Although we’ve seen and heard a lot about what Autodesk’s Pier 9 workshop is capable of producing, we’ve been yet to see a whole lot of what has actually been done there. If these sculptures from John Edmark, one of Pier 9’s Artists-in-Residence are any indication, it looks like they’re up to a whole lot…
After taking a look at their product design collection, it becomes clear that Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves of UK-based Studio Swine are just as interested in designing their own manufacturing processes as they are with the final product design results. Among other projects that the design team have worked on include furniture that is…
Somewhere amongst the cat pictures, reaction gifs and weight loss photos, crowdsourced bulletin board and news site Reddit is capable of churning out some rather interesting show and tell design-related stories. Among others we’ve seen include a ‘husband of the year’ candidate who fabricated a race-ready bicycle for his competitive racer wife from scratch as…
It’s been almost a year since we’ve heard from Greg Mark, founder of MarkForged and creator of the Mark One carbon fiber 3D printer. When we ran into him at SolidWorks World 2014 last year, his 3D printer was the talk of the show and had SolidWorks executives including Gian Paolo Bassi talking about the…
Senvol has been a company on our radar for the past two years. Started by Wharton grads Zach Simkins and Annie Wang, Senvol’s original intention was to help companies find uses for 3D Printing outside of just rapid prototyping, identifying uses like producing discontinued OEM parts or finding parts that could be more cheaply manufactured…
Since unveiling the Strati, their crowdsource-designed 3D printed car, Local Motors has been visiting everybody from MakerFaires to the Today Show and has been open about putting the car, which can be printed in 44 hours, into production later this year. While most would probably expect the Phoenix, Arizona-based company to unveil something on an…
Among other product designers who have been adding a modern twist to classic toy designs, Detroit, Michigan-based Matthew Tait of TAIT Design Co. has done an exceptional job of combining DIY interactivity to otherwise perfect wooden toy designs. The designer, who started TAIT Design Co. in 2013, went to school to become a graphic designer…
Formed in 2008 by a group of friends from New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo, Kinfolk Bicycles was born out of the designers’ need to experience a certain type of product that hadn’t been built yet. In their case, it was a well-crafted, handmade bicycle. Combining their experience from a variety of disciplines, the group…
There’s one thing you don’t have laying around your office this new year. A Chainsaw. A mini LEGO Chainsaw. It’s just sad, a person of your stature and arm strength, with no Mini LEGO Chainsaw. Let’s put an end to that this instant. František Hajdekr, from Bavorov, Czech Republic, creates all sorts of detailed LEGO…
Electronics 3D Printing, which combines your standard Additive Manufacturing and elements of PCB prototyping, came one step closer to your cluttered desktop. Voxel8 just released to CES 2015 an amazing video demonstrating their first commercial product, showing off how it can 3D Print plastic and conductive ink traces, allowing anyone to create a completely integrated product.…
When it comes to YouTube stars who want to bless the world with their obscure (but usable!) knowledge, Grant Thompson (AKA The King of Random) ranks up there among the best of them. Initially inspired to produce videos as a way to give back to the tutorial-rich YouTube community, his YouTube channel now includes over…
So much news and so little time! As the world of product design and engineering continues to shift shape thanks to recent developments in digital fabrication, cheaper and more powerful CAD platforms, an ever-increasing interest from a younger generation, and all-around interest in the field, SolidSmack exists to help drive the future of product design…
So much news and so little time! As the world of product design and engineering continues to shift shape thanks to recent developments in digital fabrication, cheaper and more powerful CAD platforms, an ever-increasing interest from a younger generation, and all-around interest in the field, SolidSmack exists to help drive the future of product design…
Expected to begin shipping in early 2015 at an estimated cost of $5995, Autodesk’s Ember 3D Printer is almost ready to be launched into design studios, workshops, schools and other facilities who are looking to be involved with the software giant’s Spark open platform for 3D printing. Along with the Ember printer, the Spark open…
When NASA emailed a ratchet wrench file to International Space Station commander Barry Wilmore on December 19th, it marked the first time a file could be 3D modeled on earth and sent up to space for manufacturing. While it isn’t the first time an object has been printed in space (there have been over 20…
When it comes to partnering up with existing brands to enable users to create 3D printable products and accessories within their own homes, MakerBot has been on the forefront of showing us what that future might look like. Between their partnerships with brands such as Sesame Street, Hello Kitty and even Martha Stewart, their MakerBot…
If disassembling an object and having to reassemble it back into its original state is something that makes your knees buckle with nervousness, 9 times out of 10 you’re probably not a watchmaker. Known for their still hands and ability to organize hundreds of tiny pieces, there’s a reason why some watchmakers can earn just…
