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Low-Poly Eevee #3DThursday #3DPrinting

I would love to keep sharing my projects with all of you. If you enjoy with my designs, I invite you to become a patron, you will get early access to my designs and exclusive content! Also, you can help with a small donation.

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Designing a low-poly Pokemon was the best way I found to represent the poor graphics the first Pokemon games had. So, here I present you the low-poly Eevee! You can check the Low-poly Pokemon collection in the following page:

http://www.thingiverse.com/FLOWALISTIK/collections/low-poly-pokemon

download the files on: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2931434

Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!

Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!

The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!

#3DPrinted Automated Smart Dehydrator

From Manuel Alejandro Iglesias Abbatemarco on Hackster.io:

About two years ago I purchase a home dehydrator, I was always willing to make my own dehydrated fruits, herbs and why not jerky too. After using it for a while I perceived that the device was very dumb, it took more effort than I was willing to do on a regular basics to dehydrate food, specially the thing cannot be leave working for long time without human intervention as t easily over dry or even burn the food. Sometimes I found that high content water food such as bananas or pine apple dry best with a high temperature for a couple of hours, then temperature should be settle lower for a long period of time. Many people on the internet have found better to dehydrate overnight, which makes the above situation not possible. Anyway last but not least because I am sort of nerd about taking things apart, I was anxious to modify my dehydrator to improve the whole process.

Arduino Fits Here Very Well

I start working with a little Arduino module, the Mini, it happen that there is an official Arduino Mini 05 which is ideally the one I should be using but the little thing is somehow difficult to find so I did my tests using Arduino Pro which is pin compatible module. This little Arduino is well suited for the project since it goes well in price compared to my $70 dehydrator, a more capable Arduino can speed up things but it was not going to be the right choice, basically because I was also hoping to make this solution available for public. I end up taking the difficult road, solving some problems the best way in favor of budget but with consideration to make the solution attractive to hobbyists as well as engineers out there.

Metal 3D Printing and Classic Foundry Techniques: Friends or Foes?

The first question that is often asked when a new technology is introduced is: what of the old way of doing things? Sometimes the answer is that it fades into oblivion — think: fortran and floppy disks — other times it falls out of use in mainstream society but becomes the domain of a small, especially devoted community, like calligraphy or pedal loom weaving. And in other cases, it simply shifts its focus and allows itself to flower as it removes extra ‘noise’ from the workflow. John Phillip Sousa wondered if the invention of the phonograph might cause human beings to lose their vocal chords as they would no longer have to sing any song they wished to hear, and an equally pessimistic (although slightly more realistic) group worried that the Kindle would eradicate books altogether.

What has happened is that humanity has access to more music than ever and book production may see a fall in the print of throwaway paperbacks, but there appears to be no reason to fear that beautiful books will be eliminated from publication. One new technology that is causing both concern and overinflated speculation is the introduction of metal 3D printing. The question is: what impact will this technology have on traditional foundries? Foundry work is not inherently antithetical to 3D printing as many have, in fact, been using 3D printing to create molds for years now and have found the technology to be quite helpful in their production.

Beyond the printing of 3D molds, metal 3D printing is demonstrating a capacity for directly creating metal objects that is improving with each passing project. Voxeljet, which recently produced a new design for aircraft doors using 3D metal printing, doesn’t think that this signals the end of the classic foundry, however. Instead, they see it as something akin to a separate track of printing. What made the doors they produced such a good candidate for 3D printing was the need for a precise internal geometry, something impossible to be produced in a foundry. So rather than stealing work from a foundry, they were doing work that otherwise would not have been performed at all. And there are other reasons not to see metal 3D printing as a threat to foundry work, as voxeljet explained in a statement:

“3D metal printing, such as direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), currently only competes with foundries in a relatively small segment. The build spaces of DMLS systems are ideally suited to smaller components. And 3D-printed components for aerospace require time-consuming certification, which metal casting has had for decades already. Direct 3D metal printing is also relatively expensive. This is not only due to the high cost of metal powder, but also the high cost of 3D printers and the comparatively slow building speeds.”

In addition to these factors, the products of 3D printing in metal require hand finishing which is labor intensive. All of these factors lead up to an average cost for 3D printed metal pieces that hovers around $160 per pound for aluminum, and $215 per pound for stainless steel, whereas pure cast steel has a price point of about $15 per pound. However, with the introduction of less expensive machinery, greater build bed sizes, and a more experienced workforce, the input prices for 3D printed metal are bound to come down. And so the question arises: will there be a change as the costs associated with metal 3D printing fall?

