If you’re a maker, 3d printing is an incredibly useful tool to have in your arsenal. Not only can it help bring your projects to life faster, but it can also offer unique results that would be difficult (or impossible!) to achieve with traditional methods. In these blog posts, we’ll provide you with some essential information and tips regarding 3D printing for makers—including the basics of how to get started, plus creative tutorials for spicing up your projects. Whether you’re already familiar with 3d printing or are just starting out, these resources will help take your game-making skills even further!
Jeshua Lacock recounted his experience of casting metal parts directly from 3D Printed PLA with a fantastic photo-filled writeup and video. He prints the part with his Ultimaker and pours mold material around it before letting it set. After the mold hardens, it’s placed in his homemade furnace to melt away the PLA, leaving a beautiful female mold behind, into which he can pour molten metal.
If you were hoping to pick up Brook Drumm’s new Printrbot Simple at Maker Faire Bay Area this year, well…you’re too late. The Printrbot Simple beta edition sold out Saturday afternoon. Still, with alpha availability slate for June, you don’t have too long to wait.
MakerBot and Autodesk, who are sharing a booth this weekend at Maker Faire Bay Area 2013, just announced a partnership deal involving the Replicator 2 and Autodesk’s 123D suite. Folks who purchase subscriptions to Autodesk’s 123D tools get a discount towards the purchase of a Rep2, and Autodesk has become an authorized reseller of the popular 3D printer. The “Autodesk edition” Replicator 2 also features custom face- and buildplates. Deets at Autodesk’s 123D site, below.
Autodesk announced today they’ve signed a deal to acquire Tinkercad and revive the popular web-based 3D design tool and its growing community of makers and educators.
A host of hopeful startups will be in evidence today the Bay Area Maker Faire. The fair’s list of sponsors includes a startup category. Maker Faire is a chance for many of these companies to show their products to an appreciative audience. The relationship goes deep; the companies were started by people who identify themselves as makers. Being part of Maker Faire is sort of like a family graduation day party. There is even a dedicated startup area at Maker Faire. Here is a sampling of small innovative startups have timed the release of significant news with Maker Faire.
Andrew “bunnie” Huang backed Formlabs’ 2012 Kickstarter for the Form 1 liquid resin (SLA) printer and just scored a pre-release beta unit through his connect with Neoteny Labs.vAnd, naturally, the first thing he did was tear it apart.
This is really cool, a MakerBot Industries-supported 3D printable prosthetic hand project. When Richard Van As, a master carpenter in Johannesburg, South Africa, decided to make a set of mechanical fingers, it wasn’t just for fun. He’d lost four of the fingers on his right hand in an unfortunate work accident. For a tradesman like […]
