Friday, December 12, 2014

voxeljet Debuts Phenolic Resin Binder


In a recent announcement voxeljet has debuted a newly developed Phenolic-Direct-Binding method. This new binding method not only offers key advantages for sand printing but also allows for the production of ceramic molds.


The new binder offers a number of advantages for many 3D printing applications, as process engineer Dr. Florian Mögele can attest: "With this binder, we are able to achieve an incredible level of resolution and precision in 3D printing. At the same time, we have also made significant improvements in terms of stability and sand recycling. And: phenolic resin binders are ideally suited for processing ceramic and other materials."


3D printed, complicated PDB sand molds surpass even the highest expectations. The Phenolic-Direct-Binding method, with its impressive accuracy and increased strength, is setting new trends, especially for complex molds with undercuts, elaborate details and very small radii.


The phenolic resin that is used is not toxic and allows for 100% recycling of non-printed particle material. In contrast to conventional binders, the PDB process does not require silica sand to be pre-treated, which means that it can be easily returned to the sand cycle.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by General Fabb via Fabbaloo

Friday, November 21, 2014

UCF, Stratasys Create Life-Changing Prosthetic Arm


University of Central Florida (UCF) engineering students have developed a robotic arm for 6-year-old Alex Pring, using a Dimension Elite 3D Printer by Stratasys.


Born without his right arm, Pring always dreamed of climbing trees or shaking hands. His dreams came true thanks to UCF engineering students who designed and 3D printed a functional prosthetic arm. Aerospace engineering Ph.D. student and Fulbright Scholar Albert Manero is a volunteer at E-Nable, a network of 3D Printing enthusiast’s whose goal is to develop 3D Printed prosthetic hands for those in need.


Manero met Alex and his family through the E-Nable online network. Manero, along with his team, dedicated seven weeks for their design. The Dimension Elite 3D Printer delivered rapid design iteration during the process and the Ivory ABS M-30 Material used was strong, yet light enough for Alex to easily move.


“He learned to use the prosthetic fast,” Manero said. “When he could control it, the first thing he did was hug his mother. He said it was their first real hug. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by ENGINEERING.com via Fabbaloo

Friday, November 7, 2014

MIT Engineer Prints Houses and Nanoscale Medical Devices


When an aspiring mechanical engineer on a budget wants a top-of-the-line guitar, what does he do? He makes it himself, of course.


At age 13, Nathan Spielberg — now an MIT senior — began building his first guitar, a process that consumed his attention for eight hours a day, every weekend, for 3 1/2 years. Reminiscing now, he calls it a full-time hobby, but it was also pure inspiration: Strumming away on what was once a mere block of wood, Spielberg grew to appreciate the potential to turn an abstract idea into a functional object.


As a mechanical engineering major at MIT, he has held onto this tenet, but turned his attention to a new means of production: 3-D printing. Until recently, Spielberg worked in the MIT Media Lab with Neri Oxman, the Sony Corporation Career Development Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, and PhD student Steven Keating. There, he focused on optimizing system designs that can handle large-scale printing projects, like houses.


As Spielberg sees it, 3-D printing has two extremes: At one end is rapid prototyping, which allows researchers to design, print, and experiment — and then design, print, and experiment again — many times faster than traditional manufacturing. On the other end is express, large-scale construction of single objects. That’s where his research with Oxman comes in.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by ENGINEERING.com via Fabbaloo

Friday, October 24, 2014

ORNL Reveals the Unique Capabilities of 3-D Printing


Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated an additive manufacturing method to control the structure and properties of metal components with precision unmatched by conventional manufacturing processes.


Ryan Dehoff, staff scientist and metal additive manufacturing lead at the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL, presented the research this week in an invited presentation at the Materials Science & Technology 2014 conference in Pittsburgh.


“We can now control local material properties, which will change the future of how we engineer metallic components,” Dehoff said. This new manufacturing method takes us from reactive design to proactive design. It will help us make parts that are stronger, lighter and function better for more energy-efficient transportation and energy production applications such as cars and wind turbines.”


