Items tagged with 3D Printer
3D printing has increased in popularity over the last few years. These printers have been used in a wide variety of environments, including classrooms, labs, and homes. Many are now looking to 3D printing for industrial purposes, and these kinds of projects require a massive printer and a large amount of resources. One university may be able to provide all the necessary products for large scale 3D printing -- The University of Maine -- which just unveiled the world’s largest 3D printer. This 3D printer will be capable of printing objects up to 100-feet long. It can print objects up to 70-feet long in its current state, but a new building will be constructed to house its full configuration....
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Most consumers do not own a 3D printer, though perhaps one day that will change. For now, 3D printing at home remains a niche obsession, however the barriers of entry have started to come down with some models focusing on ease-of-use and others aiming for relatively low price points. Some combine both. One thing that probably has to change, however, is the speed at which 3D printers operate. Well, a team of engineers at MIT are on it, with a 3D printer that can print in minutes what would take most 3D printers hours. The system they developed is based on fused deposition modeling (FDM), which is an additive manufacturing (AM) technology commonly found in the majority of 3D printers out there...
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First things first—if you haven't watched the first season of Westworld on HBO, make that a priority. Short of that, at least check out the intro to Westworld, which shows human bodies being 3D printed in striking detail, right down to the muscle fibers. It's science fiction, right? Only until someone makes it a reality. With that in mind, scientists from Spain's Universidad Carolos III de Madrid (UC3M) have developed a prototype 3D printer that can print functional human skin. This is a big deal. Being able to print human skin would be a boon for transplant patients. It could also lessen the need for animal testing in some situations. The way it works is that the bioprinter uses a special bio...
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3D printers have come a long way since our first round-up review in 2012. This exciting technology has created everything from toys to running shoes, to prostheses for amputees. Is 3D printing, however, practical in a home office or in a classroom use case? The New Matter MOD-t 3D printer claims to be the most user-friendly printer ever and is supposedly “designed for 3D printing beginners and enthusiasts alike.” Is this device, however, something that truly belongs in your home office or a teacher’s classroom? Naturally, that's what we're here to find out. First, what is 3D printing and how is it accomplished? 3D printing or “additive manufacturing” is the process of making three dimensional...
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It's very likely that 3D printers are going to be a big part of our future, but for the average user, today's desktop models typically command prices that are hard to justify. That's one thing that can't be said about the OLO 3D printer, however, as it costs a mere $100. And no, that's not an error. We're talking about a 3D printer that costs about the same as a couple of AAA games. OLO was first announced in October at the World Maker Faire in New York, where it earned itself an Editor's Choice award and accolades from media all over the world. Following that immense hype, it launched a Kickstarter campaign just a couple of days ago, and ended up exceeding its $80,000 goal in mere hours. As...
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Had you been a child in the 1960s, you might remember something called the ThingMaker, a do-it-yourself toy creation kit from Mattel that came out decades before 3D printing would itself become a thing. In that respect, it was an idea well ahead of its time, so Mattel is bringing it back as a reimagined product for the modern era This time around, the relaunched ThingMaker is a pre-assembled 3D printer that's purportedly quick and easy to setup and use—just plug it in, wirelessly link it to the ThingMaker Design app developed by AutoDesk (it's available free of charge for both iOS and Android devices), and push a button to export your files. "We're excited to work with a storied company like...
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There's no doubt that 3D printing is one of the coolest technologies released over the past decade, and given all we've seen from it up to this point, there's also no doubt that it's going to be a big part of our future. While today's 3D printers are still limited in what they can do, they've already been capable of creating usable exoskeletons for those who need them, and that's beyond cool. But, we're still at the beginning of what will be possible with 3D printing. Earlier this year, we learned of an advanced printer that would allow its users to print in multiple colors, and overall, that's a big advance in the technology. Now, though, researchers at MIT have delivered a prototype for something...
