3D printing can have many environmental benefits as we’ve written about before. In an era of upgrades and personalized items, 3D printing can deliver a totally new product every time with minimal waste. Cubyoyo helped put together an awesome study about the environmental implications of 3D printing. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: October 2013
3D Printing Stocks the Secret for your Retirement?
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Looking to save for retirement? Maybe investing part of your portfolio in 3D printing could be the way to go. 3D printing is growing by 13.5% annually and expected to reach $3.5 billion in 2017. at that rate you’ll double your money in a little over 5 years. 13.5% is a pretty good growth rate and rate of return on investment, but it’s a question of picking the winning stocks. Continue reading
Be a Beta Tester! MediumWare Wants to be your Printer Ready Library for Mechanical Parts
We got wind of a great new venture currently raising funds on Indiegogo. MediumWare seeks to be a database of printer ready parts for engineers, housing things like pumps, bearings, valves, etc. Although they are trying to raise funds, they’re also looking to raise awareness and are looking for beta testers!
Steve Hammond
We had a chance to get an exclusive interview with Steve Hammond, founder of MediumWare. Here’s what he had to say about his company: Continue reading
Creative Culture Catalysts…3C’s for better 3D
Stuck in a rut?
In literature it’s called writer’s block, in R&D it’s an empty pipeline, these are both examples of a drought of creativity. I‘m a big believer that while there is an element of natural ability, creativity can also be learned and refined. Like sports or an instrument, practice makes perfect and there are also catalysts out there. It’s amazing how fast we can get into a rut and it takes proactive actions to break free. Here are a few habits that I use to try to keep myself fresh: Continue reading
Duck, Duck, Duck…3D
Rubber ducky you’re the one…
3D printing has been used to help a duck recover from injury by printing a new foot and it even got coverage in USA Today. People love animals, I’ve even seen billboards in Atlanta offering stem cell treatment for dogs, vets sometimes get the best toys as approvals are easier. It’s a sign of things to come for human prosthesis. Speaking of ducks, at Cubify you can even get a 3D printed rubber duck!
Coke Makes Customers into Action Figures
Who hasn’t played with an action figure and pretended it was them? As part of a marketing campaign Coke gave customers the opportunity to do just that! This is an awesome use of 3D printing for marketing purposes. and here’s a great article about other figurine applications. Continue reading
Matchmaker Matchmaker MakeXYZ Me a Match?
Image courtesy of Michal Marcol at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
PLA printer seeks STP file for mutually beneficial relationship.
MakeXYZ (http://www.makexyz.com/) is a great place where you can search for a private contractor to print your 3D file or pick from a catalog and have it printed near you. This is a great way for individuals to list their printers for hire. Also, those who need something printed can have it done locally if you don’t want to purchase a device or have a Staples or other business offering the service. Continue reading
3D Design by Dance
Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
There’s a great new user interface technology that literally lets you dance to make a 3D design. The technology is called Shape-It-Up and uses a Kinect camera to allow the user to interact with 3D objects. It was created by the Purdue C Design Lab. They’re now collaborating with the company ZeroUI to look at commercial applications. ZeroUI specializes in gesture-based interfaces. Here’s a great video of Shape-It-Up in action.
Printing DDD 