Mataerial 3D printer defies gravity

A new 3D printer does away with SLS layering, and is able to print gravity-defying cables in three dimensions. C/net reports.

This is the sort of thing that has to be seen to be believed. The current crop of 3D printers on the market require a printing bed, and the objects produced thereon are printed in fine layers. As there is a waiting period before the material dries, the object can only be built from the ground up.

Mataerial (a portmanteau of "material" and "aerial") is different. Using a special thermosetting plastic that dries instantaneously, it is able to print on surfaces of pretty much any inclination. It was designed by students Petr Novikov and Saša Jokić from Barcelona's Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, during an internship at Joris Laarman Lab.

... Called "Anti-Gravity Object Modelling", the technique and device are awaiting patent.

Read full article.

Video of 3D printer that use letter paper as the build material

Ireland's Mcor Technologies Ltd manufactures affordable, full colour and eco-friendly 3D printers.

They are the only 3D printers to use ordinary business-letter paper as the build material. In their own words: "High resolution and Photo realistic".

Mcor Technologies is the company that entered into a deal with Staples’ Printing Systems Division to launch a new 3D printing service called “Staples Easy 3D. Available in the Netherlands and Belgium initially.

Watch video.

3D printing with metal: The final frontier of additive manufacturing

Undoubtedly, the most dramatic and challenging has been printing with metal. In case you missed it, ExtremeTech assembled last december a few incredible videos that showcase the power and flexibility of 3D printing with metal.

View more here.

3D Print Recycling Shredder

German designer Marcus Thymark developed a 3D print shredder last year. It was built to test the geometry of blades for filabot shredder.

Now, according to 3Ders.org, 3 models are available to recycle and reuse your unwanted 3D prints. View models here.

[via 3D Printing is Cool and 3Ders.org]

Taking 3D printing into softer realms

A new appointment at Harvard will explore the chemistry and physics of gels, polymers, and colloidal suspensions for 3D printing. GraphicSpeak reports via @3d_printers.

Jennifer A. Lewis will work on the integration of multiple platforms for materials synthesis, assembly and characterization. The goal is to design novel inks and high-precision 3D printing methods using gels, polymers, and colloidal suspensions.

Read full article.

Filabot recycles everyday plastic into 3D printer 'ink'

Filabot is a desktop extruding system, capable of grinding various types of plastics, to make spools of plastic filament for 3D printers. Not only is it user friendly, but it is also environmentally friendly.

The Filabot can process things such as: milk jugs, soda bottles, various other types of plastics, and bad prints, to make new filament for a future print. Filabot will bring the real power of sustainability to 3D printing, allowing for a one stop shop to make anything.

Watch video demo. via Dvice and boingboing.

Roundup of hobbyist 3D printing materials

Jeremie Francois of the 3D Printer Improvements blog has put together a list of materials that can be used to print at home with their physical properties.

According to Francois, the list is not exhaustive and will expand over time. For now read it as a very useful generic survey of usable materials.

[via Ponoko]

3D printing with metal: The final frontier of additive manufacturing

A must read article from Extreme Tech which traces the history of 3D printing with metal (the first attempts can be traced back to the 1880s), how the real breakthrough has been laser, plus, a look at the future.

The Full List of 60+ Materials Available at Sculpteo — including Metal and Bi-Materials

Sculpteo has published the full list of their materials available for 3D printing.

Impressive. From all kinds of different colored resins, to bi-materials (2 materials in the same object), plastics, stainless steel, cobalt, aluminium, titanium, gold, platinum, brass, silver, ceramic...

You can also order a sample kit of their materials here.

3D Metal Printing Explained by Fabbaloo

Fabbaloo explains 3D metal printing.

Metal-capable machines are typically quite expensive and are varied in features and abilities. Generally metal printing involves some form of powder-based printing in which tiny metal particles are fused together.

What can you print? Some machine printed ultra-highly detailed metal jewelry, while others were able to form very strong industrial parts. Different manufacturers offered various materials, including steel, titanium and exotic plastics (which also work in this powder process). Realizer for instance, offers powdered precious metals, so you can literally print 3D objects in solid gold. Or platinum.

