Don your favorite bathrobe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this week’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. The Weekend Reader features a handful of the most interesting articles featured on the ‘Smack over the past week ranging from tips and tricks to inspirational designs, processes, and more. So lay back, relax and take a load off…
Few shop tools—yes, we’ll call it a “tool”—are as indispensable as a reliable work apron. While not a “tool” in the traditional sense, a good, durable apron can serve many purposes ranging from tool organization to even psychologically making yourself ‘present’ in the workshop. But no two aprons are alike—and striking the balance between functional…
It’s usually never official until a sizeable multi-national company does it. While smaller electronics companies have been using paper and other recyclable materials for their products for years, Samsung is only now catching onto the environment-friendly trend. In a recent press release, the electronics division of the company has announced that instead of using plastics…
Much like LEGOs, modern modular design kits contain various pieces that let the user build various structures. Desks, shelves, pot holders – depending on the kit’s materials, the user can make an assortment of things from a cleverly-designed family of attachable components. TikA by TiKA Lab are modular kits comprised mainly of different-sized connectable wood…
In San Francisco, Hardware Massive put together their first “HW Summit SF” on November 7, 2018. This organization was also behind April 2018’s HardwareCon which we covered here. Apologies for not getting this coverage out sooner (some HW engineering stuff got in my way), but the insights shared here are still relevant — especially if…
Allegorithmic, creators of Substance Designer (material authoring software) and Substance Painter (3D painting software), has been acquired by Adobe. Adobe and Allegorthimic both announced the news today. With one big unspecified amount of cash, Adobe now has more substance and a true 3D Photoshop. Substance integration was already available for Adobe Fuse (3D modeling) and Adobe…
For years we’ve been watching industrial designer Eric Strebel’s insightful design process videos; videos that show how he goes about making products from start to finish. Starting with concept sketches, he follows a traditional design process of moving on to CAD models and then various forms of prototyping—yet, we’ve never really heard the man speak…
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed an extremely interesting process that is quite different from current approaches to 3D printing with photopolymer resin. The researchers sought to eliminate one of the most pervasive problems when 3D printing photopolymer resin: window adhesion. Window adhesion occurs when the light engine solidifies liquid material at the…
Do your 3D models fall-over when you edit feature dimensions? How about when you use that nifty dynamic drag feature? Does everything go wonky? Well, chances are your geometry is not locked down. What I mean is your model most likely suffers from a poor dimensioning or constraint strategy at the 2D sketch level. If you answered yes…
Formlabs is introducing two new resins this week at CES while showcasing end-to-end workflow with 3D printing. There will be plenty of 3D printing at CES this year, but it may not always be so obvious as in years past when rockstars came to big-name 3D printer manufacturers’ booths to talk up consumer usage. In…
As far back as anyone can remember, batteries in our phones, flashlights, laptops, and other gadgets have all been powered by lithium-ion batteries. And while both the disposable and rechargeable versions could easily power tech of the late 90s and early 2000s, the 2010s and beyond see the introduction of more power-hungry machines. Though the…
We talk a lot about 3D printers, but most use plastic or resin materials. Rarely do we have the pleasure of seeing a ceramic 3D printer which uses honest-to-goodness earthen clay to print an object. The Cerambot does exactly that – it takes your standard Kaolinite clay material and allows you to builds shapes, sculptures…
I’m looking at a 3D printing startup that recently emerged from stealth mode, Origin. The San Francisco-based company apparently began in 2015 when two entrepreneurs became frustrated with existing 3D print solutions they were using for their small 3D print service. They had been using inexpensive desktop equipment to produce items for clients, but encountered…
Despite it being used often in manufacturing, carbon isn’t the most biodegradable material; meaning, it will take years to decompose that excessive carbon fiber waste from a multitude of design projects these days. Further, recycling carbon fiber isn’t necessarily an easy process either. Because the mixture of resin and carbon is so stiff, it becomes…
Materialise published a series of trends and we have some thoughts. Materialise is one of the larger and more notable 3D print services in the industry, and they’re one of the oldest as well. They work with global businesses to help produce 3D prints in many ways, including software and services. Recently they published a…
Despite often being pragmatic to the point of dispassionate, it turns out that I am not immune to hype, particularly when it comes to 3D printers. So, I fell for the lure of MakerBot’s announcement of a new product reveal on December 11th featuring cryptic and tantalizing images of glass and angular enclosures. It was a…
