Tag: 3d Printing

I used to have the largest collection of PEZ dispensers among my friends – that is, before our dog discovered my stash and chewed them all to unrecognizable bits. While I mourned the loss of my collection, I was sick with relief that our dog didn’t choke on the tiny plastic parts.

3D printing has come a long way, and the devices have become affordable enough for people to have them in their homes. Now, a Dutch architecture studio is planning on construction a complete house using a 3D printer.

I’ve long thought that one of the coolest technological innovations in recent times is 3D printing. The technology originally allowed manufacturers to rapidly prototype parts and products. 3D printing technology is far from inexpensive, but the cost has come down as more consumer oriented 3D printers have hit the market.

Even though they’re much more awesome than conventional printers, 3D printers still need “ink”, or what is known as filament. While this can come in many forms – sand, chocolate, living cells – most projects require plastic filament.

A few months ago we saw how a smart guy figured out how to make small 3D printed records that could be played on a toy turntable. Instructables employee Amanda Ghassaei has trumped that hack: she figured out how to 3D printed records that can be played on any turntable, just like an ordinary vinyl record.

Whether you’re a fan of the Game of Thrones TV series or the A Song of Fire and Ice novels or you’re just willing to admit that your smartphone rules over your time and attention, you’ll love this dock made by Instructables member mstyle183.

The 3D printing projects we’ve seen are usually made of plastic material. We’ve also seen ones made from chocolate, sandstone and even living cells, but we haven’t seen a 3D printed electronic gadget. Until now. Researchers at the University of Warwick have invented a plastic composite that can be used to do just that.

Earlier this year we were treated to a funny hoax involving a quadcopter that was supposedly designed to deliver tacos. But don’t let that joke make you think that Mexican food and high tech aerial vehicles don’t mix.

Everyone’s going crazy over 3D printing these days, and understandably so. The concept seems like it’s something from the pages of a sci-fi book, and now researchers have managed to turn it into a reality.

2D pictures are so yesterday. At least, they are in Japan. Rolling out on November 24th in Harajuku are 3D-printing photo booths called the Omote 3D.

So you’ve created all kinds of masterpieces in Minecraft, but it’s a shame that you can’t enjoy them off your screen – and that makes you sad. Well, cheer up nerd-boy. Now you can take your Minecraft creations from the screen and enjoy them in 3D thanks to the Minecraft World Exporter tool.

Most of the 3D printed objects we’ve featured have that 3D printed look: a single-colored material that has sharp and exact edges or grooves, something that looks like a prototype. Which is why I was really blown away by this piece made by Greg Petchkovsky:

Raiders of the Lost Ark is still one of my favorite movies of all time, and at the center of that film was the quest for the mysterious lost Ark of the Covenant. Now, you can own your own miniature version of the Ark, intricately crafted using 3D printing technology.

We’ve seen a lot of notable applications of 3D printing technology, but this one has to be the most cutting edge of them all. Some companies have made considerable progress in special 3D printers and ink.

Many of the 3D printed products we’ve seen are for commercial purposes, prototypes or toys. But as the technology matures and becomes more affordable, we’ll start seeing more products that us ordinary folks can appreciate and more importantly use in our daily life.

While theme parks and animation come to mind when we think of Disney, it’s clear that the company is investing significant time, money and effort into cool new technologies as well. We’ve already seen Disney’s interactive food concept, and their cool touch interaction system.