The Latest 3D Printing News to Spark Your Creativity
We’ve been reading all about the innovations coming out of the 3D printing world, and boy are they exciting! This past month has been a whirlwind of creative art projects, new tech developments, and of course, amazing Kickstarter projects. We’ve brought you the best of the best when it comes to new 3D developments that we hope will get you thinking of ways to experiment with the technology.
1. 3D Printed Book: This project combines an old technology (books) with a new technology (3D printing), and the result is a cool and intriguing work of art that makes us think about the melding of the old and new, analog and digital. It’s available on Thingiverse if you’re looking to print your own.
2. Sesame Ring: This wearable tech innovation, originally funded via Kickstarter, will completely change the way you interact with public transport. These 3D-printed rings will replace traditional cards and tickets, promising no more missed trains while you search for your card in your purse. Nice!
3. 3D Hubs: If you don’t want to invest in your own printer, but want to try out the technology, 3D Hubs is your new go-to. Via the site, you can find people with 3D printers locally who will let you “rent” their printer temporarily. You send them your design, they print it, and you coordinate whether they ship it or you pick it up in person.
4. Zeus: You know how your conventional printer can print, scan, copy, and fax all in one device? What if a 3D printer could do that? The new Zeus printer, looking for funding over on Kickstarter, promises to do just that. We’re dying to get our hands on one to see how the functionalities combine.
5. Fossils: Want to get your science geekery on? This new database allows you to 3D print your own models of fossils. Part Jurassic Park, part interactive museum, you can now have real life replicas of bones and organisms that before would have required serious archeological skills.
6. Art Replicas: You didn’t think the museum-themed fun would stop there, did you? This collaboration between the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and Fujifilm used 3D scanning and printing to produce stunningly realistic and accurate replicas of some of Van Gogh’s masterpieces. They’re pretty awesome, and we’re blown away by how close they come to the originals.
7. Brit + Co. Jewelry: We couldn’t resist the temptation to play around with 3D printing ourselves this month. We experimented with earrings, necklaces, shoe clips, and, of course, a pizza bottle opener. We’re won’t be stopping there, so keep your eyes out for future projects.
8. gMax Printer: While we love us some itty bitty Sad Keanu, we often find ourselves wishing we could create bigger projects. Thanks (once again) to Kickstarter, that dream might become a reality. The gMax Printer, which just launched its campaign a couple weeks ago and is already fully funded, has a print volume of 2,304 cubic inches, giving aspiring makers a lot more room to work with.
9. Monstermatic: All work and no play makes creatives a boring bunch. Monstermatic is a mobile game that makes it easy to create and design 3D printed monsters that are as fun to make as they are to have. We think this could be a great way to introduce kids to the new technology and make a fun desk accessory for any 3D printing addicts out there. (Guilty as charged.)
10. 3D Printing in High Schools: Speaking of introducing young people to 3D printing, BotObjects, a 3D printer manufacturer, has launched a campaign through which it will give free 3D printers to between 150 and 200 select high schools throughout the US and UK. We’re all for young people being inspired to become innovators, and we think this could be a step in the right direction.
What 3D printing news did we miss? Are you working on any cool projects using this technology? Let us know in the comments below.