First 3D printed laptop based on Raspberry Pi - Pi-Top!

Last month, a London-based team of young entrepreneurs and engineers have revealed the prototype for their Raspberry Pi laptop, the world's first ever fully-functional, 3D printed laptop. Today the team has launched it on Indiegogo.

3D printed prosthetic hands giving kids a low cost functionality

Video link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RwACPjk-Jfg

A Leauge City, Texas boy comes out of his shell thanks to 3D printing

Iron man inspired 3D printed prosthetic for kids - Awesome!

The first Open Source Satellite network!

This project began as part of NASA's 2014 International Space Apps Challenge, an international event of mass collaboration aimed at space exploration and all its aspects, that was held on the 12th and 13th of April this year. The goal of the event was 'producing relevant open-source solutions to address global needs applicable to both life on Earth and life in space.' Dozens of projects all of the world participated, including the SatNOGS project based in Athens, and all could focus on a large variety of different projects.

Copper based PLA filament!

To add more options for makers community, ColorFabb today introduced brand new material copperFill. Similar to bronzeFill it's a PLA blend with micronized copper powder. This means that the material can be polished and finished with similar methods as bronzeFill.

3D printing - the next 10 years

At the 3D Printshow, which was held in the Old Billingsgate in London between 4 and 6 September, IB Times UK caught up with Andy Middleton of Stratasys for a particularly interesting interview. Middleton is the Senior Vice President and General Manager EMEA at Stratasys, one of the largest manufacturer of 3D printing equipment and materials in the world.

He shared some very interesting perspectives on what's going to happen in the 3D printing industry in the near future, and how incredibly fast it has changed the past four or five years. As he told the interview, 'if we turned the clock back just five years, its moved from the best kept secret in the industry, to a huge sense of awareness and hype, partially hype around it. What can 3D printing do and what can't it do?'

Middleton expects that there will be 3 major growth sectors in the industry over the next ,say, 10 years or so: The consumer sector, the rapid prototyping sector, and the additive manufacturing sector. He expects the consumer sector, ' which is already a 300, 400 million dollar business' will start to grow by some 30, 40 or maybe 50 percent per year. The rapid prototyping phase in 3D printing, where printers are utilized to make prototypes of products, is also set to grow, though this already accounts for about 80% of current customers.

However, it's the additive manufacturing sector – where actual end-user parts or end-user products are being printed rather than prototypes – that is set to be the real future of 3D printing. As he speculated:

"This is where we will be seeing the major growth in the coming years. I think that in the next ten years we will seeing the factories of the future, where you will see production lines of 3D printin manufacturing 365 days a year, 7 days a week. We will see factories producing end user parts and products in various locations around certain geography. Distributed manufactory, instead of centralized manufacturing and distribution, we will have centralized product development, and distributed manufacturing. This is definitely something we will see."

He moreover expects a growth in the number of 'prosumers', the professional consumers because of knowledge skills, or level or interest, which virtually all consumers currently are. Regular consumers are still something of the future:

"I don't mean to mislead the Makerbot business. 70 percent of their sales go into companies, not into consumers. They go into industry, same customers as ours. Even the small ones. For initial product design verification. Its fast, cheap and gives an initial look and feel. And then, for further developed prototypes, it goes into a more high quality system, like some of our Stratasys products. "

Expansion of the number of average consumers is something that will take a lot longer, and that is one of the big questions for the future of 3D printing.

"It's not going to be as fast as many people think. Rather, I think we'll see a lot more service bureaus opening up in towns where consumers can take the files from the web, change it, modify it, and then send it down the road to be printed. I think that is what's going to happen It'll be much like the copy shops of yesteryear, but they'll be 3D print shops."

Over the next five years, Middleton therefore expects just a moderate growth in the number of consumers, though everything looks set to really take off over the next 10 years. ' What's going to drive it? Ease of use of product design software. If you and I can simply design or modify a 3D design, then it's going to take off. That's going to really help the industry flourish.'

