Best 3D Architecture Software You Should Be Using
By Max Gicklhorn
Are you looking for an architectural software? Here is a list of the best 3D architecture software to choose from.
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September 6, 2017 at 11:05PM
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Karl the Hornbill Receives a New 3D Printed Beak Prosthetic
By Hanna Watkin
Abyssinian ground hornbill Karl received a 3D printed prosthetic beak after staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo noticed he was struggling to eat.
3D printing has many applications. Within the realm of humanitarian efforts is providing animals with prosthetics so they can live more comfortable lives.
Recently, staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., noticed one of their birds was having difficulty eating. Thus it was decided that Karl, an Abyssinian ground hornbill, needed a replacement for his worn-down beak.
Hornbills have a unique way of eating, which involves picking up food, tossing it into their mouths, and swallowing it whole.
After 27 years and a lot of wear and tear, Karl’s lower beak wasn’t up to the task anymore. Thankfully, 3D printing came to the rescue.
Karl isn’t the only instance of animals receiving 3D printed prosthetics. All3DP has covered a range of similar stories, from dogs receiving bone implants to Animal Avengers coming to the rescue of the Victoria the Goose.
Before turning to 3D printing, zoo staff looked at a range of regular prosthetics for Karl. Unfortunately, none were natural enough to enable the bird to eat properly, with all of them simply falling off after just three weeks of use.
They therefore teamed up with specialists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. There it was decided to craft Karl a new beak that would be both stronger and, hopefully, more permanent.
In order to do so, the specialists first found a skull from a hornbill that had lived in the zoo in the 1930s. Scanning the beak in 3D, they were able to create a CAD model that fit to Karl.
The specialists then 3D printed the model using a Formlabs 3D printer and photopolymer resin. Final testing and tweaking, which took an additional five months, ensured that the design was perfect for Karl.
In an interview with Digital Trends, Gilber Myers, assistant curator at the National Zoo, had this to say:
“Karl is doing fantastic. Before adding the prosthetic, Karl had to adapt and figure out how to pick up daily food items offered by his animal caretakers… Now, Karl is not only able to consume any diet item that his caretakers provide, but he can hunt for earthworms, insects, frogs, toads, snakes, and small mammals that wander through his zoo habitat.”
Want to read more heart-warming stories about 3D printing benefiting animals? Check out All3DP’s animals tag, here.
Source: Smithsonian Insider
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September 6, 2017 at 09:02PM
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New Brunswick Researchers To Study Thought-Controlled 3D Printing
By Tyler Koslow
Canadian researchers to study applications of artificial intelligence in manufacturing 3D printing materials under new innovation program.
As technology continues to advance on all fronts, many experts believe we are on the cusp of the so-called fourth industrial revolution. 3D printing sits alongside other innovative instruments like automation, artificial intelligence, and also robotics as a heir to the throne of future manufacturing.
Now, Canadian researchers are looking to develop 3D printing technologies with “factories of the future” in mind. On Tuesday, the McCain Foundation announced a $1.25-million innovation program at the University of New Brunswick.
With a portion of the funding, one researcher plans to push additive manufacturing to the next level. To do this, mechanical engineer Ed Cyr will integrate other technologies into the process. Specifically, he will study the applications of artificial intelligence in the production of more advanced 3D printed materials.
Cyr will spend his UNB fellowship of around $50,000 to study the behavior of 3D printed materials. The overall goal of his research is to isolate the special properties and improve traditional manufacturing methods. The researcher will develop new 3D printing methods that are compatible with unique material behaviors not found in conventional materials.
The mechanical engineer is already studying 3D printed aluminum alloy that increases in strength when it undergoes certain types of stress. In an interview with The Star, Cyr explained the benefits of such a material:
“That would be would be useful for something like armour, perhaps, or maybe even building the wall of a ship. For impacts happening at higher speed, like an icebreaker, it would become stronger instead of more brittle.”
Eventually, the ambitious researcher plans to “push the boundaries” of manufacturing by looking into thought-powered 3D printing. With artificial intelligence and machine learning, computers are able to process thousands of designs, seamlessly deciding which are best. The concept is similar to MX3D’s robotic 3D printing arm that is constructing a bridge in Amsterdam using intelligent software.
