Fabbaloo

Print Your Guitar

2009-12-27T02:25:00.000-06:00

Every one of us is a specialist in something, and our belief is that great things happen when different specialists intersect to combine the expertise from different disciplines. One such collision recently took place at RedEyeOnDemand, a popular 3D print service.

It turns out that Tim Thellin and several co-workers at RedEye are hobby musicians, and they decided to put the two skills together. They experimented with different guitar styles and build materials, and eventually came up with a variety of interesting instruments:

It started out as a gimmick to build something really different that would stand out for use at tradeshows. So, we made our first two telecaster style guitars out of PC-ISO and ABSi red materials. The sleek, translucent look of the PC-ISO only added to its rigidness and durability. Then, we chose ABSi red to build something in a different color that we could send to Stratasys' European sales office for use as samples and at their tradeshows. We quickly learned how easy it was to create custom designs with intricate geometries using the FDM technology.

We couldn't stop with single color projects, so we worked on a truly custom design and build a double S-shaped guitar for Stratasys using ABS black and blue. We further enhanced the complexity using PolyJet Clear and Vero White for the knobs.

To accomplish this, Tim first purchased an actual guitar so that he could reuse the non-printable bits as well as get some hints about dimensions and layouts. The video shows some of the process undertaken and the resulting rather unconventional guitar. Future designs are limited only by their imagination.

Amazing stuff, but we're wondering whether this opens up a legal question: what happens if someone buys an object and then precisely copies it? Could that be considered "personal use" by means of making a "backup copy" of the object? Whose Stratocaster is that?

Via YouTube and RedEye On Demand

Shrunken Heads at Opend3DP!

2009-12-26T02:23:00.000-06:00

The folks at Open3DP continue to investigate ways to produce 3D glass printing, and they've been quite successful so far. A recent post shows their work, but as one can clearly see in their image, a problem is shrinkage during the post-printing firing phase. Yes, that's right - the image on the right shows the degree of shrinkage by firing the original glass-printed object on the left.

This poses an interesting dilemma for future software makers: they'll have to include features that account for post-printing shrinkage. In the shrunken-head example above there's not much issue, but one can imagine the complexities that might occur with supports, tightly-fitting designs, multi-part assembly and designs dependent on precise dimensions.

Via Open3DP

Merry Christmas to 3D Printing!

2009-12-25T01:01:00.000-06:00

We haven't believed in Santa for, well, a while now. But for the moment we wondered what gifts Santa might bring to the world of 3D printing….

For MakerBot: a gigantic sack full of MakerBot parts with elves to put them together
For (the former) Desktop Factory: a new start with lots of cash (oh wait, they already got that from 3D Systems!)
For Nick Jones of Gartner: His very own 3D printer, with many cartridges of material
For MCOR, makers of the 3D Paper Printer: A North American sales office
For Shapeways 3D print service: An integrated finishing service
For Bre Prettis: a live demo of MakerBot on Letterman
For us: a 3D Food Printer that actually works. We're hungry!

Best of the season to everyone!

O'Reilly Names 3D Printing Best Tech of The Decade, Sorta

2009-12-24T02:17:00.001-06:00

That's correct: James Turner at O'Reilly Radar has produced a list of what they believe to be the best (and worst) technologies of the past decade. Among the storied items on the list, "The Maker Culture" is prominently mentioned:

There's always been a DIY underground, covering everything from Ham radio to photography to model railroading. But the level of cool has taken a noticeable uptick this decade, as cheap digital technology has given DIY a kick in the pants. The Arduino lets anyone embed control capabilities into just about anything you can imagine, amateur PCB board fabrication has gone from a messy kitchen sink operation to a click-and-upload-your-design purchase, and the 3D printer is turning the Star Trek replicator into a reality.