Not as many self-sufficient folks live off the grid like they used to, but the way of living is still as self-gratifying as it has ever been. How cool would it be to say you got your food from your backyard or your new leather shoes from last year’s cowhide? Living on a farm still…
We hadn’t heard much from Kodak on their new 3D printer for quite a while, but now they’re back in action. We first saw their machine earlier this year at CES, where they showed their Portrait 3D printer. At that time we noted that the machine included a number of fascinating features that were designed…
Finding other people to do your grunt work for you just got a heck of a lot easier. Online manufacturing network platform Xometry, known for being one of the best on-demand manufacturing platforms, has announced a new RFQ (request for quotation) service which allows users to scout for quotes on die casting, stamping, and extrusion…
Back in February 2018, Nike challenged innovators around the world to come up with solutions to two significantly impactful athletic footwear issues: material waste and how to improve the recycling process to create more useful resources, footwear-related or otherwise. Over 600 applications came from around the world, with five winners tasked with creating new inventions…
As much as we love discovering new and quirky product designs, there’s something about utilitarian design from the 21st century that strikes our fascination every time—particularly when it’s restored to its former glory. YouTube creator DiesInEveryFilm Customs makes a ton of knives, sheaths, and metalworks on his channel, but his most fascinating pieces are his…
Whenever a tree is cut down to produce paper, furniture, or any other product, it’s likely that not all parts the tree are used. Frequently, bits of the tree trunk that are hard to work with are left to rot and never to be used. Instead of watching local Tennessee tree stumps get turned into…
Believe it or not, quite a number of people still use analog cameras. Whether it be for the nostalgia or the thrill of knowing the number of shots you have are finite, analog cameras still have a place in this digital, selfie-taking world. What is a Pinhole Camera? A pinhole camera is a type of…
Few shop tools—yes, we’ll call it a “tool”—are as indispensable as a reliable work apron. While not a “tool” in the traditional sense, a good, durable apron can serve many purposes ranging from tool organization to even psychologically making yourself ‘present’ in the workshop. But no two aprons are alike—and striking the balance between functional…
It’s when I entered middle school that I started to excel in math. Maybe excel is too strong a word. I was a good math student, but I wasn’t the best. I worked really hard at it. The award I publicly got at Parent’s Night was “Most Improved”. Middle school is also when I was…
Ultimaker has released Cura version 3.5. The Netherlands-based 3D printer manufacturer has been supplying the open source 3D print slicing and printer management system for many years, providing periodic updates that add functionality and quality to both the software and the prints generated with it. Now they’ve released version 3.5 and it includes a number…
It was only back on August 23rd when the master 3D rendering virtuosos at Luxion teased us with a drool-worthy highlight reel capturing what’s to come with the much-anticipated KeyShot 8. And tease us they did—with stunning rendering work featuring everybody from Peter Gill and Esben Oxholm to Dries Vervoort: https://youtu.be/Y6CPCm3kdlU Well, the time is…
Seeing one’s ideas come to life right before you is a thrill! That’s what can happen when you set out to explore your creativity by making stuff. You may have questions such as “Where do I start?” Or, “What materials and tools do I use to construct my idea?” Look no further (at least for the…
Don your favorite bathrobe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this week’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. The Weekend Reader features a handful of the most interesting articles featured on the ‘Smack over the past week ranging from tips and tricks to inspirational designs, processes, and more. So lay back, relax and take a load off…
While the Nintendo Switch Labo lets you create your own external peripherals, there’s no getting around the fact the vanilla Labo consists of flimsy cardboard. To this end, people have been finding other materials to better improve Nintendo’s ambitious—but in some cases, materially flawed—creation. And what better material to use than LEGOs! Apart from being a…
Mondays might not be your favorite day of the week, but the good news is that we’re all in this together ladies and gentlemen. As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The…
Even though centuries have passed, the act of designing and making objects is still primarily the same: the human mind comes up with a project, the human hand sketches it down, and finally, human hands get to work on manually making the dream a reality. Throw in some modern computer-know-how and manufacturing technologies in there,…
A group of self-described “anarchist biohackers” has designed a lab reactor that people can make at home out of 3D-printed pieces and off-the-shelf parts, which could potentially enable people to synthesize their own medications. The Four Thieves Vinegar Collective was founded by mathematics professor Michael Laufer in 2015, on a platform of ensuring that people…
