This focus, combined with full-color 3D printing, was a major point of discussion in a recent webinar detailing how Shapeways produces high quality parts, time after time, complemented by manufacturing partnerships with other industry leaders like Mimaki. 

Enriching 3D Printed Parts with Full Color

3D printing in High Definition Full Color allows for vibrantly colored 3D models and miniatures with intensive detail, but that does not mean that the design process has to be more complicated for Shapeways customers. With exciting, powerful technology performing the bulk of the work, designers also have the opportunity to choose from over ten million colors for applications requiring high quality in production, to include:

• Medicine – Surgical prep models can be created with unprecedented photorealism; for example, anatomically correct 3D printed medical models are produced with rich colors representing human organs like the heart.
• Architecture and Real Estate – Designers and developers can make it possible to envision what the entire structure of a neighborhood block will look like, arranging buildings as well as indicating detailed landscapes, roadways, and bridges.
• Gaming – Countless variations are possible for customized characters and other miniatures, with the ability to offer the finest detail imaginable–right down to the shading in a feather or the breadth of a hair.

Shapeways brings many years of quality control in 3D printing to accompany Mimaki’s perspective in producing impressive hardware, as well as great expertise in reproducing color.

Designing 3D Printing Files for Success 

Knowledge of 3D printing basics, the principles of design, and the use of modeling tools and modifiers to make adjustments is necessary to creating suitable geometries. The desired result in designing a model is clean mesh geometry that is easy to edit when choosing edges and faces, and subdividing–in comparison with a messy topology that could present difficulty later. 

The basics of good file creation also include understanding what is required to work with specific 3D printers, considering requirements like:

• Part size
• Supports
• Fittings and assemblies
• Specific 3D printing materials
• Manufacturing environment
• Tolerances and clearances

Color can be applied to 3D mesh through texturing or directly into the mesh. When adding color to a 3D design, it helps to clearly define the purpose of the model first, considering how thick the color layer will be and how it will affect even minimal features. It’s also critical to understand how certain file types carry color; for example, while many are able to carry colors in high definition, an .stl file can only carry a solid color.

Uploading the 3D Model Activates the Quality Control Process

Quality management is activated as soon as a designer uploads a 3D model to Shapeways. This process is the catalyst for setting the entire 3D printing journey in motion. Once the file is uploaded, the designer receives an instant quote generated according to volume, price of materials, factory costs, and other details. 

The next step is file analysis, one of the main practices for ensuring a quality 3D printed product.

In some cases, customers are able to upload their 3D models successfully; however, if a file is not suitable for printing, the problem is usually due to a common issue like lack of compatibility between the design and 3D printing material guidelines, rejections for weak geometries, details, or wall thickness. 

Personalized feedback is available for file fixing, and the goal of Shapeways is to regenerate any models that may not initially have been possible to 3D print without correction by the designer. This could involve help from the User Application Team at Shapeways too, with analysis and assistance meant to provide the best in quality management overall.

“We are there to help with any and all questions about design, materials, or the processes that make our customers’ models come to life,” says Zach Dillon, User Application Team Lead at Shapeways.

Defining 3D Printing Quality Management, Assurance, and Control

As a long-time leader in additive manufacturing, Shapeways has a comprehensive quality management system, which oversees all the processes required for making quality products and offering the best in customer service too. 

The quality management process encompasses all aspects of planning quality assurance in terms of continued attention paid to products during the course of manufacturing, as well as quality control in 3D printing to monitor progress and then finalize operations with testing and inspection of 3D prints. The last step is in delivering a meticulously manufactured product to the customer, free of any defect or damage.

Every 3D print is just as important as any other, no matter the scale, in terms of excellence in manufacturing, and care for quality from the beginning. For many designers, the ability to add full color for greater depth sets their 3D prints apart, along with relying on Shapeways for advanced technology and rigorous quality management. 

To find out more about how Shapeways 3D prints for full color with Mimaki technology, check out the recent webinar, ‘File Preparation for Texture Based Full Color 3D Printing,’ here.

About Shapeways

Enjoy the benefits of this advanced technology and a wide range of materials from Shapeways for 3D printing your creations with accuracy, complex detail, and no minimum or limits in terms of mass customization or single part orders. Shapeways has worked with over 1 million customers in 160 countries to 3D print over 21 million parts! Read about case studies, find out more about Shapeways additive manufacturing solutions, and get instant quotes here.