We agree with that completely. And we agree with this even more:

Manufacturers cringe in fear as enterprising geeks dig out their screwdrivers. The conventional wisdom was that as electronics got more complex, the "no user serviceable parts" mentality would spell the end of consumer experimentation. But instead, the fact that everything is turning into a computer meant that you could take a device meant for one thing, and reprogram it to do something else.

For reference, O'Reilly's complete list of best tech includes:

AJAX
Twitter
Ubiquitous WiFi (except where we seem to be, for some reason)
Smartphones
Open Source
Hardware and Network availability

And their worst list includes:

SOAP
Intellectual Property shenanigans
Scrum Cults
The Ubiquitous Workplace (we ESPECIALLY agree with this last one)

A great list by James and the others at O'Reilly. But what might happen during the next decade? Remember, the 21st Century is now 10% over.

Via O'Reilly Radar

3D Ping Pong by Materialise

2009-12-23T02:15:00.000-06:00

Materialise, one of the larger 3D print services recently did an experiment using their new "Extreme" stereolithography material. They call it extreme because it's quite robust, with an impact strength of 0.45J/cm.

How robust, you might ask? Apparently strong enough to make ping pong paddles from the material and play a real game with them: "Even smashing is possible!" Don't believe us? Watch the video.

The material would be great for snap-lock parts or extra-durable cases. We're wondering when this robustness will make its way from stereolithography into 3D printers.

Via Materialise

Bios in San Jose!

2009-12-22T02:09:00.000-06:00

The ZER01 Art and Technology Network is preparing for what promises to be a spectacular event in September 2010 in San Jose, California. The event is an art exhibition held every two years, and this year's theme is "Build Your Own World". Now that's the a theme Fabbaloo readers would like to hear more about.

One of the exhibitors will be the BIOS Collective: "BIOS collective is a working group of academic and professional designers exploring the application of biological patterns to architecture."

We've written about their interesting work before.

According to Charles Lee, Co-Founder & President of the Bios Design Collective:

We are hoping for a close relationship with the 3d community to try to help realize our project. The installation is entitled Coloniatechne and it is our hope that when complete it would be the largest collection of 3d printed panels yet assembled. We have budgeted for the purchase of at least three Reprap machines and hope to have them continuously run in a musuem or gallery setting for most of the next year for the final installation in September. Since we have only won the concept design phase of the project the specifics of the where has not been resolved yet. We want to make the production of the panels open to the whole 3d community in the hopes we can achieve the production of all the "Polyps" we need.

The ColoniaTechne project is uses the principles of agent-based self organization to form the structures. While these principles are found in many places within not only nature but also human society, Bios have chosen Coral as the inspiration of the ColoniaTechne project.

Our project proposes an interpretation of the qualities shared between complex biological systems – like coral – and the collaborative distributed networks found in 21st century human electronic culture. To create our project, we will draw from two open-source communities: one centered around the development of the “Replicating Rapid Prototyper” (RepRap) and one centered around the development of software for an open-source microcontroller (Arduino). With the help of these two communities, and SJ Zero-One, we will create a self-organized, interactive sculpture who’s behavior runs on crowd-sourced algorithms.

Bios plans to build a "Pavilion" at a point of high traffic and waiting area for convention commuters, where they will be astonished by the displays. Inside the pavilion unique "polyps" will use genetic algorithm-equipped "Grasshopper" software to develop the objects. However:

Grasshopper, and its companion program Rhino, are both down-loadable as fully functional trial versions, and so are available to anybody with a computer to run them. We will post a base algorithm on our blog, asking people to download and modify it to create their own versions. We will print their designs on our machines, or encourage them to print their own when possible, and drop them off. As our collection of polyps grows throughout the summer, we will add them to the base structure.

They're still in the early stages of this enormous project, but we thought there are many willing participants in the Fabbaloo sphere that might want to contact Bios to participate. "The project is still in concept design and will definitely develop in the coming months. We are looking for new members to help participate on the project so please feel free to contact Charles, Chris or Jess about possible opportunities and contributions."