This uncertainty necessarily creates a degree of concern among those whose businesses and livelihoods depend upon a demand for foundry work. Rather than viewing the technology as an enemy to be shut out, perhaps the best solution is for foundries to get ahead of the game and embrace the tech, integrate it into their workflows and determine for themselves what makes sense to leave to a 3D printer and what can still only be produced at the hands of skilled foundry workers. As Ingo Edere, CEO at voxeljet, stated:

“3D sand and plastic printing are a perfect alternative for foundries, both in terms of cost, as well as the printable complexity. Foundries can manufacture equally complex components without having to change the process chain. Foundries do not have to purchase their own 3D printing systems as there are service providers worldwide supplying 3D sand or plastic printing.”

Clearly, a company such as voxeljet believes in the efficacy of this technology and its firm place as part of the landscape of future production. However, just because something can be 3D printed, doesn’t always mean that it should be, and discerning artisans and clients alike are the ones who will ultimately have to determine where that line lies.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts; join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

World’s Oldest Ham Gets an Updated 3D Print of Itself for 116th Birthday

[Photo: Isle of Wight County Museum]

P.D. Gwaltney Jr. may have been a bit eccentric, but he was certainly a creative and resourceful thinker. Gwaltney, whose family was a major producer of salted pork in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, discovered a cured ham that had been misplaced for two decades. Rather than tossing it out or, thankfully, trying to eat it, Gwaltney did what anyone would do, obviously: he put a collar and leash on it and began traveling around with it, calling it his pet ham and using it as an example of the company’s skill in curing meats. Skilled they were indeed, because the ham still exists today, proudly bearing the distinction of world’s oldest ham.

This weekend, the ham will turn 116 years old, and will celebrate as anyone would – with a rockin’ party. The ham’s hometown of Smithfield, Virginia will host the annual party, complete with cake, party activities, a visit from the local library’s bookmobile, and a special present for the ham – a 3D printed portrait of itself.

It’s not the first time the ham has been 3D scanned and 3D printed. Less than three years ago, Bernard Means, PhD, an anthropology professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of World Studies, visited the ham at its current home in the Isle of Wight County Museum and 3D scanned it along with the world’s oldest peanut, also courtesy of Gwaltney. The ham and peanut were later 3D printed. Now, in honor of its birthday, the ham is being 3D scanned and printed again.

Virginia Commonwealth University student Rebecca McGovern 3D scans the world’s oldest ham. [Image courtesy of Bernard Means]

The reasoning behind the 3D scanning and printing goes beyond just wishing the ham a happy birthday: having 3D prints of such a popular museum item means that the prints can be handled and passed around, so that museumgoers can examine the ham up close. It also allows Dr. Means, who is leading the second 3D scanning and 3D printing effort as well, to keep track of how well the ham is holding up. Think of it like a regular checkup – if Dr. Means 3D scans and 3D prints the ham again in a few years, he’ll be able to see if it has shrunk or deteriorated at all. It’s held up for this long, though, so I imagine that it will still be going strong for years to come.

A look through the Ham Cam.

Dr. Means leads the university’s Virtual Curation Lab, which specializes in 3D scanning and 3D printing historical and archaeological objects. Dr. Means and his students have scanned close to 4,000 objects thus far.

If you’re wondering what a piece of cured meat smells like after 116 years, Dr. Means can’t give you an exact answer, because, as you can imagine, a 116-year-old ham probably doesn’t smell like anything else.

“It’s a smell you couldn’t quite describe,” he said. “It’s not a hammy smell.”

The 3D scan of the world’s oldest ham is also available to the public online, in case you’d like to 3D print your own. You can also follow the ham’s activities (or lack thereof) on the Ham Cam on the Isle of Wight County Museum’s website, or follow it on Twitter. Yes, the world’s oldest ham has its own Twitter account, because why wouldn’t it? It may be an old ham, but it’s hip to new technology.