The researchers demonstrated the method using an ARCAM electron beam melting system (EBM), in which successive layers of a metal powder are fused together by an electron beam into a three-dimensional product. By manipulating the process to precisely manage the solidification on a microscopic scale, the researchers demonstrated 3-dimensional control of the microstructure, or crystallographic texture, of a nickel-based part during formation.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by ENGINEERING.com via Fabbaloo

Friday, October 10, 2014

Biome Bioplastics Launches New Material for 3D Printing


Made from plant starches, Biome3D is a biodegradable plastic that combines easy processing and a superior print finish, while offering much higher print speeds. Developed in partnership with 3Dom Filaments, the new material was unveiled today at the TCT Show 2014, the leading event dedicated to 3D printing, additive manufacturing and product development.


Plant-based plastics are already a popular choice for 3D printing because they are much easier to work with during processing, and are food safe and odour free. They are a great example of how sustainable alternatives can gain market share based on their performance, rather than just their ‘green credentials’. However, oil-based printing filaments are still used because they have a higher softening point and make more flexible models that will bend before they break.


Biome3D combines the benefits of both plant and oil-based printing filaments and demonstrates that high performance plant-based plastics can be the ideal material for the 3D printing industry. Biome3D combines a superior finish and flexibility, with ease of processing and excellent printed detail. In addition, and perhaps most importantly for the industry, it runs at much higher print speeds, reducing overall job times.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by General Fabb via Fabbaloo

Friday, September 26, 2014

Historic Golf Clubs Brought Back to Life Via 3D Printing


As some of the world’s top golfers prepare to descend upon Scotland for the 2014 Ryder Cup, researchers from the University of Dundee are celebrating the game’s history with the use of the latest technology.


They have produced the world’s first metal 3D-printed clubhead using irons loaned by the British Golf Museum in St Andrews.


The University’s division of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering teamed up with St Andrews Golf Co. to investigate the process of making high quality, authentic examples of historically important irons, woods and putters using traditional craft methods.


Today’s clubs are created in such a manner that they can be manufactured with ease on modern machinery. St Andrews Golf Co. is the only company in the world to still practice the craft of producing golf clubs by hand, which was once popular across Britain, but has now almost disappeared due to the adoption of modern, digital based production methods.


The company’s Grant Payne, a Product Design graduate of the University, used his skills to convert physical to digital and back again. After 3D scanning the clubs, he used specialist programmes to make accurate digital models of the clubs.


The Mechanical Engineering team then worked with colleagues in academia and industry to ready the model for printing in metal. The clubhead was recreated exactly, including dents, patina & damage collected over its 125 year life.


Grant says the project will hopefully protect these examples of rare and ancient golf clubs, as they are irreplaceable artefacts of great importance to Scotland’s cultural and manufacturing heritage.


“We are delighted to have assisted in the production of the world’s first metal 3D-printed clubhead. The avenues opened up by combining the latest in manufacturing technology with the traditional craftsmanship practiced by St Andrews Golf Co Ltd are exciting. It was only made possible through our Industrial Partnership with the University and we hope it will demonstrate to people we’re thinking about the future, whilst being considerate of the past.” he said.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by ENGINEERING.com via Fabbaloo

Friday, September 12, 2014

Silver and 3D Printing: A New Source of Demand?


At the end of July, The Silver Institute released a report called The Outlook for New Electrical and Electronic Uses of Silver. Prepared by Metals Focus, it looks at three potential areas of growth for the white metal: flexible electronics, light-emitting diodes and interposers.


Those are all exciting applications of silver, but they’re definitely not the only new uses of the metal that are garnering attention. Another — perhaps unexpected — arena in which silver is making waves is 3D printing.


Here’s a brief overview of how silver fits into the 3D printing landscape.


In terms of where silver enters the picture, Jeffrey Ellis, The Silver Institute’s senior technology consultant, states in the firm’s most recent newsletter that two types of 3D printing processes involve silver.