Via Bios and ZER01

MakerBot Hall of Fame

2009-12-21T01:31:00.000-06:00

The MakerBot guys are not just hardware and software geniuses. They are marketing genuises, too. They've set up a "Hall of Fame" for MakerBot users, in the best use of Game Theory we've yet seen in the 3D printing space. This is a terrific approach that we think will definitely make more things happen in the MakerBot world. We thought the Fame Categories were pretty interesting:

Tallest Print
Biggest Volume
Longest Print
Most Complex
Best Replication
Biggest Overhang
Highest Resolution
Most Awesome Print Ever

With the exception of the last category, all of them are specifically challenging MakerBot users to Make the Machine Better. Building on their previous approach of convincing their customers to build MakerBot for them, they've now set up a framework for customers to improve the product. Well Done, MakerBot!

We can't wait to see the Most Awesome Print Ever, too.

Another thought: Should there be a Hall of Shame? Maybe not, because it'd probably end up being an array of badly colored lumps. Ugh.

Via MakerBot

The Spatter

2009-12-20T01:50:00.001-06:00

We bumped into this intriguing 3D design on Flickr, produced by Phil Renato. According to the Flickr notes, the item was printed by Mike Gayk at 3D Systems University in "Projet thermophotopolymer", for which we can't locate any more data.

The fine details are interesting, and evidently some work was done to accomplish this:

I sanded and polished it using my standard series of auto paint finishing steps - and it got bluer and smoother and more translucent. As I progressed through, however, to wax etc the build texture started reappearing. Then I drilled out and set the studs with epoxy (as the material is not a thermoformable once photoset) - and I used a 250W halogen bulb about 12" away to kick the glue (60min glue, let sit 9 hours with lamp on). When I went to get it, it was this crazy pastel/white blue with all of the build texture coming through - even while the surface remained "polished." Crazy.

Via Flickr

Definitive Guide Complete?

2009-12-19T01:29:00.001-06:00

Make Magazine has produced a complete list of open source hardware projects, ranging in categories from 3D Printing, Arduino, Clocks, Development Platforms, Green Energy, Games, Medical, Robotics and many other areas. The category of interest to us, is of course, 3D printing. There we find the major open projects listed:

Contraptor
Fab@Home
MakerBeam
MakerBot
RepRap

And that is indeed the list of the major projects, but we wonder whether there are other smaller projects that might be considered for such a list? Over the past two years we've written on several independent projects attempting various angles on 3D printing. But at least so far, none have reached the heights these five have made.

Via Make

Designing Interface Architecture

2009-12-18T01:25:00.001-06:00

FABberz and the Live Architecture Network are collaborating on a new venture to bring design tools to students in Brazil. Their idea: produce collaborative designs with residents and students to improve housing conditions in the slums of Rio de Janeiro.

They'll be holding a series of workshops leading up to the 2016 Olympics, which are being held in Rio in that year. The first workshop will be held with local architects soon. Students will be introduced to "cutting edge parametric design tools", and their goal will be housing that is not only affordable, but also sustainable. Hopefully issues with housing, crime and drugs will be reduced.

The project needs funding, as all projects do. They've chosen to use Kickstarter as their fundraising platform. The project requires USD$7,000, but has only $1,000 as of this writing. Deadline: January 9, 2010. If you would like to support this worthy venture, please proceed directly to the link below!

And you thought there were few good spin-offs from the Olympics!

Via KickStarter

Let's Download Some Hardware!

2009-12-17T01:20:00.000-06:00

Bryan Bishop and Ben Lipkowitz talk about their new open source venture: SKDB. What is it? It's a open source hardware distribution framework that takes cues from the highly successful software world.

The software world was held back for decades by centrally controlled proprietary paradigms, but blossomed when open source principles took hold. Today we see open source software dominating almost all aspects of software, and software designers often spend their time designing higher-level systems by using open source software as building blocks.