The post Quality Control Leads to Excellence in Full Color 3D Printing appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

3D printing helps make the process much less expensive and time consuming. Because 3D printed structures are relatively quick to produce, this makes them an ideal solution for emergency and low income housing. It also allows for the use of unconventional shapes and textures that would be highly expensive to create otherwise. 3D printing is also more environmentally friendly, as it is possible to print using raw soil and waste from the rice production chain or print using our overabundance of plastic. 

There are many intriguing examples of completed and ongoing 3D printed house projects appearing all over the world. Here are just a few of those.

Source: 3DWasp

The Gaia Earth House

In Italy, Crane WASP Technology created Gaia, a house made out of natural materials from the surrounding area. They developed a compound composed of 25% of soil taken from the site (30% clay, 40% silt and 30% sand), 40% from straw chopped rice, 25% rice husk and 10% hydraulic lime to print the house. It has almost no environmental impact and does not need any heating or air conditioning in winter or summer.

Source: Dezeen

The Succulent Ceramic Tiled Shed

After a housing shortage in the San Francisco Bay Area, restrictions on accessory dwellings were loosened allowing people to build extra housing in backyards. A company called Emerging Objects created a 120 square foot 3D printed backyard shed, the front of which is completely covered with 3D printed succulent planters. The roof and the rear and side facades are covered in a 3D printed ceramic screen composed of 4,500 ceramic tiles.

Source: HuaSheng Tengda

The 45 Day Villa

In China, a company called HuaSheng Tengda printed a 400 square foot villa live and on-site in 45 days. The 250mm thick walls of the villa were printed using 20 tons of C30-grade concrete making it highly durable. It was even found to be able to withstand an earthquake up to a level eight on the Richter Scale after seismic testing.

Source: Icon

New Story + ICON’s 3D Printed Community in Tabasco, Mexico

New Story, a non-profit organization building affordable and secure homes for those in need has partnered with Austin, Texas based ICON to create a community of 3D printed homes granted to families in extreme poverty or unsafe shelters. These 500 square foot homes feature 2 bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and bath and were each printed in 24 hours over several days by ICON’s Vulcan II.

These projects illustrate the wide range of possibility that 3D printing offers the architecture world. It shows that it is becoming more and more possible to create secure, environmentally friendly and affordable homes for more people not only expanding design innovation and opportunity but providing relief for those in need.

The post 4 Incredible Examples Of 3D Printed Homes appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

The Housewarming Party Heard ‘Round the World

We’ve been making huge advances recently (‘we’ being humans) in printing structures. From bridges to bus shelters, these experiments have been pretty literally laying the foundation of all the 3D printed structures to come. Then, this month, SXSW happened. And during the always-hyped 10-day festival of innovation, music, film, and whatever else the organizers decide, New Story and ICON’s 3D printed house stole the show. Developed to eventually cost $4,000 and take no more than 12-24 hours to print, it’s destined for use in developing areas that need sturdy housing. The quick-drying cement used by Icon’s specially-produced Vulcan printer is stronger than traditional concrete. Plus, the house’s desert-chic aesthetic is so hot right now.

Take the full tour below:

Italian architect Massimiliano Locatelli has been teasing a similar 3D printed showplace to be unveiled during next month’s Milan Salone del Mobile — this time with fancier fixtures. Follow his Instagram for updates and, we hope, unbearably chic instas from the show.

BUILD A BIG IDEA

It’s actually rocket science

Why 3D print a rocket? “Rockets are the lightest-weight, most expensive, largest, difficult-to-make thing, that really 3-D printing is the optimal solution for.” That’s coming from Relativity co-founder Tim Ellis, whose company is using the largest metal 3D printer in the world to construct rocket elements (today) and fully 3D printed spacecraft (tomorrow). The printer is (super-nerdily, super-awesomely) named Stargate. Learn more at Futurism, and watch PBS’s interview with Tim Ellis (and other 3D printing wizards) below.

Put these contacts in with your robot hand

Researchers at Northwestern University worked their butts off to solve the trickiest of challenges: creating smooth, layer-less lenses with our favorite layer-by-layer manufacturing technique. After more than 100 tries, the resulting lenses are low-cost, high-quality, and fast-printing. Said Cheng Sun, whose lab developed the process, “Up until now, we relied heavily on the time-consuming and costly process of polishing lenses. With 3D printing, now you have the freedom to design and customize a lens quickly.” This means custom contact lenses, microscopes on iPhones, better imaging during things like endoscopic surgeries — but probably not better selfies.

