Very Informative 3D Printing Blog at Engineering.com

If you are interested in 3D printing, check out engineering.com's very fine blog that focuses exclusively on news of and developments in that technology and business.

Also check out Chris Anderson's new book on the Maker culture, open source design, and 3D printing via our Amazon affiliate link below, available in hardback and Kindle.

  

RoBo 3D Low Cost, Open Source 3D Printer on Kickstarter

RoBo3D Printer

This low-cost, open source 3D printer from RoBo 3D is the latest, hottest 3D printer Kickstarter project: With three days left to go at the time of this posting, 919 backers have committed almost $467,000, well over the target funding level of $49,000.

The base model prints with PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) biodegradable plastic, the same material that the MakerBot Replicator 2 uses. PLA has a reputation as the easiest 3D printing material to work, hence the best material for the novice to learn with. The base model is $520. An upgraded version for an additional $99 will also print in ABS, which is much tougher and stronger than PLA. The print volume is 10"x10"x8" (800cu. in.), nearly twice the volume of the Replicator 2.

At this low price point, a quarter of the cost of the Replicator 2, the RoBo 3D promises to bring 3D printing home to many more of us. Check out the Kickstarter page here for more info... there is still time to subscribe.

Update: The RoBo3D is now fully funded with 1,251 backers committing just under $650K!

Stratasys Mojo 3D Printer Leases for $185/month

Stratasys Mojo 3D Printer Kit

Stratasys still has its Mojo 3D printer lease program going here in the US. This is an industrial grade, professional printer of the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) type that you can lease for as little as $185/month. It prints with the Stratasys ABSplus material.

You can find a YouTube video of the Mojo in action here at a post we did about it earlier this year.

You can get a free printed sample by registering with Stratasys here.

Please note again that the lease program is available only in the United States.

   

KScan3D Software Turns Kinect into 3D Color Scanner

KScan3D Human Model

The KScan3D software package from 3D3 Solutions lets you redeploy your Kinect for Windows or Kinect for Xbox 360 as a 3D color scanner. The 3D3 people claim that their software can seamlessly stitch together shots taken from multiple angles to capture a complete 360degree model of an object or person.   The software creatures a 3D mesh model that is automatically combined and aligned. The package also incorporates editing features for smoothing and editing the data.

The resulting model is available for output in four industry-standard file formats: .stl, .obj, .ply and .asc. The model can be used for CAD/CAM work, game design, visual effects, and 3D printing.

The package price is $299... You have to sign-up for an account with 3D3 Solutions to get pricing, by the way, providing your email address and street address, so I did that to save you the hassle. You can purchase  with a credit card or PayPal and download the software immediately.

If you own a Kinect, you can download and test drive KScan3D by taking advantage of the free fourteen-day trial.

You can see a gallery of scans here, and can download them in .ply, .obj, and .stl for examination in your CAD viewer.

If you give KScan3D a try, or are already a user, we'd like to hear what you think of the package... by all means, please leave your comments here at this post.

Mojo 3D Professional Printer from Stratasys, Under $10K

Mojo 3D Printer Pack from Stratasys

Stratasys has released their new Mojo 3D Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printer, and they are promoting it heavily. With this model at $9,900, Stratasys has pushed the price point for professional 3D printers below the $10K barrier.

The build volume of this desktop unit is 5x5x5 inches. The build material is a form of ABS that Stratasys calls ABSplus. Stratasys claims it is very tough and durable. It can be drilled and painted, or even plated.

A leasing program is available in the US for $185/month. I have not been able to find any details about the program on the Web... looks like you've got to contact a sales representative to get that information. Stratasys offers a free sample part for evaluation.

B9Creator 3D Printer Kickstarter Completed, Raised Over $500K

The B9Creator Kickstarter funding project we blogged about a few weeks ago is completed. Nearly 400 people committed a combined total of over $513,000, more than ten times the original $50,000 project goal. Amazing, and congratulations to Mike Joyce, creator of this innovative 3D printer.

B9Creator 3D Printer Fundraising on Kickstarter

A couple of weeks ago we posted a piece about the Bukobot 3D printer Kickstarter fundraiser, which has been quite successful, easily exceeding its maker's fundraising goal of $42K with more than a week left to go. Well, yesterday we found out about another 3D printer project at Kickstarter, the B9Creator fundraiser, which has done amazingly well: In less than a week, and with a month still to go, more than $123,000 has been pledged,  far exceeding owner Michael Joyce's original $50,000 project funding goal.

