It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since we went to the first Inside 3D Printing Conference in New York City. At the time, it was the first conference of its kind and covered all the aspects of the products, the services and business of 3D printing. Now, it’s even bigger and still remains…
Formlabs has executed a very interesting experiment in hydrographics using their 3D printing equipment. Hydrographics, if you’re not aware, is the process of applying a color texture to a surface of a non-flat 3D object. The idea is to have paint or a texture floating on the surface of a fluid. The object is carefully…
No matter how you crease, fold, cut, or throw them, paper airplanes are a ridiculously fun way to learn the basics of aerodynamics at any age. For Sao-Paola based designer Arthur Sacek, they were also the inspiration behind his latest LEGO build: an automated paper airplane manufacturing contraption that can take a single sheet of…
Netherlands-based 3D4Makers seems to have broken through a major barrier to producing unusual 3D print filaments in engineering materials with a new production system. The secret to their venture is a new filament extrusion system that differs significantly from typical filament production operations. But let’s see how most filament production is done. Most filament production…
No stranger to modding things to his liking, ex-Mythbusters host Adam Savage has documented the process of created everything from custom tool storage in his incredible workshop to even a working replica of the Star Trek Captain’s Chair. Not surprisingly, the results are always entertaining. For his latest, Savage is sure to make Nerf fans…
Unlike desktop 3D printers, which have only grown more connected and technologically advanced over the past few years, vacuum forming has remained somewhat Lo-Fi—oftentimes consisting of a homemade jig hooked up to a shop vac. But what if desktop vacuum forming finally got smart? It would probably look a whole lot like the Vaquform, which…
3-in-1 is the name of the game for Febtop Tech with the introduction of their Optimus Transformable 3D printer, which boasts a multiple configuration design that includes a 3D printer, laser cutter and CNC mill. Considering this is the Swedish-based company’s first foray into the world of 3D printing it’s certainly impressive, but not the…
In a big surprise, at least for me, German RepRap showed off a demonstrator 3D printer able to produce very strong silicone prints. There are few 3D printers able to print in silicone. The sloppy material requires extrusion mechanics far different from typical hard plastic filaments, but some companies have developed syringe-based systems that can…
Our last post on MakerBot’s new print software spurred on some conversation, internally and via email. One consistent concern we get from MakerBot Replicator owners, and questions we ask as Replicator owners considering their new products, are, “Has Stratasys put effort into making MakerBot’s work more reliably and consistently?” and, “Do the new products work…
Everyone’s getting into the resin 3D printer business. Now Flashforge, a long-time manufacturer of inexpensive and popular desktop 3D printers using plastic extrusion, has shown a resin-based unit they call the “Hunter”. The Hunter follows the style of many comparable units, with a UV-protective translucent cover on the top, so you may observe the 3D…
Outer space. It’s the one place you can be confident no ambulance will show up if you have an injury, at least, not very quickly. When medical emergencies arise on the ISS or other spaceborne vehicles, you make do with the supplies you have or perhaps re-purpose some equipment. With the installation of NASA’s AMF…
I found it interesting to see some long term patterns appearing in the 3D Hubs monthly trends report. The company operates as a kind of “community 3D print service”, in which willing 3D printing operations, small or large, can participate and thus make up a powerful 3D printing option for those who don’t otherwise have…
“Witness the world in living color” is more a phrase you’d like to hear a drunk Will Ferrall say, not a phrase usually associated with 3D printing. While some companies (botObjetcs, Spectrom, etc.) tried a slight-of-hand at producing full-color CMYKW prints, most of them fell short of delivering on their claims. Israel-based Something3D wants to…
The oceans of the world are vast, covering approximately 72% of the planet’s surface. Many people across the ages have travelled the seven seas in search of new worlds! The more bold at heart have sought to explore beneath the surface uncovering the mysteries of the deep. Tales abound of encounters with strange and enormous creatures,…
Markforged is known for their outstanding carbon fiber printers ─ the Mark One, Mark X and Onyx series. Now the manufacturing heavyweights are expanding beyond plastic. The’ve gone ‘full metal’ with the introduction of their Metal X 3D printer, which was recently unveiled at this year’s CES in Las Vegas. Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing For all intents…
Last week 3D print service Sculpteo announced a series of AI-based tools to simplify use of their system. But what’s driving them to this? We spoke with Sculpteo CEO Clément Moreau at CES to find out. Moreau explained that their firm really wanted to get into 3D metal printing, because that is the best market…
Porches. Porches are ridiculous without a good place to sit. If you don’t want to tear your porch down, you could toss some tree stumps up there, but if you have the slightest bit of woodworking skill, you could build yourself a bench. Chris Salomone of Foureyes Furniture has skill a’plenty, and has been busy…
