RUG/Pennsylvania/State College/RepRap Media Timeline

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This page is a summary of 3D printing stories in press/tv/etc with a focus on RepRap in particular, but with some inclusion of other similar technologies.

Another good media timeline can be found here: MediaMain.

Changes to this current timeline will be made by focusing on media that directly relates to RepRaps or interesting extensions which are commercialized items, such as the chocolate 3D printer, and futuristic technologies.

The media items indicated in "italics" signify the extensions made in the 3D printing industry, while the items in regular font will be related to RepRaps.

Viewers will notice that the "2012" section has far more items than the other years. This is due to the fact that a majority of advancements took place during this year and concrete ideas began blooming as well.

1980's

1984; Charles "Chuck" Hull develops a technology to print 3D objects using digital data and terms it "Stereolithography" [1]

March 11, 1986; Chuck Hull founded 3D Systems and invents the first 3D printer [2]

1987; Selective laser sintering is developed at the University of Texas-Austin and commercialized by DTM [3]

1988; S. Scott Crump invents Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), which is the basis for 3D printing extrusion [4]

1990's

1993; MIT patents "Three Dimensional Printing Techniques" which is comparable to a regular 2D printer's methodology. [5]

1995; Z Corporation acquires a technology license from MIT and begins building 3D printers [6]

1996; The term "3D Printer" is first used to address rapid prototyping machines [7]

1996; First major release of 3D printers from Z Corp, Stratasys, and 3D Systems [8]

2004

February; Adrian Bowyer publishes the idea for a self replicating 3D printer, and concept of the RepRap is born! More on the RepRap About Page [About]

2005

March 9th; Spectrum Z-510 is the first high definition 3D color printer to be manufactured [9]

March 23rd; The RepRap blog started [[10]]

June 2nd; Reprap project discussed in "The Machine that can copy anything" by Simon Hooper on CNN.com [[11]]

October 6th; Arduino is released [12]

2006

February; 'Neil Gershenfeld on Fab Labs' a TED talk about a (much higher cost) mobile fabrication laboratory, and enabling consumers to produce products for a "market of one". [13]

2007

2008

February 9; The Darwin printer is able to print more than half of its own parts, thus self-replication is successful [14]

June 4; The Telegraph releases a science article about self-replicating robots leading into the RepRap. Parts of the article discuss the possible implications and advantages of a low cost 3D printer that can replicate its own parts and evolve. [[15]]

November; Thingiverse is launched, the first website where people can uplaoad their own 3D models for people to print out, open sourcing at its finest, what will you upload? [16]

2009

October 2; A second generation design, known as "Mendel", prints its first part [[17]]

2010

April 30; 'The disruptive future of printing' an article by Bill Thompson of the BBC about RepRap and its future. [18]

November 10; 'It Will Be Awesome if They Don't Screw it Up: 3D Printing...' a whitepaper by Michael Weinberg of Public Knowledge discussing the legal implications of widespread 3D printing. [19]

December 20th; 3d printing: The state of the art. (Ciara Byrne in VentureBeat) [20] Summary: An article discussing the importance of the present technology, why usage of 3D printing has risen and what the future use of the technology could be including some inherent problem we'll have to deal with. The importance of this article lies in the clarity with which it presents some very basic ideas. The readability also allows for a wide variety of readers to appreciate the upcoming innovations.

December 31st; 11 3d printing predictions for the year 2011. (Joris Peels on TechCrunch) [21] Summary: Some extremely specific predictions and a few less specific ones having to do with well known names such as Makerbot, Adobe, Microsoft, Stratasys, Objet and a quite a few more. All predictions indicate a rather significant increase in popularity for 3D printing.

2011

January 12; 'The Wow Factor of 3-D Printing,' an article in the New York Times about consumer 3-D printers. It mentions Reprap, MakerBot, and Bits From Bytes. [22]

January 19th; 3d printing now in Titanium! (Charlie Sorrel on Wired.com) [23] Summary: The article discusses the advancements in 3D printing, specifically Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) to print with titanium.

March 23; Handheld Vacuum Cleaner 3D Printed (Matthew Humphries on Geek.com [24]" Summary: This article on the surface is about the ability to print out your own Vacuum. The real message behind it are the possibilities of open source programming as well as Rep Rap printers. Matthew offers his opinion on the exciting development as he puts it.

April; Copyright questions as 3d printing comes of age. [25]

June 8th; Bre Pettis, founder of Makerbot Industries, makes a guest appearance on the Colbert Report discussing the relevance of 3D printing in modern society [[26]]

July 11th; Geekteach: 3D Printing In the Classroom (By Buzz Garwood on BYTE.com) [27] Summary: This is an uplifting article from a 3D printer enthusiast. He is a teacher and has been exposing his students to the 3D printing concept and technology. He talks about some of the way he utilizes it in the class room as well as the a description of where 3D technology is today. He even tells a story of a fellow teacher who presents his students with design problems and uses a printer to fabricate their solutions.

August 16th; Eric Savitz, a reporter for Forbes(R) recognizes the significance and potential that 3D printing offers to the world, as the cost goes down and the technology develops. [28]

August 23rd; Makerbot announces that they are accepting $10 million in startup money[[29]]

August 25th; Chipotle and Artem use Stratasys Dimension 3D printer for stop motion animation commercial. [[30]] [[31]]

Fall 2011; Open Hybrid Mendel Design is tested at Penn State University Park Campus.

September 9; An excellent YouTube video highlighting the amazing capabilities of 3D printers (by Fun Theory)' [[32]]

September 16; BBC News article on a new application of 3D printing 'Artificial Blood Vessels Created on a 3D Printer' [[33]]

September 20; Article on the Make blog about a working AR-15 magazine on thingiverse. [34]

September 20; Origo: A 3D Printer for kids (John Biggs in TechCrunch) [35] Summary: The purple printer uses a thin stream of plastic to create various objects. It should be the same size as 3 Xbox 360's and cost the same as 3 of them as well with an estimated price of about 800$. Origo is designed to have a minimum amount of moving parts and a simple UI using 3Dtin as a design platform.

October 3rd; Albensi Labs use 3D printing for dental restoration making the turnaround time drop from 7 days to 2 days. [36]

October 25; Big-Hearted Maker-Folk Rush to the Aid of Homeless Hermit Crabs [[37]] Summary: That cause, provided by Project Shellter at Makerbot, is wee little hermit crabs, who are, in turns out, suffering from a shell shortage. The idea is to make shells that can be provided to captive crabs, not to fill the oceans with 3D-printed kipple.

November 14th; Joe McKendrick of smartplanet.com discusses how the Fayetteville Free Library of Fayetteville, NY announced its plans to incorperate a “hackerspace” into its public library this will allow a librayr to expand on what it means to be a library[38], this issue is also being explored on the collegiate level at the University of Nevada, Reno[39][40]


Unknown; "Academic paper released investigating the effects of structure and orientation on the strength of 3D printed materials. [41]

Unknown Artist uses solar powered 3D printer to make glass objects http://www.markuskayser.com/work/solarsinter/ Summary: The machine focuses the sun into a dot that is so hot it sinters the sand layer by layer into objects like bowls.

2012

January

January 25; Physibles @ The Pirate Bay [42]

February

February 6; Transplant jaw made by 3D printer claimed as first [43] (for BBC)
Summary: A lower jaw, created from 3D printed titanium powder heated and fused together with a laser. This jaw was fitted to an 83-year-old woman’s face, and is said to be the first patient-specific implant in the replacement of the entire lower jaw. -kwc5097

March

March 6; The CADspan Plugin for Google SketchUp allows generation of solid, 3D printable STL files [44] (Cantos for CADspan)
Summary: Describes the CADspan Plugin for SketchUp which eases the process of creating a model for 3D printing. Popular tools in SketchUp are listed and their functions are explained. -kwc5097

March 10; 3D printing from an Android device [45] (Benchoff for Hack a Day)
Summary: This article discusses an Android app, Makerdroid, which was designed to get South African students excited about technology and desktop fabrication labs. This app allows the user to create .STL files on an Android device and generate Gcode with Skeinforge in order to print 3D objects directly from their Android devices. -kwc5097

April

April 9; The Delicious Future: 3D Chocolate Printer Finally Available for Purchase (Doug Aamoth, Time Tech) [46]--djb5469 Summary: Although the technology to 3D print chocolate has existed for years, there has never been a commercial model until now. The machine costs about $4600, and can be used for more filament types than just chocolate.

April 15; Integrated 3D-printed reactionware for chemical synthesis and analysis (Symes, Kitson, Yan, and others for Nature Chemistry) [47]

Summary: 3D printing has the potential to transform science and technology by investigating its ability to print chemical reagents directly into a 3D reactionware matrix, greatly reducing the production and implementation cost of such systems by putting them under digital control. Further research needs to be done to make these processes cheap and accessible to modest laboratories, but there is potential.

