Matt Boyle is the VP of Engineering at Shapeways and, in a recent post from him on StackOverflow, reveals some of the methods the company uses to provide high-speed, global 3D print services. Shapeways History Shapeways has been one of the longest-running 3D print services available to the public. They launched in the Netherlands long…
The folks over at Vectary are at it again spreading more love on their free browser-based 3d modeling app! They’ve recently added four great plugins which I’m excited to give a try. So what are the juicy bits now made available to us? Here’s the lineup; Google Fonts, Shapeways portal integration, MyMiniFactory import/export, and Noun…
As interest in consumer-based 3D printing continues to grow, many new users are still finding themselves on the fence about actually purchasing a desktop 3D printer or using any number of 3D printing services including Shapeways, 3D Hubs or one of the many local Makerspaces that are continuing to pop up in communities worldwide -…
In the annals of getting-things-made, there have been two distinct approaches that have become apparent in the past two years. One is the classic Shapeways/Ponoko approach (or B2C), which depends on a company owning digital fabrication machines and putting all of the models on one build plate and shipping it to you and/or having a…
If you’re familiar with Shapeways, chances are you’ve heard of Shapeways’ Designer Evangelist Duann Scott. The enthusiastic spokesman for the popular on-demand 3D printing service is not only a great voice for the 7-year old company, but also for the small world of 3D printing in general. On Shapeways, Duann describes himself as a Product…
Almost exactly a month ago, SolidSmack reported that popular toymaker Hasbro would be teaming up with Shapeways to offer My Little Pony fans (AKA Bronies) the option to 3D print and sell their own creations based on the Hasbro-owned content via their new(ish) SuperFanArt platform. As we predicted, the experimental move into user-created licensed content…
Since announcing support for 3D printing directly withinin Photoshop earlier this year, Adobe has been focusing on enhancing the popular photo-editing software to be an even more powerful 3D content creation tool. In a blog post from Adobe released late last week, the go-to software company for legions of designers announced that they will be…
Perhaps inspired by MakerBot’s recent addition of Sesame Street-branded content into their Thingiverse 3D model-sharing platform, Shapeways and Hasbro have teamed up to offer branded My Little Pony content to those willing to fork up to $100 for one of the bright and colorful accessories. Operating under the site SuperFanArt (on a side note…you couldn’t…
Shapeways and Google’s new Made with Code initiative thinks that the best way to make young girls ditch girlie stuff for learning codes is by inspiring them to create 3D bracelets, style a #selfie, learn how to animate GIF, design 2D Avatars and other cool stuff by coding them from scratch. The whole mission sounds…
I’m certain one of your favorite things is to dream of complicated and highly frustrating mathematical puzzles that boggle the mind. If so, you’ve heard of Henry Segerman and his wonderful creations. Henry is a mathematician at the University of Melbourne. He loves math(s) and he loves art(s). He and fellow mathematician Saul Schleimer have…
Recently, Shapeways announced a new ‘Maker-Only’ material in the form of Elasto Plastic – a high strength, high flexibility, low detail silicone-like material. Today, Shapeways introduced yet another material offering for all you happy-go-lucky Makers: Gold Plated Brass. Speaking of which, I’m pretty sure a Crania Anatomica Filigre from Joshua Harker would look good on…
Shapeways recently announced a new material, a ‘Maker-only’ material called Elasto Plastic–high strength, high flexibility, low detail and smoothness. I was intrigued. What wondrous creations could be manufactured with this wondrous material? Having created many other items with many other materials via Shapeways, there was definitely a lot of possibility for a more flexible material.…
If there’s one outlet that 3D printing really shines, its in finding new ways to upcycle existing products that would otherwise end up as waste. Take the Sprout for example: through a simple design and 3D print, an otherwise disposable item becomes something a heck of a lot more useful…and in some cases, better than…
Back in July of 2012, Shapeways teased Makers with a new material offering in the form of Black Elasto. Revealed this week, the NEW Elasto Plastic is a refined offering for Shapeways Makers that while still in it’s experimental stage, is readily available and looks extremely promising. Let’s take a look.