The first “is the equivalent of casting silver into a 3D printed mold such as those made of plaster-fortified wax” — in other words, a mold is created using a 3D printer and molten silver is then poured into it. That method is the more common of the two and is used by companies like Sculpteo, i.materialise and New York-headquartered Shapeways, whose goal is to give “anyone the ability to quickly and affordably turn ideas from digital designs into real products.” A quick glance at the company’s website shows that many people are doing just that, using 3D-printed molds to create jewelry, other accessories and more.


The second, which Ellis describes as “direct laser sintering, a process of forming a solid with heat that does not reach the melting point,” involves silver more directly, but is “a relatively new technique that has yet to be widely adopted.” Explaining why that’s the case, he notes that silver’s high reflectivity “is a serious challenge because so little of the light is absorbed to accomplish the fusing.” One company currently working on overcoming that difficulty is Cookson Precious Metals.


Ultimately, that technique may lead to some very interesting uses of silver. Ellis notes that it could allow government and private mints to produce coins and other objects, and will perhaps also be used to manufacture “batteries and other electrical components.”


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by ENGINEERING.com via Fabbaloo

Friday, August 8, 2014

Reusable HDPE Material Introduced by Diamond Plastics

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Germany’s Diamond Plastics GmbH, has introduced a new, reusable plastic powder of laser sintering.


Named HDPE HX 17, the material is can be processed by nearly all laser sintering systems, and is cheaper than other materials in its class. Moreover, HX 17 has the added benefit of being reusable allowing for significant savings when it comes to handling.


While HDPE HX 17 only comes in a single color, dark grey, its smooth surface finish allows for post-process painting making it ideal for industrial designers looking to make realistic product demos or vacuum form master castings.


In addition to those properties HX 17 can be lased in 100 micrometer thick layers and is resistant to acid, alcohol, oil and gasoline. Diamond Plastics also says their material can be welded and cross-linked with other materials as well.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by General Fabb via Fabbaloo

Friday, July 11, 2014

Civil, Architectural and Mechanical Models Come to Life with the ProJet 4500 3D Printer

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3D System’s ProJet 4500 claims to be the only “continuous tone, full-color plastic 3D printer” on the market. It is capable of printing models with nearly one million colors. The ProJet 4500 accomplishes this through the use of a proprietary plastic powder called VisiJet C4 Spectrum.


Every part of a 4500 model can be imbued with color thanks to the ProJet 4500’s 0.1mm axis resolution. Furthermore, the machine’s color printing technology allows its models to showcase either seamless color gradients or abrupt color switches depending on a user’s input.


While the features of the ProJet 4500 might sound a lot like the ProJet 660, the 4500 is actually a much more versatile machine. The main point of difference between the 660 and the 4500 centers on the materials that each printer uses. While the 600 uses a gypsum-based powder the 4500 uses a polymer stock. Leveraging the strength inherent in plastics, the 4500 is capable of producing parts that can withstand conditions that would cause a 660 model to break.


Because of its added strength the ProJet 4500 has a greater application portfolio than the 660. Functional models as well as high-quality display prototypes can be created using the 4500.


Because of its added strength the ProJet 4500 has a greater application portfolio than the 660. Functional models as well as high-quality display prototypes can be created using the 4500.


According to Steve Cory of Objex Unlimited, the ProJet 4500 is a perfect complement to his company’s ProJet 660. “With the 4500 we’re able to build any models that we think would be too delicate to build on the 660”. Aside from being more robust Cory was also quick to point out that the 4500 excels at printing thin-walled, complex parts for both mechanical and architectural applications.


Diving into the mechanics of the ProJet 4500, Steve also complimented the system’s Piezo-style printhead technology: “With the 4500 we don’t see any costly, time consuming printhead changes. For that reason we can run the 4500 with little to no downtime.”


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by ENGINEERING.com via Fabbaloo

Friday, July 4, 2014

New Composite Resins Could Lead to Larger, Stronger 3D Printed Structures


In wind farms across North America and Europe, sleek turbines equipped with state-of-the-art technology convert wind energy into electric power. But tucked inside the blades of these feats of modern engineering is a decidedly low-tech core material: balsa wood.


