Source: Hubblesite.org

Can you 3D print in space?  Would powder just float away?  Would molten filament cooperate?  These are all important questions to ask as 3D printing could have unique value for space travel. Continue reading →

There’s a cool download I saw at http://www.thingiverse.com, a printable wind turbine.   Now Thingiverse has some 30,000 different objects and a new one is added every 5 minutes or so, but this one may be one of the most significant. Continue reading →

3D Nano IndyCar (used with permission of Jan Torgersen)

Here is a 3D printed object about as wide as a few strands of hair and 285 micrometers long writen about in a Popular Mechanics article called, “Advanced 3D Printer CreatesNano-IndyCar“. Yep, cars so small a dust mite could race them.  This is all done with a two photon wide laser.   Continue reading →

Lasagna made layer by layer by my wife and mom

Saw a great article in Popular Mechanics about 3D printing of food. I guess it could add a whole new meaning to, “would you like to add…” that a waitress might ask. Continue reading →

The very first 3D printed objects I saw were flimsy plastic parts. These were great for prototype cases for electronics, but you probably wouldn’t want your health and safety relying on them. This excluded many applications related to machinery and transportation. This now appears to be changing as 3D printing with metal is gaining momentum. Continue reading →

This technology is totally cool.  Filament can be expensive, usually $30/kg or more and yet we throw away pounds of plastic soft drink bottles and other plastic containers daily.  What sense does that make?   Continue reading →