Zeus (used with permission)

I ran across a really cool device on KickStarter called Zeus.  Zeus brings a lot of things to mind from the father of the Greek gods “gonna throw a lightning bolt at you if you make me mad” or personally for me a roller coaster of the same name in my home state of Wisconsin.  However, in this case it’s a “do everything” 3D device brought to you by AIO Robotics, Inc.  According “The first and only device that allows users to 3D Scan, Print, Copy, and Fax objects with a touch of a button from one device.”  Scan, print and copy are pretty self explanatory, but fax is a little less obvious.  Fax is the ability to send files from one Zeus printer to another.  This device really has it all including software with nice “repair” features. Continue reading →

A liquid oxygen/gaseous hydrogen rocket injector assembly built using 3D printing technology is hot-fire tested at NASA Glenn Research Center’s Rocket Combustion Laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio.
Credit: NASA Glenn Research Center

Sometimes people question the strength of 3D printed parts and if it could really replace welding and CNC for the most extreme applications.  Here’s a great article about a 3D printed rocket part that accumulated 46 seconds of total firing time at temperatures nearing 6,000 F while burning liquid oxygen and gaseous hydrogen, showing no difference to standard parts.  Any questions?

Video used with permission of the Dickey Group

You simply have to watch the above video made by the Dickey Research Group out of North Carolina State University.  It is part breakthrough engineering and part art.  The work can be described as using a syringe to place small spheres of liquid metal into intricate 3D patterns at room temperature.  A great article was written about it in Laboratory Equipment with more technical details.  The video comes complete with background music and watching the structures take shape is mesmerizing.  Applications include things such as liquid metal wires and other electronic components.  It’s also great to see excellent scientific research published with style and substance that the average person finds accessible and can enjoy while simultaneously understanding a new complex concept!

Image courtesy of hin255 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Do you own an XBox 360 with a connect or a smartphone?  Then you own a 3D scanner!  Two of the ones that have caught our eye are the 123D Catch and Kinect. Continue reading →

An actual Apollo rocket that was built, but not launched from the Space Center in Florida. Another shameless way to plug a great vacation day.

This entry is a follow-up to our previous entry about 3D printing in space. There has been a flood of recent news in the sector from 3D Systems joining Planetary Resources space mining efforts, to NASA printing food in space, to Made In Space passing key milestones to putting a 3D printer in the International Space Station, to Paypal Galactic giving everyone a way to pay for 3D printing in space.  Space travel is often one of the early adopters of new technology, so this synergy makes sense.  No doubt more news is to come, especially next year when a 3D printer hopefully arrives at the International Space Station!

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So will it be this year’s Tickle-me Elmo or Nintendo Wii?  Perhaps not, but now you can buy a 3D printer at 35,000 feet from SkyMall! Continue reading →

Image courtesy of Digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Checkout this cool cartoon that is printed with individual atoms! Continue reading →