But what about this robot hand? It’s actually the first fully 3D printed bionic arm, and thanks to Open Bionics, it will be available in April for purchase. The Hero Arm can be endlessly customized in terms of its appearance and fit, and it’s much, much cheaper than the next-least-expensive bionic arm on the market. The name derives from the fact that the company has custom-made a few prototypes that are based on superhero characters. But, an inexpensive bionic arm is also kind of a hero in and of itself. See it in action (hero mode) below.

Even better than the ugly sneaker trend

The 3D printed shoe proto-trend became even more fun this month when Reebok got into the game with its Liquid Floatride sneaker drop. Adidas, New Balance, and Under Armour have already brought some offerings to market, and now that Reebok’s Liquid Factory (where a proprietary material is responsible for the kicks’ 3D printed elements) is up and running, our 3D print-shod future is looking so, so cool.

3D Print Your Robotics Needs

Learn how you can utilize 3D printing for robotics use. Contact us today to let us know how we can help.

ROBOTICS PRINTING SOLUTIONS

The post The Month in 3D Printing: South by Southwest Builds the Dream appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Florida Man’s Best Tale Yet

We’ve all had some fun with the Florida Man meme from time to time. But just as the only reason that that meme exists is Florida’s amazing open records law, not all Florida Man reports have unhappy (or weird) stories behind them. St. Petersburg, Florida man Francisco Piedra fell onto some hard luck when a side effect of a medication used during heart surgery left him a quadruple amputee. Unable to afford the prosthetics he needed, Piedra relied on the help of the Hanger Clinic for his legs and the volunteers of e-NABLE for 3D printed prosthetic hands. Read more of the heartwarming tale here. And never laugh at another Florida Man story again (unless it involves alligators).

Want to 3D Print Your Medical Needs? We can help.

A simple model like this one can be used to create 3D printed prosthetics for patients like Francisco Piedra (Photo by IntelFreePress on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-SA)

Blowing Up Your Feed

Ok, this story might not go viral, but a printer that can print layers of explosives’ components, eliminating the need for humans to touch each of those components or the final, explosive mixture — well, that’s actually a very big deal. A group of researchers at Purdue University developed a specialized printer with a mobile print bed (rather than a moveable nozzle), which builds an ignitable nanothermite material out of layers of other nanomaterials. Discover the explosive final feat of the research at Interesting Engineering.

Like a FitBit for Your Fiddle-Leaf Fig

The Internet of Things has now extended to plants: Iowa State University has developed “tattoo sensors” that attach to leaves. These “wearables” can measure the transpiration from plants, so scientists can develop plants with greater drought-resistance. The sensors are also cheap — costing, ultimately, cents. Learn all the details here, and remember: one day your plants will be able to tell you when you’ve been neglecting them.

Photo courtesy Iowa State University

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

The more a 3D print differs from its original file, the more compromised its ability to do the job it’s being printed for. It’s a problem that will only get bigger as everything from cars to spaceships get 3D printed parts. Fortunately a group of North Dakota researchers has made progress in solving it. Using sensor data from digital imaging, their just-patented system either compares the print with a reference print or with its CAD model in real time, as the print progresses. Learn how routine printer maintenance birthed this brilliance here.

Sick Burn

This year’s Burning Man will feature a digitally fabricated Temple (a central feature of Black Rock City, which you can learn more about here). The design, called Galaxia, will center around a 3D printed mandala. Somewhat sadly, the structure will be built, only to be destroyed. In Silicon Valley, this is considered profound. See more gorgeous photos of the planned structure here.

Photo courtesy Mamou-Mani

The post The Week in 3D Printing: Florida Man Wins, Explosive Prints, Wearables for Plants, Safer AM, and a 3D Printed Burn appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

How long have you been working with models?

About five years. I couldn’t find modern miniature furniture in 1:12 scale on the market, so then I started producing them for my own needs. The logical next step was to offer the designs I worked on in a Shapeways shop to other modern mini enthusiasts as well. That is how my Modern Dollhouse shop came about.

How did you learn to make 3D models?