That success was most visibly demonstrated by Debian, a project to produce a specific distribution of the Linux operating system. One of Debian's key features was a means to quickly obtain software or software upgrades very easily by using the APT-GET command. The command pulls down not only the software you requested, but all related items it depends on. This approach was used by Ubuntu, who produce one of the most popular operating systems on the planet.

Bishop and Lipkowitz believe the same approach could break open the 3D fabbing market by making it terrifically easy for makers to access high quality conglomerations of models. The software makers went farther than just using software, however, as they built more complex software on top of simpler components distributed via APT-GET. The same forms of assembly are used to produce 3D objects, and thus the theory is that similar product complexity can be achieved.

Via Youtube (part 1), YouTube (part 2), YouTube (Part 3), Slides here and the SKDB site (Hat tip to Bryan)

3D Printers Should Not Be Banned

2009-12-16T01:16:00.000-06:00

Last week we posted our thoughts on Gartner's Nick Jones' article suggesting that 3D printers might be banned in the future as they might overflow our streets with discarded plastic items. We don't think the world will look like a McDonalds Happy Meal Toy graveyard anytime soon, and apparently neither does anyone else, either.

Followup articles quickly appeared at Ponoko and Erik de Bruijn's blog, where the comments flew in definite disagreement. Many commenters cited exploratory work on biodegradable materials, but also the notion that residential or even distributed 3D printing would save significant amounts of carbon due to avoidance of object shipment. It's even possible to run our home fabber using wind/solar/geothermal power. One commenter asked:

The question is should I be getting carbon credits for using a reprap in my direct recycling efforts?

We think 3D printing can be an environmentally friendly method of manufacturing, if done right. The commenters and thousands of others working on the problem are going to make certain it is.

Via Ponoko and Erik de Bruijn

Darwin's Ring

2009-12-15T01:13:00.000-06:00

Multiple tips arrived this week directing us to a rather amazing design: FluidForm's Evolve Ring Silver, designed by Michal Piasecki and Krystian Kwiecinski. Not only does this item look very attractive, it also has a scientific heritage: The design was machine generated by Artificial Intelligence software, specifically a genetic algorithm. GAs use simulations of reproducing generations to gradually "evolve" a solution.

Piasecki and Kwiecinski designed a GA specifically to produce such rings and this is their result.

But it doesn't end there. This GA is evidently to become part of Fluid Forms' standard service. In other words you'll soon be able to use the GA as a "ring configurator" to generate a unique ring of your own! They say this is mass customization, and it is.

But it's also Customized Evolution. Your solution, grown in seconds.

Via FluidForms and Michal Piasecki (Hat tip to Andreas, Bryan and Kerry)

FOC Explores 3D Paper Printing

2009-12-14T02:17:00.000-06:00

We've written a few times about the amazing paper 3D printer from MCOR, which uses common A4 paper as it's build material. Now we see it being used by a professional design firm: Freedom Of Creation.

They've been experimenting with the device and produced the iPhone cover shown above. As you can see, they slipped in a stack of rainbow-colored paper into the MCOR's input hopper, resulting the multicoloured iPhone cover. With paper printing, the object can be colored before it's even made!

Some comments from FOC on this technology:

What is intriguing about printing in paper is that the process itself is fairly simple, its about stacking layers of paper and removing what you don’t need.

It’s the greenest and most low-cost technology for 3D printing, therefore Freedom Of Creations’ Imagineering department is researching possible applications ranging from collection products to scale models and promotional material for clients.

It sounds like they'll be making good use of the technology in coming months. Can we have that in green?

Via Freedom Of Creation

3D Systems Unveils The Biggest!

2009-12-13T02:15:00.001-06:00

3D Printer manufacturer 3D Systems demonstrated their new Projet 5000 Large Format 3D printer at the EuroMold conference. Is this just another 3D printer? No - there's something unique about this one.

It possibly has the largest build chamber available in a 3D printer today: a staggering 55 x 39 x 30 cm. To accompany that statistic, the Projet 5000 can also run for an amazing 80 unattended hours, due to its ability to hold up to 8 material delivery modules.