Welcome to a new series called ‘Shop Talk’, where Dan Slaski interviews people in the thick of product development business, who make the magic happen and turn their ideas into reality. Have an interview suggestion? Send it in. Cory Sokolowski is the owner and operator of Crossline Creations, a 7,000 square foot northern Virginia based wood…
Electronics these days are a dime a dozen. With large companies like Apple and Microsoft duking it out for consumers’ attention, smaller brands need to find creative ways to present themselves to stand out from your run-of-the-mill Beats By Dre. Mapuguaquén (which translates to ‘sound of the earth’ in South American Mapuche) isn’t the easiest…
Mosaic Manufacturing announced their latest 3D printing product, the Palette 2. If you’re not familiar with the original Palette and Palette+, you should be, as they are among the most unique 3D printer accessories one could consider using. They can literally change a single extruder desktop 3D printer into a multi-material machine – without altering…
NASA has awarded a piece of their $100,000 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge money to five teams for their entries in Phase 3: Level 1 of the contest. The competition is part of NASA’s ambitions to build a 3D-printed habitat for deep space exploration, including their endeavor to journey to Mars. https://youtu.be/KKPtMjUEnX8 The competition, which started back…
The FormBox is an inexpensive table-top vacuum former, and they say it’s “a perfect partner for your 3D printer”. What’s a vacuum former? A vacuum former a simple manufacturing system that uses molding principles to form 3D shapes. The idea is to heat a thin sheet of thermoplastic to the point where it is soft…
We’ve seen his tips on how to make the ultimate dust mask and resin casting boxes, but for his newest video, designer Eric Strebel is going way back to where he starts all his ideas: his sketchbook. As any designer worth his salt knows, sketching preliminary ideas before executing them in CAD or on the…
Don your favorite bathrobe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this week’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. The Weekend Reader features a handful of the most interesting articles featured on the ‘Smack over the past week ranging from tips and tricks to inspirational designs, processes, and more. So lay back, relax and take a load off…
After a two year absence from Kickstarter, Joe Freedman is back with another way to make drawing (and math) easier. While his previous Cycloid Drawing Machine was more for professionals and art fans who wanted their drawings as intricate as the inside of a kaleidoscope, it wasn’t exactly cheap. Since he did all the laser…
Aerosint has received a large funding round to support their highly unusual 3D printer development. The company, based in Liges, Belgium, has produced a rather unusual 3D printing process that to my knowledge has not been used elsewhere. While we wrote about it in detail some time ago, I can summarize it as follows. Aerosint uses a…
The 4th Dimension is a new series where we go behind the scenes with leaders in 3D printing to add a new dimension. Our Dan Slaski interviews Ryan Turk, Business Development Lead at Formlabs, and nerds-out on 3D printing. And nerd-out they did. Dan Slaski: Can you provide a brief intro to Formlabs and your…
During his previous cellphone charger project, designer Eric Strebel had the misfortune of having a piece of metal get stuck in his eye. And since injury is something anyone working on a project should be ready for, Strebel has decided to put his skills to work and create a dusk mask with integrated eye protection.…
We are just now entering summer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s too early to start thinking about getting outfitted with winter gear—especially if it means getting in early on a Kickstarter product. Developed by Ireland-based Rotation Design across two winters and tested in the harsh weather conditions in Iceland, the TUSK multi-functional snow shovel…
The company launched their product not too long ago but is receiving a great deal of attention and one might say their venture is entirely successful. In today’s ultra-competitive professional 3D partner market it is often difficult for companies to stand out among the dozens of alternative machines. AON3D decided to focus on 3D printers…
Sponsored by That crust around your 3D modeling joints? Don’t worry. That’s the sign of EXPERIENCE. But we’re about to chip those crusty bits away. We’ve been modeling more or less the same for decades–some use solids, some use polygons, some do it sitting, some do it standing. But, it’s always been US telling IT…
Don your favorite bathrobe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this week’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. The Weekend Reader features a handful of the most interesting articles featured on the ‘Smack over the past week ranging from tips and tricks to inspirational designs, processes, and more. So lay back, relax and take a load off…
I’m looking at a very interesting concept 3D printer from engineer Swaleh Owais. The “WorkHorse 3D” is a 3D printer able to do some functions few other machines can accomplish. First, it is one of several “continuous” 3D printers in that it can, by itself, automatically unload prints and commence 3D printing a subsequent object.…
The New Story charity organization may have beaten them to the first punch, but that sure won’t stop the Eindhoven University of Technology, contractor Van Wijnen, real estate company Vesteda, materials company Saint Gobain-Weber Beamix, and engineering firm Witteveen+Bos from setting up five 3D printed concrete houses in Bosrijk, a relatively new residential district in…