Ha, that is something I still haven’t tried yet! I’ve taken classes, but I decided find help for this part. My strengths and interests lie in building these doll houses manually. So I find full-size files from sites like TurboSquid, Design Connected, and others. I then have them reduced to 1:12 scale by a designer I was connected with here on Shapeways — Vijay Paul of Dotsan. I do have a local friend that I work with sometimes, but Vijay always gets it done right and we’ve developed a great rapport over the years, so we’re usually on the same page, and his pricing works perfectly for me. Even if we’re not, we always get it sorted after a couple of emails. However, I do look forward to the day that we can talk in person.

The extraordinary Antler Chandelier by Modern Dollhouse

Which project are you the most proud of and why?

Probably the antler chandelier. There was a lot of detail in that piece, and it took quite a few talks with my designer to get this just right. But I’m really happy with how that one turned out. Another tricky one was getting the the corner pieces for the shipping containers to fit together just right. [Check out Marion’s Instagram slideshow of the incredible completed shipping container home, above. -Ed.]

Your models are incredibly lifelike. They look like they’ve been ripped out of an interior designer’s portfolio. Do you have experience in the professional architecture/interior design space?

Architecture and interior design are things that have always interested me. I’ve never done anything professionally, but I have renovated a few houses and apartments in my time. Through those experiences I developed my own style, which is pretty lean and uncluttered. But I have to admit… even I had a Laura Ashley phase at one point in my life!

All the fixtures in this bathroom can be found in Marion’s Modern Dollhouse shop

Do you feel you’ve kind of become an interior designer by proxy?

If you ask my friends they’ll tell you that they rely on my advice and the designs I do in my spare time. When working on a new design, I use Live Interior 3D Pro for both full-size and miniature houses.

Where do you find your inspiration for your models?

Together with some friends, I do architectural trips all over Europe, and they’re totally inspiring! I still have plans for some Bauhaus and Corbusier models. Honestly, the list never gets smaller. Eventually I will have a storage issue, though…

A selection of chairs, lighting, bathroom, and storage pieces by Modern Dollhouse

Take us through your process. How do you decide what to make?

Let’s say I want a specific chair for a setting: I track down a 3D file somewhere, send it to the designer, and give him the size specs. He then reduces to spec and from there, we see whether they’re fit for printing in the Shapeways material I want. Then I order a prototype to make sure that the scale is perfect. If not, we adjust and reprint until it’s just right. I then polish and paint it, take photos and then offer it for sale to others in my shop.

And after all the time you spend to get your product just right, how does it feel to finally hold that finished piece in your hand?

I am always totally excited when the parcel arrives from the Netherlands! Is the size right? Do I have to do a lot of polishing? Did nothing break?

1:12 Scale Director’s Chairs and Sidetable

How has 3D printing changed how you operate?

3D printing gives me the possibility of designing an interior exactly how I visualize it. In those rare cases that I can’t find a design, then I have to find alternatives. However, I’ve found that most companies are really helpful. For instance, I wanted a washing basket and contacted Rotho, a company that produces them in full size. In a flash, they sent me a file for a model they’re not producing any longer — just like that!

How has Shapeways helped you do business?

Running my shop has always been easy and uncomplicated. The first time Shapeways did a little feature on me really made an impact. However, most of my customers see my work via my other social media sites or my blog. Most mini builders work in Victorian or similar styles, so I like offering the things I like to use personally.

Bathroom fixtures by Modern Dollhouse

What would you say is the best thing about Shapeways community?

Exchanging ideas, suggest improvements, even voicing disappointment! I personally would love to see Shapeways somehow help us deal with shipping logistics to Australia: trying to get a couple of my files printed and sent there was prohibitively expensive.

What do you strive to bring to the scale modeling space? When do you feel you’re accomplishing that goal?

The most important thing is true scale. My quality standards are pretty high — if it is not good enough for me, I would never offer it to others. My aim is that my models look like the real thing and you only notice that it is a model house when you really analyze tiny details.

1:12 Lampshade hanging 3cm diameter by Modern Dollhouse

Finally, what does the future hold for you? What plans do you have moving forward for your model-making?

More house models! Different contemporary styles requiring different kind of interiors.

You can find Marion’s storefront here, and don’t forget to check out her website for her adventures around Europe. She’s also got a Pinterest, an Instagram, and a Facebook, all centered around making and showcasing amazing 1:12 miniatures.

All Photos courtesy of Marion Russek.

