Tag Archives: rapid prototyping

Solidator 3D Printer Prints Large Objects and Does it Fast

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Two of the biggest challenges with today’s desktop 3D printers are that they 1) don’t print very large objects and 2) are painfully slow. The Solidator 3D printer aims to change both of those things, in a printer that costs less than $5,000.

solidator eiffel 2 620x455zoom in

In the example shown above, the Solidator 3D printer was able to output a set of six Eiffel Tower models – each measuring almost 8-inches-tall – in just 5.5 hours. A similar feat on typical 3D printers would take days.

eiffel 2zoom in

By using DLP imaging technology to print an entire layer at a time instead of a voxel at a time, the Solidator is able to print at dramatically faster speeds than most desktop 3D printers. This method of 3D printing involves using a vat of liquid resin that is designed to harden when exposed to bright light. Software converts 3D objects into slices, and then the projector exposes the photosensitive resin. Each razor-thin layer of resin hardens in about 10 seconds, and then the Z-axis of the printer moves.

solidator desktop 620x403zoom in

The Solidator has a large output area, measuring 11.02″ W x 8.26″ D x 7.87″ H (716.37 cubic inches). For comparison’s sake, the print area of the industry-leading MakerBot Replicator 2 is 11.2″ W x 6.0″ H x 6.1″ H (409.92 cubic inches). Print resolution for the Solidator is also very good, with a typical layer height of 100 microns, though the z-stepper motor can move in increments as small as 10 microns. That said, 30 microns is the thinnest that can be printed with current resin technology. One limitation is the pixel density of the DLP projector, which reduces X/Y resolution to 270 microns – so objects printed with the Solidator aren’t as precise as those made with some of the better PLA and ABS printers out there.

solidator robot 620x381zoom in

But for many of us, our time is far more valuable than a couple of hundred microns of detail. If you need to create large numbers of small 3D printed parts, or if you need to crank out lots of prototypes, the Solidator could be a godsend. Since the printer’s Z-axis is where all the time comes in, the shorter your objects are, the less time they’ll take to produce. I can imagine cranking out dozens of 3D printed gears in just minutes on a device like this.

Resin for the printer will sell for as little as $50(USD) per liter, and will eventually come in a variety of colors. As an added bonus, the resin is quite durable when hardened. In fact, Solidator’s creators demonstrated the durability of printed parts by running them over with a car.

The Solidator 3D printer is available for pre-order via Kickstarter for $4950(USD) through January 3rd, 2014. While that’s certainly not chump change, it’s an impressive price for a printer capable of attaining such speeds, and with such a large work area.

Desktop Wire Bending Machine: DIWire

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Wires or rods are integral parts of many structures or products. While we’ve seen early versions of 3D printers that can work with metals, many times all that a tinkerer or an artist needs is a way to bend existing wire to his will. That’s where Pensa Labs’ DIWire comes in. It’s a machine that bends wires based on curves drawn in a computer.

diwire desktop wire bending machine by pensa labs 620x345magnify

DIWire’s complementary software accepts SVG images of continuous curves. The machine itself connects to your computer via USB and can typically finish bending a piece of wire in minutes. DIWire can bend wires between .040″ – .125″ in diameter, depending on the wire’s composition. It can bend steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass and more. To help users put their bent wires together, Pensa Labs also came up with a series of plastic clips that can be used to hold wires together without having to permanently solder or weld them outright.

Pledge at least $2,950 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive a DIWire as a reward.

[via Core77]

3D Printers Now Available via Staples: Print Me an Easy Button!

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3D printing is a fantastic way to rapidly prototype something that you’re trying to design or develop for business or personal use. The problem is that 3D printers can be pretty expensive, and you can’t just walk into most retailers and buy one. That is all about to change with office supply retailer Staples announcing that it now has 3D printers available directly from its website. The company says that some Staples locations will also have 3D printers in their store by the end of June.

staples 3d

The printers that are available at Staples come from a company called 3D Systems. The printers are Cubify’s Cube 3D Printers and are available for $1299.99(USD).

The printers are ready to work right out of the box and support Wi-Fi for wireless printing. The printers will work on Windows or Mac computers and come with 25 free 3-D templates designed by professional artists. Additional templates are available online and designers can create their own templates to print from the printer. The Cube printer is able to print items up to 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5″ and has cartridges available with 16 different colors. Staples is selling these ABS and PLA plastic cartridge refills for $49.99 each.

Dreambox 3D Printer Vending Machine Lets You Buy Whatever Your Heart Desires

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We’ve seen some pretty unusual vending machines these past few years, ranging from the playful to the extraordinary and downright strange. The soon-to-be-released Dreambox, however, is in an entirely different league. It doesn’t sell any specific goods because there’s nothing on display except a 3D printer.

3D Printing Vending Machine

And you know what that means: virtually unlimited possibilities. All you have to do is find a 3D model of whatever you want to print, and you’re good to go.

Unfortunately, 3D printers are still quite expensive and if you only want to use it to print stuff sparingly, then it’s a wasted investment. The people behind Dreambox are probably aware of that, which is why they’re pushing forward with this vending machine of sorts in the first place. They’re in the prototype stage, and you can watch it in action in the clip below.

Obviously, there are still limitations to prosumer 3D printers like the one in the Dreambox – most specifically the size of objects they can print, as well as printing speed. To tackle the latter, you’ll upload your order remotely for pickup, and receive a message when your object is ready for pickup at your local Dreambox. That said, if you don’t mind waiting a couple of weeks to receive your 3D object, you can always use an online service such as Shapeways or Ponoko.

[via Inhabitat via Dvice]

Stratasys and Objet combine 3D printing / rapid prototyping powers, working on printing money

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Minnesota-based rapid manufacturing / rapid prototyping company Stratasys today announced that its has completed its merger with Iron Man / concert flute 3D printer, Objet. Combined, the new $3 billion company is home to the FDM, PolyJet and Solidscape Drop-on-Demand prototyping technologies. The companies have promised to "grow awareness of 3D printing for rapid prototyping and production." Hopefully that means we be getting a lot more of these things, as well.

Continue reading Stratasys and Objet combine 3D printing / rapid prototyping powers, working on printing money

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Objet’s Insanely Detailed 3D Prints Give Glimpse into the Future

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If you ask me, 3D printing is the next big thing in terms of on-demand manufacturing – and eventually in-home manufacturing. While the technology is only in its infancy, even low-cost printers have proven that if you’ve got enough time and patience that you can actually render fairly complex objects on your desktop. The guys over at Objet are focused more on commercial grade 3D printers, which makes them even more precise and capable than the type I’ve seen up close and personal.

detailed 3d print 1

Objet is showing off prints from their Connex500 printer which are so detailed that you’d need a magnifying glass to see how precise they are. This industrial-strength 3D printer is capable of outputting details at a 16 micron resolution, and as shown in these samples, can even print with multiple materials at the same time. In this case, the opaque 3D objects are suspended inside another clear 3D object – despite being printed all in one step. In fact, the Connex500 can print with up to 14 materials in a single print job.

detailed 3d print 2

If you have any doubt how detailed these 3D prints are, just look at how much information is preserved relative to the guy’s fingers. Pretty incredible stuff, especially when the 3D prints I’m used to seeing from Makerbots and the like are all jaggy around the edges.

These particular elements were Objet’s contribution to a multi-vendor 3D puzzle cube which visitors needed to collect pieces of at the recent RAPID show in Atlanta. I so wish I could get my hands on one of these for my desk. (The cube, that is and not the printer – though I wouldn’t turn that down either.)

[via Objet Blog]