- 3D Printing Helps Women Veterans Create Prosthetics Made Just for Them (3dprint.com)
October 16, 2015
Because of the expense involved with creating most artificial limbs, especially legs, there tends to be a uniformity and utilitarianism in design that make them all look alike. So while prosthetic limbs generally function for both men and women, more men tend to have limbs amputated than women, so most prostheses end up working more for men than women. Not only do they not look the way that a woman may want her prosthesis to look, but quite often they simply don’t work for some of the unique needs of a female amputee.
- Project Runway’s 3D Printed Looks Available at Cubify (3dprintingindustry.com)
October 16, 2015
It’s been almost two years since Justin LeBlanc’s 3D printed wares graced the catwalk on Lifetime’s hit series, Project Runway. Since then, a countless number of designers have found ways to integrate the technology into their clothing, shoes, and accessories. But, given the inherit 3D modeling skills necessary to create such pieces and the time it takes to 3D print such elaborate pieces as Dita Von Teese’s 3D printed gown, the tech just wasn’t quite fit for a true Project Runway challenge. Tonight, the show proved, however, that they could make it work, but that they’d need 3D Systems’ new Fabricate line of 3D printed textiles to do so.
- Wednesday Roundup: Ten 3D Printable Things–Marvel Comics Superhero Costumes (3dprint.com)
October 14, 2015
It’s October, so you know what that means: Halloween is on its way! So it’s time to start worrying about what you’re going to wear for the big night.
In honor of Marvel’s recently announced Ant-Man and The Wasp movie and three new unnamed movies being added to their line-up of mega-successful comic book inspired superhero movies, what better costume could there be than for a Marvel character? So I scoured the internet and found ten of the best 3D printable Marvel Props and Costumes that the world of 3D printing has to offer.
- Designer Ryan Pennings 3D prints gorgeous algorithmic Percy Stools using industrial Kuka robot (3ders.org)
October 6, 2015
Increasingly, even the world of furniture design is becoming aware of 3D printing technology, though most examples of printed furniture don’t exactly look like they’ve been FDM 3D printed. Layers are sanded off, or hidden beneath cloth or other components. But is that completely necessary? Fortunately, Australian student and industrial designer Ryan Pennings has decided to completely embrace the layered look. Ryan’s Percy stools are fantastic and brightly colored creations that – with the help of industrial 3D printing – proudly show off really thick layers.
- Staples.com Now Selling XYZprinting’s 3D Printer Line (3dprintingindustry.com)
October 6, 2015
XYZprinting has had a lot of new and innovative tricks up its sleeves, as of late, as they try to solidify their standing as one of the world’s leading consumer 3D printing companies, recently adding a vast array of 3D printers, such as the da Vinci 1.0 Pro, to their already wide-ranging product line. The Taiwanese-based company has now found their da Vinci printers and specialized filaments a home with Staples, the office supply chain who will now be featuring XYZprinting’s products for sale on their website. The 3D printing company’s partnership with Staples is aimed to supply small businesses and educational institutions with access to affordable 3D printing technology.
- 3DNA 3D prints amazing Hearthstone cards and 40 cm tall Ekko from League of Legends (3ders.org)
October 16, 2015
It’s no secret that the video game world is an actual treasure trove of material for 3D printing projects, but some franchises are more suitable than others. Filled with fantastic and imaginative characters and weapons and high replay factors, Blizzard’s Warcraft franchise and Riot Games’s League of Legends are insanely popular for a good reason, and also regularly subject of 3D printed tributes. However, few projects have been as impressive as those by London-based design team 3DNA, which have just shared some amazing projects: a series of very cool 3D playing cards from Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft and even a 40 cm tall amazingly detailed Ekko from League of Legends.
- Airwolf 3D’s AXIOM Enters the Discovery Cube OC (airwolf3d.com)
October 15, 2015
Earlier this month, Airwolf 3D’s co-founders Erick and Eva Wolf donated one of their brand new AXIOM printers to the Discovery Cube of Orange County. The Discovery Cube received their new machine and quickly went to work implementing it into their upcoming Halloween exhibit, ”Spooky Science”, where children will receive the opportunity to learn about bugs, bones, 3D printing, x-rays, holograms and enjoy live demonstrations with liquid nitrogen and dry ice.
- 3D Printing Will Play a Central Role in the 2016 Met Gala and Fashion Exhibition (3dprint.com)
October 14, 2015
Every year New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute throws a gala to raise money for the museum’s benefit. And while that may sound like a stuffy party for rich old people, it is actually a stuffy party for rich old people that happens to be also be attended by a bunch of celebrities and fashion industry leaders. The Met Gala also happens to officially kick off the Costume Institute annual fashion exhibition, which sets the tone for the Gala. Guests, and all of the invited celebrities and wannabe celebrities, are expected to not only fork over some cash for the museum, but come to the event dressed to match the party’s theme.