For those applications that absolutely require the large build size, this will be welcome news. No word on pricing yet, but it's probably more than we can afford.

Via 3D Systems

Micro-Machining Process

2009-12-12T02:14:00.000-06:00

Swiss-based BESTinCLASS, developers of the very cool Micro-Machining Process (MMP), have come to terms with EOS, makers of laser-sintering equipment for exclusive use of MMP in the UK. We're a little puzzled, since we heard earlier that BESTinCLASS had awarded exclusivity to First Surface.

Nevertheless, we believe this finishing process is quite interesting. The process apparently uses a combination of mechanical, physical and chemical techniques against a surface. Key features:

Surface finishes can be controlled selectively up to a mirror-like polish
Costs and turnaround times are predictable and controlled
Finishes can be reproduced to industrial standards for multiple parts
Treated parts are free from contamination

You can see the results in the image above.

We wonder whether MMP could be used on metal 3D printed objects? Or better yet, included as a feature in 3D printers. That capability would certainly raise the profile of 3D printing outside of the technically-oriented early adopters, because smooth finishes appear more professional to the uninitiated.

And everyone loves shiny objects.

Via EOS

SOLIDO SD300 Pro

2009-12-11T02:10:00.001-06:00

Israeli-based SOLIDO announced a new 3D printer: the SOLIDO SD300 Pro, which succeeds the previous SD300. The SD300 uses Plastic Sheet Lamination technology to produce 3D objects:

The materials used in the SD300 Pro are a combination of PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride) and our own adhesive which results in rugged yet inexpensive models. These models can be machined, drilled, finished and painted and show no distortion over time.

Available material colors are: Amber transparent, Red, Blue, Black and Cream, and the layer thickness is 0.168mm. The moderately sized build chamber is 16 x 21 x 13.5 cm, able to handle small objects easily.

SOLIDO makes a point that this is an office device:

Anyone can operate the SD300 3D Printer. The model build process requires no intervention and the replacement of consumable materials can be done by anyone - it is no more complicated than changing cartridges on a copy machine or a 2D printer. The SD300 creates no ambient dust or residue so there is no cleanup required after each build.

While not quite as green as MCOR's paper 3D printer, SOLIDO does include a recycling kit with each printer, enabling you to easily return unused raw material back to SOLIDO.

The best part: the price of the SD300 Pro is only €2,950 (USD$4,375). Does this make it a sub-USD$5,000 3D printer? We think so!

Via SOLIDO

Shapeways Expands Materials

2009-12-10T02:07:00.000-06:00

As they've done many times in the past, the Shapeways 3D printing service has expanded the materials available for builds. This time they've announced some very interesting options for makers:

"Grey Robust" is a rigid material similar to their previous "Cream Robust". But let's face it: "Cream" just doesn't sound very robust, does it? Accordingly, they've rebranded their rigid material in a very iron and steel-colored grey shade. We think this is a great move.
"Black, Strong & Flexible" accompanies their current "White, Strong and Flexible" material. We think many more applications will be possible, simply because of the new color.
"Antique Bronze" is a new metal material that can be used on selected models from Shapeways. We're hoping this material is available for general use in the future, because one can imagine a variety of interesting applications.

Why are we so interested in a few new colors? Simply because people resonate with colors. When people see objects they immediately register some feelings based on their initial impression. Consider a comparison between identical objects, one made from Antique Bronze and the other from primitive semi-transparent cream, as typically emerged from earlier 3D printers? What would the general public think? Yes, we think so too. More materials definitely equals better.

If you want to tell Shapeways what materials to provide in the future, you might want to join this discussion.

Via Shapeways

Commercial Bioprinting Available Now

2009-12-09T02:06:00.000-06:00

Invetech announced the availability of a commercial 3D Bioprinter. It's being distributed by Organovo to research institutions around the world.