Like other manufactured products that use sandwich panel construction to achieve a combination of light weight and strength, turbine blades contain carefully arrayed strips of balsa wood from Ecuador, which provides 95 percent of the world’s supply.


For centuries, the fast-growing balsa tree has been prized for its light weight and stiffness relative to density. But balsa wood is expensive and natural variations in the grain can be an impediment to achieving the increasingly precise performance requirements of turbine blades and other sophisticated applications.


As turbine makers produce ever-larger blades—the longest now measure 75 meters, almost matching the wingspan of an Airbus A380 jetliner—they must be engineered to operate virtually maintenance-free for decades. In order to meet more demanding specifications for precision, weight, and quality consistency, manufacturers are searching for new sandwich construction material options.


Now, using a cocktail of fiber-reinforced epoxy-based thermosetting resins and 3D extrusion printing techniques, materials scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have developed cellular composite materials of unprecedented light weight and stiffness. Because of their mechanical properties and the fine-scale control of fabrication (see video), the researchers say these new materials mimic and improve on balsa, and even the best commercial 3D-printed polymers and polymer composites available.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by General Fabb via Fabbaloo

Friday, June 27, 2014

3D Printed UAV will Auto-Follow; Film Sports Exploits


Extreme sports enthusiasts will never miss a flip, turn or jump again with the new AirDog and AirLeash products from Latvia-based Helico Aerospace Industries.


Via the AirLeash wrist-worn tracking device, created using PolyJet-based 3D printing from Stratasys, users can capture live aerial video footage of themselves

The AirDog is a programmable “quadcopter” drone that works with the AirLeash (a remote tracker worn on the wrist) to follow you while you are surfing, snowboarding or biking. A camera mounted on the AirDog captures the action, wherever it goes, from above.


AirDog – the world’s first automated drone designed to track and video outdoor sports and activities – has been entirely 3D printed using Stratasys FDM 3D printing technology


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by General Fabb via Fabbaloo

Friday, June 13, 2014

Construction Steelwork Makes its 3D Printing Premiere


Using the latest 3D printing techniques, or more accurately, ‘additive manufacturing’ – the Arup team has produced a design method for critical structural steel elements for use in complex projects.


The work signals a whole new direction for the use of additive manufacturing in the field of construction and engineering. The research also shows that additive manufacturing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.


We created a redesign of a steel node for a light weight structure using additive manufacturing. Arup has a lot of experience with these kind of structures, for example the tensegrity structure of the Kurilpa Bridge in Australia. The complex geometry of these kind of nodes are an ideal showcase of the possibilities of this new technique.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Friday, June 6, 2014

Walmart CEO Says Retail Giant May Buy 3D Printer Company


At an event during the re/Code Conference Walmart’s CEO Doug McMillon hinted that his company might be in the market to acquire a 3D printing company.


According to McMillon, “Three-D printing is interesting to me, [Walmart] can use 3D printing over time for replacement parts.”


When pressed on whether Walmart would be interested in buying 3D printing companies, McMillon stated that the idea might be the best solution “in some cases.” Though the company has been on the lookout for valuable acquisitions recently, owning a 3D printing company of their own could benefit a company already known for excellent logistics.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Friday, May 30, 2014

BetAbram To Release House Printing Machine

BetAbram House Printer.png

Over the course of its nearly 30-year lifetime, additive manufacturing has been used to create a massive array of objects. Though while the technology has had a number of different applications, its ability to produce objects on a massive scale has only just begun.


In an effort to push the envelope of 3D printing’s scale, Slovenian startup BetAbram claims it will be ready to ship three scaffolding-based printer models by the end of this summer, each capable of building houses.


Starting with a 3x4-meter model, Abram’s printers grow to a medium 6x12-meter frame and an enormous 9x16-meter frame in the largest incarnation. Though each model begins with a 2-meter height limit, the designers say the printer can be configured to build much larger structures.