World’s Oldest Ham (VCU_3D_3709)
by Virtual Curation Lab
on Sketchfab

Discuss old foods and new technologies at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

Review: The Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D printer, laser engraver and CNC carver

With a promise to, “turn your desktop into a workshop” Snapmaker combines a 3D printer, laser engraver and CNC carver. A hugely successful Kickstarter campaign raised $2.2 million, and now the Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D printer is available for a wider audience. 3D Printing Industry tested the Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D printer against the claims made for […]

imec Saves Time and Money with New 3D Printed Chip Cooling Solution

One of the world’s top research and innovation hubs in nanoelectronics and digital technologies is imec, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium with additional offices in Japan and India and distributed R&D groups in the US, Taiwan, China, the Netherlands, and at multiple Flemish universities.

A few years ago, the company used inkjet printing to output a transistor logic board with nearly 3,400 circuits, and is well known for its 2015 collaborative project resulting in a 3D printed EEG headset for the purposes of brain-computer interfacing.

The company creates innovation in applications ranging from healthcare, education, and smart cities to mobility, logistics, manufacturing, and energy, thanks to its excellent infrastructure and local and global partner network. Now, imec has turned its attention to efficient cooling solutions…which, if you’re living through a July heat wave like I am at the moment, sounds great. However, I’m not talking about a 3D printed fan, but rather an impingement-based solution for cooling chips at the package level.

The company recently announced that for the first time, it’s demonstrated a cost-effective, 3D printed cooling solution for chips, which is quite an achievement in a world of growing cooling demands for 3D chips and systems.

More and more, high-performance electronic systems are having to learn how to deal with increasing cooling demands. It would be the most efficient to introduce direct cooling on the chip backside, but unfortunately, most existing direct cooling microchannel solutions end up creating a temperature gradient across the surface of the chip.

Typically, conventional solutions combine heat exchangers, which are bonded to heat spreaders and attached to the back of a chip to achieve cooling. All of these parts are connected through thermal interface materials (TIM), which make a strong, fixed thermal resistance; adding more efficient cooling solutions will not overcome this resistance.

An impingement-based cooler with distributed coolant outlets, like the 3D printed one imec has created, is the optimal chip cooling solution, as it places the cooling liquid directly in contact with the chip, spraying liquid perpendicular to the surface of the chip. This helps all of the liquid on the surface is the same temperature, in addition to lowering the amount of contact between the chip and the coolant. But, most of these coolers are not cheap, because they’re silicon-based, and their use processes and nozzle diameters not working with the chip packaging process flow doesn’t help in keeping costs down.

imec’s new impingement chip cooler is more cost-effective, as it uses polymers rather than expensive silicon. The cooler is also a pretty familiar object, as Herman Oprins, a senior engineer at imec, explained:

“Our new impingement chip cooler is actually a 3D printed ‘showerhead’ that sprays the cooling liquid directly onto the bare chip. 3D prototyping has improved in resolution, making it available for realizing microfluidic systems such as our chip cooler. 3D printing enables an application-specific design, instead of using a standard design.”

The cooler’s 3D printed nozzles, made with high-resolution SLA technology, are only 300µm and match the heat map, as 3D printing gives companies the ability to customize pattern designs for these types of objects, in addition to producing complex internal structures. Additionally, production costs and time were decreased because 3D printing makes it possible to fabricate the entire structure in just one part, instead of several.

The 3D printed impingement chip cooler has a higher cooling efficiency – according to imec, the chip has “a temperature increase of less than 15°C per 100W/cm2 for a coolant flow rate of 1 l/min.” Due to its smart internal cooler design, the device has a pressure drop as low as 0.3 bar, and the impingement chip cooler is also much smaller than other solutions; imec says it actually matches the chip package’s footprint, which allows for much more efficient cooling and even a package reduction. The cost-effective chip cooler also performs better than benchmark conventional cooling solutions, which have thermal interface materials that cause temperature increases of 20-50°C.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

[Images: imec]

GROWLAY 3D Printer Filament Allows You to Grow Plants, Mushrooms or Even Cheese

If you grew up in the 1980s or ’90s, you’re likely familiar with Chia Pets, those terra cotta figures shaped like animals, cartoon characters or people’s heads. All you had to do was put moist chia seeds in the terra cotta’s grooves, and they would quickly sprout and give you a green fuzzy “pet.” Chia Pets are still around today, though not as popular as they used to be. Now a German filament maker has designed a sort of Chia Pet for the 21st century. Kai Parthy of Lay Filaments has designed unusual 3D printing filaments in the past, and his latest, GROWLAY, brings to mind a technological Chia Pet, though you can use it to grow much more than just chia seeds.

