Having worked out considerably well for Local Motors, the crowdsourced design business model is certainly something on the radar of companies in other industries. The approach not only stirs up new ideas for a manufacturer, but also allows inspired users to fix whatever shortcomings they might see with an existing user experience…not a bad trade.…

If you’re going to be in Portland, Oregon this next week, be sure to add Design Week Portland to your list of things to do. The annual October event features a wide gamut of design-based events and activities ranging from speakers such as Stefan Sagmeister and Carl Alviani to more hands-on workshops and of course…epic…

Founded by three former Mercedes engineers in 1967, AMG was created as a way for Mercedes-Benz to experiment with new technologies in the automotive racing world before passing those technologies down the line to consumer automobiles. Regardless if you’re a fan of Mercedes-Benz or not, it’s hard to not appreciate the level of detailed engineering…

As we all know, not all 3D printers are equal when it comes to the printing materials. Depending on the fabrication process, 3D printers can use any number of materials including thermoplastics, metal alloys and even edible substances. The DWS Lab XFAB however, wants to change that. Using laser stereolithography, the new XFAB is capable…

Earlier this year SolidSmack reported on ‘Print the Legend’, a feature-length documentary that focused on the 3D printing revolution and what has become of it. Starting today, the film will be available on Netflix as one of their ‘Netflix Original’ documentaries. The film focuses on the rise of consumer-friendly 3D printer manufacturers MakerBot and Formlabs…

3D printers rely on the input of G-code to print CAD-based models layer by painstaking layer over what seems an inordinate period of time. These slicer apps are inherently ‘non-customizable,’ meaning you cannot manipulate the extrusion thickness of the material being deposited or vary the deposition path along the printer’s X, Y and Z-axis. Simply…

When it comes to snowboards, the process of getting from sketch to a final ridable design requires more patience-testing steps than most people would probably assume. Between sourcing the base materials, planning the final design, generating artwork, pressing, gluing, shaving and cleaning the final edges, the entire process can take days for a single board.…

Earlier this week, SolidSmack reported on Local Motors’ latest project, the Strati. Having began with a crowdsourced design competition, the Strati is a single-print 3D printed electric car that is pushing Local Motors into a new territory as an on-demand automobile manufacturer. Presented as a part of the International Manufacturing Technology Show 2014 in Chicago,…

Previously, SolidSmack reported on Norwegian designer Stian Korntved Ruud and his commitment to carving one spoon per day for a full year. While carving 365 entirely unique wooden spoon designs in a year is dang impressive, artist Roxy Paine’s recently-opened art exhibition ‘Denuded Lens’ is up there with the rest of them for ‘cool stuff…

When it comes to manufacturing supercars, keeping every last detail in the manufacturing process organized beyond the levels of normal human brain capacity is of the utmost importance in order to deliver a quality product. The same can be said about any product, really…but when you’re both paying as much as it costs for a…

Along with other Quirky hits such as the more recent Aros Smart Window Air Conditioner, the Pivot Power falls in line with one of Quirky’s well-positioned design strategies: make existing and dull products that people use daily ‘smarter’…whether it’s a simple reimagining of an age-old hardware design or by incorporating a connected software ‘smart home’…

If you’ve been hanging around the SolidSmack block for awhile, chances are your hands are sticky from drinking too much root beer and your stomach hurts from eating too many cheese balls. You’ve also likely come across one of our favorite YouTube channels Frank Makes. Created by retired architect and master woodworker Frank Howarth, the…

Most desktop 3D printers used by hobbyists, such as RepRap and MakerBot, manufacture objects using the ABS ‘extrusion’ method, which is great for producing objects at resolutions at 100 microns on average (like the Replicator 2). While there is nothing wrong with making objects at that resolution, sometimes projects require increased resolutions that those printers…

In an effort to show how many forms are possible for a single, simple wooden spoon design, Norwegian designer Stian Korntved Ruud has committed to carving one spoon per day for a full year. We’ve seen designers commit to similar feats, such as Spencer Nugent’s daily design sketch goal that he documents over on Sketch-A-Day.Com,…

When it comes to superheroes, their weapons of choice are almost just as iconic as the heroes themselves. Superman has his superpowers, Batman has his Batarangs, Iron Man has his flying indestructible suit and Captain America has his iconic shield. It’s the latter that the talented CAD designers, swordsmiths, blacksmiths and fabricators at Baltimore Knife…

With reports in the past few years indicating that bees are moving slowly towards extinction, it would make sense to look into ways of creating more bee-friendly environments. While bees do exist in sprawling urban environments, there are few ‘urban beekeepers’ that focus on raising the bees and providing a suitable hive for which they…

