Shapeways is Your Own Personal Factory

If you’re new to the whole 3D printing experience, it can seem kind of daunting. There are several free 3D modeling programs out there, but actually creating your own three-dimensional products is a different story. If you want to make an investment, desktop 3D printers can be an affordable option for early prototypes; however, mastering them can require a lot of trial and error. Plus, the actual materials you have access to are rather limited. Shapeways employs a huge fleet of cutting-edge industrial 3D printers with capabilities light years beyond desktop 3D printers. We print in everything from value focused plastics to industrial strength and precious metals and are continuously evolving our offering, meaning we can always find a solution for your needs.

Get Design Help from Industry Experts

Even if you have a solid idea and some 3D modeling experience, it doesn’t mean that you will be an expert at creating an optimal 3D printable file. Shapeways now offers Design with Shapeways, a service that pairs you with a professional designer based on your plan and budget. Offering everything from end-file fixing to modeling an idea from scratch, Design with Shapeways will help you kick off your project with ease.

The Spring & Wonder brand showcases the potential of what Shapeways’ services can do for businesses and creators.

Services for Growing Businesses

Along with the ability to design and product 3D printed projects, we have a dedicated team of account managers who can help find the right solutions for your business. We’ve built Spring & Wonder, our own customizable jewelry brand from scratch, and have expertise to help your small business with selling and growing. From sourcing the right materials to creating a customized storefront, Shapeways can help you optimize your go-to-market process.

GET IN TOUCH

*updated by Shapeways July 2017

The post 3 Reasons to Print Your Next Creation on Shapeways appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Arrow Ring Size 6 by Courtney, etc. in 14k rose gold, 14k white gold, and 18k gold

Cast metals at Shapeways combine the cutting-edge technology of 3D printing with the lost-wax casting process developed by humans thousands of years ago. Most cast-metal products from Shapeways are jewelry, given size constraints and the cost of materials.

When it comes to cast metals, 3D printing has the advantage of being able to make complex shapes with interlocking parts that would be impossible using traditional processes. That said, engraving will not be as fine what as a laser can do. Also, precious metals are softer than steel, so they might not be ideal for, say, a bottle opener.

Origami Elephant by Necora in Premium Silver

Here’s how metals are cast: A wax rendering of the 3D model comes out of the 3D printer, then plaster flows around the wax to make a mold. Once the plaster sets, the wax gets melted out of the mold and molten metal gets poured in. Once the metal cools, the plaster is broken away. The metal is will be polished and, if applicable, plated. This video featuring Lucas Goossens of the LucasPlus Shapeways shop, will give you a glimpse:

Shapeways casts 3D models in platinum and several types of gold plus silver, bronze, and brass in a variety of surface finishes. Brass can also be plated in gold or rhodium.

Happiness – Lady Signet Ring by Latte.A.L in Polished Bronze

Evelyn Leung, a jewelry designer who runs the Latte.A.L Shapeways shop, says that cast metals suit her design aesthetic better than steel or plastic. “I generally design with the plated metals’ printing guidelines in mind,” she says. ”In my experience, if the design passed the validation checks for plated metals, they will very likely pass for precious metals.“

Evelyn gives a few other reasons why she focuses first on plated precious metals:

• gold-plated options are significantly less expensive than gold, “so you don’t have to spend a fortune to get some prototypes in hand”
• plated metals come polished to a sheen, “so right out of the box it is picture ready, which saves a lot of time”
• once you successfully order your product, it will be out of First to Try, which will help some customers decide to make a purchase

Evelyn likes how her designs look in solid metals, too. And some customers prefer the texture of raw brass or bronze.

What have you made in cast metals? Share your projects in the comments below for a chance to be featured on Shapeways Magazine.

The post Materials Explainer: 3D Printing in Cast Metal appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

print in metal

Here’s a rundown of some recent developments in metal 3D printing:

Most state-of-the-art racing bikes are crafted almost entirely from carbon fiber, which is light and strong. However, Chris Froome’s Tour de France-winning bicycle features 3D printed titanium handlebars. The Engineer reports that 3D printing reduced production time for the handlebars by up to 75% compared with a carbon fiber process. No molds were needed, and the custom fit eliminated any need for adjustability, saving up to 17% of the weight of a traditional handlebar assembly while reducing drag.

Ship Technology reports that the Port of Rotterdam’s Additive Manufacturing Fieldlab (RAMLAB) teamed with Autodesk to develop a 3D printed nautical propeller. Their hybrid manufacturing process combined wire and arc additive manufacturing with industrial robot arms, subtractive machining (CNC), and grinding. The new process will help the port provide quick replacement propellers for ships.