I think this one is so way-over-the-top successful because of its unique technical approach: Joyce uses a deformable mirror device to project a 1024x768 pixel image onto a layer of light-sensitive resin. The entire layer is immediately cured where the light hits it, so each layer of the printed object is created very rapidly. This is in contrast with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) techniques, where the material is laid down in a raster pattern after the fashion of inkjet printing.

Joyce writes that each layer is typically calibrated to be .004" (.1mm) thick, but that the user can trade off speed for even greater resolution. Claimed printing rates are 12-20mm per hour. The resin used is said to be very inexpensive.

The B9Creator is an open source hardware project, so all of the CAD files and software source code files will be made available under an open source license.

On another fun note, check out Michael Joyce's life-sized models of the Lost In Space "Robot B9." (And now you know where the "B9Creator" name came from...)

Update 5/21: With three weeks to go at Kickstarter, pledged funds for the B9Creator total just under $170,000, well over three times the project goal. 

Bukobot 3D Printer Kickstarter Funding Drive

Bukobot 3D Printer

The Bukobot 3D printer from Deezmaker is derived from the RepRap open source hardware printer. Deezmaker is attempting to bring the Bukobot to market by raising funds at Kickstarter. The funding goal is to raise $42,000 by May 23; as of this writing, at $19,569 they are just about halfway there, with twenty days to go.

You can follow Bukobot news at their blog.

Update: The committed total is already up over $22,000 less than 24hours later!

Update May 11: The Bukobot is funded! As of this morning, $42,905 with 125 backers and still twelve days to go! 




         

The UP! Personal, Portable 3D Printer

UP! Personal 3D Printer

Another low-cost, 3D printer for the home, school, lab, and maker/DIY market has come to our attention: the UP! personal and portable printer from Delta Micro Factory Corporation in China. The research we've done so far indicates that the UP! printer has been on the market for about two years now. We have not been able to find a recent review of it, however, there are a number of Youtube videos uploaded by the company and by users.

The American distributor is UP! USA in Brooklyn, NY. Their listed price is $1,499 plus shipping and handling. (You may need to be patient when visiting their website... each page was annoyingly slow to load, at least for us this evening.)

The UP! has its own software environment for setting up the machine and running print jobs. It is claimed that the company is investing significant resources into software development, so that they are releasing frequent software updates that add new features. The software accepts the standard STL file format, so you can use a CAD program of your choice to create models. 

In our researches, we did find that ten UP! printers are being given away as prizes in the Instructables  "Make It Real Challenge" this year (we'll be doing a post about that soon... if you are a maker, take a look, you might want to enter). Meanwhile, check out the UP! demo video below.

3D Stuffmaker's RepRap 3D Printer

3D Stuffmaker "Allstar" 3D Printer

In response to our recent post about Cubify and the "Cube" 3D printer, one of our readers contacted us about 3D Stuffmaker and their RepRap-derived 3D printers for the DIY market. RepRap is an open-hardware, community-based project, so makers are free to create and market their own printers based on RepRap designs.

The engineers at 3D Stuffmaker have made it their mission t o improve on the RepRap technology, and to make it much more accessible to a wider range of home users and educators by offering DIY kits and assembled printers... at their website, click on the "Sales & Specs" tab to see what's on offer.

If you are in the market for a low-cost 3D printer, or just want to get a feel for what's happening in the 3D print community, check out 3D Stuffmaker.

We will continue to post here about 3D printing and other Rapid Prototyping technologies as things develop in those arenas.

Cubify 3D Printer for the Home

Cubify 3D Printers

A couple of weeks back we put up a post on the subject of 3D printing, and how it is becoming affordable for home use, moving out of the industrial arena and into the domestic front.  This is a subject we've got a lot of interest in, both personally and professionally, so we are keeping an eye on what's happening in that marketplace.

So, we just found Cube, a new 3D color printer from Cubify. Cube, which starts at $1,299, is targeted at the home market. It features a build volume of 5.5" x 5.5" x 5.5", and can print in ten colors. The plastic printing medium is provided in plastic cassettes that are easily loaded into a slot on the front of the machine.

Cube comes with software that translates users' models into a format that Cube understands. Files are downloaded via its WiFi interface... no cabling required.

Cubify also offers the "Cloud 3D Print" printing service for those who don't want to buy a printer. Pick your material and upload your files, then place your order. Your finished part is then shipped to you.

Stay tuned... We will continue to keep you informed here of other 3D printing products and services as they hit the market.