In order to build their structures BetAbram’s machines use what appears to be a liquid concrete material. As in all other deposition AM processes, a structure emerges as successive layers of concrete are built one atop another. Although the process for building concrete AM structures seems fairly straightforward, BetAbram has yet to detail the curing time required before successive layers can be built and whether their machines can build geometries beyond rectangles.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Friday, May 23, 2014

Windform Used to Build Generative Orthotics


In conjunction with MHOX Design, CRP Group has created bespoke orthosis to correct misaligned limbs.


Developed over a year-long period, MHOX Design used generative design methods to create objects that can integrate appropriately with the human body.


Unlike traditional design methods that create a shape based on the designers wants, generative design uses a set of inputs and algorithms to determine a products final form.


To build their new orthosis, MHOX engineers began by gathering a 3D scan of their patient’s limb. With an accurate model of their patient’s limb, designers merged that information with a unique algorithm to complete a digital model of the custom prosthetic.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Friday, May 16, 2014

Rezvani Supercar Uses 3D Printed Components


In the past year a good number of car companies began experimenting with 3D printing, wondering how it could help their performance, manufacturing and design. For automotive startup Rezvani Motors 3D printing was key to saving weight in its BEAST 500 supercar.


Built upon the chassis of an Ariel Atom, the BEAST is a 703kg (1,550lb), 500 HP sprite capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in 2.7 seconds. Featuring a six-speed manual transmission, Rezvani’s auto leverages a combination of lightweight construction, aerodynamic optimization and advanced construction techniques to create a prototype for the future of automotive manufacturing.


In building the supercar, architect Fardess Rezvani used 3D printing to build the car’s front diffuser, mirrors and lights. In addition to the use of digital manufacturing in the creation of its smaller components, the BEAST’s construction leveraged CNC milling to create its carbon fiber body. According to Rezvani, CNC was used to create an accurate 3D model of the BEAST; from this model engineers fashioned molds for all of the car’s carbon fiber panels, a key element in keeping the BEAST’s weight down.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Friday, May 9, 2014

Cheap 3D Printed Lens Could Help Detect Disease


Researchers at the Australian National University have created an inexpensive 3D printed lens that can attach to a smartphone and detect some skin diseases.


Traditionally, lenses are manufactured by using a grinding and polishing method, or through the pouring of gel materials into pre-fabricated molds. While these methods have been very effective, they’re also quite complex and expensive.


To bypass this costly construction ANU researchers began exploring how clear liquids can bend light and act as a lens when stabilized. Remarkably, through their research the ANU team developed a completely new method for manufacturing lenses that requires only an oven, a silicon polymer and a glass slide.


In a modest tone, lead researcher Dr. Steve Lee stated, “What I did was to systematically fine-tune the curvature that's formed by a simple droplet with the help of gravity, and without any molds.”


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Friday, May 2, 2014

Ten 3D Printed Sustainable Homes Produced in 24 Hours

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An experimental revolution is underway in China to use 3D printing techniques to build houses. This rapid construction process was demonstrated to build ten small houses in 24 hours predominantly from recycled materials. The company behind it is Suzhou-based construction materials firm Winsun.


Although the initial houses produced may look a little on the plain side. They do, however, show the potential for an evolution in new building materials and 3D printing construction processes to achieve rapid construction. This modular construction method is akin to concrete wall construction which has been around for many years. However, this process does offer the potential of complete onsite construction methods for the assembly of sustainable and affordable homes.



Rather than use labour intensive bricks and mortar construction, the developed system extrudes a mix of high-grade cement and recycled glass fibre which are deposited in layers. This process is similar to traditional extrusion 3D printing processes.


Starting with an architectural CAD design, the tool paths are produced considering insulation materials, plumbing, electrical lining and windows, which can later be outfitted once the underlying structure has been assembled. The diagonally reinforced print pattern leaves plenty of air gaps to act as insulation.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Friday, April 25, 2014

ECN Develops A DLP Metal Printing Technique


Researchers at the Energy Research Center of the Netherlands (ECN) have developed a new technique for 3D printing that can create metal parts without melting its mineral material.