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A class action lawsuit filed against Makerbot and its parent firm Stratasys alleges a "fraudulent scheme" to knowingly ship shoddy 3D printers. According to the lawsuit, Makerbot and its employees were aware that the company's 5th generation Replicator 3D printer was full of problems, but went ahead and shipped them anyway in order to maintain an artificially inflated stock price. As the allegation goes, the scheme backfired, resulting in a deluge of customer complaints, product returns, and warranty service. Sales then plummeted, and the company's stock price followed suit, leaving both investors and owners of the 5th generation Replicator in a bad place. "In pursuit of an aggressive...
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Hewlett-Packard first released its rather unorthodox Sprout PC back in late October with a price tag of $1,899. The device featured a 23-inch touch screen display that was topped with an overhead DLP projector which beams content down to a 20-inch, 20-point capacitive touch-sensitive mat. And if that doesn’t sound complex enough, there’s also Intel’s highly capable Real Sense 3D camera and a HP’s high-resolution 14.6MP camera thrown in for good measure. When this delightful mix of hardware is working in concert, you can use the mat as a touch keyboard, scan in objects and manipulate them on the 23-inch display, and even draw on the mat and see your resulting creation on the display. However,...
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Many 3D printers in the consumer space create plastic objects by manipulating PLA or ABS filament. However, plastic isn't the only material these gadgets work with -- we've seen 3D printers use everything from delicious pancake batter to makeup materials. Well, go ahead and add fabric to the growing list of materials. Researchers from Disney, Carnegie Mellon University, and Cornell University have come up with a new type of 3D printer that forms soft and squishy 3D objects using layers of fabric. Like any ordinary 3D printer, it starts with a design on a computer, like a bunny or even a cell phone case. Once you've come up with an object you'd like to print, the 3D printer gets to work. The researchers...
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Smartphones are capable of so many wonderful things that go beyond the realm of simply making phone calls. They're essentially handheld PCs, and one day soon, they'll also be companions to your 3D printer -- you'll be able to snap a picture of an object using your phone's special 3D lens, which will capture the necessary information for your 3D printer to make a real-life replica. This is what researchers at Caltech are working on. It's a new high-resolution 3D image sensor that can make an exact copy of an object for a 3D printer. When you snap a photo of an object you want to create, the sensor produces a high resolution scan that measures the object's height, width, and depth. Here's a look...
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Mmm, pancakes! The love of pancakes is nearly as ubiquitous as the affection for bacon, which incidentally go great together. It also helps that making pancakes is pretty easy, unless you try to get fancy with artistic creations that go beyond simply stick figures. But that's okay, you can still woo your kids and guests with the PancakeBot, the first ever pancake printer that's blown past its $50,000 funding goal on Kickstarter.It's at nearly $135,000 with still 27 days to go, and it's easy to see why. The PancakeBot is essentially a 3D printer with a nerdy level of sophistication to leveling up your breakfast. It comes with "user-friendly" software that allows you to design your own pancake...
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Need a pick-me-up? Give Microsoft six minutes to show you its vision of the future. Bendable, paper-like displays, scuba masks with hologram technology, and some very cool 3D printing applications are just a few of the technologies that will get your creative juices flowing. Most of the tech that appears in the Productivity Future Vision won’t be ready for primetime soon. Microsoft indicates that this is a look at what’s possible five to 10 years from now, based on technologies that are being worked on at present. Still, they’re worth checking out. If Microsoft has its way, it looks like holograms will be a big part of work life. Holograms are featured prominently in the video, appearing on coffee...
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Interest in 3D printers continues to grow and, as time goes on, more 3D printers are being offered to consumers and professionals alike. For software giant Autodesk, it is trying to simplify 3D printing with its open source Spark platform and Ember 3D printer for a market that continues to expand. By making both software and printer open source, the company is trying to make things easier by eliminating the need for users to purchase proprietary materials from companies. Instead of being forced to buy a specific type of plastic, the open source nature of Ember will allow the printer to utilize materials from a variety of suppliers. With Spark, Autodesk also hopes that the open...
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