News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
We often say that 3D printing’s biggest limit is not in the technology but in awareness of what the technology can be used for. All you need is a touch of creativity and inventiveness and even a low cost 3D printer can become a strategic tool in the making of high-end fashion products. For example for a glamorous 3D printed pochette.
On Wednesday March 9th, Additive Industries announced the finalists of Additive World Design for Additive Manufacturing Challenge 2016. From a group of 47 contestants, both professionals and students, 3 finalists were selected per category. ‘The redesigns submitted from all over the world (USA, Belgium, Germany, UK, Spain, Egypt and Finland) demonstrate perfectly how product designs can be improved when the freedom of 3D printing is applied’, says Daan Kersten, co-founder and CEO of Additive Industries. The large variation of industrial applications confirms the growing interest for additive manufacturing in multiple industries.
Not everyone is Hans Fouche, and not everyone has a Cheetah one cubic meter 3D printer in their garage. However more and more people do so, soon, many will be able to 3D print real size objects on demand. Of course it will still take a good amount of creativity to know what to use it for, for example a custom chair 3D printed in the shape of a Marmite bottle. That what Hans Fouche 3D Printing just did.
The 3D printed shoe race is heating up as high-tech sports apparel brand Under Armor releases ArchiTech commercially available, limited edition UA 3D printed shoes which were generatively designed using Autodesk’s Within software. In 1996 Under Armour broke into the athletic market by reinventing the humble t-shirt. Now a powerhouse brand, Under Armour is pushing the boundaries on high-performance athletic gear. So as the company approached its 20th anniversary, the UA Innovation Team looked to up the ante on the brand’s performance training footwear with the first UA 3D printed shoes.
International designers have been approaching the possibilities offered by high furniture 3D printing for some time. They have explored possibilities and come up with some pretty innovative concepts. While the time for commercially available 3D printed furniture is still a few years away, we can already identify some interesting trends. Here they are.
One thing that is becoming increasingly clear is that 3D printing, as a stand alone process – is no longer enough to drive enthusiasm and sales. That is why more and more creators are using it as part of a personal, digital manufacturing process that is empowering anyone to make finished, functional objects. Lauching on Kickstarter, Tio is doing this for 3d printed toys
The company, present in this Directory, used the model to create an incredibly accurate 1:34 scale physical replica based on Star Wars Wiki sketches and materials.
Launched at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the EDAG Soulmate 3D printed smart car concept can be ful ...
Bulgari is working on a new state-of-the-art jewelry manufacturing plant that is to become the largest in Europe and is due to open in the second half of 2016. Located in Valenza, near the northern Italian city of Alessandria, it will allow Bulgari to increase the brand’s production and is expected to recruit an additional 300 workers, for a total of approximately 700 employees.
Those who read this blog regularly know that we are big fans of 3D Racers, the game of 3D printed, connected, open-source and Arduino-based cars. This long list of “composite” attributes should help explain why: where many different technologies meet, innovation moves faster and 3D Racers 3D is a meeting point for many fascinating trends.