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3D Printing For Everyone
Posted by
kdawson
on Fri Aug 01, 2008 09:16 AM
from the rapid-prototyping-as-a-service dept.
from the rapid-prototyping-as-a-service dept.
mmacx writes "Technology Review has up an article about Shapeways, a new online rapid-prototyping service that allows users to upload digital designs which are then printed on 3-D printers and shipped back. A spinoff from Philips Research, the service gives small businesses, designers, artists, and hobbyists access to prototyping tools that were once available only to the largest corporations. The fee for a typical printed object is $50-$150. Their video shows the steps behind the process." We've been talking about 3D printing for years.
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My first order (Score:3, Funny)
A life-size statue of CowboyNeal.
My guess? Dildos (Score:4, Funny)
Which is why I tagged this story dildo.
Seems like the perfect use for the service :)
Can they do cavities? ;/
Parent
I'm waiting for the first copyright/patent suit (Score:2, Funny)
...because someone used that service to copy a product.
It will be from a dildo manufacturer, I promise you that much!
You can't patent something.... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
I doubt that specific dildo shapes (like, say, a Jesus Dildo, and yes, such a thing exists. I refrain from direct linking to a page that has one. Google is your friend if you're really interested...) are in public domain.
Though I dunno who sues first, the maker of the dildo or the RC church. Afaik they claim some rights to the cross with a carpenter's corpse and all that stuff surrounding it.
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...because someone used that service to copy a product. It will be from a dildo manufacturer, I promise you that much!
Well they do have a limit in size, so [insert penis size joke here]
Re:I'm waiting for the first copyright/patent suit (Score:4, Insightful)
DUDE! 50x50cm is the max size (source [hightechcampus.nl]).
If you get sqrt(2*50)cm (about 28in) into any orifice of yours, I'd go for a career in the porn industry. I'm pretty sure there's a market for that (hell, there's people who get off on anything, so I'm almost sure!).
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Actually, you can print on the volume diagonal, so the correct formula is sqrt(3*50^2), or about 87cm (34 in). Ouch indeed.
Exploit (Score:3, Funny)
Haha, they don't realize that they will bring about their own downfall:
1. Order prototype of prototype-making machine
2. Make your own prototypes.
3. ???
4. Profit!!!
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Speculating on the Hobby Implications (Score:5, Interesting)
Every time 3-D printing comes up I like to consider what this will do to my favorite hobby, model-building...
Styrene injection kits have been around for ages, and they're generally the cheapest way to get a kit made in large quantity - but because it costs so much to set up the molds, usually they're pretty hesitant to make a kit of anything that's not a pretty sure-fire seller... Additionally the hobby has been dying by inches for a long time.
To fill all the niches of interesting subjects that nobody's bothered to make injection kits of (this would be, for instance, things like the Serenity cargo ship) there's resin kits - but because of the high degree of manual labor involved in casting the parts, as well as the material expenses and the initial sculpting work divided over a run of maybe a couple hundred kits, they're pretty expensive for the person buying the kit...
But then you think about stuff going on these days, like papercraft - people making model designs, putting them online in a form that other people can print out and build dirt-cheap. The results aren't generally as good as injection or resin models but it's quite impressive, and inspiring what they've accomplished...
So it's fun to think about what fabrication could mean for the hobby. On the one hand it may actually mean less people buying and building models, or scratch-building parts themselves. Rather, once the technology is cheap enough, more things will be simply fabricated. But on the other hand - to think of something that would today be a garage kit, only done up as a downloadable design for fabrication... that would be pretty damn cool.
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One would hope it would have the same effect as in the printing industry. Two decades ago, getting custom color printed materials for businesses was a real hassle. Now we print color letterheads as a part of daily business. I just sent out a short order (20 pads) of sticky-notes with our custom mailing worksheet (who it's to, how many copies to make, how to mail it, and where to file it). Heck, I even printed out a pattern off the 'net for making a hemispherical model rocket parachute. Think of all the pho
Re:Speculating on the Hobby Implications (Score:5, Interesting)
I would love to be able to print my own replacement model parts. Next time I break a rotor blade on my heli, just print one out. Need a new control horn, print it out. Servo arms, wing assemblies...such a home capability might bring back a renaissance of RC building that is becoming a lost art due to RTF products.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
IMO, 3D printing solves one problem (generating copies of a design) but not the other (creating the design in the first place).
Traditionally, creating the design has been done in hardware (a master, which is used to produce moulds etc.).
With a 3D printer, you can either build a master, scan it and clean up the data, or you can build the model in CAD. CAD is less messy, but I'm not convinced it's faster than building a master.
Using CAD will result in more accurate models, though. A handmade master is hard to
Re: (Score:2)
I believe Games-Workshop uses some CAD now for there models, though I gather this uses some sort of milling machine to make a mold or similar, rather than 3D printing.
Re:Speculating on the Hobby Implications (Score:4, Funny)
Additionally the hobby has been dying by inches for a long time.