April 30; Behrokh Khoshnevis, Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering and is the Director of Manufacturing Engineering Graduate Program at the University of Southern California (USC) brings the idea of 3D printing to automate the construction of buildings, maybe one day you can 3D print your own house [48]

May

May 6; STEMulate Learning integrates 3D printing into classroom [49]

May 21; Working Lathe Made with 3D Printing (Walters for Geek.com)[50]

Summary: A 3D printing enthusiast set out to prove that useful items can be created by RepRaps by designing and printing all necessary parts required to construct a small, compact, working lathe. The device utilizes a drill motor and can be utilized to create items for everyday use. Check out the video on the article's website!

June

June 15; Guitar manufacturing is revolutionized by 3D printing (Doesburg for theguardian) [51]

Summary: Olaf Diegel, a professor of mechatronics at Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand, has revolutionized the process of guitar manufacturing by developing a virtually indestructible nylon-bodied guitar that would make members of The Who cringe. Diegel can expect big things for 3D printing technology in the near future, predicting that entire buildings will be capable of printing within 5 or 6 years.

July

July 2; Possibilities of printing dinosaur fossils [52]

July 4; Researchers create artificial liver from 3D printed sugar lattice (arkar for allvoices.com)[53]

Summary: Researchers from UPenn and MIT have developed the capability of combining sugar and 3D printing technology to amass an artificial liver. The printer extruded a sugar armature structure in which tissue and blood vessels were organized to promote proper blood circulation, then liver cells were introduced after the sugar lattice was dissolved using water. While these synthetic organs are not nearly large enough for human implantation, the study exhibitsa very inventive and potentially life-saving use for 3D printing technology.

July 6; New Innovations in printing Aluminum [54]

July 7; Burritobot: Mexican Cuisine and 3D Printing (Technabob for technabob.com) [55]

Summary: In the spirit of expanding the possibilities of 3D printing, Manro Manriquez has developed a design for the Burritob0t, which is a robotic printer/extruder that will output burritos. The idea was developed after "realizing the overlap between 3D printing (additive assembly and interchangeable ingredients) with burrito construction." The project plans to launch a Kickstarter program to fund its efforts, but the Big Picture is clear: the Burritob0t is just one of many efforts attempting to realize the possibilities of robotic food construction.

July 11; Building Planes with Giant 3D Printers (Olson for Forbes) [56]

Summary: Bastian Schaefer, a cabin engineer with Airbus, has been toying with the possibilities of 3D printing an entire airplane. As the largest 3D printers to date are the size of a modest dining room table, the plan is part of an almost 40 year endeavor in which smaller airplane parts would be printed now while entire planes should be extruded by 2050. Efforts are inspired by the possibility of manufacturing lighter simulated aircraft by cheaper means.

July 12; The next generation RepRap prints PLA at tremendously high speeds [57]

July 16; 3D printed keys used to hack high security handcuffs (Greenburg for Forbes) [58]

Summary: Think your personal belongings are secure? A German hacker known as "Ray" demonstrated to an audience at the Hackers of Planet Earth conference in New York that even high-security handcuffs are no match for the powers of 3D printers and a carefully designed, makeshift, plastic key. This development reveals the susceptibility of secure systems to the looming power of 3D printers and a little human ingenuity.

July 17; 3D Printers In The Library; Toward a FabLab in the Academic Library (Kurt and Colegrove for ACRL TechConnect Blog) [59]

Summary: The DeLaMare Science & Engineering Library at the University of Nevada, Reno has added two 3D printers, a 3D scanner, and supporting software available for general use to the school community. Thanks to professor Tod Colegrove, the University is one of the first to experiment with an open-lab 3D printing environment, investigating just how the school environment will benefit from the ability to rapidly prototype designs applicable to a range of majors and scientific disciplines.

July 18; 3D printing services being offered at universities for the first time [60]

July 22; Printing out your own prescription meds [61]

Summary: Dr. Lee Cronin from the University of Glasgow has applied 3D printing to chemistry. By printing custom reaction vessels with polypropylene, he creates strong, yet chemically inert reactors other unit operations to create what could be called a small chemical plant. By using the correct reactants and 3D printed architecture, one could make their own drugs. Because all organic molecules are made almost entirely of carbon, oxygen, any hydrogen, it is throught that a few basic reactants and 3D printed equipment could provide all that is needed to have access to a wide variety of drugs.

July 25; 3D printing market set to hit $3 billion by 2018 (Raby for SlashGear)[62]

Summary: Global Industry Analysts projects that collectively, the business of 3D printing will reach $3 billion in profits by they year 2018, which is made possible by a number of factors: evolving the technology to enable printing of vastly different materials, driving down production costs to build more printers cheaply, etc. 3D printing is more than just a fad, but a flowering business venture!

July 26; World's first 3D Printed Gun [63]

July 30; Printing Unammed Aerial Vehicles [64]

August

August 6; 3D Printed Exoskeleton aids in Arm Usage [65]

August 6; New machine prints stone using sand and binding agent [66] Summary: A new machine called Stone Spray uses an robotic arm like sprayer to build small structures from dirt and sand. A binder is added to the material to make it solidify. The noval thing about this arm design is that it can print from any angle, not just from the floor up. It can even print horizontally from a vertical wall. Future developments could result in a machine that can build retaining walls and bridges from materials found in the local environment. Data on the stones durability or the cost of the binder is unknown.

August 8; Focus Feature's stop motion movie ParaNorman uses 3D printed facial parts to "push facial performance to new levels" [67]

August 16; 3D Printed Meat Just Got Backing From PayPal Founder [68] PayPal founder Peter Thiel invested between 160,000 and 220,000 English Pounds in Modern Meadow, a Missouri based company working on 3D printing meat.

August 17; US company wants to make 3D bio-ink printed meat for human consumption (Merco Press) [69]
Summary: A US start-up company has a solution for people who want to eat meat, but don't want to harm animals either: 3D printed meat.

August 29; NASA funds Tethers Unlimited Inc. to work on its SpiderFab orbital 3D printer (Cameron Naramore, 3D Printer) [70]
Summary: NASA spends much of its money on base costs of bringing equiptment up into space. They are also limited in which object to bring because very fragile ones will not endure the g's during liftoff. However, the emerging technology 'SpiderFab' is a 3D printer which will operate in space to print objects out of the atmosphere. With SpiderFab, innovative, hightech equipment can be printed directly out of our atmosphere and no longer require special liftoff considerations.

September

September 19; Software to Detect Stress in Objects Before Print (Zach Walton, WebProNews/Technology) [71]
Summary: Many 3D printed parts have accurate exterior features but fall short when it comes to structural performance. Purdue University professor Bedrich Benes is working on a software which will find these stress concentration points and add material to reduce the likelyhood of failure. This program also can find areas of excess material and remove it to save money and time (i.e. hollowed figures with struts in lieu of a completely solid object).

September 21; 3D Print Wood with Laywood Filament [72] (Walters for Geek.com)
Summary: 3D printers don't just print plastic, they can apparently print a wood-like material called 'Laywood' which feels, smells, and looks like real wood. This material consists of 40% recycled wood, and a polymer binder. This material won't warp, it doesn't experience shrinkage, and it doesn't require a heated bed for production. -kwc5097

September 27;3D Printer Form 1 Gets 6X Its $100K Funding Goal On Kickstarter… In One Day [73]

October

October 1; 3-D Printer Company Seizes Machine From Desktop Gunsmith [74]

Summary: Cody Wilson, a second-year law student at the University of Texas at Austin, had his 3D printer seized upon revealing the news that he was planning on printing a pistol capable of firing a single shot. Wilson leads Wiki Weapon, a project that plans to make open-source blue prints for constructing 3D ptinted guns. Stratasys lent a Stratasys uPrint SE to Wiki Weapon; upon discovery of his plan to print a pistol without a gun manufacturers license, they cancelled the lease and seized the printer. Wilson argues that it is legal in the U.S. to manufacture a gun at home without a license if it is concealable on a person, although such a weapon is subject to review.

October 3; Army researchers use cutting edge 3D printers [75]

October 5; Seeing Is Believing, Disney Crafts 3D Printed Optics [76] (Hearn for Engadget)
Summary: A group of engineers from Disney are using 'printed optics' to create interactive objects using 3D printing. This technology uses the 3D model to guide the light from LEDs to potentially replace the use of LCD and LED screens in displaying information on smaller interactive devices. -kwc5097

October 10; CNBC Reports on Various Entities utilizing Bio-3D printing [77]

October 10; 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) Is Turning the Impossible Into the Possible [78] (Burrus for The Blog)
Summary: This article describes the process of 3D printing and its applications as of recently. In the future, it can be used to deliver products to customers as soon as they are manufactured; like shoes, dresses, parts for jet engines, or even human bones. -kwc5097

October 18; New Patent Could Saddle 3D Printers With DRM (Marks for New Scientist)[79]

Summary: US patent 8286236, granted to Intellectual Ventures of Bellvue, Washington, grants 3D printers the ability to read digital authenticity codes judging whether or not that printer has legal authority to print a digital part file. This sweeping patent leads to more controversy surrounding digital rights management (DRM).

