Being one of the be-all and end-all applications for designing, Autodesk is expanding its Fusion 360 repertoire by adding extensions. Much like paying a premium subscription for a video streaming service, this feature will provide Fusion 360 subscribers access to more specialized tools which not everyone may need on a daily basis. Using Cloud Credits you can purchase from the software itself, you can enable these extensions for however long you may need them. Say you’re working on manufacturing a product. By subscribing to the Manufacturing Extension (which just so happens to be Fusion 360’s first extension), you get access to features which let you orient objects for printing, set…

There’s no denying that the iPad is still the best tablet design out there—whether you go with the standard entry-level model or leverage the power of an iPad Pro. And with the release of iPadOS in late September, professionals can get even more of a desktop-like experience out of it. For this week’s roundup of our favorite apps, we’re picking six of our favorite apps to use on the all-new operating system. Do you have an app suggestion that has made your life easier or changed up your workflow? Let us know in the comments below or send it to tips@solidsmack.com. Hit it! Shapr 3D CAD modeling (iPadOS — Free) Shapr3D…

As mankind’s ever-growing desire to make his own stuff increases, so does the amount of materials he can use to 3D print with. Wood, metal, carbon fiber, and now… wool? Researchers at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning developed a new felting process—dubbed Hard + Soft—that allows for different kinds of wool and polyester to be interwoven together in three dimensions: Creating different tools and workflows, the team used their new robotic needle felting technique to make a number of prototype panels and a single footstool. These showcase a number of different felting techniques such as shingling, shiplap (overlapping layers of felt over each other),…

While they started as a simple peer-to-peer 3D printing network for locating desktop 3D printers in your area, Amsterdam-based 3D Hubs has since expanded into a full online custom part service. Now, the company offers industrial 3D printing, CNC machining, and injection molding. With the addition of sheet metal fabrication, announced at EMO Hannover last month, engineers now have one more reason to turn to 3D Hubs for all their custom part sourcing needs. Used to produce thin metal parts in a range of different industries ranging from aerospace to packaging, sheet metal fabrication is well-suited for both prototypes and end-use parts. The range of materials offered by 3D Hubs…

You are working on a new design and want to incorporate a new component or need a unique part; A part requiring outside design and fabrication expertise, a keystone part, a part that can break a design log jam. You need THE THING! How to find ‘The Thing’? You have looked everywhere. You scoured the internet, you looked in your junk drawer, you dug a hole in the ground… And quickly filled it back in when your neighbor started dialing the police. Nothing. As a last-ditch effort, you make an unholy bargain with a clever imp creature* to turn straw into ‘The Thing’. Suddenly he wants your first patent, all…

While in-house 3D printing is commonly used for early concept work, many professionals and businesses still outsource their parts to industrial services when more complicated materials are required. Among others, Protolabs has been a leader of custom 3D printing services over the past decade—with more than 100,000 parts printed every month across six different additive manufacturing technologies. And now, they’re adding Carbon technology to that list for engineers to get parts created through Carbon Digital Light Synthesis without the headache of ownership. “We recognize that market demand for additive manufacturing has moved beyond prototyping and is being leveraged to create fully functional parts at a much larger scale,” said Greg…