Sneaker fan or not, it’s hard to not appreciate the material and manufacturing developments that have come out of the shoe design and manufacturing space. Between developments in responsive midsole materials for various athletic applications to new upper materials that bring shoe weight down and structural support up, the research and development that goes into…
Earlier this year, MoMA’s PS1—a satellite extension of the Museum of Modern Art—was home to the Hy-Fi, a cutting-edge structure made out of mushroom material. The entirely compostable structure was made from brick-like blocks that were grown rather than manufactured and the natural materials helped in providing a pleasant microclimate for PS1 visitors. The futuristic…
They say vinyl produces the best sounding reproduction of music. It’s a big debate that seems to run in circles again and again. Get it? Well we can settle one question I’ve always had: I can burn a CD, and I can make a tape. But why can’t I make my own Vinyl records? Well look…
Aiming to bring the best of yester-century into today’s modern work environments, Studio Renier Winkelaar, an independent design agency two hours outside of Amsterdam, has created a table that is both modern and built to last. The Craft 2.0 table, which uses only one material (oak) and omits any type of modern fasteners—including screws—was inspired…
Removing 3D Prints. It ain’t easy. FDM 3D Printing requires that the first layers adhere to something, but of course, that something has to be not coated with superglue. Because nothing says “I suck at this” than giving your Girlfriend a bracelet that is either broken or firmly attached to the printbed. For this reason, there is the…
Having been inspired by natural elements for their new collection of wooden toy designs, product design, graphic design and architecture studio Vrtíška Žák have reduced common and traditional wooden children’s toys into their most simple forms with the minimalist WOO toy collection. The collection, whose name is derived from both a play on the word…
Apparently not satisfied with riding motorcycles on water, blowing up cement trucks, or escaping a sinking car on their popular television show Mythbusters, engineer-nerd hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman have resorted to YouTube to continue their fascination with engineering, physics and the like (and we’re thankful for it). On their Tested YouTube channel, the…
As far as ‘Behind the Design’ and DIY videos go, whoever is operating behind the scenes at Inspire to Make has done an exceptional job of crafting and communicating the steps for unique projects without overestimating people’s short YouTube attention span these days. In fact, this recently-released video of Inspire to Make’s latest DIY project…
Stop delicately gnawing that mahogany slab for a few seconds. Meredith Scheff-King has created a handy little layout of 50 Digital Joints. You heard me right. 50. Joints. Digitalooloo. Gazing upon the individual pages of Jochen Gross’ 50 Digital Wood Joints just wasn’t enough. Desiring to view, in a single glance, as many wood joints…
Grunt, squeeze and pop that 3D printed champagne cork. Yesterday, at Autodesk University, the software company that serves manufacturing, architectural and the media and entertainment industries pushed further into additive manufacturing with three announcements. Autodesk has formally launched the Spark Platform, along with a Printer, a Fund and a strategic partnership with 3D print industry…
Known for their forward-thinking approach to mass manufacturing with wood-based designs, Italy’s Slow Wood is also an innovative incubator for spearheading ideas and initiatives in wooden craft design…particularly in the realm of disrupting traditional manufacturing supply chains by employing a private network of Italian artisanal makers. Founded by wood expert, preservationist and entrepreneur Gianni Cantarutti,…
As 3D printing finds its way into solving a myriad of problems ranging from more traditional product development methods to more recent medical applications, there is one trait that leaves much to be desired: the ability to create multiple high-quality prints in a short amount of time. While the recently-announced Multi Jet Fusion Technology from…
One doesn’t normally associate magnets with plastic…unless of course that magnet is embedded somewhere behind the housing. But what if the plastic material itself was magnetic? As they begin unveiling a collection of new 3D printing materials they have been developing over the past few years, Oregon-based ProtoParadigm is launching a series of Kickstarter campaigns…
Inspired by the stories behind existing artifacts rather than creating non-existing objects, artist and self-described ‘stuffmaker’ Mac Premo has molded himself into nothing short of an ultimate multimedia collage maker. Using everything from found items to photographs and video in his work, the Class of 1995 Rhode Island School of Design graduate has won seven…
For over 25 years, paper engineer Peter Dahmen has been creating every last type of pop-up book or 3D paper structure imaginable. From the more traditional pop-up greeting cards to large-scale set designs for automakers such as MINI, the German graphic designer’s story of how he got started in paper engineering is just as fascinating…
Since its big debut on the world stage at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, Chris Elsworthy’s Robox 3D printer and micro-manufacturing platform has been generating a lot of interest in an already-flooded 3D printer market. Yesterday, it was announced that the Kickstarter-backed micro-manufacturing platform is now available to the public for just under $1,550.…