GROWLAY filament is microcapillary, meaning that it has cavities that absorb and store water, dissolved nutrients or fertilizer. Place seeds or spores on the 3D printed material, and you can grow grass, moss, lichen, fungus, and even cheese or pharma-cultures. The material acts like a breeding ground, allowing for indoor farming without soil. Grass seeds can easily catch and sprout through the filament, while mold grows through the open-cell capillaries and forms a mycelium. The filament also has space for roots to grow, anchoring grass and other small plants to the 3D printed structure. Even fungal spores can germinate in the tiny cavities, so you can grow your own mushrooms. (Maybe not eat them, though – you can never be too careful with mushrooms.)

Above: Growing Gorgonzola; below: white cheese

GROWLAY can be sterilized for food or research purposes with liquid or gas, though not thermally. The material is an absorptive carrier for agents and comes in two different versions: GROWLAY White and GROWLAY Brown. GROWLAY White is fully compostable and has open capillaries, and is a more experimental filament designed for experienced users. GROWLAY Brown is easier to print, with higher rigidity, temperature stability and tensile strength than GROWLAY White. It also has open capillaries, but contains organic nutrients in the form of wood particles to help your plants or cultures grow.

If you want a different color option than white or brown, GROWLAY can also be colored with food coloring. There are many possibilities for a filament like this – adding some grass seed or moss to an intricate 3D print will provide some creative decor, or some alfalfa or broccoli seed will sprout into edible greens. If you’re brave, you can try growing your own cheese, or you can conduct your own research on mold or fungi.

Lay Filaments has a number of other unique materials, such as the lightweight LAYWOOD and the reflective REFLECT-O-LAY. GROWLAY is the latest addition to the filament line, and may be the most interesting yet – it’s not every day you encounter a 3D printing material that allows you to grow food or conduct scientific research.

Left: GROWLAY Brown, middle: GROWLAY with mold, right: GROWLAY with lichen

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

[Images: Lay Filaments]

Imperial College London Launches Summer Hackathon, Full of 3D Printing Activities and Grants

Over the last few years, hackathons have been rapidly growing in popularity, giving the maker community around the world ample opportunities to tinker with multiple technologies, such as computers, augmented and virtual reality, and 3D printing and design. Most hackathons typically have a challenge or two included, so participants can race to the finish line with their own hacking inventions.

Imperial College London, which has plenty of experience with 3D printing in the medical field, knows that hacking communities are important for inventions to bloom. For example, the College’s campus in South Kensington is home to several hackspaces, and Imperial even opened a bespoke workshop last year at The Invention Rooms in White City. This workshop – one of the largest of its kind in the world – offers state-of-the-art 3D printing, electronics, metalwork, and woodwork equipment, in addition to a fully equipped bio-lab.

Imperial has a unique community called the Imperial College Advanced Hackspace (ICAH), which is made up of over 2,500 entrepreneurs, inventors, and makers from across the College. Growing by 100 users each month, ICAH gives its community members free access to a network of other members, as well as specialist manufacturing equipment and training, so they can succeed in turning their ideas into viable prototypes and solutions.

Last week, ICAH announced that it is holding its own type of hackathon this summer.

Starting on July 3rd, and running through September 29th, the summer-long My Summer of Hack program will consist of multiple activities for hackers, innovators, and makers from the College.

“Imperial College Advanced Hackspace is a hotbed of creativity and innovation, where hackers, inventors, and entrepreneurs from across all corners of the College come together to turn their ideas into a reality,” said Professor Oscar Ces, the Co-Director of ICAH. “This summer is the perfect opportunity to get involved.”

My Summer of Hack includes all sorts of excellent options for the community, like a new competition, grants, and some hacker-in-residence opportunities, that will help them make their great ideas a reality.

First up in My Summer of Hack, the Level Up! hackathon competition challenges participants to develop innovative new exhibits, furniture, and installations, the winners of which will be installed in a new breakout office space above the Advanced Hackspace at the Invention Rooms that will open soon. The theme of the competition is “Moving up Levels,” from classic video games to dream inventions, and entries for the exhibit are encouraged to be interactive, though it’s not required.

Teams that make the cut will receive a consumable budget of up to £1,000 to use the Hackspace’s facilities in order to create their ideas, and in addition to having their work installed, the winners will also receive a cash prize: £300 for third place, £750 for second, and £1,500 for first.

