NASA grants millions to 3D printing projects helping 2024 Moon landing

American space agency NASA has just secured funding for approximately 18 early-stage 3D printing projects developing technologies to help on its next mission to the Moon. As part of the agency’s 2019 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) seed programs, the projects are among 363 proposals that have collectively received over $43 million […]

Aerosint and InfraTrac partner to prevent part counterfeiting in powder bed additive manufacturing

Aerosint, an award-winning SLS 3D printer manufacturer based in Liege, Belgium, and InfraTrac, a Maryland-based developer of defensive chemical signatures, are collaborating to further secure laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process.  “Security is increasingly vital as 3D printing scales,” states Aerosint. Thus far, InfraTrac’s patented chemical taggant approach had not been possible in LPBF additive […]

Sneakers with 3D-Printed Soles #WearableWednesday

NewImage

Via Wired:

Two years ago, running shoe giant New Balance teamed up with Somerville, Massachusetts–based 3D-printing company Formlabs to develop a new type of sole. Now the duo are debuting TripleCell, a footbed technology whose components are made of a proprietary photopolymer called Rebound Resin.

For its first shoe in this lineup, New Balance is re-releasing its classic 990 Sport with a TripleCell heel. The $185 runner is lighter, more supportive, and more durable than the EVA version. Two more performance-oriented models with TripleCell components will be arriving within the next year.

Learn more!


Flora breadboard is Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!

Prusa Publishes Hardware and Firmware Updates for 3D Printers, Ships over 130,000 Printers

Josef Prusa

It’s time for another one of Prusa‘s popular updates on its various hardware and firmware! The company makes sure its customers always know about the latest new products and improvements to its many products. The winter 2019 update is, in founder Josef Prusa’s words, “a pretty massive one,” as the company has continued to grow and reached a milestone 100,000 3D printers shipped.

“We are actually working on a short documentary how we got (literally) from a basement to this level, I am beyond excited to show you parts of the story you never saw and I’m pretty sure you will love it, too,” Prusa wrote.

Prusa conducted a product survey, and the results helped the company shape the updates for its Original Prusa MK3S and MMU2 printers. One helpful piece of constructive criticism the survey provided was that the filament sensor on the MK3S didn’t work well with some filaments, so it now features a reworked extruder with a new sensor.

“The new sensor is using the optical sensor which is triggered by a simple mechanical lever,” Prusa explained. “This sensor doesn’t care about the optical properties of the filament (it can be completely invisible) and cannot die because of mechanical wear.”

The mechanism of the re-worked filament sensor (part is black on production printers, orange is for demonstration)

Users also wanted easier servicing of the extruder assembly, so now the extruder motor and nozzle are closer to the X-axis for better prints, and you no longer have to take it apart to change the PTFE or nozzle. Additionally, the cumulative updates from the MK3’s whole life cycle are included.

The new MK3S is available from the Prusa e-shop for $749 – the same price as the MK3. You can also purchase an upgrade kit for the MK3 to the MK3S, and for the MK2.5 to the MK2.5S. The company is no longer accepting orders for the Original Prusa i3 MK2S kit and assembled printer, but does have all replacements in stock for long-term support.

The MK3 and MK3S also have new print profiles, which users can get through the Slic3r PE 1.41.3 or newer, found in Prusa’s updated drivers. There’s now a 70μm profile – perfect for printing miniatures – and both the 150μm Optimal and 200μm profiles were split into Quality and Speed versions.

“While the MK3 results in the survey were literally amazing, customer’s feedback to MMU2 wasn’t what we imagined. Although many of you print with five filaments without any hassle, there are users facing several issues with multi-material printing – usually related to reloading the filament and secondly from the filament getting tangled as the MMU2 is unloading filament from the five spools,” Prusa wrote.

“Before I even start about MMU2S, I have to tell you, that every current owner of MMU2 will be getting the upgrade to the MMU2S (self-printed parts for the extruder upgrade) for free no matter where in the world you are.”

While Prusa was redesigning the extruder for the MK3S, the company wanted to also solve the MMU2 reloading problems. So with the new mod, the filament sensor actually detects when the filament pushes Bondtech gears apart and the idler doors open a little. Prusa spent two months testing the MMU2S, printing nearly 480 test blocks to test the frequent switching of five filaments, and over 93% were completed successfully.

Prusa printed two types of blocks – one took 19 hours to print (607 filament changes), the other 70 hours (3,520 filament changes)

“To summarize everything, with MMU2S you will get the new MK3S/MK2.5S extruder parts (with new filament sensor) and the new filament buffer,” Prusa wrote.

