Wednesday 11 June 2014

List of top 3D modelers

Here is a list of popular modelers that get alot of work. What I have seen from my research is that there are alot of modelers out there and it is hard to pin down many top product or engineering modelers that specialise in 3D. Here is the link.

http://designshack.net/articles/graphics/20-rockstar-3d-modelers-you-should-hire-for-product-mockups/
More cool stuff from the world of 3D printingThe Cortex exoskeletal cast provides a highly  technical and trauma zone localized support system that is fully  ventilated, super light, shower friendly, hygienic, recyclable and  stylish.The cortex cast utilizes the x-ray and 3d scan of a patient  with a fracture and generates a 3d model in relation to the point of  fracture.

The medical industry has embraced this technology from working with biological material to using materials to act as support or physical structures. In this case they use a scanner to obtain the patient's dimensions and create a lightweight yet strong cast for broken bones. This is another glimpse of the future where medical treatment is highly personalised.
 New Colorful 3D Printer Filament:  http://3dprint.com/4650/tinkerine-3d-printer-filament/

This is a new range of ABS plastic that comes in flouro colours. These colours could create some striking effects in an effective model.

3D Print Flexible models

This is an example of a new material that can be printed with creating a flexible, rubber-like material. This is one of the numerous new materials being developed for printing.

Arkitypo by Johnson Banks is a 3D historical alphabet of alphabets, each letter interprets its own alphabet. The “B” is a Bodoni “B” that spirals out of the  form of a Baskerville “B,” depicting visually the story of Giambattista Bodoni who modelled his font after that of John Baskerville, the thicks and thins being in turn thicker and thinner.    #Alphabet #Typography #johnsonbanks #Arkitypo

This is a nice sculpture of a Bodoni B that is scaled by 50% in height and diameter from top to bottom.

 Large Enough to 3D Print a Boat or SUV, New Full Color Chinese 3D Printer is Unveiled http://3dprint.com/4717/china-huge-full-color-3d-printer/
This piece was created by an extremely large printer that is capable of printing in multiple colours and materials at once. It may still be a prototype but it could be a step towards breaking the existing restrictions on 3D printing.

Tuesday 27 May 2014

Here is yet another selection of cool things from the 3D printing industry.

3D prinitng technology may make the colonisation of space much easier.

This is a visualisation of how mankind might colonise space in the future by sending robots ahead to gather material and use it to create habitats and other useful items so they don't have to be transported there. This could revolutionise the way we explore other planets in our solar system and possibly other worlds in the distant future.
Printed prop from the Ironman movie, alot of the Ironman costume was printed.
This is a prop from the movie Ironman 2. It was printed and is an example of the Hollywood industry beginning to embrace the technology for creating its props.

3ders.org - Polish startup to introduce full metal extruder & multifunctional delta 3D printer | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News

This is a printer head that is made entirely from metal making it extremely durable and versatile as well. It can handle printing with materials such as ceramics, salt and even food like material. It is made to be able to work with many types of machines and can even have a fan attached to it. This is an example of the new wave of technology allowing the creation of custom 3D printers.

Joris Laarman Lab 3D printed aluminium chair

The design for this chair came from a mathematical algorithm and was the printed using aluminium. This is an example of what machines with artificial intelligence will be able to create autonomously in the future with only minimal input from humans.

Joris Laarman: large scale MX3D printing in metal.

This is a machine that is in development and is close to becoming a viable consumer product. It is a 3D printer that is able to create objects out of steel, stainless steel, aluminium, bronze or copper without the need for support structures. It uses a combination of extrusion and welding to create its structures and relies on several programs working in unison to be able to manage the many functions required.

Sunday 18 May 2014

Hello, here's some more images of cool stuff.

TBT (Timing Belt Tank) by Gei 3d Printe dEngineering

This is a model that can be downloaded from Thingiverse. It is a tank that is based on an existing type of fan belt. All of the components except the motors and nuts and bolts are printed. Looks like a fun little machine. Seems to be missing a control unit though, but one may be able to take one from another remote control vehicle.
3D Printed Shark Skin Shows The Power Of Microscopic "Teeth" | I Fucking Love Science
This image is of a recreation of shark skin printed by in 3D. Bio mimicry will be an important source of technological breakthroughs for the future. This reproduced skin managed to cause a significant reduction in drag and energy required for propulsion. This could be applied to any number of water craft or even vehicles that travel through air.
Airwolf 3D Unveils AW3D HDx 3D Printer For Polycarbonate and Nylon Printing http://3dprint.com/3795/airwolf-3d-aw3d-hdx-3d-printer/
This printer is the latest release fro Airwolf. It can maintain higher temperatures at the printer head enabling it to use higher grade materials like nylon. This machine is at the high end for consumer printers and is almost commercial grade. The fact that it can use quality materials and it's large print area makes this a very desirable model. When I purchase a printer it will be at least of this spec.
While not entirely functional this design could have potential for useability and safety.
This image is of a concept prototype. It wasn't made to be entirely functional but I think it's a pretty cool idea and wouldn't take much tweaking to make it a proper product. I can think of two things that would make this a good item to use, first would be the more comfortable position you could hold the phone at and using the right materials you could cut down radiation from the phone making it safer to use.
Nice model of an engine of some sort. It would be nice if you could print with this many different materials and pieces in one go.
I like this model of a motor because in the future 3D printers will be able to produce items like this that are comprised of multiple materials and parts. This will make a large difference to how consumerism works probably reducing the retail market, but opening new avenues like material supply and object design.