At what scale though?
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Too expensive, and too low resolution/rough. For models, try www.printapart.com, the parts are durable enough, and the minimal texture covers fine with primer and paint.
I am familiar with printapart - people bring up the subject of fabrication services every now and then on modeling forums... I know it's not ready to take the place of paper craft and GKs now - but there will come a time when it will do so. It's inevitable, in my view - the hardware will get better, and the printouts cheaper - at some point this is going to shake up the hobby in a major way. For the better, I think.
Bah... (Score:3, Interesting)
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Only 3 dimensions? (Score:5, Funny)
Great there goes my plans of printing tesseracts.
direct link (Score:5, Insightful)
I would have complained about a direct link (http://www.shapeways.com/ [shapeways.com] in the summary, but the site is a bit rude to looky-loos like us who just want to see what's going on. Almost all their front page links are blocked until you log in, even the "getting started" page! The "about" page is about all you can see, and it's got no real details. What is the printing resolution? What material choices? Can you print two-material designs? Come on, Shapeways, if you want to generate buzz, put out a bit more welcome mat.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Actually we are private beta now. But you are right. We could show a bit more information without requiring a beta login.
Let's see what I can do!
Re:direct link (Score:5, Informative)
FWIW, I'm the lead dev on all the 3D portions of the site. I had no idea these guys were going to get it posted to /. today! I wake up late to find my inbox filled with emails about it....
Anyway, on to answer your questions. Two ways:
1. there's some simple editors built in for specific object types (and more on the way)
2. Upload from your favourite modelling tool. Right now support is for X3D, Collada and STL files. More formats are on the way, but are not, as yet, fully tested.
There is also some restrictions on the basic structure of the models. The system tries to correct a lot of problems, but it is by no means perfect as it is all automated.
Costs are like the article summary states - $50-$150 per piece. However, that is dropping very, very rapidly as volume increases. Only this time last year, costs were an order of magnitude higher for exactly the same pieces. We're expecting a similar sort of drop in prices over the next 12-18 months as bulk manufacturing really starts to drive prices down.
Turn around time is usually a couple of weeks. The actual printing process is still relatively slow and manually managed. We'd love t automate it, but the printer hardware companies are not giving us that capability yet.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Thanks for the clarification....
I would like more clarification though.
1) I have SolidEdge.
2) Could you define "per piece" - Volume constraints (size), weight, etc...
Re:direct link (Score:5, Informative)
Hmmm... don't know much about SE and what formats it can export. If you can get STL, then you should be fine. There's very few CAD apps that can't do at least STL. Many have Collada support already. Between those two you should be OK. If not, have a dig for software called PolyTrans (Okino Graphics). That's a huge file format conversion tool that supports almost every known 3D file format. I believe they have a free demo download.
Bounds constraints vary wildly and also vary by material type. A material may only be available on a specific printer (manufacturer and model), that will then limit what size model can be printed. For example, selecting an ABS material can be printed on all the machines, but 720 Fullcure is only available on one. Each machine has a limited production size. However, as an absolute max, no machine is capable of printing something greater than 1m cube - at least right now.
Parent
What else do folks use? (Score:2)
It seems most of the content on the ShapeWays site is unavailable to folks not in their closed beta program (even the FAQ's). So, there's no much to go on other than the video?
So, staying mildly on-topic, what else do hobbyists use in this arena? Say I want to prototype a new computer case:
Re:What else do folks use? (Score:4, Informative)
Not sure on the open source software front but i've always been fond of Rhinoceros 3D for doing modeling since it is relatively in-expensive to buy a commercial copy ($900).
You can send your 3-D file to lots of companies, i'm not sure why ShapeWays is getting all the press when there are thousands of RP companies called "service bureaus" that will take 3-D models you upload and print them using some RP machine then ship them to you, usually with a 1-2 day turn-around time.
I used to get some parts done with http://www.rjmrp.com/ [rjmrp.com] but they focus mainly on high-resolution small parts (such as jewelry pieces). So, if you're designing jewelry i'd recommend them otherwise look for some other companies using Stratasys type machines (there are lots). The costs they quote sound about normal, typical jewelry prototypes were around $100 or so for a ring in .001" resolution.
Parent
The Techshop (Score:5, Insightful)
The site seems slashdotted already. Google's cache should have a copy of their 3D printer, laser etcher, and other services for building (nearly) anything that you can imagine.
This is the most innovative thing to hit Silicon Valley in years. It really should've been covered by Slashdot long ago.
The advantage the Techshop has over mail-in is that you can get advice on how to create your prototype. The costs for a 3D print job can vary greatly depending on how you do it. Just the orientation alone can either save you or cost you quite a bit. So that's why I prefer "hands on". Now, if I really knew what I was doing, or I didn't have a TechShop nearby, then I'd probably do a mail-order service.
As far as apps goes, you can pull down one of the Google apps (whose name I've forgotten at the moment) and use that.
