print volume.
Homemade All-In-One Print and Machining Station
AMbros Custom’s 3D printer, laser engraver, and CNC router features a robust construction and huge print volume.
https://www.hackster.io/news/homemade-all-in-one-print-and-machining-station-3a7a75f9106e
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/09/06/filament-dust-filter-helps-keep-your-print-quality-high/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printing Meets THz Waves: An Odd Couple Delivers Focused Results
By using 3D printing to build a flexible plastic accordion coated with aluminum and then adjusting the periodic pitch, researchers devised a mechanically tunable THz-range diffraction grating.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/analog/article/21141218/3d-printing-meets-thz-waves-an-odd-couple-delivers-focused-results
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lite3DP S1 is an open source resin 3D printer small enough that it’ll fit in the palm of your hand.
Lite3DP S1 Is a Tiny, Arduino-Based Resin 3D Printer
https://www.hackster.io/news/lite3dp-s1-is-a-tiny-arduino-based-resin-3d-printer-5ae25b84b4bf
Crowdfunding soon, the Lite3DP is a new resin MSLA 3D printer that is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Novel “Panchromatic Polymer” Resins Let 3D Printers Ditch the Ultraviolet for Visible Light
https://www.hackster.io/news/novel-panchromatic-polymer-resins-let-3d-printers-ditch-the-ultraviolet-for-visible-light-c1d0e034c19b
New resin type cures quickly under visible light, and could lead to cheaper 3D prints that are fully biocompatible.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lite3DP S1 Is a Tiny, Arduino-Based Resin 3D Printer
Crowdfunding soon, the Lite3DP is a new resin MSLA 3D printer that is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
https://www.hackster.io/news/lite3dp-s1-is-a-tiny-arduino-based-resin-3d-printer-5ae25b84b4bf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kuinka paljon 3D-tulostus maksaa? Etteplan kehitti työkalun arviointiin
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/11177-kuinka-paljon-3d-tulostus-maksaa-etteplan-kehitti-tyokalun-arviointiin
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers develop simple method to 3-D print milk products
https://phys.org/news/2020-09-simple-method-d-products.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printering: The World Of Non-Free 3D Models Is Buyer Beware
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/26/3d-printering-the-world-of-non-free-3d-models-is-buyer-beware/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/29/impossibilities-and-3d-printing/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/08/3d-printering-selling-prints-and-solving-the-pickup-problem/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/06/3d-printing-bigger-wind-turbines/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/01/3d-printing-damascus-like-steel/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/09/22/tyokalu-3d-tulostuskustannusten-arviointiin/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/20/automated-part-removal-gets-serious-with-the-chain-production-add-on/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/09/23/reforming-3d-prints-with-salt-and-heat/