Ahh the world of iPhone case designs. It seems that ever since Apple posted the iPhone blueprints for case designers, it is impossible to escape ‘the next big thing in iPhone case design’…especially when it involves 3D printing. Perhaps Graft Concepts is one of the more unique case designers, however. By creating a system of…
That roaring tiger head coming out of a lattice work structure? That’s Shapeways. On their blog and at the Inside 3D Printing conference this week, they announced a $30 million round of funding from Andreessen Horowitz’s Chris Dixon. He’ll be joining the executive board and, you better believe it 3D shop-makin’, material-bakin’ fiends, Shapeways is…
This week we have the great pleasure to speak with the talented Elliot Blanchard of Invisible Light Network. Elliot is a multi-disciplinary designer who recently presented his latest 3D printed product at Austin’s SXSW Festival. We’ll talk with Elliot about everything from Rhino’s Grasshopper to using the new Shapeways API. Rock.
Rockets. There just are not enough of them escaping the clutches of our atmosphere. Fortunately, we have people interested in making more rockets happen and open source websites–or rather movements–like DIY Rockets to give rocket development and learning a boost. Now, Sunglass and Shapeways are meeting at the launch pad with DIY Rockets for a…
Airbnb has been one of the more famous startups in recent memory with their original ‘Air Bed and Breakfast’ idea: connecting empty bedrooms and guest houses to travelers and offering extra cash for those opening their homes to strangers. Many who have opened their homes to travelers have found so much success with Airbnb that…
A 3D printed Steampunk Earth is one way to bring fab-art inspiration to the masses, but nothing, and I mean nothing, is better than designing, printing and selling your own toys. Just ask Wayne Losey, creator of ModiBots, the snap-tastic, print-to-order robot toys you can mix and match for a custom creation of your own.
This Steampunk World could very well be a replica of the actual world sent back from the future. I’m guessing it’s exactly what the world will look like in… oh, let’s say 2840… give or take a few decades. It was created by Mauricio Chong (aka MacBurro) after discovering Shapeways and realizing that you can…
What if you could feel your profile. Like, touch that data, man! Well, yes you can. The Creator’s Project (a partnership betweeen Intel and Vice Magazine) have been working with Shapeways to offer you a way of combining your likes, your friends and your pictures to create models that can be printed off. Do you remember Geoids? Now you…
Advertised as ‘Miniature Mountain Majesties’ on their Shapeways site, TinyMtn probably couldn’t describe their product any better even if they were offered a contract with NASA to 3D print mars as the prize. By using USGS (United States Geological Survey) public data, the creators have produced a striking 3D print library that begs the question…why…
Depending on your ability to understand Japanese, this recent ten-minute segment on 3D Printing from the Japanese TV Show NHK El Mundo is a rather fun way of seeing some 3D print industry folks a la Bill Murray in Lost in Translation style. The show managed to snag some prominent guests including the Founders of…
If canned goods and homemade sweaters don’t seem to suit the bill for your relatives anymore, and you happen to be in the NYC area in the next few weeks, consider stopping by this mega-cluster of 3D printed goodness. Created by Openhouse and Launched in collaboration with Shapeways, UP!, and Ultimaker, the shop features many…
Shapeways designer Kimotion has come up with an ingenious way to market himself during the holidays: post modern snowflake tree ornament designs resembling the likes of Psy, Superheroes, Stormtroopers, and a lucky Ninja Turtle.
In the last few days, 3D Systems lost over 15% of its value. Additionally, Stratasys Inc. shares fell around 5%. According to Shapeways’ Peter Weijmarshausen, “We’re still living in a bubble a little bit.” Has 3D printing reached it’s industrial potential already? Where is the consumer boost?
I’m totally ganking the title of this post at Shapeways, because it could not be a more perfect description. As I write this, there’s the smell of four freshly cooked bacon slices filling the air, which together with these images is the cause of blurred vision, cold sweats and slight twitching. Behold, endless bacon.
As the media bombards us with cringe-worthy images of flooded subways and cranes dangling from skyscrapers from this week’s Hurricane Sandy, the Shapeways Tumblr has been reporting inspiring updates since their site went down due to the power outages. Needless to say…you cannot stop Makers!