The My Summer of Hack program will also include Summer Boost Grants from ICAH of up to £500. The grants will be awarded to staff and students who want to develop an idea for the program over the summer. In the past, these boost grants have funded multiple innovative projects, like a 3D ceramics printer, an inexpensive neonatal incubator made from cardboard, and a vaccine cooling and delivery system.

In addition, ICAH is also accepting summer applications for its Hacker-in-Residence program, which is only open to Imperial alumni. This program gives users opportunities to use the facilities and workshops of the ICAH, along with taking advantage of the expertise of other members.

The kick-off for the hackathon competition, and My Summer of Hack, will take place at 6:30 PM on July 3rd at the Invention Rooms, and begin with a networking event.

Discuss this hackathon program and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

[Source/Images: Imperial College London]

Zero Gravity Bioprinter is Ready for Delivery to the International Space Station

An amazing thing happened two years ago, when Techshot and nScrypt worked together to 3D print a human heart – in zero gravity. Not a working heart, yet, but the two companies were the first to 3D print cardiac and vascular structures in zero gravity using adult human stem cells. Why would they do such a thing, you might ask? The reasoning is much more than “because they can,” as 3D bioprinting in zero gravity is actually easier and more effective than it is on Earth.

Earth-based bioprinting requires thick, viscous bioinks that can contain chemicals or other materials necessary for providing structural support. The lack of gravity in space, however, means that thinner, purer bioinks can be used, as well as thinner print nozzles, allowing for more precision and control. When the first viable human organ is 3D printed, it may very well happen in space.

After nScrypt and Techshot pulled off their successful zero-G bioprinting feat, they began work on the 3D BioFabrication Facility, or BFF, a 3D bioprinting system for the International Space Station. The BFF can 3D print thick tissue and organs using adult stem cells. The printing will happen on an nScrypt 3D Bio Assembly Tool, or BAT; the bioink will be printed into a specialized cell culturing bioreactor cassette designed by TechShot and conditioned in the TechShot ADvanced Space Experiment Processor (ADSEP). The BFF and ADSEP are scheduled to launch on their way to the ISS in February 2019.

The nScrypt BAT 3D printer features high-precision motion and extreme dispensing control, and will use nScrypt’s patented SmartPump, which has 100 picoliter volumetric control and uses super-fine nozzles, down to 10 microns, to dispense biomaterials. This enables the highly controlled and repeatable placement of bioink, which is necessary for printing the fine details of tissues and organs.

“Especially when dealing with something as important as tissue, it is vital to place the correct amount of material in the correct position every time,” said nScrypt CEO Ken Church. “This is what our machines offer and what has contributed to our success in bioprinting as well as other applications. This is an exciting time for discovery and more importantly a time of impact for those that are seriously seeking solutions to grow thick vascularized tissue, which is the basis for a fully printed organ.”

The first complete print, after the initial test prints, will be a cardiac patch for damaged hearts. Cells will be printed into the bioreactor cassette, and the bioreactor will then provide media perfusion to deliver nutrients and remove toxins from the tissue, keeping it alive while providing electrical and mechanical stimulus to encourage the cells to become beating heart tissue.

Rendering of the BFF in an EXPRESS rack [Image: nScrypt]

The BFF may truly be an astronaut’s BFF; in addition to 3D printing tissue for people on Earth, it can print pharmaceuticals and even food on demand for people on the International Space Station.

“We are very excited to see this project, and all that it can provide, come to life,” said Techshot President and CEO John C. Vellinger. “With the goal of producing everything from organs, to pharmaceuticals, to perhaps even food, the BFF has the ability to improve the lives of people on earth and help enable deep space exploration.”

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

NEW GUIDE: A NeoPixel Pomodoro Timer #AdafruitLearningSystem

Many people get value from a simple tool called the Pomodoro Technique.

It’s a time management technique used to break work into periods of activity separated by short breaks. Each activity period is called a pomodoro. Why “pomodoro”? The technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo, who named the technique “pomodoro” as a nod to the tomato kitchen timer he initially used.

This guide goes through all the steps for you to build your own Pomodoro Timer using the Adafruit ItsyBitsy M0 Express programmed in CircuitPython.

ItsyBitsy M0 Express

See the full build details for the timer project here on the Adafruit Learning System!

Have you created a cool timer project? Maybe an ItsyBitsy project? Let us know in the comments below!