As far as internet video celebrities go, genius inventor and all-around mad man Colin Furze is certainly one of our favorites. The plumber, stuntman, inventor, and filmmaker from Stamford, Lincolnshire, England is known for his wild and downright impressive inventions ranging from ‘The World’s Fastest Pram’ (complete with a flamethrower and World Record to boot)…

As the landscape of 3D printers has grown exponentially in the past few years, so have the number of options for printable materials. With options ranging from carbon fiber to flexible plastics, you would be hard-pressed to not find a suitable option for your next prototype or other 3D printing project. But what if there…

A tear falls on the molten plastic heap outside the confines of the 3d printer base. The print bed is too small. It’s sadness that creeps in at times, leaving us to scale down or chop up our designs. “But the model has already been created as a single, solid piece!” More tears. There’s a…

For those who remember the pre-CG days (primarily before the release of Jurassic Park), appreciating special effects also meant appreciating a certain level of model making skill that has sadly been replaced by the latest in CG technology. While a well-executed CG job can do wonders for a film, it’s oftentimes the models that really…

While we’ve seen quite the gamut of ‘3D printed ceramics’ over the past few years, few executions ever explored the possibility of adding detail to each individual extruded layer. Aiming to create 3D printed ceramic pieces that more closely resembled historic and detailed artifacts rather than a layered Play-Doh bowl, Dutch artist Oliver van Herpt…

If you’re familiar with the wild and crazy concepts from artist/designer Sebastian Errazuriz, then the organized chaos of his latest piece, The Explosion Cabinet, shouldn’t surprise you. The talented artist and designer has been spending his career crafting obscure functional objects ranging from ‘Man Chopping Board’ and ‘Tea for Two’ to ‘Flyswatter’ and ‘Tree Table’.…

So far we’ve seen 3D printing being used at the consumer/prosumer level as a way to create static objects with relatively few—if any—moving parts. A large part of this is due to the rampant use of low-level CAD programs that offer little more than digital pushing and pulling combined with an output method that is…

It’s 2AM, your 3D printer sits amid scraps of shredded blue tape, you’re trailing Kapton on your shoe, and you’ve just sprayed yourself in the face with your Aquanet hair spray. Sound familiar? I’ve been there. Fortunately, you’ve got options, one of which is BuildTak. BuildTak is a layer of plastic backed with heat resistant adhesive. It…

When appreciating a furniture design, it’s easy to overlook the environmental impact of the various materials said design is made of including a frame, foam, padding, pillows, covers…and not to mention an oftentimes extremely large cardboard box loaded with foam or other packing material. Oh yeah—then there is the transport, too. Furniture is notoriously hard…

There are five things I want after designing a part–a damn part, damn fast. 3D printing was suppose to be the revolutionary technology that made all our manufacturing woes go away, speed the whole process up and leave machinists in a wake of plastic fumes and corporate laughter. DMLS still holds high hopes for production…

Historically, farmers have been some of the most resourceful and intelligent hackers and tinkerers when it comes to solving problems…be it a broken axle or an ingenious solution for watering their crops. It comes with little surprise then that when faced with the problem of bears getting into his crops, Turkish farmer Mustafa Karasungur took…

Drones are quickly becoming commonplace and it’s not only military and law enforcement who have them. Even the kid a couple of houses over has a quadrocopter lit up with LEDs he flies at night a couple of times per week, prompting me to take video and uploading it to YouTube to see how many…

So your 4 year old drew on the wall. You’re less shocked that it’s permanent marker and more shocked that he managed to outfit your raspberry pi with two motors and a pen to cover the living room wall in a perfect remake of Van Gogh’s Blossoming Almond Tree. Could happen. And, he would have…

3D printed food is nothing new…however the desire to eat something extruded out of cables and wires is still something that most people haven’t quite wrapped their heads around yet. Despite this food innovation hump, the move to create on-demand food is still pushing forward on a seemingly weekly basis with applications ranging from providing…

Originally founded as Race Productions NV by frame builder and painter Jochim Aerts in 1990, Ridley Bikes have been a market leader in creating high-performance racing bikes for some of the world’s most elite cyclists. Known for their strong alliances with their teams, the Ridley design and development team works closely with riders each season…

Mechanical creature. Those are the words you usually include in such phrases as, “Do my bidding, mechanical creature!” Or, “Touch me and you’ll face the wrath of my mechanical creature!” It’s also the answer to the age-old question, “What can we build that will totally awe geeks and scare the spit out of thier children?”…

Call them the Devo of upcycling…an Illinois music group by the name of Electric Waste Orchestra has been turning old and discarded hardware into new musical instruments. Born out of Makerspace Urbana in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois (135 miles south of Chicago), the group creates fully-functional musical equipment that not only keeps e-waste out of landfills but…