Prusa also released new firmware builds with support for MK3 / MK2.5( 3.5.2) and MK3S / MK2.5S (3.5.3), including a new way to control the power of the heatbed so the PSU clicking noise is decreased.

The company has shipped over 10,000 textured sheets, which are notoriously hard to manufacture. So Prusa built its own testing lab to inspect the entire process, and after making some improvements, the sheets are now specially treated to prevent rust even in extreme humidity.

Internal and external beta testing of the company’s Original Prusa SL1 resin 3D printer provided great results, and the system was officially released in September. After fixing some hardware issues, Prusa turned its focus to improving the calibration process, user experience, and automatic supports in Slic3r PE. Additionally, over 100 types of resin have their own profiles in Slic3r PE, and as it’s an open source printer, people can “use pretty much any 405nm resin.”

Speaking of Slic3r PE, the team continues to grow, and Prusa has a goal of developing the best slicer for every 3D printer, and not just its Original Prusas. So far, the company is doing pretty well, as Slic3r PE is free, receives regular new features and bug fixes, and is improved based on user feedback.

Finally, in terms of Prusament, the company continues to work on increasing its production capacity for the popular filament, and Prusa explained that “our goal is to achieve a non-stop production with fully robotic operators.”

Exploring the Future of 3D Technology & Virtual Reality in the Academic Library

Authors Zack Lischer-Katz, Kristina Golubiewski-Davis, Jennifer Grayburn, and Veronica Ikeshoji-Orlati discuss the future of 3D printing and virtual reality in libraries around the world, outlining their findings in ‘3D/VR in the Academic Library: Emerging Practices & Trends.’ Their report is important as it gives us an exceptional look into how progressive tools are being used in research, teaching, and for preservation of data in libraries too.

3D printing is being used in educational systems around the world today for a variety of different types of classwork and ongoing works, but also in the cataloguing and archiving of artifacts and relics—more commonly in higher education. As accessibility and affordability continue to make the technology easier for schools on all levels to attain—along with libraries and museums—campuses and labs are opened to a more expansive world, without even leaving the building. This is especially true with the re-emergence of virtual reality.

“With 3D and VR technology, a professor may take students on an immersive field trip to Stonehenge, changing the lighting to simulate various phases of solar events; an archaeologist may capture 3D scans of an archaeological excavation and share these data with a colleague on the other side of the world in the form of an immersive virtual exploration of the site; a biochemistry professor may explore complex protein structures with students; or a chemical engineer may simulate the movement of fluids in various porous rock materials,” state the researchers.

Due to the applicability of many different fields, many libraries are now also sites for research and experimentation with 3D scanning and printing and virtual reality. 3D technology and virtual reality have also opened a multitude of new avenues within the humanities, to include specialized areas like medieval manuscripts, and has also made cultural sites more available to the public though a ‘3D digital heritage ecosystem.’

This report also discusses information from eight essays presented from talks regarding 3D/VR Creation and Curation in Higher Education: A Colloquium to Explore Standards and Best Practices, a mini-conference held at the Bizzell Library at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma from March 8-9 of 2018.

“Although the primary focus on 3D/ VR was intentionally narrow in order to maintain a small, intimate group, many of the issues that arose also apply to other immersive technologies, including augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and extended reality (XR),” stated the authors.

The essays include:

  • Collaborative and Lab-Based Approaches to 3D and AR/VR in the Humanities by Victoria Szabo, offering a lab-based model from Duke University, presenting a common topic or theme to discover shared goals between invested departments and stakeholders, including libraries.
  • From the University of Virginia, Will Rourk explores the differences between 3D models and 3D data in 3D Cultural Heritage Informatics: Applications to 3D Data Curation. Rourk introduces 3D technology and scholarly outputs regarding 3D data, 3D prints, VR experiences, animation, open-access models, and more.
  • In Virtual Reality for Preservation: Production of Virtual Reality Heritage Spaces in the Classroom, Zebulun M. Wood, Albert William, and Andrea Copeland discuss the uses of 3D technology and VR in the classroom, using the Media Arts and Sciences classroom at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) as a collaborative space to build their Virtual Bethel project. They combine research, community information, 3D data capture, and more—while discussing the skills of their students, group dynamics, and more.
  • Using 3D Photogrammetry to Create Open-Access Models of Live Animals: 2D and 3D Software Solutions, presented by Jeremy A. Bot and Duncan J. Irschick, discuss the importance of animated 3D models of animals. The researchers, hailing from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst created new methods of capturing 3D data from animals such as frogs, sharks, and other animals.
  • What Happens When You Share 3D Models Online (In 3D) focuses on the broader dissemination of 3D models online through webGL and WebVR. Thomas Flynn discusses how colleges and libraries use Sketchfab to share and sell 3D content and expand to new audiences and customers. Along with this, he focuses on the accessibility for sharing and embedding data, connecting new and old audiences.
  • Building for Tomorrow: Collaborative Development of Sustainable Infrastructure for Architectural and Design Documentation, by Ann Baird Whiteside, discussed work being created at Harvard University Library’s Building for Tomorrow project, focusing on preservation, curation, and digital archiving.
  • 3D/VR Preservation: Drawing on a Common Agenda for Collective Impact discusses Jessica Meyerson’s Software Preservation Network, applicable to both curating and preserving 3D and VR software for posterity. She points out three challenges in curating 3D data: scale, standards and interoperability, and software and hardware dependence. Meyerson sees the need for a ‘collective impact approach.’
  • In CS3DP: Developing Agreement for 3D Standards and Practices Based on Community Needs and Values, Jennifer Moore, Adam Rountrey, and Hannah Scates Kettler discuss current projects regarding 3D/VR challenges, and ‘gaps’ in the projects that need to be examined further. They are extremely active as a group (CS3DP) in attempting to develop ‘standards and best practices’ within technologies like 3D and VR.