October 18; Spice Up Your 3-D Prints With Custom Plastics (Joseph Flaherty, WIRED) [80]
Summary: Although 3D printer plastics may seem like a boring topic to some, Faberdashery, a plastics company based in Somerset, England is trying to change that. By examining and perfecting each of their plastics' formulas, the company can provide RepRap machine owners with a precise product taylored to their specific needs including color, smell, and even the addition of sparkles.

October 18; Guitar Printer Makes Functioning Instrument (Aaron Sankin for Huffington Post) [81]
Summary: Combining a love of engineering and a passion for music, Olaf Diegel has created a business out of printing customized 3D guitars capable of producing rich sounds and excellent tonal ranges. Although skeptical at first, San Francisco-based designer Scott Summit agrees that even 3D printed accoustic guitars perform well and do not buckle under the stress of strings, etc.

October 19; The Future of Higher Education: Reshaping Universities Through 3D Printing [82]

October 19; Formlabs FORM 1 high-resolution 3D printer [83]

October 19; 3D Printing comes to the Disney Universe: Your face Frozen in Carbonite (David J Hill, Singularity Hub) [84]--djb5469 Summary: Disney has began to use 3D printing technology to personalize objects. Girls can have small statues of Disney Princesses printed out featuring their own faces for about $100. Star Wars fans can have small models of themselves frozen in carbonite. This interesting use of 3D printing will not only bring in profits for Disney, but also serve to greatly promote 3D printing technology.

October 22; 3D Bio-Printing Proposed to Send Vaccines and Medicine Via Email (Debora MacKenzie for New Scientist) [85]
Summary: A man who sequenced the human genome using his own DNA, then made "synthetic life" by outfitting a gutted bacterium with homemade genes, says his next trick will be emailing biological molecules, using 3D biological printers. The move could revolutionise healthcare - and biological warfare.

October 23; UVA Undergraduates Print 3D Plane [86]

October 25; EFF Fights To Protect 3D Printers From Illegitimate Patents [87]

October 25;With ‘Safe Haven,’ Desktop Weaponeers Resume Work on 3D-Printed Guns [88] (Beckhusen for WIRED)
Summary: A group's efforts to create a 3D printed pistol looks promising. Efforts were halted when the group's printer was taken away and now they are currently applying for a gun license. Companies have been contributing to the development by volunteering manufacturing space and providing support in the group's vision. -kwc5097

October 30; 3D printing- a new industrial revolution [89]

November

November 2; Wired CEO Chris Anderson leaves Wired to start 3D Robotics company [90]--dwj131

November 4; Turning your thoughts into actual 3D objects [91]

November 9; 3D-Printed Rockets Help Propel NASA's Space Shuttle Launch (Philippa Warr for Wired) [92]
Summary: Parts for the rocket engines of NASA’s Space Launch System will be created using a method of 3D-printing known as selective laser melting.

November 9; Researchers at Purdue develop a program to automatically tweak designs for 3D printed parts to improve strength (Matus for inhabitat.com)[93]

Summary: Researchers at Purdue University have developed computer software that recognizes structural flaws in 3D models and adds supporting material before the objects are printed, greatly increasing the structural integrity of these 3D printed materials.

November 11; Next Generation 3D Printing: Highter Resolution, Tastier, and Super Cute [94]--djb5469

November 12; Portable 3D Printer for the Military (David Meyer, ZDNet)[95]
Summary: U.S. Military has developed a new, inexpensive, portable 3D printer capable of printing spare parts in the field. 1/4 the cost of the MakerBot Replicator 2, these new machines are small and can even fit in a backpack, extremely useful for spare parts if needed during a warfight.

November 12; 3D-Printing Photo Booth Makes You Into an Action Figure[96] [97](Warr for WIRED)
Summary: A photo booth in Japan will scan your body and create a figurine of you. It can be a maximum of 8 inches tall and doesn't have the precision yet to pick up on shiny jewelry, earrings, mesh items, or glasses. Customers must pose for about 15 minutes for the machine to collect their body data. -kwc5097

November 12; Scientists reveal new insights on nano 3D printing[98]

November 12; Voxeljet 3D printer used to produce Skyfall's Aston Martin stunt double (Hearn for engadget)[99]

Summary: Do you love James Bond? The filmmakers of the latest Bond movie, Skyfall, tasked 3D printing company Voxeljet with sculpting 1:3 scale stunt doubles of James' latest whip, the Aston Martin DB5. Luckily, no real vehicles were harmed in the making of the film, but these 18-piece scale models were. Check out the photos within the article!

November 14; Minecraft Creations Become Real! [100]

November 19; 3D Printer Powered by Heart Cells (Walton on WebProNews)[101]

Summary: Researchers at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a mobile 3D printed robot powered by rat heart cells. They hope that one day, these robots can be used to detect and/or neutralize specific chemical and toxins found in our environment.

November 21; 3D Systems sues Formlabs and Kickstater for patent infringement and promotion respectively (Dillet for TechCrunch)[102]

Summary: Thanks to the stereolithography printing technique, Formlabs and Kickstarer have joined forces to create the Form 1, a low-cost 3D printer capable of professional grade printing built into a hobbyist size and budget. Unfortunately, 3D systems has held a patent on stereolithography techniques since 1997 and is demanding reparations by legal means.

November 22; Scientists develop 3D tissue printer that prints cartilage[103] (Star Staff for The Star)--dwj131
Summary: A 3D tissue printer was developed by scientists at Wake Forest University, which uses a traditional inkjet printer combined with an electrospinning machine. This was a proof of concept study which was successfully tested on mice with cartilage cells from a rabbit's ear. -kwc5097

November 23; EDSGN 497D is Mentioned in an Article in Onward State[104] (Sami for Onward State)
Summary: Penn State’s EDSGN 497D course was featured on Onward State’s website. The article describes the open source RepRap technology, as well as the course structure in order to inform the surrounding community. -kwc5097

November 24; GE Is So Stoked About 3D Printing, They're Using It To Make Parts For Jet Engines[105]

November 26; 3D printers to print out electronics in the near future (Mathur for thinkdigit.com)[106]

Summary: Researchers at the University of Warwick have developed a simple and inexpensive conductive plastic composite with 3D printing applications. This material can allow the printing of electronic tracks and sensors directly into 3D printed objects, opening doors for 3D printers to print electronics sometime in the near future.

November 26; Fancy 3D printer spits out 'replacement parts' for humans (Lourens for gearburn.com)[107]

Summary: As scientists at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine have created cartilage using 3D printers capable for human transplants (see article here: [108]), Lourens discusses his views on why 3D printing technology will 'disrupt the world in 2013.'

November 26; 3D Printing Satellites (Kaurfman for TechNewsDaily)[109]

Summary: Scientists have developed a space-ready, 3D printed CubeSat in seeking a low-cost way to launch their experiments into space. All but the satellite's sensors and computer chips were 3D printed in the laboratory. Development of these satellites can be revolutionized by 3D printing, as the process can be almost fully automated. Want to learn more about CubeSats? Check out the article!

November 27; Customized Toy Records [110]

November 27; Get a 3-d print of your unborn child [111]

November 28; Virginia Tech: Interactive 3-D printing station [112] --Nop5031 16:45, 28 November 2012 (UTC)

November 29; Staples to offer 'Easy 3D' printing service (Sharif Sakr in engadget) [113] Summary: The service, first starting in Belgium and the Netherlands, will eventually expand to all Staples stores. You'll be able to upload your file and then have it printed as fragments of paper arranged in 0.1mm layers up to a maximum height of six inches.

November 29; 3D printers could use Moon or Mars rocks as raw materials (BBC) [114] Summary: The article discusses the possibilities of using Moon rocks to create tools or spare parts. Prof Amit Bandyopadhyay is quoted backing the possibility and he is supported by David Woods (author of How Apollo Flew). Prof Colin Pillinger offers quotes claiming that it is a nice theory however not all that practical or worth it.

December

December 3; 3-D Printed Gun Only Lasts 6 Shots (Robert Beckhusen in Wired) [115] and (Andy Greenberg in Forbes) [116] Summary: Only one part, the lower receiver, was printed out in the gun. This is a very important part since it is heavily regulated and carries the serial number of the weapon. It was expected to break, but in something closer to 20 rather than only 6 shots.

December 3; Merger Creates World's Largest 3-D Print Company (Daniel Ferry, The Motley Fool.) [117]--djb5469 Summary: Two of the three biggest 3D printing companies, Stratasys and Objet, have merged to create the world's biggest 3D printing company. The new $3 billion company will face difficulties in integrating the separate companies, but the potential benefits of combining resources far outweigh the risks. The company will still be named Stratasys, and Stratasys shareholders control 55% while Objet controls 45%.

December 3; Arcam AB is an undervalued 3D printer manufacturer (David Allen, Seeking Alpha) [118]--djb5469 Summary: While Arcam AB may not have as many sales as 3D Systems or Stratasys, it does have a much high return on equity while maintaining a strong profit margin. Arcam AB focuses on working with expensive metals like Titanium and Cobalt Chromium, where the reduced waste of additive manufacturing leads to significant profits. The Swedish company is begin to gain momentum in the United States but selling printers to Oak Ridge National Labatories.