What's a Bioprinter? It's essentially a 3D printer that deposits living cells according to a 3D model to form actual living tissue that can potentially be used inside living organisms. Typically a scaffold is used to hold the living bits while they fuse together, which then dissolves over time to leave the completed tissue.

Now don't expect to pick one of these up at Wal-Mart and print out a few spare kidneys and a spleen for Uncle Fred anytime soon - this technology is still very early. In fact, the Invetech device is being used for research in this area, rather than end-organism production of usable bioparts.

The printer differs from garden-variety 3D printers in several respects. According to the press release:

The printer, developed by Invetech, fits inside a standard biosafety cabinet for sterile use. It includes two print heads, one for placing human cells, and the other for placing a hydrogel, scaffold, or support matrix. One of the most complex challenges in the development of the printer was being able to repeatedly position the capillary tip, attached to the print head, to within microns. This was essential to ensure that the cells are placed in exactly the right position. Invetech developed a computer controlled, laser-based calibration system to achieve the required repeatability.

Invetech will ship several of the new printers during 2010 and 2011.

Via BusinessWire and Singularity Hub (Hat tip to Micah)

3D Printers: Banned?

2009-12-08T02:04:00.000-06:00

Gartner Analyst Nick Jones postulates banning consumer 3D printers in the future due to environmental concerns. He suspects we'll accumulate vast piles of non-biodegradable plastic bits, much like we accumulate paper today that comes from our 2D paper printers. Jones:

But as one of my clients pointed out yesterday, do we really want an affordable domestic fabber? Fabbers will likely “print” objects using some form of plastic. So the inevitable consequence of mass market fabbing will be a huge increase in the amount of non-biodegradable plastic waste clogging up the planet for hundreds of years into the future. Should we maybe ban fabbers before the problem arises? Like most problems there are solutions, like biodegradable plastic. But if we wait until all the problems with a technology are solved before we permit it, then we will waste a decade or two of potential value; and in any case there’s no way we can predict all the social and environmental issues associated with a new technology before it arrives.

We agree that there is no way to predict the future, but that's how innovation occurs: let people find the new paths through new technology. As for plastic, many 3D printers do print in various forms of plastic, but as Fabbaloo readers may recall, there are experiments or even commercially released processes using non-plastic materials, such as metal, glass or ceramics. Other 3D printing also involve biodegradable material such as paper, wax, rubber, sugar, pasta, nutella or even living cells! A prime example of environmentally friendly (and inexpensive) 3D printing is MCOR's paper-based 3D printer.

While the big commercial 3D printing manufacturers focus on exotic print materials, smaller projects try pretty much anything in their devices. And they are the ones who will identify the environmentally friendly solutions.

Via Gartner

Planter Bricks

2009-12-07T01:20:00.003-06:00

This one seems so obvious to us now after seeing it, but originality always comes from those who are the first to invent something. This time it's a special brick used to hold vegetation, and you can see various styles in the image above.

The bricks were designed by San Fratello Architects, who explain:

The planter brick wall is designed to be a combination of traditional masonry units combined with units that can hold plants and vegetation. Most plants do not need much, if any, soil but they do need water and nutrients.

This unique approach enables a wide variety of plants to be accommodated within structures, especially those with low water and nutrient requirements.

As for the manufacturing process, it's a hybrid of 21st Century and Prehistoric:

The planter bricks are 3D printed using direct digital manufacturing . The bricks are modeled in a 3D software application and the digital file is sent directly to the 3D printer for manufacture. This means a very diverse and infinitely unique selection of bricks can be manufactured based on the clients or designers desires for a particular application. The bricks are manufactured with clay instead of more ephemeral powders that are typically used for rapid prototyping . The 3d clay prints are then bisque fired at cone 5 and glazed to make them waterproof.

What other variants of bricks could be contemplated?