“Across these eight essays, three critical approaches that librarians and digital curators need to address as they use 3D/VR to support their communities are represented: (1) treat the academic outputs that use 3D/VR as scholarly products; (2) build a 3D/VR scholarly community to support knowledge exchange across a range of stakeholder groups; and (3) develop technical tools, training, and infrastructure to support a 3D/VR research ecosystem,” state the authors.

Collect, Care, Conserve,
Curate: The Life of the Art Object exhibit

They also suggest that the following should be considered:

  • 3D/VR to be treated as scholarly products
  • 3D/VR scholarly communities should be built
  • More technical tools should be created to support a 3D/VR ecosystem

The authors emphasize how vital this glimpse is into the ways 3D and VR are being used currently in academic capacities—and how supporting them ‘furthers the mission of academic libraries. Currently, there are many different considerations for librarians to consider and learn more about, as they ‘shepherd novel 3D/VR technologies into their institutions.’

“The great diversity in the range of stakeholders involved complicates the development of comprehensive technical tools. One of the benefits of the CLIR 3D/VR colloquium was that it not only brought together a diverse range of stakeholder groups and enabled knowledge sharing across often-siloed groups, but also helped to identify stakeholder groups that the planning committee had not identified before the 3D/VR discussion,” conclude the authors.

While 3D printing is emerging in libraries as a significant way to preserve data, it also spans many other cultural institutions determined to maintain a hold on history, some of it quite ancient—from scanning archaeological artifacts to printed replicas that museum-goers can touch, to making 3D copies available to the public for download.

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.

Stages of 3D data processing from point cloud to mesh

[Source / Images: ‘3D/VR in the Academic Library: Emerging Practices & Trends’]

Women in 3D Printing events coming this July

Women in 3D Printing, the California-based organization supporting gender diversification of the global additive manufacturing sector, is bringing communities together through a slew of events this month. Now encompassing 18 chapters across  four continents, the summer schedule starts with events in Canada, Germany, South Africa, Australia, and Kansas.  In the most recent update, the organization has also […]

Q1 2019 3D Printing Industry Index

The 3D Printing Industry Industry Index for the first quarter 2019 is now complete. This is the fourth time that our team of analysts have run this survey collecting sentiment from industry stakeholders. It is included in our 3D Printing Industry Data and Analysis platform which tracks fundraising data, and merger & acquisition activities for […]

How to Make Apple’s Mac Pro Holes @isonno #Apple #MacPro

Via J. Peterson’s blog – Apple’s recently introduced Mac Pro features a distinctive pattern of holes on the front grill… that pattern is very appealing, and re-creating it is a fun exercise.

The best clue about the pattern comes from this page pitching the product. About halfway down, by the heading “More air than metal” is a short video clip showing how the hemispherical holes are milled to create the pattern.

With a bit of trig, you can find half the horizontal spacing x by using the right triangle formed by that line, x and the side of the equilateral triangle. The angle from the vertical center line to the equilateral triangle edge is half of π/3, π/6. So, x=2r tan(π/6) and 2x is the horizontal spacing of the circles.

The blog goes on to use trigonometry to calculate the opposite hole positioning and with some pixel counting, some thickness estimates.

So to CAD this up, all you need to do is start with a rectangular block of thickness t, and use the formulas above to place the centers of the spheres (with diameter 2r) on the front and back of the block.

If you just want to quickly print or look at the result in 3D, there are some sample STL files posted on Thingiverse.