Oh - and the guy who founded the TechShop used to work with Mythbusters in creating their gadgets. I hear they even showed up on opening day.
I have no connecting with the Techshop other than has a happy and frequent customer.
Parent
SLA? (Score:2, Informative)
We've had 3D printing for over 15 years to my knowledge. Probably more like 20 years. My high school got one way back when, it was called a "Stereo Lithography Apparatus" or SLA for short. You inserted a disk containing an acceptable 3D wire mesh file format, put in a bucket of "printing goop" and pressed a button. An ultraviolet laser then solidified the goop in the shape of the 3D object you gave it and drained the rest of the goop back into the drainage pan. We used it for rapid prototyping in our C
I like the sound of this (Score:5, Funny)
Hello, gentlemen. I am interested in your offering. I am linking to my specification here: http://babes.com/monica_bellucci [babes.com]. How long should I expect to wait for delivery?
Re:I like the sound of this (Score:4, Funny)
Typical Slashdotter, going for a cheap knockoff rather than enjoy the real thing. But then again, I shouldn't expect any different. ;-)
Parent
Re:I like the sound of this (Score:5, Funny)
Typical Slashdotter, going for a cheap knockoff rather than enjoy the real thing. But then again, I shouldn't expect any different. ;-)
If I went and got the real thing, that would be kidnapping. This does not deprive her husband of use of the original Monica Bellucci, I'm just committing a copyright violation. That's far more socially acceptable.
Parent
Images courtesy of Blender... (Score:4, Informative)
It isn't mentioned in the article, but it is clear from the images that they used Blender for the demo items and screenshots, indeed the two images from the article are rather well known among Blender users, one is from 'man in man' a short by Sacha, and the other is Petunia by macuonu which was used for a collaborative animation for the Blender art festival. Also some of individuals involved in Shapeways are major Blenderheads.
I thought Shapeways was being supported by Phillips but was under the impression that it started externally and hence would not be a spinoff.
LetterRip
Very nice (Score:3, Insightful)
But it still suffers from the age old problem of control by those who own the press. Let's get the printers in the hands of everyone to insure that control goes where it belongs. Then we can make our own DRM free hardware for instance.
Everyone? (Score:3, Insightful)
I can see one stumbling block for 3D printing becoming more popular: the software you need to create a 3D model is generally expensive and difficult to use.
Google Sketchup is a potential answer here, but the last time I checked, the 3D printing house I wanted to use didn't accept Sketchup files (and/or the free version of Sketchup doesn't allow export to any generic 3D format).
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Sketchup Pro is $495 and allows CAD export.
Yea thats expensive but if you Really need this for your work, its cheap.
Second Life and OGLE (Score:2)
The Second Life building tools are actually pretty good, for putting together objects that are going to be reproduced at 3d printing resolution.
And you can extract a mesh from Second Life (and other games, but don't let Blizzard catch you :-> ) using GPU hooks and programs like OGLE.
This is not a first (Score:2)
Interesting issue (Score:5, Interesting)
When everyone can accurately 3d-print objects, does getting the design for, say, a type of chair then 3d-printing it without paying, count as theft? After all, you're not depriving anyone else of the model chair the 3d specifications were based on.
nice to see another competitor, but... (Score:2, Informative)
this has been done before quite a bit, there are plenty of places online that let you upload a model to their website and purchase the fabbed plastic result.
however, more competition will probably bring the prices down. also, more attention to this sort of capability will make it more popular, and bring the prices down/advance the technology.
i worked at a place where they blew tens of thousands of dollars on a 3D printer, printed one prototype out and then let it sit there. big companies can't think outside
I'm put of paper (Score:2, Funny)
can you fax me some?
Buy your own! (Score:2)
Linux Collada Exporter? (Score:4, Interesting)
This Shapeways 3D printing service requires models in Collada (or X3D) format. Other than running Windows SketchUp under Wine, which is so buggy that it crashes when you try to save a file, what's a really good, basic Linux 3D studio, suitable for learning in about 10-15 minutes how to sketch out accurate scale models of houses and basic landscape, that imports and exports Collada format?
Then I can 3D print the models, and I can export them to Google Earth. I could even download and import my neighborhood, tweak it, and 3D print it for my trainset.
They're a farking print bureau, big whoop (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
When I think of self-replicating devices I think of Viruses and T-1000 cybernetic organisms. I don't think I want a 13 year old hacker prodigy with Asperger Syndrome self-replicating things. The IRAA has had enough problems with the likes of Bram Cohen et al. And yes I've been self-diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, so beware what befalls me.
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Re: (Score:2)
Is that you, Charles Stross ?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
> Wake me up when we have a 3D printer that is capable of printing a 3D printer. Then we'll be on to something.
But if it copied itself, wouldn't the copy that came out be in the process of copying itself? If that happens, then it will become possible for someone to phsyically fork-bomb [wikipedia.org] the universe!
This is just the sort of end to the universe that Douglas Adams would have really appreciated.