Using the research center’s Digital Light Processing-based technology (DLP), which was originally created to build ceramic parts, researchers recently discovered that the same method can be used to manufacture high quality metal components.


While there are a number of metal printing technologies currently on the market, ECN’s DLP method is unique in its ability to fashion parts without the need of melting the machine’s base material. According to Dutch researchers, eliminating the metallic melt pool created by laser sintering machines enables the production of well-compacted, homogenous and high-grade materials that can be rendered into any geometry a designer can imagine.


What’s more, because DLP metal manufacturing skips the melting process, parts can be built faster with a guarantee that each layer of a component will be made of the same constituent material, be equally as dense and have the same conductive properties.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Free Educational 3D Printing Curriculum Released by the City X Project

Guest Posting by Matthew Straub, Director of Communications at IDEAco


As far as we know, on Tuesday we launched the first Common Core State Standards-aligned curriculum that fully integrates 3D printing technologies, design thinking, and empathy for kids. Specifically, the City X Project toolkit is geared toward kids 8-12, and is the result of testing and experimenting with the workshop with over 500 kids in four countries. Our design thinking toolkit is meant for everyone, and we couldn’t be happier that it has already been downloaded by people in at least 13 countries.



The CIty X Project is accommodates approximately six hours of lessons, beginning with a fictional story about humans building the first settlement on a new planet, called City X. Every student participating is given a citizen card with a depiction of a City X citizen asking for help in solving a social problem faced in their new community. Teachers then guide their students through the design process as every student in the class invents something that can solve their citizen’s problem. Students make clay models, then digital 3D models, and, when a 3D printer is available, actually print prototypes of their new inventions.


The City X Project toolkit includes everything needed for a teacher run the workshop, including PDFs with printable citizen cards, designer workbooks for students, and most importantly, a very thorough and detailed instructor’s guide which will help walk any teacher through these lessons, even if they’ve never used 3D modeling software!



We began our journey toward releasing this toolkit over a year ago thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, 3D Systems. It took us nearly 20 workshops and nearly 200,000 air miles to get to this point, so we hope that any educator interested in integrating new technology into their classroom has an enjoyable experience turning their class into a room full of inventors! The full toolkit can be downloaded by educators for free at http://ift.tt/1lXa7SD.




by Roxanne via Cubify

Friday, April 4, 2014

Woman Receives 3D Printed Cranial Implant


For the past few years 3D printing has been making news in the world of medicine. From bioprinting sample organs for drug testing to creating custom prosthetics, additive manufacturing and 3D scanning are revolutionizing medicine. While those achievements are remarkable, a recent surgical procedure shows just how much AM can benefit medical science and patient outcomes.


Three months ago, a 22-year-old Dutch woman entered the UMC Utrecht hospital in desperate need of a life saving procedure. Suffering from a rare disease that causes extra bone to thicken her skull, the woman was beginning to lose her eyesight and the ability to control her face.


According to UMC Utrecht surgeon Bon Verweij, the patient’s skull had grown to 5cm thick, a full 3.5cm larger than the average human skull. Immediate action was necessary.


Read More at ENGINEERING.com




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Friday, March 28, 2014

Harvard Researchers Print Functional Heart Tissue


In a report delivered to the American Chemical Society, Harvard researchers state they’ve created a printed tissue that mimics natural heart muscle – working in a petri dish and when implanted in animals.


One of the biggest problems facing patients with heart damage is the fact that the organ’s tissues can’t be easily replaced. Often times a heart attack victims’ only option for treatment is dangerous organ implant surgery.


In an effort to provide cardiac patients with more options, a team of physicians and researchers from the University of Sydney, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School have developed a new 3D printed artificial cardiac tissue that can be used to repair damaged hearts.


“Our hearts are more than just a pile of cells,” said Ali Khademhosseini, a Ph.D. at Harvard Medical School. “They’re very organized in their architecture.”