December 4; A discussion of the entrepreneurial spirit of DIY RepRap users (The Engineer). [119] Summary: This article discussed how people are starting to become entrepreneurs in their homes and bedrooms and how the popularity of 3D printing is on the rise. The article also talks about Adrian Bowyer, the founder of RepRap, along with a united kingdom company that prints out designs made by young kids to popular designers.

December 5; Exhibit – THR_33: Engineered to Endear, John Marshall [120] Summary: John Marshall from the University of Michigan is using rapid prototyping, robotics and other sensors to make interactive art. He made a small house that has 3 different robots based off of a toaster, blender, and radio that interact with the viewer. The house also can sense when a viewer is near and open the windows. During this creation he created his own compound made from ABS plastic and acetone. His art was featured in the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, Japan.

December 6; Why 3D Printing Matters for "Made in the USA." (Jeremy Hsu, TechNewsDaily and LiveScience.) [121]--djb5469 Summary: The manufacturing capabilities of the United States have been declining for decades, but 3D printing might be able to reverse that trend. A government grant of $30 million created The National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, which focuses on promoted the development of 3D printing. While this technology would not be suited to produce 10 million units of trash cans, it would be perfect for making 50 to 100 military aircraft.

December 6; 3D Printer Could Transform Moon Dirt Into Lunar Base (Megan Gannon, Space.com) [122]--Nop5031 22:01, 6 December 2012 (UTC) Summary: Researchers have developed a method of using simulated moon dust to create 3D printed objects. While the technology is still in rudimentary stages, this proof of concept experiment shows that lunar astronauts could replace broken tools or even create new structures using just the available materials. Considering the cost of transportation to the moon, this technology could create extensive cost savings and improve the feasibility of a long term moon base. Eventually, this technology could even by expanded to be used on Mars.

December 6; Discussion of 3D printers being developed to print medical (and recreational) drugs (Beta Beat). [123]--Nop5031 22:03, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

December 6; A 3D-printing popup store (3DEA) opens in NYC for the holidays. Attractions include a body scanner and ornament design competition [124]

December 7; Manufacturing the future: 10 trends to come in 3D printing. (Eric Savitz, Forbes Magazine.) [125]--djb5469 Summary: This article predicts 10 uses of 3D printers for that will start becoming widespread next year. Some examples include 3D printing shops at the mall that will allow manufacturers to only ship designs and 3D printed medical implants that will help save lives. The bottom of this article also features slideshow gallery of ten cool things that can be printed, such as glasses frames and engagement rings.

December 7; Harvard’s Semitic Museum Is Using 3D Printers To Restore An Ancient Statue [126]--Wjf5042

December 8; Are personal 3D printers the next personal computers?(Rob Enderle on Digital trends.com) [127]--djb5469 Rob discusses the basics of 3-D printing, what some of the hopes and end goals of the industry are as well as arguing that 3-D printing is ready for a revolution. He also gives some guesses as to who will capitalize on these possibilities.

December 10 Wireless 3D printer "vending machine" can be controlled from iDevices or Android phones [128] Summary: Brian Benchoff writes on article about 3D printing shows in NYC to an amazing wall of 3D printers that are controlled from a mobile phone. At the end of the article a short video of the wall of printers can be seen in action creating an orchestra of 3D printing ingenuity.

December 10 The Plant of the Future: 3D Printing [129]--snb5148 This article talks about how 3D printing could have a real place in manufacturing by the end of the decade.

December 10; Staples Plans to Enter 3-D Printing Scene, Shapeways Keeps Calm [130]--snb5148 The office supply chain Staples plans to bring 3D printing to some of its overseas stores in the first quarter of 2013.

December 10; Insdie The Worlds's Biggest Consumer 3D printing Factory (Andy Greenberg) [131]--Steven Crump Summary: Article written by Andy Greenber, memeber of Forbes staff, talks about Shapeways 3D printing setup. The slideshow at the end of the article has some amazing pictures including microprintng and a printed dress. Some really amazing prints.

December 11; The Undetectable Firearms Act and 3D printed guns. [132]--snb5148 This article asks a great question; Is renewing the act really just a stealth attempt to regulate 3D printing?

December 11; Homemade 3D-printed gifts (Travis Andrews in DVice)[133] Summary: A list of 15 gifts you can print out yourself including a large range of things as simple as chess sets and cookie cutters to more complicated ones such as an RC planes and working pencil sharpeners. A good look into the future of gift giving.

December 11; Musings on the potential for 3D printers to be the next big thing in home electronics (Digital Trends). [134]--Nop5031 20:06, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

December 11; The Army is Deploying 3D Printers to Afghanistan [135]--snb5148 The army is setting up mobile labs in Afghanistan that will include CNC machines and 3D printers.

December 11; A few weeks with a 3D printer[136]--Nop5031 20:15, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

December 11; Brand NEW Gyro Cube [137]--Nop5031 22:37, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

December 12; 3D Printer Makes Medical Models (Video):[138]--snb5148 This article contains a cool video showing a 3D printer printing a model of a human heart. This helps to show that 3D printing can extend far beyond the engineering student or the hobbyist at home, 3D printers could have so many more applications than once thought

December 12; What is True Colour 3D Printing? [139]--snb5148 A look at the technology to blend filament colors.

December 12; 10 Cool Holiday Gifts You Can Make With Your 3D Printer (Victor Luckerson) [140] -- Steven Crump Summary: If its close to the holidays or your still thinking of that last minute birthday gift, this article will give you some neat ideas for some funny and great inexpensive gifts. There are some great little gift ideas for events like secret Santa.

December 13; MU Students Tinker with New 3D Printing Technology ( Amy Couch) [141]--Steven Crump Summary: Article written by Amy Couch talks about Missouri engineers 3D printing a chess piece and their 3D printing experiences.

December 13; 3D printing goes prime time as staples to offer 'easy 3D' service (David J. Hill, SingularityHub) [142]--djb5469 Summary: Staples is beginning to offer a 3D printing service to it's customers. The store will use Mcor's IRIS 3D printer to create a 3D model of a Cad file by extruding paper as a filament. The service will first be available in The Netherlands and Belgium, but will soon come to the U.S. This move is one more attempt to keep paper relevant and profitable in the digital age.

December 13; 3D Printing Beats Rare Disease (Seth Colaner) [143] -- Steven Crump Summary: An amazing inspirational video that will give you goosebumps about 3D printing helping a young girl overcome her disease. This Video does a wonderful job demonstrating the usefulness of 3D printing and its vast versatility.

December 15; A cheap way to print electronic devices (The economist) [144]--djb5469 Summary: By combining soot and polyester, Dr. Simon Leigh has developed a filament that can conduct electricity. The special thing about this filament is that it's resistance changes under pressure. Some uses for this technology would be to measure the rehabilitation of stroke patients and remotely move a robotic arm by using a glove.

December 15; 3D-printed X-Cube is the hardest Rubik’s cube ever [[145]] Summary: This new take on the 3x3x3 rubik's cube is arguably the most difficult rubik's cube yet!

December 22; 3D Printed “Vinyl” LP [[146]] Summary: There are now techniques for creating custom “vinyl” audio discs using a 3D printer. The records are produced on an Objet Connex500 3D printer, which uses UV-cured resin to produce objects.

2013

January

January 19; Filabot turns plastic waste into raw material for 3D printing (Duncan Geere, Wired) [147] Summary: An American college student named Tyler McNaney is developing a machine that recycles plastic household waste into the raw materials for use in 3D printing.

February

February 19; 3D-Printing Pen, The 3Doodler, Reaches Kickstarter Funding Goal In Hours" (John Biggs, TechCrunch) [148] -- Michael Bilyk Summary: 3Doodler, a handheld 3D printing pen created by WobbleWorks, started a Kickstarter on February 19th and received seven times their asking amount within hours. The pen can be used to draw in three dimensions with ABS and PLA. The plastic melts and solidifies quick enough that lines can be drawn from the surface into the air.

February 21; Cornell Researchers Grow A Realistic Bio-Engineered Human Ear" [149] Summary: Cornell researchers have used 3D printers to create human ears for kids with microtia. They 3D scan a healthy ear and then 3D print a replica for the effected kids.

February 25; SCARA arm prints 3D parts [150] Summary: The SCARA arm, a substantially different 3D printing design than the typical gantry arm setup, has recently succeeded in printing parts. The SCARA arm uses similar components, such as the control of the z-axis through two lead screws and the traditional stepper motors for the x and y axes, but the way the printer operates and its design is extremely unique and simple. Check out the video in the link to see for yourself!

February 26; Nike's first-ever 3D-printed athletic cleat [151] Summary: Nike is showing off a new cleat designed to help American football players excel in the all-important 40-yard dash. NFL scouts regard the dash as incredibly important, and Nike's new shoe is designed to help athletes decrease their times. What makes the Nike Vapor Laser Talon interesting is its 3D-printed cleat plate, which is a first for athletic cleats.