[Credit: Michael A. Parker]

Spaceships are also increasingly relying on metal 3D printing. NASA has 3D printed entire rocket engines. Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) created a 3D printed metal fabric to protect both astronauts and spacecraft from micrometeors. As 3DPrint.com reports, the chainmail-like textile, which is printed in one piece, reflects sunlight, provides thermal insulation, is foldable, and has high tensile strength.

Facial reconstructive surgery has benefitted from 3D metal printing. According to Additive Manufacturing, 3D printed titanium can be customized to the individual patient and aid in bone regrowth and stability. 3D Printing Industry reports that British manufacturing company Renishaw partnered with Western University to create a $5 million Additive Design in Surgical Solutions (ADEISS) center in Ontario, Canada, to produce metal additive manufactured medical tools and implants.

[Credit: NASA]

The Vader Systems MK1 Experimental desktop metal 3D printer, meanwhile, uses their MagnetoJet technology to propel liquified aluminum from an electromagnetic-field-encased 1,200° C chamber through inkjet-like print nozzles. Using wire feedstock instead of powders, it reduces costs and dramatically speeds up printing. The production model launches in 2018.

Shapeways’ interlocking precious metals are perfect for creating unique jewelry. Lead times for 3D printed steel were reduced by two days so you can create functional parts quickly. With the benefits of strength, durability, beautiful finishes, and a myriad of material choices, isn’t it time you took a dip into the white-hot 3D printed metal space?

try it yourself

The post From Aerospace to Jewelry, Metal 3D Printing Is Hot appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Available in silver or steel, in keychain, mini monogram necklace or statement necklace Mymo is a great way to commemorate a memorable event with simple, elegant design.

So head to their app page and get started making a one-of-a-kind 3D printed gift today: MYMO.is

Designers and coders: interested in getting your easy creator app featured on our site? Connect with our API team to show us what you’ve made or e:mail Dan directly at dan@shapeways.com.

The post Make That Monogram Gift: Mymo.is Personal Monograms In 3D appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Getting Started
The hardest part for me, and perhaps many creatives out there will agree with me, is simply getting started. Figuring out what you want to make when you’re staring at a blank canvas can often be daunting. To get the momentum started, I began by sketching on paper whatever ideas came into my head and begun modeling work while other ideas continued to brew. Since I’m not often doing CAD work, my skill set is somewhat limited and I often had to iterate on what I had wanted to make and what I could actually 3D model. This, however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise as this constraint ended up forcing me come up with clean, elegant designs without too many distracting technical embellishments.

Cheesehead Cufflink
Michael’s design was the first that popped into my head. As a proud Wisconsinite and even bigger lover of cheese, this was an easy design to settle on. Since it came first, it’s the one I’ll use to show my process.

I sketched out how I thought it should look and started to estimate dimensions based on other cufflinks that I had.

First, to create the stem that connects through the cuff, I started by sketching a gentle arc in the Right plane using the Center Point Arc tool, starting at the origin.

I followed this with a circle in the Top plane.

Followed by using the Sweep tool on the two sketches I just created.

Reference off the face of the new sweep to create a second concentric circle.

Extrude this to make a flat cylinder.

Add some fillets to smooth everything out.

I realized after making the first cufflink that the stem should be oriented +/- 90° from the drawing here so that the cheese is pointed forward when actually worn. You should have everything rotated going forward if you’re making the same.

I made the main circle, then cut a “pie” out of it to make the main shape of the body.

You can use the trim tool to get rid of the other portions of the sketch to end up with the final desired shape.

Next I created a sphere by sketching a semi-circle and then revolving it around. At the time, I made these surfaces to cut the solid, then delete the inner portion but now that I think about it, I believe you can make these solids and use them to remove from the solid directly.

Make a few more spheres of varying size. The transform tool allows you to duplicate parts and translate them to different areas of the model. I did this several times to get a nice distribution of holes.

Split the main body from the inner cutouts then delete them by right clicking on them and selecting delete in the left pane.

Looking good!

Finally I went around on all the edges and added fillets to smooth it out. Don’t want any sharp edges snagging on the tuxes!

Last order of business is to export as high resolution STL files, upload to Shapeways and start printing.

For more, Read the full story of how I conceived, designed, printed and gifted these cufflinks to my groomsmen.

Have a story about gifts you 3D printed for your wedding or wedding party? Share them with us!

make your own

The post Making the Ultimate Groomsman Gift: a Cufflinks Design Tutorial appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Take a look at the Owned Shop on Shapeways to see more unique jewelry by this Australian designer.

Remember, we have upped the speed on our Silver, Gold and Brass to get your 3D printed jewelry to you as fast as possible, so if you have an anniversary, wedding, or birthday coming up, Shapeways 3D printed jewelry can make the perfect, unique gift.

The post Not Everyone Has a Heart of Gold, But You Can Get One 3D Printed in Silver appeared first on Shapeways Blog.