The post Is This the Next Tiny House Movement? appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Gemert, the Netherlands’ 3D printed cycling bridge

3D printed construction and infrastructure projects have been executed and teased for years. Last year, the first fully 3D printed office was erected in Dubai. And now, Winsun is collaborating with Saudi Arabia to print over 1.5 million houses over the next five years.

Bridges, however, seem to be a transitional kind of object, allowing for experimentation with 3D printing materials and designs in a challenging, but ultimately limited construction project. To see this in action, let’s take a look at how 3D printed bridges are being developed and how they are changing the scene for 3D printed construction and the construction industry at large.

Just to get one thing clear, we are starting out small with these bridges. They’re essentially prototypes to help us identify and solve a lot of engineering challenges inherent in 3D printed construction. In Spain, we have a 12-meter long pedestrian bridge. In Amsterdam and Gemert, the Netherlands, bridges that stand at about 8 meters long. In Japan, Obayashi Corporation’s bridge is so small a child can step across in two strides.

Gemert, the Netherlands’ 3D printed cycling bridge during installation

In terms of materials, bridges are a great place to start because they really only require one material — concrete. Of course, there are many ways to print out concrete. In Spain, the pedestrian bridge was made from concrete powder that is micro-reinforced with thermoplastic polypropylene. In Gemert, the recent cycle bridge boasts being the first bridge to be printed with steel-reinforced concrete, allowing it to support the weight of 40 trucks at a time.

By applying parametric design to the pedestrian bridge in Spain, concrete was printed only where necessary, reducing the waste, cost, and time required by traditional concrete pouring.

If you’ve seen desktop 3D printers, you know that they can be as small as a proverbial bread box. One of the obstacles with 3D printed construction is the size of the printers themselves, since standard models — whether desktop or industrial — have a set bounding box that limits the size of prints. For construction companies, one solution is to enlarge the entire machine, which is what Eindhoven University of Technology did when creating their concrete printing machine. It can print sections up to 11 meters long, 5 meters wide and 4 meters high.

The other direction to go is to implement a six-axis robotic arm that is not restricted by surface area but rather will print wherever you program it to. This is the approach Holland’s MX3D has taken to enable more creative design and unrestricted sizes. With these free-moving robots, onsite construction is indeed a possibility.

Speaking of robots, 3D printing construction dramatically reduces labor costs. Along with that comes reduction of labor-related injuries as well as need for and production of tools. For construction workers worried about the future of their employment, Theo Salet, a professor from Eindhoven University of Technology, says these jobs will not disappear. Rather they will adjust to these new processes of manufacturing, mainly to “build and maintain the robots.”

Bridges serve a mostly straightforward purpose — to support enough weight to provide transportation grounds over two pieces of land or over a body of water. But Eindhoven University of Technology believes these are a starting point to exploring how to integrate smart components to control temperature, lighting, and security, while taking advantage of additive manufacturing to add “strengthening agents, insulation, and even dirt repellants” into walls.

When can we expect to see these innovations in action? MX3D‘s smart steel bridge will be completed in Amsterdam by 2018. It will be printed with a sensor network that will continuously update engineers on the health status of the bridge through a 3D computer model.

Clearly, 3D printed bridges’ time has come, generating innovations that will pave the way for more sophisticated building construction on a much grander scale. For a full overview of current 3D printing construction projects, bridges and beyond, check out this comprehensive rundown. Today, 3D printed construction is an industry full of promise. What do you think? Will we end up living in vast 3D printed cities, or will the technology remain limited to high-profile vanity projects? Let us know your thoughts on the future of 3D printed construction and infrastructure in the comments below.

The post Why 3D Printed Bridges? Why Now? appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

When the print bed covers serious acreage

Cazza is a Silicon Valley 3D printing construction startup with plans that might not be out of this world, like those of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge, but they do nearly reach the stratosphere. As GineersNow reported, the United Arab Emirates has set an ambitious goal of 3D printing 25% of new buildings in Dubai by 2030. There’s informed speculation that this could mean a 3D printed skyscraper from our friends at Cazza. CEO Chris Kelsey doesn’t deny it, but he does say that the 3D printers needed will be developed “within the next five years.” That should give the Cazza team plenty of time to put together the magic combination of tools that will deliver unheard-of efficiencies and bespoke engineering solutions. We’ll keep our eyes on the sky.