March

March 5; Micro 3-D printer used to rapidly create tiny, complicated structures in seconds [152] Summary: A tabletop 3-D microprinter has been developed by Nanoscribe, a spin-off of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, that can print complicated microstructures 100 times faster than currently possible. The size of the parts it creates is on the order of a few hundred nanometers, with the smallest features measuring about 30 nanometers. This printer has much potential in the commercial world, mostly in the electronics and medical fields, where the processes used to create microstructures is comparatively tedious and expensive.

March 5; Meet The 'Liberator': Test-Firing The World's First Fully 3D-Printed Gun [153] Summary: 3D printed guns have been the spark of some debate. Cody Wilson created an something called "The Liberator". The firearm has redesigned with the help of Defense Distributed and now all but the firing pin (which is a common nail) can be 3D printed. Even the barrel is 3D printed.

March 8; Venture into printable space rockets [154] Summary: An online competition deemed "The 3D Rocket Engine Design Challenge" was launched by DIYRockets and Sunglass in an attempt "to make space design open and collaborative." Additionally, the aim of the competition is to substantially decrease design costs while generating innovative technology for all types of space hardware and parts.

March 8; 3-D-Printed Implant Replaces 75 Percent Of Man's Skull [155] Summary: A man in the northeastern U.S. had 75 percent of his skull replaced by a 3-D printed implant made by Oxford Performance Materials. The implant, printed to match the patient's skull, is made of PEKK, a biomedical implant polymer that's mechanically similar to bone and is osteoconductive, meaning bone cells will grow and attach to small details on its surface. It doesn't interfere with X-ray equipment -- it shows up as a shadow on the image, but is transparent. This makes it a more attractive implant for tumor patients than a traditional metal plate that a doctor couldn't see through on an X-ray.

March 12; 3D Printed Pottery From Your Mobile Phone [156] Summary: There is a new app for smartphones and tablets that allow users to virtually mold a piece of clay into pottery. The creation can then by build and produced by 3D printers and mailed anywhere in the world. Let's Create, the name of the app, will make it very easy to rapidly produce a piece of artwork and enter a hobby, such as pottery creation, that you may not usually even consider. However, the downside to this technology is it may cause people to stop building pottery with their hands, which some argue is the entire point of the experience. Tradition is constantly at war with convenience. (David Blyton)

April

April 4; Skyler Tibbits: The emergence of "4D printing" [157] Summary: This Ted talk describes the working being done by the Self-Assembly Lab at MIT. The goal of this lab is to use multiple materials to create 3D objects that will assembly themselves, with limited human interaction. For example, an object will go from a line to the structure of a molecule after adding water. This amazing technology is the future of construction and a necessary step in having printers that can truly replicate themselves. (David Blyton)

April 5; 3D printer produces synthetic tissue capable of transmitting signals like nerves [158] Summary: Scientists have used a custom-made 3D printer to make a synthetic tissue that could have the ability to transmit long-distance electric signals much like nerves.

April 11; 3D printing and rapid prototyping to be worth $8.4 billion by 2025, says report[159] Summary: According to the Investors Business Daily the rapid prototyping marked could be worth $8.4 billion because of its increased use in the automotive, aerospace, and medical industries. Rapid prototyping is considered one of the largest contributors to the economic renaissance in the US and as prices of materials and printers continue to decrease they will be used more extensively with lower costs. In the future this has the potential to completely reshape manufacturing.

April 16; Harvard kids use 3D printing to help the blind 'see' paintings [160] Summary: Students at Harvard are working on a new 3D printing project called "Midas Touch." The goal of this project is to help blind people see paintings. By using 3D printers to layer objects in a painting, the visually impaired will be able to use their sense of touch to see these works of art. (David Blyton)

April 17; NASA experimenting with 3D printing for space exploration [161] Summary: NASA scientists have begun looking into the advantages that are given by 3D printing. In NASA Ames, they have created a workshop with drill presses and 3D printers. The goal of this workshop is to be able to teach the aerospace engineers how to rapidly prototype different ideas in order to improve their designs. NASA has even begun funding a company to develop a 3D printer that can be used in space. (David Blyton)

April 18; The 3D Printer Experience Brings Sci-Fi Technology to Chicago [162] Summary: A new store is opening up in Chicago next week that plans to get the general public more involved with 3D printers. The goal of the store is to demonstrate the many cool features of 3D printing technology, such as the ability to scan and print your own face. The store believes that if more people understand 3D printing and see it in action, they will be more likely to start their own projects and purchase prints from the store.(David Blyton)

April 19; 3D Printed Inspection Robot [163] Summary: 3D printers and the open source movement are continuing to create innovations that reduce the cost of necessary technologies. Instead of using expensive robots to monitor power lines, Nick Morozvsky has created a way to cheaply make a device that serves the same function using only a 3D printer and off-the-shelf components. Innovation is far preferable to using brute force to solve engineering problems, and this solution could save power companies a significant amount of money. (David Blyton)

April 19; Early 3D printing adopters could gain innovation advantage over rivals, says Gartner [164] Summary: Gartner, a technology research company, has released a report urging different industries to become more involved with 3D printing. Although most people are aware of the future potential of 3D printing, most do not realize that this potential can be utilized now. Companies need to start utilizing 3D printing technology, or else they will be left behind by their competitors. (David Blyton)

April 23; Early Shapeways Raises $30 Million To Bring High-Quality 3D Printing To Everyone [165] Summary: Andreessen Horowitz has led a $30 million round of financing for Shapeways, the 3D printing company that enables anyone to manufacture high-quality products with no upfront costs or minimum run.

April 23; 3D Systems unveils ProJet x60 series of full color 3D printers [166] Summary: 3D Systems just launched its new ProJet x60 series of full color 3D printers with an ability to print 90% of the colors available in Adobe Photoshop and new VisiJet PXL materials.

April 23; 3D printing right into your spine could make you whole again [167] Summary: Researchers at Cornell University have developed a new method of repairing the spine and recovering from Degenerative Disk Disease, which affects 30 million Americans. this treatment involves using an advanced 3D printer to print stem cells directly onto the damaged portions of the spine. The stem cells then repair and replace the damaged spinal cells, and after a few weeks the spine is as good as new. This technique has already been proven successful in mice, and there is a good chance that the FDA will approve of this treatment. It could be performed on humans in a very short amount of time.(David Blyton)

April 23; 9 Incredible Objects That Prove 3D Printers Are Totally Worth it [168] Summary: At the 3D printing expo in New York, many companies demonstrated the many uses of their 3D printers. This article showcased a few of the more impressive demonstrations. Examples include a full guitar, a functional wine-opener, and a chess rook that is detailed enough to include an internal staircase. One of the most impressive take-aways from this conference is the fact that 3D designs are advancing far enough that 3D printed clothing, such as belts or bracelets, are nearly indistinguishable from their traditionally manufactured counterparts. (David Blyton)

April 23; Forget thermoplastics — Mcor says the future of 3D printing is in paper [169] Summary: While most current 3D printed objects are made out of thermoslastics, the company Mcor Technologies is making great strides in using paper to 3D print objects. Unlike plastic, which maintains whatever color it starts out as, paper can be made to contain any color. This means that objects can be designed for both shape and color. Paper is also much cheaper than thermoplastics. Instead of feeling like paper, things printed with the Iris Printer feel more like sandstone. Paper has always been the primary source of printing, and now it won't necessarily be neglected in the 3D printing phenomena. (David Blyton)

April 23; Hands-on with Leonar3do: virtual reality meets 3D printing [170] Summary: The Leonar3do is a revolutionary method to create objects to be 3D printed. Instead of just relying on traditional CAD software, this technology uses 3D glasses, sensors, and an innovative stylus to actually sculpt different objects. This user-friendly technology can make anybody a professional sculptor, and the creations can then easily be produced using a 3D printer. Our current tools to create 3D objects are still rather crude, but this new approach makes great strives in opening 3D printing to everybody. (David Blyton)

April 24; 3D Printers Could Actually Make Donuts Healthy [171] Summary: 3D printing technology can be used to rapidly create customized food. Eventually, you will be able to order food that has been tailored to meet your specific nutritional needs, such as calories and nutrients. For example, you could order a meal that contains exactly the amount of calories that you burned that day. Although the current high price of 3D printing makes this advance a dream of the future, this dream gets closer every day. (David Blyton)

April 24; My Kindergartner Can 3D Print. So Can Yours. [172] Summary: As 3D printing becomes more popular, more and more people are becoming involved in it. One particularly interesting industry is the focus on products so simple that young children can use them. One example of these simple products is the Doodle3D, which can 3D print an object from just a simple doodle. Children are some of the most creative people out there, and once they have a means to easily communicate their ideas, there will be no limit to what they come up with. Eventually, the children might even be printing their own toys. (David Blyton)

April 26; GE to mass-produce critical jet engine part use 3D printing [173] Summary: Instead of traditional casting and welding, GE's aviation division propose using 3D printing to produce fuel nozzles for use in jet engines

