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!
Interesting dissection of a sphere from Thingiverse user VeryWetPaint. This “hemi-demi-sphere” is also cleverly designed to present the best-finished surface from the printer on the outside of the assembled sphere.
I’ve been hiring Angus Hines of Carrolton, VA, for a couple of months now for all my contract laser-cutting, and I can’t say enough good things about him. But, heck, I’ve never met him, so let’s focus on the empirical: Angus consistently quotes me about half what the big-laser cutters want to charge on the same jobs. (Hopefully he knows that, and I haven’t just shot myself in the foot by pointing it out.) Seriously, Angus himself says, “one of my goals is to help bring the price of DIY tech down to a more reasonable level.”
Now Angus is offering a kit of all the acrylic parts for the open-source Fab@Home Model 2 3D printer at about 75% of what the Fab@Home preferred vendors are charging. [Thanks, Angus!]
Wow! Juniortan designed this folding guitar stand for Thingiverse users everwhere to download and print, and it’s an entry in our MakerBot CupCake CNC Kit giveaway! Design and upload an object to Thingiverse, put a link to it in the comments on the giveaway landing page, and you could be the proud new owner of […]
At the Cambridge Mini Maker Faire, we had a whole mess of Makerbots. People were very curious about all the plastic being extruded and had lots of questions of the hardy Makerbotters. I had a chance (since I was in the next booth over) to ask a few questions of my own.
Want to know more about the Makerbot? Get your hands on a copy of MAKE, Volume 21. The Makerbot site is full of good info, and you can see and share lots of designs for parts that can be made over at Thingiverse.
Scholars from Québec’s McGill University converted a FAB@HOME 3D printer to output in ice. Currently, the practical applications of this project include commercial and industrial part modeling, and construction for the ice-tourism industry. For instance, small-scale ice models represent economical alternatives to intricate 3D models of architectural objects, be they scale models of buildings, site […]
Dustin Wallace, whose Oriboto Robotagami I am always raving about, also makes this wicked-looking wearable bottle opener intended for beverage-slangin’ professionals. You can wear it on the top or bottom of your palm. It’s good-looking, provides plenty of leverage, and seems like it might come in handy when the guys in black cowboy hats start smashing bottles over people’s heads.
We’re racking up the entries for the MAKE/MakerBot CupCake CNC kit giveaway! Design a 3D object and put it on Thingiverse for a chance to win your own 3D printer! Bre’s been tagging Thingiverse things with “makeentry” (169 so far) to organize them on their end, but you can also see all the entries so […]
