Currently viewing the tag: "focus"

Everyone Is A Futurist Now

By On March 18, 2013 · Leave a Comment

In 1963, in the depths of the Cold War, all of the futurists in the world could probably assemble in a largish conference room and still have space for an overhead projector. Half a century later, it would take a small stadium to hold all of the people who use the title in some form

Continue Reading →

High-Speed 3D Nanostructure Printer Demonstrated At Photonics West Conference

By On February 9, 2013 · Leave a Comment

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports – Your Universe Online A device capable of quickly manufacturing three-dimensional objects smaller than the diameter of a human hair was recently presented by researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology ( KIT ). The researchers, who are officially affiliated with KIT spin-off organization Nanoscribe GmbH , demonstrated what they claim is the world’s fastest 3D printer of microstructures and nanostructures at the Photonics West international science fair, held from February 2 through February 7 in San Francisco, California. The device is “based on a novel laser lithography method” and can create miniscule three-dimensional objects “with minimum time consumption and maximum resolution,” officials from the high-tech company explained Wednesday in a statement.

Continue Reading →

The Trouble With 3D Printers

By On October 3, 2012 · Leave a Comment

You’re so intensely interested in 3D printing that you bought yourself a 3D printer. Great! You can design and print objects right in your own home.

Continue Reading →

3D Printing — Barriers to Adoption (Part 3)

By On September 19, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Sorry for the delay with this latest installment in the series of posts on barriers to adoption. A two-week vacation (much needed) and the subsequent catch-up period stood in the way of progress. In the two previous installments (part 1, part 2), I covered costs, materials and surface finish.

Continue Reading →

3D Print Your Own Board Game With Pocket Tactics

By On August 31, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Board games are ridiculously fun. I’m not talking about kiddy fare like “Monopoly” or “Sorry” here, but the real board games like “Betrayal at House on the Hill” and “Monsters Menace America.” Unfortunately, these games usually cost anywhere between $60 and $120 due to the large amount of plastic pieces. What’s a poor board game fan who just wants to play a simple strategy game to do?

Continue Reading →

3D Printing — Barriers to Adoption (Part 2)

By On August 26, 2012 · Leave a Comment

In the first post in this series on the limitations of 3D printing that create barriers to more widespread uptake by industrial users, the focus was all on costs — capital, consumable and lack of transparency.

Continue Reading →

Pondering Highly Detailed 3D Models

By On June 30, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Today’s personal 3D printers can produce many types of objects, but the fine details are often obscured due to resolution limitations on the printers. A typical home 3D printer today slices models into 0.2-0.5 mm layers, meaning you’ll not only see layering, but also not see any fine details. Eventually we’ll see the capabilities of personal 3D printers rise to enable fine detail printing.

Continue Reading →

3D Printed Voodoo

By On June 12, 2012 · Leave a Comment

As the popularity of 3D printing increases, so does its attraction to designers of incredible things. One designer we’ve noticed is Rob Elford, whose Shapeways shop, Hoodoo Botanical, exemplifies how designers are working in the space.

Continue Reading →