The price of metal machines is quite a bit more than typical plastic machines. For example, the low-end SLM machine from Realizer starts at €120,000 ($157,000) and more capable machines can be €500,000 ($654,000) to €1,000,000 ($1,309,) or more. Then you have to purchase the print material, which can be €300 ($393) per kg.

Read full article. via @3DPrint_newsbot.

New plastic could revolutionise 3D printing of electronic products

Engineers from the School of Engineering at the University of Warwick. have printed working electronic devices for the first time using a standard 3D printer fitted with a new type of plastic that conducts electricity.

[via Dezeen]

Research: A Simple, Low-Cost Conductive Composite Material for 3D Printing of Electronic Sensors.

'3D Printing Barometer' and 'WillIt3DPrint.com': Apps for testing 3D printing feasibility

Materialise launches "3D Print Barometer" to help manufacturers to identify whether a plastic component is suitable for 3D printing.

3D Printing Barometer is an online application to test different parts according to size, functionality, series size, etc., and score the added benefit that 3D Printing can offer. It aims to identify where 3D printing technology can really be of benefit.

[3ders.org via @3d_printers]

Related:

-- Stop Wasting Plastic! This Web App Tests the Printability of Your 3-D Designs (Wired)

WillIt3DPrint.com, a web app that acts like spell check for the 3-D printed age, aims to alleviate the fears of trying to print an unoptimized design by letting you know how it will turn out before you output it to your printer.

The service allows makers to upload an .STL file and instantly see how it will print on a variety of different machines — from six-figure pro tools to humble hobby setups. The interface provides a color-coded assessment of the part, visualizations of which parts will be most challenging to print, and even an estimate of the object’s carbon footprint.

This free tool is provided by Econolyst, an additive fabrication company based in the U.K. that provides consultation on 3-D printing to companies like Nike, GE, Bentley, and Airbus..

Read more.

3D Printed Ceramics

Rachel Park for 3D Printing Industry reports on
a company called Figulo, which specializes in 3D printing of ceramics.

The company, with a 3D printing manufacturing facility in Boston, US, uses a range of equipment to print, fire and glaze unique and customized ceramic objects for a global client base that includes consumers, artists and businesses. The company claims to be revolutionizing the design and production of ceramic objects – enabled by 3D printing processes.

Read full article. Eggbot design by mygadgetlife.

Custom 3D-Printed Beams Can Be 10,000 Times Stronger Than Steel

Steel beams are pretty uniformly strong, but they're all run of the mill, literally. If you start 3D-printing custom beams for the exact purpose they're intended to serve though, you've got a regular space-age material on your hands. It's lighter than steel and orders of magnitude stronger. Gizmodo reports.

The process, developed byYong Mao of the University of Nottingham, UK and colleagues, isn't just the product of one innovation, but rather a whole bunch of them wrapped up into one bundle.

Read full article vis PhysicsWorld.

Cartilage made using hybrid 3D printer could help treat joint diseases and sporting injuries

Researchers have developed a way to "print" cartilage that could help treat joint diseases and sporting injuries. The BBC reports.

They say that the new material is more robust and hardwearing than previous efforts to create artificial cartilage.

A traditional ink-jet printer combined with a specialised spinning-machine is used to make it.

It could lead to bespoke cartilage created for individual patients. But one expert warned it was too early to be confident it would ever be used.

The study was published in the Institute of Physic's journal Biofabrication.

Read full article.

3-D Printing Branches Out With New Wood-Based Filament

High-end printers have been working with metals and ceramics for some time. But now the 3-D printing community is toying with a material more natural in origin: printed wood.

Wired explains how it happened, how one website that carries it is perpetually out of stock and with no open source sharing, it’s impossible for others in the fledgling community to continue helping its development.

3-D printing wood might not rival traditional production methods in terms of cost or quality, but it stands alone for its unique aesthetic.

Read full article.

Related article: 3D Printing: Progression with Wood Filament Material