Saturday 10 May 2014

Here's another selection of things from Pinterest and around the web.
NASA Plans for 3-D Printing Rocket Engine Parts Could Boost Larger Manufacturing Trend [Video]
This photo is of a component from a rocket that has been printed. NASA is looking into creating more of it's parts this way. They hope using this method will reduce production costs as well as time.
Self-repairing Protocell Trainers, 3D-printed from biological cells to give your feet a second skin - bizarre!
This is an image of a futuristic concept that uses protocells to create a skin that reacts to pressure and is able to adjust itself accordingly by swelling up or contracting. The shoes almost become a living organism and need to be immersed in nutrient to recharge and even repair itself. These kind of materials might be popular in the future for all kinds of materials that involve physical contact with organic surfaces.

pasta 3d printer
This is a pasta printer that can create 20 pieces of pasta in two minutes which while might not be commercially viable yet, the speed has improved ten fold from the last prototype. The inventor of this machine hopes to have one of these units in every restaurant within a decade, printing out custom pastas to customers requests.

MakerBot Replicator 2X, MakerBot 3D Printer Consumer, 3D printing Small Business, Additive Manufacturing Printers, CES 2013, Makerbot 3D Printer, Replicator 2, Home 3D Printing

This image is of a propeller engine that was printed out in pieces and the snapped together. Creating the tabs and fasteners to achieve this is one of the techniques I wish to learn.


This is a working bearing system that was printed out as one piece. This would be the ideal way to print out complicated items in the future and combined with dual material printers the possibility of real time device manufacture is achievable.

Saturday 3 May 2014

Here is another selection of things from pintrest and around the web, some new devices and a new method of 3D printing.
Printing in metal is becoming economically viable for large companies.
This image is of some objects that have been printed using a alloy. The process that created this is called Direct Metal Laser Sintering and involves a high powered laser being shot into powdered metal that melts the shape into the material. Some sectors of the manufacturing world like the aeronautic manufacturers are embracing this process because it creates highly accurate and durable objects in an efficient way.
This is a comercially available surface smoothing machine.
This machine is a commercially available finishing machine for 3D printed objects. Like the process I have talked about in a previous post, this machine uses acetone vapour to melt down the ridged surface of printed models. This model costs around $700 dollars or so.
Printing in 3D that can be edited, paused and manipulated on the fly.
This machine employs a new way of printing in 3D that allows editing, pausing and physical manipulation. It even allows the use of more than one material to be used in the print. What makes this possible is the resin gets injected into hair gel which acts like a structure enabling the object to be printed without brackets. The material remains soft and malleable within the gel until it gets exposed to UV light where it hardens and sets. The object is removed from the gel and then can be reused.
Make Silicone Molds for your 3D printed object
Creating moulds for objects from prototyped 3D objects is a real world application that creates many new possibilities in providing casts for mass production in a shorter turn around time.
Google releases Project Ara developers kit, 3D printed modules coming early 2015
This is an interesting development as far as the meeting of technologies. This is a new kind of phone that can have different microchips attached to it to alter the performance, memory and functions in an entirely customisable way. The chips are printed and in the future there will be many companies that will produce them to attach to you phone. This will be of interest to hobbyists who want to create their own technology.













Saturday 26 April 2014

Hello again, here is a selection of what I was looking at this week.
Printers are getting bigger but the technology in general is still at the early development stage.

This is currently the largest contained 3D printer available, it works the same as any other printer on a larger scale. Even given it's size it is still only a prototyping machine. The technology still has many limitations that preclude it from becoming a viable manufacturing tool. From the materials used, the finished texture of the objects and the time taken to print them 3D printers will remain a tool for hobbyists and prototyping until those issues are solved. This may take a decade.
Electroplated cutlery made food safe after being printed in steel.
This image is of cutlery that has been printed using steel and then electroplated in silver. The cutlery needs to be plated to make the objects food safe as the unplated steel has many imperfections in the surfaces that hang on to bacteria and may leach into foods when being used. Being plain steel the objects would be susceptible to rust as well reducing the lifespan of the object.
3D Printed Synthetic Human Tissue
This is an image of synthetic human cell tissue that has been printed. Medical 3D printing technology is a branch that has developed quite rapidly and could play a major role in the future providing new organs, bones and tissue for treatment of various problems.

Photo-main

This device is one of the first examples of a printer that can create food by printing. This is pretty much a novelty at the moment. The most successful ingredient to use is chocolate so far. As far as convenience or ease of use is concerned, these machines are not. The refills would be expensive and the range of foods you can create is quite limited. I imagine the future of food creation would involve a machine that uses a special substance that can be manipulated into certain formulations as well as being able to cook the food.
#3DprintedMicrostructures
This image is of a structure that is smaller than the width of a human hair. This opens up possibilities to combine with nanotechnology to create nanobots and other structures and materials that could be useful the future, including the possibility of self replicating nanobots that can live inside humans to repair damage and destroy viruses.