- MatterHackers Releases MatterControl 1.4 with Remote 3D Printer Control and Cloud Storage (3dprint.com)
October 6, 2015
3D printing supplies and software developer MatterHackers--a company we’ve enjoyed following for some time now–has just released the newest version of their open source MatterControl 3D printing software. The MatterControl 1.4 update brings a grip of new features and upgraded functionality designed to streamline and simplify the 3D printing workflow. The focus seems to be on connectivity, with free cloud storage, web-based 3D printer controls and new compatibility with several more models of desktop 3D printers. And they even added in a new feature to easily create prints optimized for the visually impaired.
- Use 3Doodler to create new heads for Star Wars: The Force Awakens BB-8 Droid toy (3ders.org)
October 6, 2015
Earlier this year, when the first teaser trailer was unveiled for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, the internet virtually exploded. Fans cheered, cried, and argued about what they had witnessed: new Jedi (21 seconds), a Sith Lord with a bizarrely safety-conscious lightsaber (52 seconds), and a droid resembling the Mitre football I used to play with at school (27 seconds). That spherical droid, named BB-8, has been made into a phone/tablet-controlled toy, which looks like a stroke of business genius on the part of Sphero, its creators. The must-have item, sold out in a number of places, is shaping up to be 2015’s number one Christmas gift. 3Doodler, the company behind our favourite 3D printing pen, have seemingly bought into the Star Wars toy hype as much as we have. After having a play with the remote-controlled BB-8 and noticing its detachable magnetic head, they decided to 3D print some replacement nobs. Now, using a 3Doodler, you can transform your BB-8 into a rolling R2D2, a spherical Skywalker, a dome-shaped Darth Vader, or a lurching Leia. You can also turn it into a French pirate.
- Taiwan’s ITRI Showcases Metal 3D Printed Saxophone (3dprint.com)
October 16, 2015
Guitars. Violins — both acoustic and electric. Cellos. Drum sets and Indian tabla drum pairs. The saxophone… 3D printing musical instruments is becoming more common, but it is not necessarily an easy process to get the sound right. The most recent 3D printed instrument to hit the news comes from Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI),which has successfully completed the printing of perhaps the most popular woodwind instrument. Whenever I write about 3D printed instruments, I usually emphasize how “ancient” the instrument is compared to how “futuristic” 3D technology — emphasizing the merging of the traditional with the modern. But I can’t take that angle for this story. Why? Because the saxophone, which was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolph Sax in 1840, isn’t that old.
- Researchers Create a Fully Articulated 3D Printed Soft Robot Octopus Tentacle (3dprint.com)
October 15, 2015
I’ll be the first to admit that there is a lot of humor to be had in the fact that scientists 3D printed an articulated tentacle, and trust me the amount of effort required to avoid making shokushu goukan (do not google that) jokes is monumental. But the concepts behind soft robotics are hard to laugh at considering the potential that the field of study represents. If you don’t know what a soft robot it, it is essentially a robot without any mechanical parts that mimics the movements and behaviors of biological systems. Researchers studying soft robotics study the way that biological systems work and look for ways to apply those biological mechanisms to engineering problems.
- Makerarm multifunction personal fabricator & 3D printer launches on Kickstarter (3ders.org)
October 6, 2015
Earlier this year, we reported on the Makerarm multi-purpose personal fabricator and 3D printer, an exciting robotic arm that combines 3D printing, plotting, milling, pick and place, laser engraving, PCB assembly, cake icing, and even more. As Alec put it, “If this is the future of 3D printing and making, we can’t wait. But of course previews always try to sell you the moon and we’ll just have to wait and see if it delivers.” Today, the Makerarm has launched on Kickstarter, bringing at least some answers to our many questions.
- 11-year-old 3D printed diabetes test-strip device wins him a trip to NASA (3ders.org)
October 6, 2015
Kids will be kids, and if they have one thing in common, it’s that they hate cleaning up after themselves. The ubiquitous parental plea to “clean your room!” and “pick your things off the floor!” can be heard from Taipei to Mexico to Birmingham. Yet one boy in Canberra, Australia, has channeled that nagging into an innovative, prize-winning 3D printed invention. Tired of getting into trouble for leaving his diabetes test strips on the floor at home, 11-year-old William Grame came up with the idea to 3D print a device that can safely and hygienically save up to 50 used test strips at a time before needing to be emptied. Competing against over 850 students in the Origin Energy littleBIGidea competition, Grame’s ingenuity has won him the grand prize: a trip to the Mecca of scientific innovation itself, NASA.