Logging into Shapeways last week was a bit disconcerting – almost made me think I was at the wrong website. Shapeways has completely revamped the look and feel of their site, their logo and their interface. The reason? Evolution we suppose. As Shapeways begins to offer more materials, higher quality and a better platform for its…
Oh, to drown your mornings in a scalding hot cup of java. Perhaps you recognize the Octo cup from Shapeways – you can buy it in white ceramic for $56. The eight-handled cup was designed by Cunicode design agency as part their ‘One Cup a Day’ project. Over a single month, new cup designs were…
Have a spare Fisher-Price record player around from your childhood? Do you like playing Portal? Well, we have the record for you! Shapeway user “Pittance” designed a record that plays the song “Still Alive” by Jonathan Coulton, the featured music in the end credits of the popular game “Portal”.
Hollywood seems to have a love/hate relationship with 3D Printing. And who doesn’t love/hate Hollywood? Daniel Terdiman at CNET wrote a piece called “Why Hollywood Loves 3D Printing.” Its a great piece about how 3D printing is speeding up the production process and improving prop-making.
Designers of all strips and colours are producing a lot of interesting plastic-extruded work lately, especially where sound and 3D printing intersect. Here are a few things that have popped up recently worth a mention and a listen.
We’re starting 2012 off with a fast punch to the ear and perhaps the coolest 3D print design contest EVER. The insanely exotic 3D printed work of Anthony Tammaro is your inspiration and Shapeways is making your idea come to life. Here are the details.
It’s been just over four years since Digital Reality, Inc. made a rumbling about, what was at that time, the first web-based 3D customization to appear. Of course since then, countless online customization sites for every sort or 3D digital design has been established. Now, Digital Reality is back, with a new plan and a…
Lather that sun tan oil on. Summer is here and you look FABULOUS. But don’t worry about going to the mall to find that unique two-piece. They don’t do the 3D printing thing and oh, what a shame, because the latest fabric-free, platastic feat is bridging swimwear and SLS. Designed by Jenna Fizel and Mary…
You know when you’re holding a baby goat, and your thinkin’, I can hold that spoon and that bag of chips… and that chair… and that pile of cream cheese balls… and that armadillo dressed like a Spanish conquistador. Yeah, I can hold ALL THAT. Well, just imagine if a simple product which sat on…
I know you have dreams. Not the one where you’re falling and wake up floating, then realize you’re just falling the wrong way and then you wake up. Not that one. The dream I speak of is the one where you go to New York City, set up a giant platform at the Jacob K.…
What defines insanity? Typically, I’d say the amount of plastic beads someone can stick in their mouth before drooling all over the expanding foam they’ve stuffed in their shirt. In this case, however, I’d say it’s the amount of plastic blocks one can form into a puzzle. Oskar van Deventer is the man making us…
You know what’s cooler than flesh-eating robots? Nothing. That’s the worse it can get. However, printing out robots and robot parts falls into a whole other class of cool which will distract you from any impending robot doom. I’ve never thought about using Shapeways to print different variations of mechanical creatures and their implements of…
Put on that shiny, gold vest that says “SUPREME MASTER of COLOR” across the back, because you’re about to get busy pitching pasty ABS prints and adding some color to your fab process. Now that you have Shapeways plugin for SolidWorks, Duann at Shapeways has put up a quick tutorial to show you how to…
What’s better than exporting out an .STL file and uploading your precious 3D geometry to be printed? Not exporting an .STL, that’s what. Today Shapeways releases their 3D print add-in for SolidWorks which allows you direct upload capability from the SolidWorks user interface. There are other 3D print add-ins for SolidWorks but none with the…
Out of all the things I’ve wanted to line my desk, hallway, car dash and gold-plated cage of wild hogs with, brightly colored 3D printed pigs is 4th on the list. Shapeways has now made that easier. Just today, Shapeways launches Color it! making it possible for you or your little ones to color a…
For all of you students who are drooling to create 3D prints of your SolidWorks parts at school… tough luck. You can’t. The SolidWorks Student Design Kit (SDK) doesn’t allow you to export .STL files and if you complain to the teacher about he will start crying again. So, besides downloading a free trial of…
Slowly step away from the cheese spread and permanent markers. You no longer need to dowse your sorrows with imitation milk products to add color to your 3D prints. If you know Shapeways, you know they keep excreting multiple ways to create 3D printed products. Now they’re adding a new machine to the mix that…
Here’s your chance to give those photos a little more depth and a more monochromatic feel. Today, Shapeways launches PhotoShaper that turns your photo into a 3D printed plastic masterpiece. I’m guessing you probably don’t get many photos printed nowadays with the whole digital camera craze going on now, but if you are thinking about…