When it comes to professionally-engineered LEGO builds, the end-goal is more often than not to recreate a real-world object as accurately as possible using square bricks. For some of the company’s most recent models, this dedication to modeling after true life has gone as far as having a build sequence modeled after the true-to-life factory…
If you’re not up on the latest in regards to expensive booze, Louis XIII Cognac is one of the most coveted and priciest — with a 70 cl (700ml) bottle of Louis XIII costing as much as $3,400. At that price you probably don’t want to chuck it in a $5 novelty flask and stash it…
Sometimes there are Kickstarter campaigns you hope will succeed, but sadly wind up failing. Noah Li is a Game Animator who launched a Kickstarter campaign that didn’t quite reach the funding goal. Maybe I’m biased because I’m a fan of both the MechWarrior universe and World War 2 technology, which is what Noah’s campaign merged…
Monoprice has become very well known for their low-cost 3D printer options, but things are about to change significantly. We managed to get a peek at their new set of equipment to be released soon. Currently the company offers a small selection of basic filament-powered desktop 3D printers, one of which, the Select Mini Desktop…
Welding is a useful skill to have, especially if you want to repair your vehicle, which was the goal of Instructable user Mr-Mash who figured it was cheaper to repair his own rather than taking it to the shop. For him, the easiest way to learn welding was to build one big, freakin’ bicycle outfitted…
From ridiculously complicated product lifecycle management scenarios to some of the most futuristic manufacturing tech ever seen, few industries are quite like the aerospace industry. While we may be a few years off from some really, really futuristic stuff trickling down to Coach—and even, First—Class, it’s safe to say that we’ve come a long way…
Yeah, you see kids frolicking about in their Velcro buckle shoes and remember when life use to simple and carefree. No wonder the international sign for frustration is a unlaced shoe. It’s not? Well, IT SHOULD BE. There, I feel better now. Fortunately for all of us who can’t bend over to tie a shoe, don’t…
A wonderful story has been submitted to Fabbaloo describing how a traditional ceramics craftsman was able to vastly simplify his work using 3D print technology. Nicolas Tokotuu of 3D Printing Science directed us to France-based craftsman Alain Canard, who has spent 27 years reproducing ceramic objects using very traditional techniques. Over that period of time,…
Often overlooked until the very end of a design process, package design can be a critical part of branding that strongly dictates how a consumer feels about a product before they even open it. While nobody is necessarily expected to operate in the upper echelon of Apple iPhone boxes (very expensive), there are better solutions…
If you work in manufacturing or have your own resin casting operation, you’ll know the all too familiar sound of pressure pots or tanks being bled and the subsequent look of agonizing pain as blood prepares to spray from the earholes… maybe it’s not that bad. Yeah, yeah it is. Ear plugs always get lost or…
Since screaming onto the American manufacturing scene in 2013, lifestyle brand Shinola Detroit has expanded their product line from high-end watches to leather goods to even bicycles — all with a majority of the parts and materials sourced from local or national suppliers and assembled in Detroit, Michigan. For their latest project, the company pulled out…
You’ve likely been hearing a lot about something called “Machine Learning” lately, but could this affect 3D printing? Most definitely so! The concept of machine learning is simply the application of advanced algorithms against previously collected data to develop predications, classifications and decisions about future events. From the outside view it more or less mimics…
Ultimaker just launched a new Ultimaker 3 app to complement their new Ultimaker 3 desktop 3D printer, and it includes the ability to do remote 3D printing. Remote 3D printing has been a function available by third party accessory for some years now. Typically these standalone boxes would attach to the “dumb” 3D printer’s USB…
Who doesn’t love a great video of giant metal parts being manufactured? Suffice it to say, we’re suckers for them around here at SolidSmack. Thankfully, the equally-obsessed fellas over at Extreme Machines Magazine have got our back—and a treasure trove of manufacturing vids, to boot. For their latest hypnotic masterpiece, the fellas took us inside…
Doom is arguably the quintessential first-person shooter that spawned one of the most popular video game genres of all time. The game is loaded with an array of traditional and futuristic weapons to decimate demon hordes–shotguns, machine guns, plasma rifles and even a chainsaw are at the player’s disposal. However, one so over-the top-weapon is…
3YOURMIND is a fascinating Berlin-based 3D printing startup that has recently announced a couple of interesting developments. The company acts as a kind of meta-service that sits above 3D printing services in a way to add value. The problem they’re solving is the difficulty in choosing an 3D print service provider that’s most suitable for…