Nintendo did not see this one coming

It turns out that cheap 3D ultrasounds were not as far away as we thought. That’s all thanks to physician Josh Broder, who, inspired by a Nintendo Wii gaming experience, took the microchip that tracks Wii controllers in space and put it to a new use. With researchers from Duke and Stanford, he developed a cheap 3D printed casing for the microchip — one that connects easily to all commercially available ultrasound probes. With the casing and chip attached, a normal ultrasound machine gains imaging capabilities closer to exponentially more expensive methods: MRI and CT scans. Plus, it can now take lots of very cute 3D fetus pics.

Read the whole story at New Atlas, and see it in action below:

Steel yourself, old steel

It’s hard-to-impossible to traditionally manufacture steel that is both incredible strong and ductile (that’s flexible and resilient, in laypeople speak). But, as phys.org reported this week, a supergroup of researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Library, Ames National Laboratory, Georgia Tech, and Oregon State University have used 3D printing to do just that. Their new marine-grade stainless steel, called 316L, is 3D printed from models that make use of steel’s underlying microstructure to break the strength-ductility tradeoff barrier. And, the discovery was kind of an accident. As Lawrence Livermore scientist Alex Hamza put it, “We didn’t set out to make something better than traditional manufacturing; it just worked out that way.”

If the gas fits…

There are a lot of reasons to find new ways to get rid of methane (ahem, global warming, ahem), but one of the most exciting we’ve heard about, for obvious reasons, is turning it into a thermoplastic that can be used in 3D printing. You can read the (science-rich) full story at 3Ders.org, but in short: Funded by a grant from the NSF, Montana State University researchers are exploring using the methane-producing microbes in Yellowstone National Park to produce plastics. While we dream of scaling up to a world-impacting solution, the scientists are at the early stages of exploring how to make these methane microbes make organic compounds that could become plastics. But we see which way the wind is blowing.

The post The Week in 3D Printing: Mile-High Prints, Wii-Inspired Innovation, a Material Stronger Than Steel, and Methane Plastic appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

#DutchPride, Part Deux

The Netherlands is really making this Dutch-born company feel all warm and fuzzy lately. First, the world’s first 3D printed cycling bridge opened in Gemert, and now, Amsterdam is on the verge of welcoming 3D printed floors and an even cooler 3D printed bridge to its historic environs. Yes, we’re bragging. Learn more at FastCoDesign and Slash Gear.

Beating Cancer, One 3D Print at a Time

Last week we encountered a 3D printed sternum. Now, the BBC brings us the story of a woman saved with a 3D printed titanium jawbone. The implant represents a vast improvement over the old take-some-fibula-and-make-it-work method. Heck, 3D printing has even improved that old-fashioned fibula jaw implant method by providing a 3D model of the patient’s jawbone that can be used to cut precisely fitting pieces of the fibula. These latest successes could mean a future where no bone is unrepairable.

Interested in 3D printing for your medical needs? We can help.

3D printed jaw implant recipient Debbie Hawkins and her medical team (image via ABM Health Board)

Multi-Material Magic

Silicone 3D printing has been a somewhat elusive goal, but German 3D printer company ACEO has reached it, and then some. As TCT reported, the company will debut multi-material silicone 3D printing at Form Next in Frankfurt next month. “Silicones of different colors, hardness or even chemical or physical properties can now be placed independent from each other at any given point throughout the process,” explained Dr. Bernd Pachaly, the project lead. This could have all kinds of applications in medical modeling, product development, and mass manufacturing of silicone 3D prints. And, it’s a big step toward printing multi-material machines and biomimicking models. That means we’re just a little bit closer to the “Star Trek replicator” dream.

A piece of multi-material 3D printed silicone (Photo: ACEO®; Wacker Chemie AG)

Threat…itunity!

What’s a threatitunity? I’m so glad you asked. It’s that combination of a clearly foreseeable challenge (threat) and the time needed to develop the tools to face it (opportunity). And that is what we have on our hands with 3D printing cybersecurity. As the Harvard Business Review discussed this week, hacks could lead to the physical instability of printed parts, which can pose incredible dangers, obviously, but also the kind of product recall nightmares that keep employees, CEOs, and shareholders up at night. If we can’t solve this, the era of mass manufacturing with 3D printing is threatened. Thankfully, as the technology develops, novel solutions are coming to light. Challenges + brains = innovations. And that’s a threatitunity.

