Digital Fabrication

Digital fabrication tools have revolutionized the way designers, engineers, and artisans express their creativity. With the right resources, you can learn to use these powerful instruments in no time! Whether it’s 3D printing or laser cutting that interests you, these articles will provide useful tutorials and inspiration for makers of all levels. Discover how digital fabrication can open up new possibilities so that your craftsmanship is truly extraordinary!

The DeltaMaker: Robot Meets 3D Printer

The DeltaMaker: Robot Meets 3D Printer

The DeltaMaker, a recent success on Kickstarter, is an elegant 3D printer built on a delta robot platform. Delta robots have been used for picking and packaging applications in factories for decades, thanks to their impressive speed and agility. The DeltaMaker uses MakerSlide aluminum extrusions paired with Delrin v-wheels on bearings to move quicker than normal printers; the Z axis in particular isn’t limited by the low speed of a threaded rod, so it can move just as quickly as the other axes.

I spoke with the company’s mechanical engineer, Zack Monninger to discuss their success on Kickstarter and what’s next.

Continue Reading Eric Weinhoffer20
Today on Food Makers: 3D Printed Food

Today on Food Makers: 3D Printed Food

Today on Food Makers, a Google+ hangout on air at 2pm PST/5Pm EST, I’ll be exploring the how and why of 3D printed food with three luminaries in the field: avant garde chef Homaro Cantu of Moto restaurant in Chicago, Jeffrey Lipton from Cornell University’s Fab@Home, and Andracs Forgacs of Modern Meadow, a biotech firm developing the technology to print raw meat grown from animal cells–petri dish meat if you will.

Is 3D printed food the future? Would anyone want to eat it if was? Tune in right here to find out. If you can’t make it to the live broadcast, check out the archived video on our YouTube page at youtube.com/make.

Continue Reading Stett Holbrook10

3D Printing Goes Mainstream

Engadget Expand, a two-day event of presentations, consumer electronics, and innovation, kicked off today at Fort Mason in San Francisco. The first panel discussion was “3D Printing Goes Mainstream” and it featured Ari Reichental, president and CEO of 3D Systems; Hod Lipson, associate professor of engineering at Cornell University; and Max Lobovsky, president and CEO of Formlabs.

In truth, the panel discussion would have better called “3D Printing Will go Mainstream When…” Because as all the panelists agreed, while 3D printing is big and getting bigger we’re still in the early adopter stage and seamless consumer interface has not yet been achieved. That’s the killer app, they agreed.

Continue Reading Stett Holbrook6
Makies

Alice Taylor: Inventing the Future of Toys

Alice Taylor is CEO of Makielab, a London-based startup that 3D prints customised action dolls called Makies. Customers design their doll on the Makie website, choosing facial features, hairstyles, eye and skin colour, and selecting outfits and accessories. The dolls – fully-poseable, and about 10 inches tall are then printed in London and shipped out. For the Makie and Alice, that’s the beginning of a long adventure.

I spoke to Alice about the adventure that she and Makielab have been on, playing with toys, working with geeks, and bringing 3D printing to the masses.

Continue Reading Andrew Sleigh10
Top 3D Services: Part 2

Top 3D Services: Part 2

Last week I introduced slicing and CAD software, two key ingredients in a custom 3D Print. This week I’m going to cover the actual use of your machine, how to view and find 3D models, and venture into the still-budding world of DIY 3D scanning. Just like last time, all services listed are free (at least to a certain extent).

Continue Reading Eric Weinhoffer12
SXSW Hardware Startup Meetup

SXSW Hardware Startup Meetup

This afternoon, more than sixty hardware hackers, makers, movers, and shakers defied the drizzle to gather under a large tent at Autodesk’s SXSW Create pavillion for the official SXSW Hardware Startup Meetup. Organized and hosted by Ryan Brown and Bartley Gillan, the main event was a panel discussion and open Q&A with SF Hardware Startup Meetup organizer Nick Pinkston and the founders of four active hardware startups representing some 1.75M in pledged crowdfunding dollars among them.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan