rif#14
Beep Boop Print:014
We've successfully moved from winter to summer here in the midwest and finally have been granted some great making weather. I hope you're up to making awesome things. In the last few weeks a bunch of sweet 3D printing news has popped up including: the first retail store in the midwest, a handful of new 3D printers to watch out for, a mesmerizing DNA to 3D printing project, another health breakthrough, more retail channels for printers, a few great projects, and more.
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If you're in Chicago, you have no reason not to visit the newly opened 3D Printer Experience. The 3D Printer Experience offers so much for the 3D printing community here in the midwest including: educational workshops, a retail store for printers and supplies, apps which make 3D making a breeze, a storefront for 3D printed art, and generally spreading the word of 3D printing to the public, and more. Be sure to visit and say Hi to amigos Mike and Tom!
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I've always wondered how printers' firmware was hacked and adjusted to make better prints. Check out this inside look and see how MakerBot is working to improve their slicing engine in MakerWare and what they're looking for in pursuit of the perfect 3D print.
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Another inspiring medical use of 3D printing, this time being used to help cover an absence of Eric Mugor's face that was left from a surgery to remove a tumor. Mr. Mugor's new face not only gives him back his resemblance, but also helps him eat and drink. This is just another example of how 3D printing is changing the landscape of health, with many more applications to come.
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Think Geek (temporarily) got into the 3D printing game with their Play-Doh 3D printer they created for April's Fools day this year.
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Roll is a new bike shop that recently opened in Chicago that is one of the first in the country to utilize 3D scanning in helping users pick the perfect bike. The company quickly scans users, and can help find the perfect fitting bicycle based on the riders height, skeletal structure, shape, and more.
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The Andy Warhol museum recently invited 3D printing artists to remix the style of Warhol which led to some great results. My favorite's this elegant and chaotic take on infamous Warhol's Campbell's Soup Can. The Cowbox (based on my favorite Warhol piece) is also awesome!
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Dezeen, a leading online architectural and design magazine has started a magazine based solely on the current happenings of 3D printing. Be sure to catch the inaugural magazine on the print-on-demand service Blurb. I got mine in a few weeks ago and it's an excellent mix of profiles of artists, makers, and industry heads.
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Each week it seems like a few new 3D printers come out and it can become a little hard to manage and keep track of them. I recently stumbled across this very detailed spreadsheet created by 3Ders.org which tracks many (although not all) of the upcoming and released 3D printers, allowing you to compare them all by price, build size, technology, location, and more.
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With that said there a few recent announcements of printers you should really try and follow.
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The first was BotObjects ProDesk3D which is way ambitious and if it can deliver on it's promise of being the first full color FDM printer - not unlike a regular printer, it'll be awesome. The weird announcement and showcasing just renderings and not really announcing how it works leads to be a little bit of eyebrow raising, but for now just keep these guys on your radar and watch out for future news. -
Also watch out for Buccaneer, a new printer which will be out in a few weeks. It'll launch as one of the cheapest printer in the market, available for only $375 and it looks super sexy. Be sure to watch for this one, along with sample prints, I'm interested at what sorts of quality will be achieved at such a low cost, hopefully they can find a balance in cost and quality.
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And finally another Printrbot is finally hitting the market, the Printrbot Simple, a new entry into the micro 3D printer market. With a build size of only 3.5in cubed, the Printrbot Simple is meant to be quickly assembled and portable enough you could take it anywhere. Kits start at only $300.
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Here's a good report on Emerging Resources, a startup focused on experimenting with new 3D printable materials, they've already dabbled in printing with wood, salt, and clay.
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Be sure to check out this amazing project by Heather Dewey-Hagborg where she found and collected DNA from the streets of Brooklyn (think gum, hair, cigarettes, not super gross things) and worked with biology lab Genespace to recreate the faces of those responsible for discarding them. She used some programming to pull out the features and create fully formed portraits of what the person would look like, and 3D printed them on a color ZCorp printer.
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What a fascinating mashup of DNA, 3D printing, art and science. -
Another exciting collaboration for MakerBot, this time teaming up with software giant Autodesk to create a limited edition Replicator 2, complete with a fantastically designed exterior graphic and build plate. They're also combining efforts to offer discounts to Autodesk services when you buy a Replicator 2. I'm looking forward to the future of this partnership, as software and hardware hopefully continue to blend together.
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Take a quick peek at one of the world's best jobs: Toy designers and builders. Gizmodo recently stopped by Hasbro's model shop division and saw how traditional model making is being infused with CAD and rapid prototyping tools to create the next generation of toys.
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This week a few retailers have signed onto distributing printers in new and unique channels. The first was SkyMall which offers the Cube in it's odd assortment of electronics. And Staples announced that this summer it will stock Cube printers in it's retail stores as well.
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And finally, here's a couple interesting projects people have been cooking up on their 3D printers.
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The first is a printable Bluth Banana Stand piggy bank just in time for the new season of Arrested Development. You can actually store of all your change in the stand, to bring truth to the old adage. -
Secondly, one Zelda fan rebuilt all of the items you can collect in the classic NES Zelda, everything from rings to swords to shields, hearts and more. Hyrule rebuilt all items in TinkerCad and had them 3D printed in color by Shapeways. You too can own a complete set as well, for a fee, but totally worth it for the proper Zelda fan.
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And finally ComradeQuiche's brilliant Goldeneye 007 remote mine, complete with beeping and LEDs. Check out the Thingiverse project for a complete walkthrough of how to build the device and bring a little N64 into to the real world.
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Hope you enjoyed this issue of Beep Boop Print! Next issue I'll share a recent project I've been working on that infused 3D printing with Viewmasters, plush tacos, and storytelling. Stay tuned!
'til next month,
Craig / BBP