Make Parts Fast

3D printing—an industry in flux

The initial question from the early developers of rapid prototyping (RP) technology (now known as 3D printing) was, “Is there a better way to prototype?” The answer became stereolithography, fused deposition modeling, and other technologies now labeled 3D printing. That question has now shifted to, “Is there a better way to make?” And the answer here will likely be the personal... Read More

First a jaw–medical applications of 3D printing

The news of a 3D printer-created lower jaw made of titanium powder has been populating the twitter-verse.   While this is probably a first time attempt to actually implant something like this in a human body, 3D printer companies like EOS  and others have been working on developing 3D printed implantable medical parts for several years. Layerwise, a specialized metal-parts manufacturer... Read More

Rent CAD Software?

In addition to renting a 3D printer system, would you also consider renting CAD software? Recently, Ashlar-Vellum offered their line of CAD programs under a number of licenses, including permanent, one-year, and monthly rental. Though Ashlar’s software is highly respected (especially by industrial designers), the company isn’t one of the big players in the CAD business. Siemens... Read More

Have we reached an agreement on what to call this industry?

Did you miss it? Todd Grimm, long time follower and analyst of the Additive Manufacturing/3D printing industry recently declared that the term 3D printing, by popular usage, is the official name of this industry. Two years ago, ASTM attempted to establish an official name and sort of settled on Additive Manufacturing. But, due to the popular hobby/maker style of 3D printers and... Read More

A simple scanning tool for personal 3D printers

In the personal 3D printer field, one concern is whether the average user not trained in CAD will get any benefit from these devices sufficient to sustain the growth of this nascent  industry. If you’ve never designed anything in your life, how do you go about doing it? And, despite their simplicity, the current group of personal 3D printers does assume that users have some familiarity... Read More

Can open source 3D printing be more than a hobby?

Back in the 1960s, when Gene Roddenberry was developing his ideas for the Star Trek series, one of his thoughts was that we would live in a society without money. His vision was that we would be more focused on self-actualization, which would drive our decisions on occupation, education, and contribution to humanity rather than on the accumulation of money for either its own sake... Read More

The 3D printer home market takes shape

It looks like the big players in the additive manufacturing market are taking the potential of the 3D printing home market seriously with the introduction of a new 3D printer from 3D Systems specifically geared to the home market, and rumors of a possible entry into this market by Stratasys. Research firm IBISWorld forecasts that by 2016, 3D printing sales could reach $3 Billion.... Read More

3D printing’s stellar, amazing year

What a year 3D printing technology had in 2011! This approximately 25 year-old industry is enjoying a second round of “good buzz” thanks in large part to what have been labeled personal sized, hobby, or Maker units and the media fascination surrounding them. The BfB™ 3000 3D printer from 3D Systems in partnership with MADE IN SPACE in a zero gravity test flight While MakerBots,... Read More

And the winner is…

For the past several years, Make Parts Fast parent magazine, Design World, has held a Leadership In Engineering competition among various companies in various industries.  Winners are chosen by you, our audience. The guidelines for your choice are simple, yet complex. A real leader in an engineering environment, whether he is the CEO or an engineering manager, requires traits of... Read More

3D printing used to “print” blood vessels

One of the more interesting aspects of 3D printing technology is how science is using it to spark a number of potential developments, for example, its use in medical application. Some scientists have “printed” non-functioning organs out of human-tissue like material. Now, a group of scientists from Five Fraunhofer-institutes are using 3D printers to develop biocompatible artificial... Read More