Via Rael San Fratello Architects

.STL Overview

2009-12-06T01:18:00.000-06:00

There's a terrific overview of .STL and in fact the modelling and 3D printing process available at InstaTuts. It takes you through a simple explanation of how .STL works and how it is produced by modeling software. Eventually the model (a boxer, pictured) is sent to a Dimension SST 3D Printer for production.

Via InstaTuts

Pleasant Tuning of a MakerBot

2009-12-05T01:17:00.001-06:00

Pleasant Hardware's blog deals with the nuts and bolts of 3D printing, and recently they've been doing experiments with their MakerBot. One of the experiments involves printing "without a raft". The raft is that cross-hatch base layer used to isolate the object from the build platform itself. Their advice:

I recently started with printing objects without a raft (another thing not really advisable without a heated build surface).

Printing without a raft is still tricky, especially when printing complex shapes (like tooth wheels or something like that). So I started with more or less rectangular objects.

Removing the raft obviously saves wasted material, but also simplifies the finishing process since you don't need to shave the raft off your shiny object.

We are truly encouraged by this type of activity; not so much because we have another iPod dock printed, but because it represents something very important: home-based 3D printing is slowly being tuned by not only Pleasant Hardware, but by many others too. The crowd is improving MakerBot, little by little.

Where will we be in a year?

Via Pleasant Hardware

Makers, by Doctorow

2009-12-04T01:13:00.000-06:00

Author and activist Cory Doctorow's latest novel, Makers, paints a picture of the future as influenced by the maker communities of today. From Random House Audio's audiobook description:

Perry and Lester invent things—seashell robots that make toast, Boogie Woogie Elmo dolls that drive cars. They also invent entirely new economic systems, like the "New Work," a New Deal for the technological era. Barefoot bankers cross the nation, microinvesting in high-tech communal mini-startups like Perry and Lester's. Together, they transform the country, and Andrea Fleeks, a journo-turned-blogger, is there to document it.

Then it slides into collapse. The New Work bust puts the dot.combomb to shame. Perry and Lester build a network of interactive rides in abandoned Wal-Marts across the land. As their rides, which commemorate the New Work's glory days, gain in popularity, a rogue Disney executive grows jealous, and convinces the police that Perry and Lester's 3D printers are being used to run off AK-47s.

Hordes of goths descend on the shantytown built by the New Workers, joining the cult. Lawsuits multiply as venture capitalists take on a new investment strategy: backing litigation against companies like Disney. Lester and Perry's friendship falls to pieces when Lester gets the 'fatkins' treatment, turning him into a sybaritic gigolo.

Then things get really interesting.

We think so too, and more than likely many Fabbaloo readers will as well. There's a couple of ways to obtain Makers:

Buy the Audiobook from Borders Online
Read the serialized version on Tor.Com, who are publishing a small chunk twice a week, ending in January
Buy the physical book from MacMillan

Cory Doctorow has long been writing innovative fiction, often focused on the maker and geek cultures. Hope you enjoy it!

Via Craphound (Hat tip to Javier)

Sciaky's EBF3

2009-12-03T01:09:00.000-06:00

Following on from our previous posts on the promising EBF3 technique (Electron Beam FreeForm Fabrication), we bumped into a video showing a commercial implementation from Sciaky. The video shows the build process as well as highlighting the key benefits:

Drastically reduce material costs
Dramatically shorten lead times
Slash machining time
Save over costly forgings or castings
eliminate wait time for dies, moulds and billets

The resulting object looks a little rough, but the normal approach is to follow up with some serious machining time to complete the object. According to the video, the part above was printed with Titanium Wire source material over a period of 56 hours. It's to be followed with approximately 60 hours of machining. The total 116 hours is lower than using traditional manufacturing techniques.

The Sciaky printer also accepts powder material as well as wire fed, and can print an amazing 15-40 pounds of material per hour sustained, with even higher burst rates. It can even alter the chemistry or alloy during printing.

We're adding Titanium Wire to our weekly shopping list right now!

Via YouTube and Sciaky (Hat tip to Kerry)