Add this to the list of jaw-droppingly awesome things that a student did for a school project. For his final project at the Royal Academy of Art, Nigerian-American industrial designer Oluwaseyi Sosanya has created a 3D weaving machine that can theoretically redefine what it means to produce soft goods and clothing. The patent-pending 3D Weaver…

Built over two years by working late nights and weekends, Ugmonk’s story is truly an inspiration for those looking to get their side projects out into the world. Started by Jeff Sheldon one month after graduating college and soon after starting a full-time design job, the Ugmonk brand was born out of blood, sweat and…

You may remember Dutch designer Jolan Van der Wiel’s Gravity Stool when it hit the internets a couple years ago. His unique take on the centuries-old seating design used the simple concept of magnets to sculpt the stool upwards rather than turning, blow molding, injection molding, or any other fabrication method seen thus far. The…

If you live in New York City, chances are you’ve come across at least one billboard featuring either the Quirky Aros or the beautiful mug of Quirky’s outspoken CEO Ben Kaufman. The open source product design and development company based in NYC has been pushing their new Aros AC Unit hard this summer as New…

Still one of the most popular watches for surfers, the Nixon Supertide features pre-programmed tide information for over 270 beaches through the year 2023, a 48 hour future tide, a heat timer, as well as the more common alarm and light functions for when it’s time to ditch the waves for some grub. The custom…

Brooklyn-based jewelry maker Carolyn A’Hearn is known for one-of-a-kind unique pieces that border somewhere on the line between classic and sci-fi. Her process for creating the pieces is almost just as interesting (if not more interesting) than the final pieces themselves. Using scraps of metal ranging from the size of a nail all the way…

In case you haven’t been keeping up with your Finnish lately, Karuselli translates to ‘merry-go-round’…which is fitting for a spinning chair that brings child-like joy to the adults who have the pleasure of sitting in the Karuselli chair. Designed by Finnish architect and furniture designer Yrjö Kukkapuro and released in 1964, the timeless piece is…

Well, it’s Friday again folks and we all know what that means: time for another project to tack onto our weekend project board! The DIY Weekend Smack features a weekly project that we’ve found that is cheap, easy, effective and most importantly, something fun to keep that creative muscle flexed over the weekend! This week…

Founded in Sheffield, England in 1902 (also the birthplace of stainless steel), Ernest Wright and Sons has been churning out some of the best scissors and shears in the world for everybody from professional tailors to barbers and everything in between. Unlike mass-produced offerings such as the iconic Fiskars Orange-Handled Scissors, each pair of blades…

For those of you without access to a fully-stocked workshop (myself included at the moment), we’ll take whatever we can get our hands on that is portable and is capable of scratching that wood working itch. Self-described ‘YouTube-r, woodworker and piano technician’ Jack Houweling of Vancouver-based Jack’s Pianos has a hefty library of wood working…

I know, I know. After The Objet 1000 video, there was a hole in your soul that could only be filled by oddly informative, yet disturbing videos delivering the future of 3d printing in oddly informative, yet disturbing ways (emphasis on disturbing). While it lacks the sing-along qualities we desire, this new 3D Systems video…

While we rarely see projects that explore materials on an elemental scale, they are among some of our most favorite when it comes to better understanding the crossroad of the natural world and mass manufacturing. Perhaps you may remember London designer Thomas Thwaites’ Toaster Project (free pdf of book here) in 2009 where he tirelessly…

Color us impressed. Reddit user ‘bcmanucd’ has just shared his process on the trending /r/DIY subreddit of creating a time trial bike for his wife using his university’s engineering shop. While it’s unclear what his design or engineering background is, one thing is for certain: the dude can build a pretty impressive bike! Here he…

When it comes to watching glorious wood project videos on YouTube, it’s hard to argue that Frank Howarth of the YouTube channel Frank Makes doesn’t rank up there among the best. With passions in both photography and woodworking, Frank blends the two seamlessly to give his viewers a unique view of his various project processes…

Already known for being among the first to include laser-sintered nylon into products used by world-class athletes for various sports, Nike is keeping their momentum moving as we approach the 2014 World Cup beginning June 12th in Brazil. The Rebento Duffel Bag and Mercurial Flylight (shin)Guard will feature prominent use of laser-sintered nylon for its…

Pantyhose — the culmination of centuries of craftsmanship, science, and technology. They rival the VERSABALL™ in end-effector technology, made photo filters before Instagram, and are manufactured by bad-ass machines. When I saw the How It’s Made episode for pantyhose (which is on Netflix Instant, btw), I immediately bought some and hung them on my inspiration wall.…

After devouring eight pounds of chocolate-covered cranberry granola and configuring/re-configuring 3d printers 892 times, we’ve come to a conclusion. 3d print software makes up 38% of what’s lame about 3d printing. Fortunately, other people feel the same and are less lazy and more computer savvy than we. AstroPrint is wireless 3d printing from your mobile…