3D printer headed for the ISS

This Saturday, on September 20 at 2:14 am the first 3D printer intended for in-space use will depart aboard a rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., headed for the International Space Station (ISS).

This "machine shop for space" will mark the first time that a 3D printer will be utilized off-world to create parts, tools and emergency solutions.

3d printed electric guitars for $2500

London-based company Customuse plans to launch a platform for everyday electric guitar players to build custom 3D printed guitars to their exact specifications.

New printer makes large scale ceramic 3D prints

 Dutch artist Olivier van Herpt has spent the last two years working on 3D printer and 3D printing process that could make large and medium scale functional 3D printed ceramics.

van Herpt's interest in 3D printing ceramics was guided by the possibilities and limitations of the technology. The desktop 3D printers allow people to make products that they'd otherwise be unable to make using traditional manufacturing methods. The technology is precise, repeatable and quick. But for van Herpt, these advantages could sometimes mean "cold, clinical, without feeling, an absence of humanity to some extent." In addition, van Herpt found that the size of desktop 3D printers often limits you to create large and medium scale functional design objects such as bowls, plates & decorative objects.

Minnesota man prints 3D castle in concrete

Minnesota man, named Andrey Rudenko has been working on a 3D printer capable of printing in concrete.

Rudenko had a goal of 3D printing his full sized house sometime this summer, and although that still appears to be possible, he is a bit behind in the process. “Had to deal with a lot of different small problems,” Rudenko told us last month. “Now just started printing the small castle.”

The ability to print a smaller building would be able to provide him with enough confidence to advance onto the 3D printing of his house.  He hopes that he will learn from and make improvement upon the entire process, while 3D printing his small castle.

Swedish company launches fume free 3D printer

The new ZYYX 3D printer features an enclosed build chamber with an active carbon filter system. The enclosure not only maintains temperature stability and helps improving final print quality, it also creates a slight pressure difference with the help of a low speed fan. The filter system removes gases emission from ABS and polyamide (nylon) processing.

One problem with current 3D printers is the poor adhesion of the first layer of the print, resulting in frequent print failures. The ZYYX 3D Printer has an auto-leveling probe on the printhead, which allows the printer to measure the build plate, calculate its flatness and orientation in space, and compensate for any tilt in real time. The key to this active build plate calibration system is a reliable, simple probe design with only a single moving part. This probe is calibrated individually on every printer before delivery.

3D printed bionic prosthetic hand

This revolutionary design is based on material deformation  through geometric control of the structure. 

Italian startup Youbionic has recently unveiled their latest project, a 3D-printed bionic prosthetic hand. "The goal is to create a hand at a cost much lower than those commerical products today, which cost about 20 thousand Euro." says their designer, Federico Ciccarese.

The whole hand is 3D printed in nylon using selective laser sintering, but Ciccarese said the team is now working on creating the hand using FDM 3D printers.

NASA 3D prints Eta Carinae Nebula

Researchers at NASA have not only successfully map the entire Eta Carinae Homunculus Nebula for the first time, but also developed a 3D model of the expanding cloud produced by it during its 19th century outburst.

"Now anyone with access to a 3-D printer can produce their own version of this incredible object," said Goddard astrophysicist Theodore Gull. "While 3-D-printed models will make a terrific visualization tool for anyone interested in astronomy, I see them as particularly valuable for the blind, who now will be able to compare embossed astronomical images with a scientifically accurate representation of the real thing."

Marcel Duchamp's chess set from 1918

In 1918 Artist, sculptor and chess enthusiast Marcel Duchamp designed and hand-carved a chess set in Buenos Aires. Marcel Duchamp has created two chess sets in his life: his 1943 Pocket Chess Set was released as a limited edition, but his 1918 set, is owned by a private collector and since then, unseen by the public.

But now, thanks to 3D printing, artists and makers Scott Kildall and Bryan Cera, teamed up to recreate the tabletop chess set using an archival photograph of Marcel Duchamp's own custom and hand-carved game. By running a series of geometry-extrapolating algorithms on the photograph, Cera were able to get an accurate model of the knight, the hardest to model. Cera then sent the finished 3D CAD files over to Kildall who printed out the first set of prototypes using an Objet 3D printers.