April 26; 3D-Printed Guns Can't Be Stopped [174] Summary: 3D printed guns continued to be a contentious issue among the 3D printed community. Groups like Defense Distributed are continuing to strive to create a reliable 3D printed gun. They have already managed to create some prototypes that actually fired a few rounds. However, many people believe that these weapons create a threat to the 3D printer community as a whole. Some, like the CEO of 3D Systems, believes that it is the responsibility of legislators to help prevent these weapons from being created. (David Blyton)

April 26; American Graphite to Develop Graphene 3D Printing Material [175] Summary: American Graphite Technologies Inc has begun a partnership with universities in the Ukraine to research a method to 3D print Graphene. This material has many unique properties that would make it very useful if it could be 3D printed. It is both the thinnest and lightest material ever discovered, and it can conduct electricity very well. Graphene is also harder than diamonds and 3oo times harder than steel. Successfully integrating this amazing material into 3D printers would have a major impact on the usefulness of the printers, as well as revolutionizing a variety of different industries. (David Blyton)

April 26; 3D Scanners Reproduce Real Life [176] Summary: As 3D printer technology progresses, so too does the abilities of 3D scanners. One of the coolest features of 3D printers is the ability to replicate existing objects, and better scanners are making that goal more and more likely. Current scanners have the definition to replicate all the intricate details of a dime, making a copy that is almost indistinguishable from the original. Makerbot has developed a small scanner to compliment it's printer, but there exist many larger, higher detailed scanners for significantly more money. Bolton Works has developed a scanner that functions by taking high resolution pictures of objects. This method has no restrictions to the size of objects that can be duplicated. (David Blyton)

April 27; A new brick in the Great Wall [177] Summary: Although the additive manufacturing movement began in western countries, China is now taking large strides to also become heavily involved in this industry. They have factories that run 24/7, printing out molds to be used to create casts for metal. Although this production method is still too slow for mass production, it allows prototype engines to be created in a manor of weeks instead of months. China is also encouraging the creation of thier own makerbot movement with the company Tiertime. (David Blyton)

May

May; 3D Printing Provides Fast, Practical Fixes [178] Summary: US soldiers in Afghanistan discovered their flashlight's power button protruded too far, leading to accidental usage. Engineers at the Army Rapid Equipping Force’s Expeditionary Lab Mobile designed covers for the power button and 3D printed them. The government is funding centers to look further into additive manufacturing.

June

June 19; 3D Printing Tiny Batteries For Tiny Robots, Medical Devices [179] Summary: There has been a break through in battery technology recently. Harvard and University of Illinois have developed a new 3D printer that prints using special inks, the printer extrudes the ink thinner than a human hair. The ink then solidify to become the batteries anode and cathode, the positive and negative sides of the battery. These new batteries can be used in medical implants and high tech flying robots the size of a fly. They hope to print even smaller and more powerful batteries in the future. This technology is pushing the boundaries of medicine and robotics.

August

August 11;Organovo generate 3D printed liver which can survive for 40 days [180] Organovo, a company that is experimenting with 3D printing organic materials, has recently printed a liver that lived for 40 days, significantly beating their previous record of 5 days. The problem wth 3D printing organs is and has generally been vasculature -- that is, it is quite difficult to infuse the organ with blood cells. Once this problem is solved, however, 3D printing organs should grow exponentially. This is especially true considering the added benefit that organs can be printed from the stem cells of recipients, which will prevent later rejection by the immune system.

August 28;3D printing startup wants to create a Netflix for real life things [181] Summary: 3D printing is coming to everyone. That is the idea behind Authentise, a startup company backed by Google. Their idea is that whoever doesn't have a 3D printer, can download their software and then upload their 3D design to a local 3D printer for printing. In some sense it would be the same as Netflix, the user sends their design over the internet and then is printed, but the printer discards the file after completion. Some people have questions about illegal copying of designs or copyrighted designs. And the copyright laws for 3D printing are still new and are being examined. If this technology becomes readily available, it might be easy in the future to fix a household item with a replacement printed peice, only time will tell.

September

September 3;Sky-rocketing [182] Summary: 3D printing is now out of this world, literally. NASA has been experimenting with making rocket parts using 3D printing, using this technology cuts back on the amount of necessary parts that each object needs, such as nuts and bolts, and also removes excess weight, which helps during liftoff. The printed injector was tested at nearly 3,300 C and the test engine generated almost 20,000 pounds of thrust. NASA is going to continue to test 3D printed parts in hope to reduce the cost of space flight. Within the next year, NASA is going to send a 3D printer to the International Space Station so astronauts can test printing replacement parts for the station.

September 4;All-in-one 3D printer-and-scanners [183] Summary: There are many 3D printers on the market, and there are several 3D scanners also, but recently a couple of companies have put the best of both worlds together into one unit, a 3D printer/3D scanner. Radiant Fabrication from Wisconsin has developed their own version, called The Lionhead Bunny, which they hope to start selling within the next few weeks. Another company AIO Robotics unveiled their own unit called, Zeus, which is available for pre-order now. These printer/scanner units don't come cheap, The Lionhead Bunnny is going for $1649, while the Zeus is going for $2800. If you have the extra money laying around, one of these units would be a nice investment.

September 19;Vaporware hype hurting the 3D printer marketplace [184] Summary: Companies announcing new printers that are only design concepts that have no physical or technical specs. The companies then allow for people to make pre-orders on crowd funding sites, the majority of these printer never make it to market. This type vaporware can be dangerous for developers and the 3D printing market. These vaporware printers promise things like being extremely cheap, extremely high detail and able to print different materials. This creates high expectations in peoples minds that current state of 3D printing can not meet. This creates disappointment and negatively affect the future of 3D printing.

October

October 9; RepRapPro Sponsors 3D Printing Exhibition at the London Science Museum [185] Summary: The Science Museum of London will be featuring prints from the Huxley and Mendel RepRap printers in the 3D: Printing the Future exhibition. A wide range of objects were printed specifically for the museum display, these prints can be found on the linked page. A Tricolor Mendel printer will also be a part of the exhibit.

October 10; Innovative 3D printer prints on complex and bent surfaces [186] Summary: Researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have developed an innovative solution to 3D printing of curved objects. By attaching the 3D print head to a robotic arm from Universal Robots, it has a 360 degree range of motion to print, unlike the current printers which only print on one axis. Using this new technology, they state that it is over twice as fast printing an object as a standard 3D printer. During the initial testing of the printer, the curved objects were very smooth when compared to standard 3D printer. This technology has a lot of potential in the future.

October 15; Amaze project aims to take 3D printing 'into metal age [187] Summary: The "Amaze Project" is a project to make stronger and cheaper metal parts with additive manufacturing than that can be made with conventional means. In weight sensitive applications such as satellites and planes 3D printing of parts can cut weight which saves a lot of money. 3D printing expensive exotic metal instead of casting can also save a lot of money since it has almost zero waste. Also printing parts as a single piece with no welds or joint can make them stronger. The European space agency hopes that eventually this project will lead to developments such as commercial nuclear fusion and being able to print the entire body of a satellite as one piece.

October 18; 3D Printing Umbilical Cord Clamps in Haiti [188] Summary: An organization called iLab // Haiti has brought two 3D printers to the island of Haiti. They are there to teach critical thinking, creative problem solving, adaptability, and communication along with the technical skills of rapid prototyping. Their goal is to help bypass the inefficient and corrupt import systems of the country and to help people print medical devices as needed.

October 28; 3D Printing With Marble [189] Summary: This article talks about using marble dust from cutting and production waste after producing the marble product. The waste is calcium carbonate, which is costly to dispose of, so the company MarbleEcoDesign in Italy began blending the marble dust with various resins and then cured with UV light to produce a filament for 3D printing. Since the marble dust is extremely fine, they have developed a 3D printer capable of printing using a 0.15mm extruder tip.

October 30; Holding Hands with Mummy Proves an Emotional 3DP Experience [190] Summary: There seems to life after death after all. A museum in the UK, has a what is left of a mummy from the 1550 - 32 BC era. The hand is so delicate to touch, that they decided to 3D scan and print a exact duplicate for museum and researchers to study without damaging the original. The museum decided to use the Mcor IRIS 3D printer to replicate the mummified hand. Most people can't believe how life-like the duplicate hand is. It seems that 3D printing could help museums to print duplicates of extremely delicate objects for further studying and help future generations to see past objects.

November

November 4; MakerGeeks 3D Printing with Colour Changing Filament [191] Summary: Now you see it, now you don’t. FormFutura a company in the Netherlands has developed a color changing PLA filament. When the filament is at 85F or below, it is a charcoal grey color, but when it is above 85F it turns into a transparent color. It is called Thermochrome EcoPLA Grey filament, which is also part of the company’s eco-friendly filament line. This technology could have some interesting uses, and it will be interesting to see if they can make different color changing filament in the future.

November 4; 3D-printing encryption program disguises blueprints for controversial objects [192] Summary: A new program takes stl files and encrypts what they look like. This will make it a lot harder for people who are trying to find and take down copyrighted or patented items. This program could also allow illegal and items like the 3d printed gun to be printed. All of the items are encrypted by a 7 digit code and if you know the code the stl will go back to its original shape. The creator of the program, Matthew Plummer-Fernandez, a researcher at the University of London knows that his encryption isn't very strong but wanted to show that it could be done. The program is also only available for mac at the moment.