Every so often, a ‘making of’ video comes along that stands out amongst the pack with wit and charm. In most cases, the videographer went beyond the slow-motion “sparks-flying, sweat-dripping” scenes of workshop fabrication to bring some more narrative into the context. Or, they bring in a a puppet to make things more interesting. The…
When it comes to adopting new technologies, master homemaker Martha Stewart is up there among the best and most comfortable in not only using the new technologies, but also finding unique ways of using them. Among other methods of adoption, the iconic media personality and lifestyle icon has used a drone to plot out her…
Last time we checked-in with crazy YouTube sensation/mad-scientist inventor Colin Furze, he was letting a group of friends shoot fireworks at him whilst wearing a metal suit that he made using his pressure washer to demonstrate the hydroforming method of manufacturing. Frankly, we’re just glad to know that he’s still alive. More recently, the plumber,…
While HP’s recent announcement of their Multi Jet Fusion technology sent shockwaves through the industry, it is still over a year away from seeing any sort of a release and even when it does release, there are no announcements for a desktop fabrication system. With MakerBot leading the way in bringing 3D printers to consumers,…
Last week, it was announced that Luxion was updating their popular Keyshot 5 rendering platform to make your CAD rendering game even more flexible and powerful. The update includes everything from new procedural textures and options, support for the growing lineup of multi-touch PCs, Apple Retina Display support and more. Yesterday, Denmark-based Sørensen Leather released…
It’s not everyday where you hear about a twenty-something who has not only built an impressive feat of engineering (alongside his grandfather no less)…but has also turned down six-figure offers for the build. However Zac Mihajlovic of Camden, Australia is not your everyday superhero, either. The self-confessed Batman fanatic has built what is claimed to…
Every so often a project comes along on Instructables that really, truly is useful…if for nothing but creating great conversations. The ‘EWaste 60$ 3DPrinter’ from first-time Instructables author mikelllc is one of those projects. To begin with, this is the perfect project for anybody that wants to learn more about how a standard CNC system…
While glimpses into the design process and fabrication methods have become more available than ever thanks to cheaper video cameras (e.g. smartphones), free online video hosting and overall public interest, it’s still not too common when a video spans the entire manufacturing process from raw material to finished product. In ‘BEAM / The Making Of’,…
Ahhhh. I tell you what, a hand-carved object is a breath of fresh wood shavings. In an age where we’re shocked at eating veggies straight from the garden and most can’t use a jackknife to shave a spear or hunt a squirrel, a guy with a lathe and a piece of native hardwood seems almost…
When bringing up the topic of digitally fabricated furniture, it’s difficult to not bring up Joris Laarman’s infamous Bone Chair (which is one part of an entire Bone Furniture collection). The bone structure-inspired chair, which was among the first and most unique experiments in applying digital fabrication techniques to furniture, still sits in museums and…
There is something delightful about the Odin Kickstarter video. I can’t decide if it’s because the project was created by a small family with a bright idea (dog included) or the final scene in the video (you’ll just have to watch to find out). Either way, it’s fun, simple and effective projects like these that…
When your first design objective is ‘It Needs to Look Awesome’, chances are it will probably not only look awesome but BE awesome, too. Such is the case with mechanical designer Pat Starace’s 3D printed Iron Man prosthetic hand. While only one has been made (and requests have been pouring in, apparently), the concept is…
Having been manufacturing skateboard decks since 1991, Long Island, NY-based Chapman Skateboards have been the number-one supplier of skateboard decks for the largest East Coast skate brands including Zoo York, Hopps, Supreme, Infamous and a host of other smaller brands. By the looks of the outside of the factory, you would think that their facility–roughly…
By the looks of your scarred hands covered in dried glue and scabs, I’m guessing you like to cut up a few sheet of cardboard here and there for building models or, just for fun. Although those wounds are part of the joy (and looks of disgust when you shake someone’s hand), there are less…
…and the flood of desktop 3D printers keeps on coming. MakerBot, Stratasys and FormLabs are just a few of the models to hit the market over the years and even large corporations such as Autodesk and Hewlett-Packard are getting ready to release their own. Another large corporation, Roland DG, has recently announced their foray into…
It’s hard to imagine that back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, some vehicle manufacturers were building their cars with wood frames (nobody cared too much about safety standards back then). The long defunct Packard Motor Car Company was one of those who touted ‘Luxury’ using wooden frames. A series of silent films posted…
The 5AXISMAKER puts a mill, 3D scanner, 3D printer, water cutter and wire cutter into one desktop box.
Changing the machines function is done through a simple head swap, making it both easy and versatile.