Color Pyramid Room

http://www.polygonz3d.com

Color Pyramid Room

Created with Cinema 4D - Four visible colored balls of light - Red, Green, Blue and Yellow - are aligned with the four sides of the small pyramid, equidistant and centered on the tip. the room is pyramid shaped with a square base, and a sandstone texture. All the white light in these renders arrises from the four lights combining! 

3D printed tactile picture books for visually impaired kids

A University of Colorado Boulder team printed the first 3D version of children's book, allowing visually impaired children and their families to touch objects in the story.

"Goodnight room, goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon..." - "Goodnight Moon", written by Margaret Wise Brown of a bunny in bed wishing good night to his surroundings, has been printed more than 40 million copies and translated into at least a dozen languages. It was a logical choice for CU-Boulder's Tactile Picture Books Project, led by computer science Assistant Professor Tom Yeh to print out this highly popular children's book in 3D.

3D Systems announces iSense iPad 3D Scanner

Users simply attach the iSense to an iPad, and they can literally walk around and scan entire objects or environments. iSense is created for 3DS by Occipital and powered by the same software as 3DS' Sense scanner.

The iSense is ideal for physical photography on the go. It integrates with the Cube family of consumer and prosumer 3D printers and also offers direct upload options to Cubify for cloud printing, empowering users to easily capture and readily 3D print their memorable moments.

AirDog is world's first auto-follow drone

For extreme sports enthusiasts, the new AirDog from Latvia-based Helico Aerospace Industriesis is a perfect tool for their outdoor activities. Start-up company, Helico, has introduced AirDog, the world's first automated drone designed to track and video outdoor sports and activities, on Kickstarter looking to raise $200,000 for the production.

$249 Discov3ry universal paste extruder for 3D printers

Structur3D's Discov3ry extruder is an affordable, plug and play device which can easily be integrated with any stepper motor based, fused deposition modeling (FDM) desktop 3D printer. With Discov3ry extruder, home based 3D printing is not limited to printing plastics anymore, and it will enable makers to print a whole new range of materials, including silicone, polyurethane, wood filler, clay, ceramics, icing sugar, nutella, conductive paint etc.

Second-gen Form 1+ SLA 3D printer

Formlabs, an MIT Media Labs spin-out and the creator of Form 1 SLA 3D printer, has announced the Form 1+ on Tuesday.

The Form 1 3D printer were launched on Kickstarter in 2012, and pulled in nearly $3 million in crowdfunding. Later it has also closed a $19 million Series A, led by DFJ Growth. After over a year of successful printer sales, Formlabs has now launched its newest printer, the Form 1+, hoping to become one of the key players in desktop 3D printing.

The Form 1+ has a second-generation laser system that is four times more powerful than its predecessor, allowing it to print up to 50% faster. It also has a redesigned galvanometer control system, so it produces models with finer detail and a smoother surface finish. Numerous other components have been overhauled to provide a more reliable printing experience.

Custom historical recreations!

http://www.polygonz3d.com

This re-created Caterpillar 20 was modeled by Polygonz 3D from dozens of reference photos of actual CAT-20 tractors in the wild - in various states of decay. After the modeling project was complete, the client used a aerospace grade metal 3D printer to produce a 1/48 scale miniature.

http://www.polygonz3d.com

Affordable open source DLP 3D printer!

Meet the LittleDLPer, an affordable, open source DLP (Direct Light Processing) 3D Printer. DLP Projector based printers have been gaining in popularity in the last few years. The projector shines on the surface of a liquid plastic resin that hardens when exposed to a certain wavelength of light. The light draws and hardens a layer at a time until the entire model is built.

