News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Coinciding with this year’s Canada Day weekend, Canadian artist Douglas Coupland has unveiled his newest and arguably most ambitious project to date. Called The National Portrait, the large-scale artwork consists of hundreds of 3D printed portraits based on real Canadian people.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: 3D printing is an incredibly versatile manufacturing process. From 3D printed race car parts, to sports equipment, to coral (and that’s just this week), additive manufacturing has found applications in many industries and for many, many purposes. Polish 3D printer manufacturer Sinterit recently drew out attention to another novel use of Selective Laser Sintering technology (SLS): swimwear.
There’s no denying that being a startup can be tough and often entails a journey marked by ups and downs. For South Korean 3D printer startup Team Owl Works, things began promisingly enough as it successfully raised over $244,000 dollars through a 2016 Kickstarter to bring its Morpheus delta resin 3D printer to life. Since then, however, things seem to have stagnated somewhat with the company which has recently drawn concern from backers of the project.
Florida based 3D printing service and 3D printer reseller Dimension Works used the ULTRA 3SP 3D printing hardware from EnvisionTEC to supply custom 3D printed logos for the LA Dodgers’ new helmets, in anticipation of the new MLB season. The Dodgers are not new at playing around 3D printing since Laura and Janne Kyttanen’s Pixweet launched their Pixsweet 3D printed custom ice pops startup at Dodgers’ Stadium Season Opening last year.
Metropole, a French visual marketing agency that has embraced large format 3D printing by Massivit, has created an ultra-realistic, full-size 3D printed triceratops to promote a new paleontology exhibition at Paris’ Musée National d’Histoire Naturelle.
Based in Boca Raton, Florida, Isaac’s Fine Jewelry has been in the jewelry industry for over 30 years providing high-quality designs and bespoke items for discerning customers. Isaac Cohen, who was among the first to embrace affordable AM technologies with a Formlabs system, is now adopting advanced high-speed 3D printing technologies from DLP market leader EnvisionTEC.
Research from the University of Nottingham has demonstrated the viability of 3D printing for fabricating structures using advanced materials that switch states when exposed to different environmental stimuli such as light. The innovative research project could have far reaching implications for the future of 3D printed electronics, medical devices and quantum computing devices.
German auto manufacturer BMW recently launched a fashion collection through its BMW i sub-brand, which is focused primarily on developing innovative vehicles using sustainable materials. The new BMW i Collection, consisting of shirts, jackets, bags and other accessories, brings this principle beyond just car making and into fashion.
Dutch designer Matthijs Kok is no stranger to 3D printing. With experience working as a product designer and 3D modeler for 3D Systems and as the creative director at innovative design agency Freshfiber (a position he still holds), the young designer knows better than most how additive manufacturing can revolutionize design.
3D pen pioneer 3Doodler has announced the release of its latest products: the Create+ Pen and the 2018 Create Product Line. Starting at $80, the new 3D pen—the latest version of 3Doodler’s legacy Kickstarter product—integrates a range of improvements that promise to make 3D drawing easier than ever before.