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

City X Project Establishes First Regional Partner in Singapore

Guest Posting by Matthew Straub, Communications Director of the City X Project



We at the City X Project – a 3D printing and design thinking workshop for kids sponsored by 3D Systems – are quite excited to announce that we’ve established our first regional partner in the city-state of Singapore. Our parent organization, IDEAco, now recognizes the educational development organization Clanworks as Singapore’s regional for-profit partner for bringing the City X Project curriculum in Singapore.


The City X Project design thinking toolkit for teachers will still be absolutely free for educators around the world. Our partnership with Clanworks is part of a broader initiative to professionally train regional partners around the world on the ins and outs of teaching 8-12 year-old kids design thinking and creative problem solving in the context of our story-based curriculum.


When members of our team travel to train a regional partner, we’re able to go far beyond explaining the goals and ideas behind the City X Project in person. We’re able to relay teaching tips, share details about our experiences, answer questions, and, of course, facilitate or provide feedback on a workshop locally. This enables our partners to continue to facilitate the City X Project workshop locally, whether for profit or not. As an ever-improving workshop, it also allows us to test and collect feedback of our curriculum in a greater variety of educational, geographic, and cultural contexts.


This approach to licensing the curriculum around the United States and abroad is an avenue to empower as many kids as possible with the tools and processes necessary to make, solve problems, and get their hands on 3D modeling and 3D printing technologies.


We couldn’t be happier to have local representation in Southeast Asia. We want to reach and empower as many kids as possible with 3D printing and lessons in creative problem solving. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to learn more about licensing the City X Project locally and becoming a certified regional partner!




by Saskia via Cubify

Friday, March 21, 2014

SLM Solutions Set for an IPO?


Germany’s SLM Solutions has hired Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse to prepare a potential initial public stock offering.


With the hype surrounding 3D printing higher than it’s ever been, SLM could potentially dive into a market with few publicly traded competitors and a glut of shareholders clamoring for entry into the lucrative additive manufacturing market.


Unlike 3D printing giants Stratasys and 3D Systems, SLM Solutions uses a selective laser melting technology to create objects from a metal powder. Because their technology relies on more durable materials, SLM looks to be a player in the automotive, aerospace and durable goods market.


Read more at ENGINEERING.com




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Win a Free 3D Printed Flexible Bag

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Conventional bag-maker Kipling has done the unconventional: created a 3D printed bag - that you might get for free.


They’ve teamed up with Materialise, a large commercial 3D print service to develop a new 3D printed bag based on their “Monkey Madness” collection. The new design was printed with Materialise’s using two different processes: new flexible laser sintering material, TPU 92A-1 and an existing epoxy material using stereolithography.


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How can you get one? It’s a contest, but unlike other contests that require you to do a lot of design work, this one simply asks that you enter your information. They’ll pick a (presumably small number of) winners to receive the free bag. Enter before April 3rd, when the contest closes.


Via Kipling and Materialise (PDF)




by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Free Educator 3D Toolkit Coming Soon

Guest Posting by Matthew Straub, Communications Director of the City X Project.


After 16 design thinking workshops in three countries and 547 inventions by kids ages 8-12 – all of which were made in 3D modeling software – City X Project Director Libby Falck announced this week during a talk at SXSW edu that all of our work will be culminating in a free toolkit for educators, to be released on our website on April 8th.



The City X Project is a 3D Systems-sponsored and Common Core-aligned workshop that uses a story-based curriculum, 3D printing technologies, and the Stanford d.School Design Process to empower kids to become inventors and changemakers. Our free, downloadable toolkit will include everything a teacher or other educator needs to run the workshop in their own school, including designer workbooks for students, City X citizen cards, and documents with tips and tricks for 3D printing and 3D modeling with kids.


Thanks to the support of the Pearson Foundation, our workshop aligns with several Mathematics and English Language Arts Common Core Standards, and we’ll feature several add-on activities that will allow teachers to explore the world of design thinking and City X even deeper and across various subjects, such as science and social studies.


You can sign up to receive a one-time email the day the City X Project toolkit is released here.




by Roxanne via Cubify