The LittleDLPer has been designed from the ground up to simplify the resin printing process, says Brad Hill, founder of LittleDLPer. To make it easy to self source, the LittleDLPer uses lasercut materials and standard T-Slot extrusion so you can easily build your own from scratch. It also uses high quality components such as linear slides and integrated leadscrew steppers to improve the reliability, according to LittleDLPer.

The LittleDLPer focuses on smaller high quality prints so its build volume is only 60mm(X) 40mm(Y) 100mm(Z) (2.4 x 1.6 x 3.9 inch). It takes approx 2 minutes to print 1mm at .05mm layer height. A 40mm (1.57 inch) tall print would take about 80 minutes to complete.

The LittleDLPer will be compatible with most general UV curing resin on the market. In order lower the barriers to entry for those looking to get into the world of DLP printing, Hill says the price of the LittleDLPer kit (projector not included) will be under $500, and an assembled 3D printer should be just under $1000. The startup plans to show off the LittleDLPer at Maker Faire Kansas City Jun 28~29.

Wal-Mart to get into 3D printing game!

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon said the world's largest retailer may use 3D printers for producing supplies and may also target a 3D printing acquisition.

McMillon expressed interest in buying 3D printers that could be used in stores for customers to quickly print new design or new product. Speaking on stage Wednesday at the Code Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California., McMillon said the company has recently tested 3D printers in several stores, showing customers how it works and letting them create their own 3D printed 'mini me'.

"3D printing is interesting to me," said McMillon. McMillon believes 3D printing could help its distribution centers speed up shipments. "We can use 3D printing over time for replacement parts."

Polygonz 3D on the web!

http://www.polygonz3d.com

http://www.polygonz3d.com

Denver Mini Maker Faire 2014

http://www.makexyz.com/printer/polygonz3d

Buddhist statue restored with help of 3D printing

The Qianshou Guanyin or Thousand Hands Goddess is part of the Dazu Rock Carvings which dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The entire stone-carved statue of Buddhist statue, including the statues of four attendants, is 7.7 meter tall and 12.5 meter wide. It is carved in a 15~30 meter high cliff and is the largest Thousand Hands Goddess statue in the world, covering nearly 88 square meters of floorspace.

The Thousand Hands Goddess is undergoing major restoration work, funded by the Chinese government. Rather than using a traditional method involving molding and casting, researchers used a 3D scanner and other low cost tools to capture the shape of the statue and build a 3D digital file of the statue. In order to create this super large prints, they sliced the 3D model into sections, printed out each component and then glued them together.

2014 annual growth of 34.9% for 3D Printing - highest in 17 years!

Wohlers Associates, a research consultancy focused on additive manufacturing and 3D printing, announced this week the publication of Wohlers Report 2014. Wohlers has been tracking this industry for over the 25 years. This report marks the 19th consecutive year of its availability and provides an in-depth review and analysis of the additive manufacturing and 3D printing worldwide.

The 2014 report includes industry growth, competitive products and services, and a futuristic perspective on an industry that has created tremendous interest and excitement in the recent past.

Wohlers Associates reports that the market for 3D printing, consisting of all products and services worldwide, grew to $3.07 billion last year. Compared with an averaged 27% growth rate over the past 26 years, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34.9% is the highest in 17 years. The CAGR for the past three years (2011–2013) was 32.3%

Stalactite foldable DLP 3D printer

Barcelona based Startup Stalactite is seeking a reasonable of €50,000 funding on indiegogo. For €1,850 (only 5 available) or €1,999 (Early Bird special) you get a fully assembled 3D printer based on SLA technology. Stalactite 102 is a compact, foldable device allowing anyone to turn their ideas to physical items. It comes with proprietary software with fast slicing and automatic supports and patent pending decoupled dual peeling system.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/stalactite-3d-hd-printer--2#home

Come visit us at the Denver Maker Faire - May 3-4 2014!

http://www.polygonz3d.com

http://denvermakerfaire.com

3D design contest - Win a 3D printer!