November 4; 3D-printed hybrid car to drive across country [193] Summary: The Urbee 2, a recently completed automobile with projected fuel economy of 300 mpg, will attempt to drive coast-to-coast across the United States and back. It was originally designed for a competition, but dropped out due to time constraints. This allowed the team to work with Stratasys, a large 3D printing company, to print the unique model part by part. Ultimately, the designers hope this car will be a beacon of sustainability -- manufactured almost wastelessly, and running on clean energy.


November 7; World's first 3D printed metal gun [194] Summary: A company in Texas has printed the world’s first fully 3D printed metal gun. Solid Concepts has printed the 33 necessary parts of the gun, using a laser sintering process and powdered metals. The metal sintering process used to print these parts is one of the most accurate additive manufacturing processes available today. They have fired over 50 rounds through the gun so far and the gun barrel seems to holding up very well, even with seeing pressures over 20,000 psi from every bullet fired. They state that using this process, a person who needs a part for their own personal gun can now have it printed within five days. This topic is interesting and I am looking forward to how this will be looked upon by the government, the big gun manufacturers and the anti-gun people.

November 12; Mini Metal Maker to bring 3D metal printing to the masses [195] Summary: David Harktop, Ben Aiken, and Tim Sparks have worked together to build a 3D printer that is able to print metal clay. This printer extrudes thin threads of metal clay that have been blended into a liquid paste. The liquified clay is thick enough to hold shape as it is laid down, but liquid enough to fuse together as it dries. A small electric kiln is then used to remove all of the PMC's organic binders, leaving behind only high-purity metal in the original shape of the print. Once the design is perfected, the lead designer Harktop believes that this 'Mini Metal Maker' will revolutionize the idea of DIY 3D printing. It will allow engineers, designers, artists, and jewelry artisans to perfect their metal designs, all from a desktop. Like many other 3D printers, it is also low cost and portable.

November 13; Michigan Tech study demonstrates economic value of household 3D printers [196] Summary: According to a study done by Michigan Tech researcher Joshua Pearce, 3D printers are already wise financial investments for many households. In his study, he found that the average household can save between $250 and $2000 a year, depending on how frequently they use the printer to make/repair parts, rather than buying new ones. Overall, a 3D printer should be able to pay for itself within the range of a few months to a few years.

November 14; GE's new Cold Spray 3D printing technology to build up and repair parts [197] Summary: I thought this topic would be important since we talked about General Electric’s CEO Jeff Immelt last week in our blogs. GE have developed a new additive technology they are calling “Cold Spray” in which it sprays metal powders at high rates to build a part or add metal to an existing part. Even though this technology is not new, it was invented in the 1980’s in Russia, GE has expanded the technology to use new metal powders. They are using it to repair metal parts at room temperature, without the need for welding or machining. GE hopes to further expand the technology in the future to help extend the lifespan of products and help reduce manufacturing cost and time.

November 14; Makerbot wants a 3D printer in every school in America [198] Summary: The article starts out by stating that today's young engineers are exposed to some 3D printing and decades from now they will wonder how they every functioned without them; much like the internet. That is why Makerbot is teaming up with America Makes and Autodesk to attempt to get a 3D printer in every school in America. MakerBot Academy is their movement which aims to get children antiquated with the technology at a young age. This will allow kids to fuel the 3D printing revolution and inspire many children to get into the fields of science, engineering and architecture.


November 15; Microsoft Releases Free 3D Printing App [199] Summary: Microsoft released an app for Windows 8.1 that will make 3D printing "as easy as printing a Word doc." The app, which is free, has a gallery of miscellaneous parts including decorations, toys and jewelry. Microsoft also now sells Makerbot printers on the their website which would be compatable with the app, but the article did not specify compatibility with other printers. It also did not specify whether users could upload their parts to the app to make it open source. Overall though, I think that it is a good step forward for 3D printing in general. This will make 3D printing more accessible for people with less know-how to build their own printer; they can just buy the Makerbot printer. The app seems like a pretty straight forward, plug and play type system that anyone can use. This is significant because this can allow more people to become involved with 3D printing and spark more interest in the topic. It will be interesting to see if this takes off and how "open source" this remains.

November 20; GADGETS3D will Release its "3D Printer in Every School Project" Next Month [200] Summary: Poland and Hong Kong based company, GADGETS3D, plans on releasing a project to get its G3D RepRap printer into schools all over the world. The G3D was created for schools, small businesses, and individual customers. The printers will cost $245 as an educational package and the company plans on giving 500 printers to various schools around the globe for free to kick off the project. MIT's startup company, NVbots also is helping to put 3D printers in schools with an ultimate goal of 50,000 worldwide.

November 21; This is how you turn Obama’s speech about 3D printing into a 3D-printed sculpture [201]

Summary: This article with included videos shows us how a speech can be printed into a more tangible 3D object.

November 28; Scientist develops nanoparticle ink to 3D print batteries [202] Summary: Harvard scientist Jennifer Lewis has developed a new break-through in 3d printing that will give manufacturers the ability to print small electronic components such as batteries. The printer will extrude an "ink" that is created by injecting small nano-sized titanium particles into a medium, such as ethylene glycol. The mixture is then homogenized and centrifuged to extract any larger particles. This will allow for 100 nanometer tolerances.

November 29; 3D printing to provoke a new twist in American gun control [203] Summary: Philadelphia's become the first US city to ban the unlicensed printing of 3D weapons. The article is an interview between the writer of the website and Melba Kurman who is an author and a technology analyst. Recently, a metal gun was printed from a Texas company by a multi-million dollar machine, so the question is: how possible would it be for the average Joe to print a gun. Melba Kurman seems to think that even though the technology is in its early stages, it's not too far off. Also, if the gun was printed out of plastic, it could be undetectable by metal detectors. Those facts stated were enough for Philly nip the thought in the bud and place a law that says you must have a license to 3d print weapons. It will be interesting to see if other cities or even states follow the trend. The means of enforcement will be interesting to see as well.

November 29;3D-printed jewelry made out of 18 carat gold [204] Summary: 3D printing has been contributing to an increasingly wider range of fields, and is now even associated with fashion and design. Ross Lovegrove, for example, recently designed an entire collection of 18 carat gold rings called Foliates. The incredibly detailed designs were 3D printed with direct metal sintering, and have been launched successfully.

December

December 1; 3D Printing Market Forecasted For Explosive Growth To 8.4 Billion By 2020 [205] Summary: According to a report from MarketsandMarkets, the 3D printing market is poised to expand to 84 billion dollars by 2020. That works out to 23% growth per year. Much of that growth will be the result of advances in the healthcare and aerospace industries with respect to 3D printing. Although hobbyist and enthusiasts will see growth, those categories will not make up the majority of the growth. The reason for the rapid growth in the industry will be from government investment and cooperation investment. This does not mean that the hobbyist will suffer as a result, growth and advances in technology will continue in that market. It is also noteworthy that the United States is currently the largest revenue for the industry, but before 2020 European nations are projected to surpass America.

December 2; Loose screw? 3D printer may soon forge you a new one [206] Summary: Reseacher Joshua Pearce has created the world's first open-source 3D printer that prints with metal. He has flipped reprapping on its head, literally; by extruding upward onto a bed rather than downward, the printer is able to weld metal together directly. While there has been previous research in printing with metal , the significance of an open source metal printer shouldn't be understated. Indeed, with detailed designs available online, tinkerers and DIYers will surely be quick to offer suggestions, solutions, and alternatives to the original design, allowing metal printing to explode in flexibility, popularity, and usefulness.

December 2; Can you make all your Christmas present from a 3D printer? [207] Summary: This is a fun, seasonal article that poses the question: Can you make your your Christmas presents from a 3D printer? The author was skeptical. He had limited experience using 3D printers and said: "My entire flat stinks of burnt plastic. My fingers are covered in cuts and scabs. If I ever hear the word "extruder" again, I'm going to slit my throat." I think we've all been there. Then something clicked and he started printing presents. He made a Star Trek token for his dad and a cat toy for his brother. He ends by saying that he made nine Christmas Presents. For the price of his printer thats $177 per present. Now, lets say he makes them for the next ten years, thats $17 per present, so it has potential, but the author seems to think its not quite there yet.

December 2; Mass Production using Additive Manufacturing? Yes, Says a New Research Collaboration. [208] Summary: GE's Cincinnati, Ohio branch is now producing the nozzles that go on their gas turbine engines through additive manufacturing. The process which once was produced using 18 pieces, is now 25% lighter and produced from in a single piece. GE is one of the few companies currently pushing additive manufacturing (AM) into their manufacturing process. One of the biggest limitations to AM is the inability to mass produce, but GE is putting that to the test. Three UK based aerospace companies plan to use AM to produce 50,000 units of a gas turbine engine component. If similar companies continue to follow GE's lead, this could prove to be a tipping point for mass production of 3D printed parts. The article also explains how companies, hospitals and schools with the technology could print their parts on site, eliminating many costs. Also, after a high capital cost, the associated costs of manufacturing will decrease leaving more room for economic growth. This article is a testament to mass producing with AM and the author is optimistic in its future.

