It seems like only a couple days ago SolidSmack was reporting on Cody Wilson and his move to ‘revolutionize’ 3D Printing with DEFCAD.com. Well, the resilient 3D printing poster boy for 3D printed firearms is back in the news again after having recently received his Type 7 Federal Firearms License granting him the ability to make and sell 3D printed firearms.
When you saw it moved from the main Google toolbar, you knew it was inevitable. Google has announced that it is officially powering down Google Reader. But don’t worry, if you’re not aware of them already, you have options, options that actually make the feed consuming/organizing experience much better than Google Reader.
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The concept of Designing for the Other 90% has been coming up more frequently in recent years…especially with the ease of putting your product out there and funding through crowd-funding sites like Kickstarter. However the challenge for raising these funds has usually been centered around creating a product that will not only be effective for those needing aid, but also a product that is just as relevant or has a place in ‘the 10%’ world as well (ie TOMS Shoes). Perhaps the SOCCKET is one of those rare design projects that’s able to walk that fine line.
Previously, explaining the concept of 3D printing to those at dinner parties who are perhaps two steps behind with technology may have involved awkwardly moving your hands around the air to mimic a print head squirting out fresh ABS juice. Perhaps you can save those skillz for another time and just pass along this perfect video released yesterday from PBS on the current state of 3D printing that covers everything from how it works, how it can disrupt business as we know it, and what it means for you the consumer.
On par with the recent trend of 3D head scanning and printing, Shibuya’s FabCafe in Tokyo is offering a new service for those needing to get more personal than your typical box-of-chocolates-fare this Valentine’s Day by allowing new makers to scan their lovely mugs to be used as molds for chocolate delectables. Who knew my brains tasted like Baileys Irish Cream filling ?
Well, the dust has finally settled from all the excitement in Orlando this year as thousands flocked to the fifteenth annual SolidWorks World at the Dolphin Hotel at Walt Disney World. Between the amazing guest speakers (Art Thompson, Technical Project Director for Red Bull Stratos for example) and exciting announcements (Mechanical Conceptual, Augmented Reality eDrawings), there was something for designers, engineers, and anybody who gives a hoot about design and manufacturing. Hold onto your socks as we dish out some highlights in this year’s SolidSmack #SWW13 Smackdown.
3D Printing has been lauded as the next way to bring jobs back to America and the rest of the West by the Economist and other intellectual luminaries like Glenn Beck (cough cough). CAD-to-Print technologies combined with geographic proximity to the buyer has been summed up as the solution to what some call “the China problem”. I don’t see China as a problem – Western consumers save thousands of dollars and China is rapidly industrializing and becoming consumers of Western goods as well. That’s a good thing for everyone in my opinion. How does 3D Printing change this? How does it really.
You know that saying? One man’s washing machine drum is another man’s retro-modern firepit? Yeah, that one. Turns out it’s not just some socio-economic statement to make you feel guilty about tossing that washer in a gully. With $10 and an angle grinder, Sarah and Joe at House and Fig used their home improving pursuits to turn an otherwise ugly washer drum into a burning bin of beauty that puts a $500 marble-top firepit from the home store to absolute shame. And guess what, you can make one too.
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3Dlt.com, a sort of stock photo-like site for 3D printing templates has created a marketplace for professional designers, students, companies, and consumers–however their mission is rooted in crowdsourcing solutions for solving some of the ‘world’s biggest problems’. Their current initiative? An Innovation Challenge using 3D Printing to improve gun safety with the finalists winning a set percentage of the funds raised through crowdsourcing site Indiegogo.
The Replicator 2 has been screaming around the 3D printing industry’s racetrack as a go-to solution for both professionals and consumer hobbyists alike. MakerBot has capitalized on profiling the MakerBot users who are using their Replicator 2’s to do something outside of the box and have found success in doing so. Here’s an inspiring story of one of those Makers.