BeeVeryCreative, the first Portuguese 3D printer manufacturer, is launching a worldwide 3D modelling challenge called "3D Print World Challenge – 3D modelling awesomeness for everyone, everywhere". It's a contest that challenges the users' creativity specially the ones connected to design and 3D modelling.

Entrants must create a 3D printable model in STL format, which falls in any of the following categories:

• Architecture
• Design (fashion, jewellery, decoration, art)
• Utilities (gadgets, household and office devices, games)

Your 3D model will be test printed on one of the BEETHEFIRST 3D printers and if it successfully passes this print test it will enter the challenge.

The challenge is open to everyone, and will run from April 17th until June 17th, 2014 at 11:59 pm (GMT). You can submit as many entries as you'd like.

Entries will be judged by representatives from BeeVeryCreative, 3D Print Show, 3D Artist and Moda Lisboa | Lisbon Fashion Week, based on creativity, feasibility in 3D printing on BEETHEFIRST and awesomeness.

The 3 top winners (one per category) will each receive a BEETHEFIRST 3D Printer + 8 Spools of filament (different colours). The 3 most voted models (one per category) on BeeVeryCreative's Facebook page will receive a 3D printed personalized trophy.

Electric guitar pickup made with a 3D printer!

3D printing makes it possible to manufacture 'impossible' shapes, so it is not a surprise that 3D printing has made its way to musical instruments.

Polish maker "Rob" Klaczynski, the creator of notorious "pills bisector", together with his friend, guitarist Martin Kubacki has used 3D printing to create a guitar pickup.

Video about the project:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9-xlyxviJ_Y

3D-printed houses in Shanghai, built in 24 hours

In a first, a Chinese company has advanced the science of 3D printing by printing 10 houses entirely out of recycled materials, in just under a day.

Tinkerine Ditto Pro 3D printer

The Ditto Pro features a sleek Open C frame crafted out of uni-piece aluminum composite shell. It boosts a 225 x 165 x 205 cm (8.9 x 6.5 x 8.1 in) build volume and 50-300 microns resolution.

The Ditto Pro can print one color at a time and works with PLA filament. It also sports quick-swap extruder nozzle with auto temperature adjustment for consistent printing and minimal downtime. The removable glass build platform is designed for better adhesion. The quick release system allows you to access and remove printed object easily.

http://www.tinkerines.com/store/3d-printers/ditto-pro/

Singapore company launches a Kickstarter campaign for their new 3D printer, Amaker.

The team says the printer is equipped with next generation controller boards and dual ARM 32 bit processors. The printer has a sleek design and aluminum structure. It features integrated threaded lead screw stepper motors for precise motion control.

"Designed with users' experience in mind, we've added a full color touch screen LCD to allow easy control of the entire printer," says Shufen Yeo, Amaker3D's co-founder. "Various printer actions have been coded into selectable utilities for easy activation via LCD. Amaker 3D printer empowers users to print in multi colors. Users can easily switch colors anytime during the printing process."

https://www.amaker3d.com

High speed, high resolution DLP 3D printer Titan 1

Inspired by an article "A third industrial revolution" from "The Economist" magazine, Tedd Syao started Kudo3D in 2012 aiming to make a perfect tool for anybody interested to explore the potential of 3D printer. Kudo3D's first product is Titan 1, an easy to use and upgradable desktop DLP Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printer. DLP Projector based printers have been gaining in popularity in the last few years. The projector shines on the surface of a liquid plastic resin that hardens when exposed to a certain wavelength of light. The light draws and hardens a layer at a time until the entire model is built. www.Kudo3D.com

Z Morph 3D printer

After the success at CeBIT 2014 in Hanover, ZMorph3D, a Polish manufacturer of 3D printers and software, announced plans to raise cash through a public stock offering. The company said it plans to use proceeds from the offering to increase production capacity. The website: http://zmorph3d.com/index.php/en

Germany's VoxelJet opens factory in US!

German 3D printing company Voxeljet will locate its first U.S. facility in Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder announced this week as he and his delegation completed their third day of his 2014 Europe mission.

http://www.voxeljet.de/