Nestor Llanos is a 3D designer who has done a great deal pushing the envelope of 3D printing forward, but now he’s helping start others on the same path, with a book called “The Little Designer”. Llanos was the Lead Design Engineer for the “Strati” 3D printed car developed by Local Motors, one of the…
Formlabs, who is now responsible for making a generation of designers and engineers giggle gleefully when they hear the word ‘resin’, has recently released a whole array of new engineering resins aimed at professionals for use in prototyping, molding and more. Formlabs is widely known for their consumer and commercial grade resin… and their 3D printers too, I…
You might be familiar with 3D Platform, a company dedicated to making large-format 3D printers. Now it seems they’re working on ways to make large prints much faster. Many of the currently available large format 3D printers are simply scaled up versions of RepRap-style extrusion machines. This style of machine works perfectly well at the…
As you might have guessed, manufacturing chain link fences involves a similar process to that of knitting a sweater—assuming that the machine is a mad giant with a flock of steel wool—bearing sheep. Typically made from galvanized or LLDPE-coated steel wire, chain link fences feature a distinctive zig-zag pattern that isn’t just there for looks;…
From 3d printing to recycled ocean plastic, Adidas has thrown everything we know about traditional sneaker manufacturing on its head as a part of their sustainability-focused Futurecraft initiative. Described by the company as a “[creative hub] where imagination meets innovation,” their mission is to “expose the illusion of impossible and venture beyond the limits defined…
We don’t really know where to begin with this one, so we’ll just start by putting our hands on our heads to keep our brains from exploding. Created by a student at the Jade University of Applied Sciences in Lower Saxony, Germany, the Papercube is a “LEGO Mindstorms Education-Based Process for Manufacturing Paper Cubes” at…
In 2009, something happened that started a 3D printer boom. That’s going to happen once again. Why? Because there’s another round of patents set to begin expiring. In 2009 the original patents for plastic extrusion 3D printing technology finally expired, opening up a legal path for companies such as MakerBot, Ultimaker and projects like RepRap…
While plenty of exciting developments are happening in the product design space, few are as revolutionary as advancements in generative design. The result of artificial intelligence and the simulation of complex scenarios has enabled modern CAD software to play a participatory role in generating forms based on specific inputs provided by a user. The result…
It seems software giant Microsoft is going deeper into 3D technology, and I’m wondering how this could tilt the 3D printing landscape. In their most recent OS, Windows 10, the company has just provided a series of interesting 3D software tools. You can see how some of them work in this video: https://youtu.be/Itc5ihHDAnY In the…
Ahhh. There’s nothing quite like the aroma of genuine leather. And when it comes to wallets, leather is the crème de la crème! I can say with certainty that the folks over at Equus Leather believe this wholeheartedly. In a recent addition to their amazing behind the scenes video series, their master craftsmen Charlie shows off his…
Remember Openknit? The open source knitting machine made from 3D printed parts? Creator Gerard Rubio is back with the next generation of making DIY clothes easy and more accessible. Rubio’s new startup is Kniterate, which is communicated as ‘the platform for 3D printing garments’. Similar to Openknit, the idea is to make it easier and…
Remember a few months ago Netherlands-based Eric van Straaten sought funding to acquire a color 3D printer? There’s an interesting update to his story. The idea behind his quest was essentially a lack of sufficient quality from existing color 3D printers. He had been using standard 3D Systems’ ProJet powder-based color printers, which do produce…
It goes without saying that if you own a piece of equipment that can blast away material at 60,000 PSI, chances are you’re going to be spending a good deal of time having all sorts of dangerous fun with that kind of water-blasting power, too. Such is the premise behind the Waterjet Channel on YouTube.…
I’m looking at a secretive Israeli company called Fleximatter that seems to be developing an unusual 3D printing technology. The company has a website, but shows very little if any information on their technology. However, based on some brief research, it appears that: They are developing a new 3D printer suitable for industrial use The…
You know that dream you have where you wake up and a robot is removing circuit boards from your chest and printing in new one? No? That’s just me? Well, BotFactory is the precursor to that eventuality, and their technology is so convincing that they just raised a $1M Seed Round of financing through New York Angels, with New York…
From glass to cardboard, skaters today are ready to try just about anything to see if it can ollie with four wheels. But LEGO bricks? That’s a new one. With the goal of making an actual LEGO skateboard capable of human kickflips and pop shove-it’s, woodworker Peter Brown from the YouTube channel Shop Time recently…
There’s one thing cheese balls are good for – pelting your friends and family. I guess you could eat them, but that just seems like a complete waste. Ben, aka NightHawkInLight, creates amazing vidoes of DIY science and awesome. My kids and I enjoyed his tornado machine and the brilliant sci-fi propane pop gun inspired…