Gamer Alert - Wall Street Journal Article

Here is a link to an excellent article published in the Wall Street Journal that discusses the rapid rise in the number of companies dedicated to proving physical models of virtual world through 3D printing.

Writer Robert Guth has done a great job of researching a wide variety of companies that promise to turn virtual web world models into physical models sitting on your desk. There is even a company dedicated to providing terrain models of actual world features for under $100! Want to climb Mt. McKinley? Print the model.

Electronic Arts is even getting into the 3D printing game. Check out the article at:

How 3-D Printing Figures To Turn Web Worlds Real

It just keeps getting better!

The Mobile Fab Lab is on the Road!

Ready, just in time for the Fab 4 Forum and Symposium the Mobil Fab Lab hit the road! Designed to demonstrate the power of personal fabrication, it began its first tour. Here is a link to a blog that talks about the portable Fab Lab.

www.thegoldenageofwireless.com

We'll try to follow the progress of the Mobile Fab Lab and keep you posted.

3D Software for 3D Printing Forums

We're very thankful to JANDSCREATIONS.COM for providing a forum where we can discuss 3D Modeling as it relates to Desktop 3D Printing. Visit the forums.

If Desktop 3D Printing is to become as popular as 2D printing, then a much wider range of users will need to feel comfortable with 3D modeling. The good news is that 3D modeling, for the first round of Desktop 3D Printers, can be created in much smaller packages than those required by gaming enthusiasts and 3D artists. Color materials, for instance won't be required until color 3D printers drop down to consumer level prices. Right now, the lowest cost color printer is just under $20K, so that will be a while.

More importantly, the technical skills requirements for designing in 3D will have to be greatly lowered before there can be wide acceptance of 3D printing in homes. There are many people looking at this problem and some very promising technologies are beginning to surface. The image at the top of this article, for instance, shows FiberMesh, a collaborative research project between TU Berlin and The University of Tokyo.

The forums are 'Application Neutral' in that we want to explore easier technologies that can be applied across the application spectrum. So, if you have an interest in 3D printing, we urge you to join us in exploring some ideas to make it far easier for the general population enjoy 3D modeling

New Images on Desktop Factory Web Site

As the beta testing continues, Desktop Factory has added some new photos of the output of their desktop 3D printer. The latest images show some real improvements in the surface and success at printing more intricate designs. Layer alignment seems greatly improved in these new images.

Notice the size of the Maze and how smoothly the sides printed. Earlier samples showed some slight misalignment from layer to layer so these images represent some great news.

Here are some additional new images.

Drive Train Housing


Flexible Spring



As new images become available from Desktop Factory, we'll post them. In the meantime, you can see all of the available images by clinking on the "To see more samples, visit the Photo Gallery." link on the Product Page.

Fourth International Fab Lab Forum - August 22-23, 2007

The Fourth International Fab Lab Forum and Symposium on Digital Fabrication will be hosted in Chicago from August 22 to August 23, 2007.

Covering everything from nanoscale protein to large scale construction it draws researchers and industry leaders from around the world. The progam for the event can be found at:

Fab Lab Program

3D Printing is just one of the methodologies that will be discussed at the forum. CNC technologies, like the ShopBot are equally important to the worldwide availablity of fabrication tools. Lest, you think that fabrication research is dull and boring, my might want to check out this experiment at using the ShopBot to construct a boat.

Fjord Boat Buoy Challenge


Of course, fabricating a boat and keeping it afloat are two different challenges.


To see these and more images of fabrication experiments from the MIT FabLab, go to FabCentral.

Desktop Factory now in Beta!

The July newsletter from the Desktop Factory indicates that beta machines are now in the field.

Desktop Factory Newsletter - July, 2007

This is great news.

At least one of the beta sites is guaranteed to give it a good workout. The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California has been using a variety of additive fabrication systems for some time and has wide experience with 3D printing. I know that Michael Berman and the rest of the faculty have been excited about the potential of the Desktop Factory for their students.

I'm extremely jealous!!

We now have both of the latest low-cost commercial desktop 3D printers now in beta which puts us one step closer to having them on our own desks!

V-FLASH Newsletter Announces Beta to Begin

We received an email this morning, from V-Flash, containing their latest newsletter. The bulk of the newsletter was dedicated to explaining why they chose to build the objects in an upside down orientation.

Why Upside Down?

The primary reason, of course, is that they use a photocurable liquid and if they didn't build upside down they would have to build the objects in a tank holding all the liquid. Obviously, that isn't the optimal solution if you've found another. And, they have, as you can see in the above illustration.

It's an ingenious solution that dips a sheet of film into a cartridge holding the liquid and pulls it back out, carrying a layer of the liquid on its surface. The hanging piece is lowered into the layer of liquid and some of the liquid is photo cured to create the next layer of the object. Any uncured liquid is simply carried back into the cartridge during the next build cycle.

This is a great technique for making the process both efficient of materials and clean. But, there are a few ramifications for designing a piece built in this way since there are no actual support materials. For most shapes where building a piece would require support materials if the piece were build right side up, there is no need for support with the upside down build. It's a great idea.

But, one of the benefits of 3D printing is having the ability to create pieces within pieces. A cage with an animal inside it would be an example. When building this type of piece in the V-Flash, without some minor revisions to the design, the animal would simply remain on the film. It's a simple fix. Simply add tiny breakaway sprues connecting the bottom of the animal to the bottom of the cage and break the sprue after the job is completed. The sprues have to be carefully located and easily broken; but, it's not a monumental problem.

Preparing for Beta

The big news in the newsletter, was that they are preparing to begin beta testing the V-Flash. This stopped us in our tracks since we had assumed that beta testing had been well underway given the announced target for delivery of the first units. It seemed to us that they were hinting that the delivery schedule might be slipping a bit. While we're as anxious as anyone to see desktop 3D printers arriving as soon as possible, we'd rather have the first users have a great experience with their new tools. So, whatever it takes to get it right, it takes.

Sample Parts Scarcity

No matter which of the new desktop units you are interested in, it takes a long time to create a part. Estimates are around 1" of height per hour. So, there aren't all that many parts being created, even if several machines are being run constantly.

We expect this shortage of sample parts to continue long after the units are in beta. But, even so, we hope to be able to be able to see a least some small samples of the V-Flash materials before the units are shipped, so that we can test its characteristics for you. We're already doing this with some materials created in the Desktop Factory 3D printer which will allow us to be able to help potential buyers and users with realistic expectations and suggestions for getting the most out of the printer based on these tests.

If you'd like to be put on the V-Flash newsletter mailing list here is the link.

V-Flash Newsletter Signup

In the meantime, we'll keep tracking for you!