December 2; 3D Printing With Metal: Engineers Create DIY Welding 3D Printer For Under $1,500 [209] Summary: 3D printing is often seen as only being able to plastic toys and trinkets. Larger corporations, though, have been trying to use 3D printers to print metal parts. These metal prints are very expensive, but now the Michigan Technological University has created an open source metal 3D printer on a $1500 budget. The printer uses a MIG welder as a printer head. While the printer requires a much different setting than a plastic printer it brings even more possibilities to the additive manufacturing hobbyist.

December 2; An Aid Group is 3D-Printing Medical Supplies in Haiti [210] Summary: Haiti was hit hard by an earthquake three years ago. It still is feeling the trauma of the event and it quickly became clear when the earthquake occurred that lack of supplies was a very large concern. There is a lab there now that is trying to see if 3D printing can be used to create supplies in house. They need to make sure that the ABS supplies would be able to safely work on humans. The organization may try printing in even more materials. Its still in development but may prove to be a practical purpose for 3D printing.

December 2; New RepRap, new electronics, and a major new international distributor [211] Summary: RepRap is selling a new 3D printer kit called the Ormerod through new distributor RS Components. The printer uses a new electronic board called the Duet, which can use the Arduino IDE but uses a new RepRap firmware. The new firmware has bed-plane correction and orthogonal axis compensation built in, allowing printers to print more accurately.

December 3; Motorola will 3D-print 'modular' mobiles that customers can put together like Lego [212] Summary: "Phones of the future are DIY!" Motorola will be releasing a phone that will be completely modular and made out of 3D printed parts. This will allow the phone to be completely customizable; something that aims to target Apple's strict non-customizable iPhones. This is important news, because this is a huge step forward in the additive manufacturing field. The phone itself might flop, but as long as the 3D printing process goes smoothly we could see similar companies start to make electronics in this way. It's fitting that Motorola is on the cutting edge of the new manufacturing wave since they have always been innovative; they spawned the mobile phone and they seem to be spawning new ways to manufacture them.

December 3; Harvard Wins Award fir 3D Printed Battery [213] Summary: The printed electronics association has recognized Harvard's work on a rechargeable lithium-ion micro-battery; these batteries are no bigger than a grain of sand. To put that into perspective: that is 1000 times smaller than any commercial rechargeable battery available. The extruder used to produce the part is smaller than human hair. This news is significant, because this new technology would not exist without 3D printing.

December 3; 3D-printed guns under spotlight in US law renewal [214] Summary: Congress is heading towards renewing a prohibition against firearms that can evade metal detectors and x-ray machines, but many people think that the restrictions must be tightened. Congress is likely to renew the 25 year old band and extend it by 10 years. The Senate returns from a two week holiday break (must be nice) Monday when they are likely to accept the House Bill. The article was pretty naive in saying thing like "anyone can print a gun," but as we know, there's a lot more to it and it would take a skilled printer. Needless to say, it looks like the ban on undetectable weapons will continue.

December 5; Britain updates rules banning 3D printer guns [215] Summary: 3D-printed guns have become an increasingly prominent societal concern, as they make guns for easier to attain. Accordingly, governments around the world have begun the discussion on how to address this issue. Britain, for example, has had a law since 1968 banning the assembly of a gun by manufacturing its components, but it recently expanded this law to more stringently control 3D printed firearms.

December 5; First 3D printed men's accessories collection [216] Summary: The founder of Joe Boxer and Shapeways, Nick Graham, announced the unveil of a 3D printed men's accessory collection. It will be in Graham's own line of accessories and the first collection to be 3D printed. The items will be printed in steel. Accessories will range from money clips to belt buckles to bracelets and many more.

December 6; 3D printed pizza is coming sooner than you think [217] Summary: Natural Machines, a start-up from Barcelona, has created a new printer called Foodini that can print pizzas and various other food items. It uses the same extrusion deposition technique as reprap printers, but in the case of pizza, it first lays a tightly spiraled base of dough, followed by sauce in the same manner. Cheese is then added by hand. It can also make cookies, chocolates, and even ravioli. Ultimately, Natural Machines hopes Foodini will become a common household appliance, much like a microwave or a refrigerator.

December 6; Lady Gaga goes gaga over 3D printing [218] Summary: Lady Gaga has given 3D printing a boost in the public eye by wearing several 3D printed dresses over the last few months. The dresses were designed by a London-based fashion company, which partnered with Materialise, a technology company, to produce the dresses. The article ends by predicting that Lady Gaga will continue to invest in and wear 3D printed dresses.

December 6; Architect Bradley Rothenberg Does 3D-Printed Fashion At The Annual Victoria’s Secret Show [219] Summary: The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show takes place every year and has when from just lingerie to quite an event with much more elaborate dress, musics, and much more. For this year Bradley Rothenberg was commissioned to design the looks and themes. They had the snowflake themed segment at Shapeways.

December 7; 3D Printed Guns Are Now Banned in the UK — Will the U.S. Be Next? [220] Summary: The United Kingdom is much more strict with their gun laws than here in the United States. The UK Home Office just changed its firearms policies that makes 3D printed guns illegal. This has made many wonder if the US is close to achieving similar legislation even though the House has failed to pass in the past.

December 7; 3D printing biopen allows doctors to 'draw' customized implants [221] 3D printing pens have only been around for several months, but a University in Australia recently developed a biologically relevant design for this idea. Their "biopen" allows surgeons to design and build customized implants quickly and efficiently -- on-site of the surgery, in fact. The pen extrudes a combination of biopolymer and gelatinous material onto the damaged bone section, repairing it as it dries. Ultimately, the researchers believe biopens will be able to treat cancers, arthritis, and trauma.

December 8; Mechaneu v1 spherical gear system 3D-Printed sculpture [222] Proxy Design Studio from New York printed a set of gears in a spherical orientation to each other. The purpose is to test the limits of 3D printing. The spherical set of gears is a porous object that feels solid, similar to many things in nature, such as bones.

December 8; Scientists develop new app to turn mobile phones into 3D scanners [223] The Computer vision and geometry Lab of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich developed an app to make a 3D scanner out of a smartphone. The scan is created by moving the camera around the object. When the 3D scan is rendered on the phone the user can see what areas of the object need patching and can take more photographs to fill them in.

December 8; 3D Printer Helps Vets Perform Delicate Doggie Surgery [224] Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine is using a MakerBot to print 3D models from CT scans of the surgery location prior to surgery. This allows the doctors to plan out the surgery, such as getting the correct size of plates and screws when those are needed. It is also proving to be a great teaching tool to residents.

December 8; Transform an entire building into a playable Rubik's cube [225] Javier Lloret, a Spanish artist, 3D printed a Rubik's cube and put electronics in it that track its orientation in space and the rotations of the sides. The cube is used in coordination with a media facade on a building to make turn the building into a giant Rubik's cube that can be solved by using the 3D printed actual size Rubik's cube.

December 8; Customizable Modarri: 3D printing helps to reinvent the toy car [226] Three toy inventors got together to create a toy car that's customizable with interchangeable parts, designed to withstand the rigors of playtime, and styled to look good. The plan is to post 3D models of the parts on line so that users can print their own custom parts in different colors. The designers are trying to appeal not only to children, but also teens and adults. They are doing so by designing them with aesthetics in mind so that older people can appreciate them. Each car is made with 10 different materials to maximize strength, adding flexibility and rigidity where needed.

December 8; Would you eat 3D printed meat? 7 vegetarians and vegans reflect [227] This short article on TED raises the question of how religion and meat restricted eaters worldwide will react to this innovation. Personally, as someone with a mostly vegetarian diet, I would accept eating this new meat, because my dietary restrictions that I imposed on myself are merely for health and environmental reasons. And this meat would be much more environmentally friendly. Whether religions and dietary restrictions will allow for the consumption of this "manufactured" meat is yet to be decided.

December 8; 3D Printing Used as a Tool to Explain Theoretical Physics [228] Researchers have successfully demonstrated how complex theoretical physics can be transformed into a physical object using a 3D printer.

December 9; International 3D Printed Drone Competition [229] Solid Concepts is partnering with wcUAVc for an international competition to develop the best and most affordable UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) that can be 3D printed. Their purpose would be to locate hot spots of human activity in national parks where poaching is illegal. This would park rangers in finding poachers, so that animals can be saved. The key in this competition is creating a UAV that can sustain flight for a long time, is easy to use, and does not require much maintenance.

December 9; HP's giant 3D printing secret [230] HP is trying to tap the market of service prints, where people order 3D printed parts from people with expensive machines, with a printer they are working on.

December 9; Diamonds are Endeavor: 3D Printed Drill Bit [231] BlueFire Equipment Corporation has finalized their 3D scan of a polycrystalline diamond cutter drill bit and are finishing engineering it to be 3D printed.