Using FDM to go from concept to market
After her young daughter spilled Cheerios all over the back seat of the minivan for the (last) time, Melinda Shepard shared the idea of a “spill-proof bowl” with her husband Brad, an engineer. Brad Shepard turned to the engineers at Enventys, a “one-stop shop for inventors,” who used 3D printing technology to turn Shepard’s bowl-in-bowl concept into the Gyro Bowl, a marketable... Read More
Sciaky, Penn State University, and DARPA advance Direct Digital Manufacturing technology
Sciaky, Inc., a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) and leading provider of additive manufacturing (AM)/3D printing solutions, is teaming up with the Applied Research Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University to advance Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) technology, via funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Under terms of the agreement,... Read More
Using an Easter Egg to play with architectural concepts of structure, light, and shadow
Fourfoursixsix, an acclaimed international architecture practice; EOS, a leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems; and Ogle Models, makers of exquisite, cutting-edge models; are delighted to support the world’s biggest egg hunt this Easter. These companies have worked together to create a laser-sintered egg that is intricate in structure, yet contemporary and sculptural. The... Read More
The Dimension 3D printer celebrates 10 years
Stratasys (Nasdaq: SSYS) is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Dimension 3D printer line. Introduced in 2002 at $29,900, the Dimension 3D Printer opened new possibilities for designers; it is a reliable, compact, simple-to-use machine. Its introduction enabled designers to not only produce models for design verification, but also to test function because the printer uses... Read More
Paramount Industries promotes high temperature laser sintering
More government agencies and manufacturers are sourcing laser sintering for direct part production. In contrast to traditional manufacturing methods, laser sintering can deliver plastic parts with highly complex geometries with impressive strength-to-weight ratios. In many cases, hundreds of parts can be directly manufactured from 3D CAD digital models long before tooling is available... Read More
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
Stratasys Reports Record Fourth Quarter and Full Year Financial Results
Stratasys, Inc. (NASDAQ:SSYS) announced fourth quarter and full year financial results. The company reported record revenue of $43.6 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2011, a 28% increase from the $34.0 million for the same period last year. System shipments totaled 700 units for the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to 632 units for the same period last year. The... 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
Now that the open source concept has migrated from software to hardware, it's the right time for a hackable robot that can make "
Here I'm 3D printing a chess piece. This is the second chess piece I've been printing. Here it is in a picture:http://reprap.erik
Dr Adrian Bowyer of the RepRap project http://reprap.org shows us around his lab at Bath University.
From CAD to prototype
RedEye, a business unit of Stratasys, unveiled the world's first full scale custom motorcycle, created entirely from using rapid proto
