What could you do with the world’s smallest 3D printer? At TEDxVienna Klaus Stadlmann demos his tiny, affordable printer that could someday make customized hearing aids -- or sculptures smaller than a human hair.
Lisa Harouni's Ted Talk on #3D Printing
2012 may be the year of 3D printing, when this three-decade-old technology finally becomes accessible and even commonplace. Lisa Harouni gives a useful introduction to this fascinating way of making things -- including intricate objects once impossible to create
3-D Printing for the Masses: MakerBot’s Replicator
1/24/12 | Updated to correct name of thingiverse.com.
By now you’ve most certainly heard about the Replicator, a $1,750 3-D printer made by the Brooklyn start-up MakerBot, due next month. If not, the significance of the Replicator is that it is the first 3-D printer to break the $2,000 barrier, with higher resolution and a lower price than MakerBot’sThing-O-Matic, which was released last year. In addition to being cheaper, the Replicator can also make bigger things, as large as a football (up to 8.9 x 5.7 x 5.9 inches).
I tried a Replicator recently at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Here’s more about what the Replicator can and can’t do (To see it in action, check out this video I shot of the Replicator.)
Q. What does a 3-D printer use? A: Spools of coiled A.B.S. (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic that costs about $45 each per kilogram. This is the same materials that is used to make Lego blocks. It is strong, safe and comes in many colors. One spool can make about 176 chess pieces. The printer can also work with P.L.A. (polylactic acid), a bio-plastic made from corn. (More on that here.)
Q. So is it expensive? A: The cost seems reasonable, which is one reason there’s so much excitement about this technology. Each chess piece costs roughly 25 cents, not counting the electricity. You can buy refills online, from non-MakerBot sources.
Building on Kaustuv DeBiswas's TED Fellows talk, we've just launched Sunglass.io, the easiest way to share and collaborate around 3D content directly in your browser. The early version you can try right now has already been reviewed as "one of the slickest web-based 3D apps yet.."Since hacking at MIT, and having the opportunity to be part of the catalytic TED Fellowship, we're excited about how far this idea has moved and are keen to contribute.
We'd love your feedback on how we can make this most useful for your workflow. Let us know if there are any particular requirements we can custom build for you, and if you'd like to showcase your work to the global community. Here is a preview video tutorial to get you started, ahead of our upcoming professional release. Looking forward to hearing your experience with Sunglass.io!
Nitin Rao & Kaustuv DeBiswas
CES 2012: 3D printer makers' rival visions of future
By Leo KelionTechnology reporter, BBC News, Las Vegas
The Cube 3D printer could help you print your own toy shop
With a whir and a click the job is done. In the space of 20 minutes a plastic bottle opener has been constructed by the Replicator - a 3D printing machine capable of making objects up to the size of a loaf of bread.
The device is made by the New York start-up Makerbot Industries and was launched this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The newly-created bottle opener feels warm to the touch and has to be prised away from its base.
The printed world Three-dimensional printing from digital designs will transform manufacturing and allow more people to start making things. Better Economist article here.
"revolution may not be too strong a word." I agree