The post The Week in 3D Printing: Dutch Much?, No Bones About It, Innovations — and Threatitunities appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

But, what about the moon?

Thanks to NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge, we’ve been hearing a lot about building habitats on Mars. But what about Earth’s moon, our first love, in terms of extraplanetary travel? The last time it got some attention was 2013, when Yutu, a Chinese rover, took a spin on its dusty face. Well, the Google Lunar XPRIZE is reviving the moonshot, awarding prizes from five to $30 million for successful unmanned lunar rover landings. One team in the competition, SpaceIL, is planning to use 3D printing to build their lunar lander’s legs, as reported by Industry Week. The lofty goals of the competition include habitats on the moon’s surface, so keep an eye out for future 3D printed lunar applications — far sooner than on that red planet that gets all the attention.

Learn the (pretty darn inspiring) story of SpaceIL here:

Implanting the future

An Australian team has successfully implanted its second 3D printed sternum. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Melbourne-based medical implant company Anatomics created the implant out of titanium and Anatomics’ PoreStar porous polyethylene material. The patient, Penelope Heller, is the first American to receive such an implant, and this is the first surgery of its kind on U.S. soil. The possibilities of medical 3D printing are becoming more obvious every day, but this is one of the first concrete realizations of that incredible potential. After covering Form Prosthetics this week, I’m beginning to think that the Aussies are in the lead when it comes to turning us all bionic. But I’m not whinging about it.

Do do that Voodoo that you do so well

PLA-only 3D printing shop Voodoo is jumping into the fourth industrial revolution with both feet, incorporating advanced robotics into its 3D printing factory. As ZDNet reported, Voodoo is making use of cobots, or collaborative robots, which are both easier to program and safer when it comes to working around people. The bots harvest prints from build plates, 24 hours a day. That means more printers in use, more money for Voodoo, and faster turnaround times. Win-win-win.

See the cobot in action here:

So proud!

As anyone familiar with Shapeways knows, we’re a Dutch company that just happens to have its HQ in NYC. So, we felt a twinge of pride this week when the first (successfully completed) 3D printed bridge debuted in the Netherlands. Led by a team from the Eindhoven University of Technology and BAM Infra, the bridge is the first 3D printed concrete structure to be put into use. But we know it won’t be the last.

See how the BAM printer works here (audio is in Dutch):

YOU WERE SO CLOSE

Bill Masters filed a patent for 3D printing technology in 1984, before Chuck Hull, the “father of 3D printing” launched his first machine. And the idea had struck him eight years earlier. So, why isn’t Bill credited rightly as our forefather? Limitations in computing power had a lot to do with it, as this Ozy feature makes clear — but also, Masters had other things to worry about. Namely, running the most successful whitewater boating business of the 1980s, Perception Kayaks. Now, we think Masters deserves his due. We’re revising the family tree, Bill.

Bill Masters in a Perception Kayak (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The post THE RETURN of The Week in 3D Printing appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Mass MoCA museum director Thomas Krens and architect Frank Gehry examine a preliminary model of the proposed museum (image via Extreme Railroading)

“Frank Gehry to Design Museum for Architectural Gems (and Model Trains),” the New York Times headline read — as if the trains were secondary. In reality, model trains take top billing in a 75,000 square foot space that will span multiple blocks, and reproduce diverse regions and their railroads. Each set of trains and scenery will be recreated at the same monumental scale, with structures like the Empire State Building reaching up to 12 meters (40 feet) tall.

Krens and Gehry scope out a teaser model of the Empire State Building (image via Extreme Railroading)

The project is the brainchild of Mass MoCA museum director Thomas Krens, who has also worked with Gehry on four other museums including the celebrated Guggenheim Bilbao. By creating an ode to both great architectural works and the feats of railroad engineering that helped to build them, Krens and Gehry are giving model trains their due — while ensuring that architecture buffs are just as satisfied as railroad enthusiasts.

The question remains: how many of these new structures, trains, and scenery will be 3D printed at Shapeways? A newsletter from the project cited Shapeways as a possible source of digitally fabricated components. Time will tell — and either way, we’ll be the first in line when the Extreme Model Railroad and Contemporary Architecture Museum opens.

The architectural models on view at the Extreme Model Railroad and Contemporary Architecture Museum will dwarf the scenery in even the most impressive traditional model railroad towns and villages, like this one. (image via Extreme Railroading)

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