I was recently in Lexington, KY and curiosity compelled me to checkout the nearby Ark Encounter. As a scientist it was an “interesting” day, but I’ll leave all the religious and scientific discussions for someone else. This, after all, is a 3D printing blog, not one discussing the dueling theories of intelligent design versus evolution. You’ll see lots of things on your visit from animals to dinosaurs, but you’ll also see information on how they built the Ark and 3D printing/scanning had a role. Continue reading
3D Printing That Isn’t Additive?
So is additive manufacturing the same as 3D printing? Apparently not. UC Berkely has a great new tech where you shine light into a special resin to create objects “all at once” rather than in layers. Continue reading
3D Printing Technology From @DrinkRipples Puts Images in Beer Foam
It’s always great to see 3D printing technology used in new forms. Drink Ripples uses 3D printing mechanics and inkjet technology to make images in beer foam, coffee or other beverages. Continue reading
STL Search Engine From @stlfinder
I ran across STL Finder and it’s a pretty cool site for finding 3D models for your 3D printer. I wouldn’t call it a “search engine” in the classic sense in that it doesn’t appear to be indexing broad online content like Google does, but rather it is indexing files from major and submitted online repositories. Continue reading
Lockheed Space 3D Prints a Titanium Tank for Half the Cost and in One Fifth the Time
Lockheed Martin Space Systems has used 3D printing to make a titanium tank. The effort was detailed in an article here and discusses the experiments to determine if the 3D printed parts could have the same or better quality compared to traditionally forged parts. Continue reading
The Anything Factory: A quick overview of @GEAdditive
So there you have three of the aspects of a great commercial: wit, misdirection and kids. However, in many ways it is truly descriptive of what GE Additive is setting out to do. According to their website:
As a leading user of the additive technologies, we offer years of experience and a commitment to accelerating additive’s adoption around the globe. That’s why we now supply innovative machines, materials and engineering consulting services to industries ranging from power and medical to aerospace and automotive.
Remember 1989? The time machine that is Youtube has a 30 year old spot from Good Morning America about 3D Printing
In the beginning of this blog I mentioned the first time I ran across 3D printing in person in 1996, but this Youtube classic predates that. It’s amazing how much has changed in 30 years, but also how much hasn’t. Continue reading