Mohsen Mohammadi, a supervisor from UNB’s Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, hopes that Cyr’s research will find value outside of the lab and within a manufacturing plant soon. He adds that by coupling 3D printing technology with conventional machinery, the research will lead to the creation of local pilot “factories of the future” in New Brunswick.
Source: The Star
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September 6, 2017 at 06:55PM
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HP Integrates Siemens NX Into Multi Jet Fusion 3D Printers
By Tyler Koslow
HP and Siemens are forming a partnership to integrate NX product development and manufacturing software into HP Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers.
Ever since HP launched its highly anticipated Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers at RAPID 2016, the industry has placed high expectations upon these potentially revolutionary machines. These additive manufacturing systems have trickled their way into various 3D printing service bureaus and big-name companies. However, we’ve yet to see the full impact of the tech giant’s technology.
On Wednesday, HP and the German manufacturing conglomerate Siemens rolled out a major 3D printing integration partnership. Under the recently announced deal, HP’s Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers will be integrated with Siemens’ NX software platform. Conversely, Siemens NX module for HP’s 3D printing systems is also now certified.
Read More About HP 3D Printing: Signup for Early Access to HP Multi Jet Fusion with Shapeways
The NX software specializes in product development and industrial manufacturing, two aspects that HP plans to conquer with their technology. The new software module is aptly named “Siemens NX AM for HP Multi Jet Fusion.”
Now, customers will be able to develop and manage parts in a single software environment for their HP 3D Printing projects. The module will help avoid costly and time-consuming data conversions, eliminate the need for third-party tools, and will also improve their overall design-to-finished-part workflow efficiency.
Siemens and HP will also align on future technology roadmaps, enabling product engineers to take full advantage of 3D printing. NX users will be able to combine design, optimization, simulation, preparation of print jobs, and inspection processes all in one environment.
According to Michelle Bockman, the global head of 3D Printing Commercial Expansion and Development at HP, the partnership will spark promising potential for product development.
“HP and Siemens are bringing together the best in design and manufacturing workflow software for the best in 3D printing, unleashing a wave of new product possibilities with the speed, quality, and economics required for the modern digital industrial era. We look forward to collaborating with Siemens to continually raise the industry bar on what’s possible for customers with the voxel-level design capabilities of our Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing solutions.”
HP Multi Jet Fusion users will now be able load and automatically nest multiple 3D part models into NX. This feature will make the most of the printer’s limited print volume.
In the future, the module will allow unprecedented control of material characteristics down to the individual voxel-level. This means that users will be able to modify and print parts with specialized textures, density, strength, and friction. On top of that, NX users can enhance thermal, electrical, and conductivity characteristics as well.
All in all, HP and Siemens both share the same objective, to further the industrialization of 3D printing technology. By partnering up and integrating NX software into the acclaimed Multi Jet Fusion systems, the two companies will most certainly be on the forefront of additive manufacturing innovation.
Source: HP
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September 6, 2017 at 05:28PM
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World’s 8 Best VR Roller Coaster Rides
By Matthew Mensley
Seeking out thrills via VR roller coaster rides? Check out our guide to the tech, games, apps, and real life examples of VR roller coasters.
The post World’s 8 Best VR Roller Coaster Rides appeared first on All3DP.
September 6, 2017 at 04:30PM
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16 Best-Selling 3D Printer Parts & Accessories at Amazon
By Franklin Houser
Bring your 3D printer to the next level. Here are the essential 3D printer parts & accessories you can find at Amazon.
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September 6, 2017 at 02:59PM
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Thyssenkrupp Opens TechCenter Additive Manufacturing Facility in Germany
By Tyler Koslow
The German engineering giant Thyssenkrupp has officially opened its first additive manufacturing facility in Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
Back in April, the German engineering pioneer Thyssenkrupp announced plans to launch its first additive manufacturing facility. This week, the TechCenter Additive Manufacturing center finally opened in Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany. The official ribbon cutting is expected to spark the start of a new relationship between Thyssenkrupp and 3D printing technology.
According to Hans-Josef Hoß, a board member of Thyssenkrupp Materials Services, the company is well positioned to take on the industrial market.
“We know exactly what materials are best suited to what products and have the logistics and project management experience to help the TechCenter advance quickly. We involved our customers from the word go and can manufacture parts quickly in line with their individual requirements and in batch sizes as low as one.”
Thyssenkrupp CEO Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger claims that the commitment to the emerging technology is a major part of the company’s digital transformation strategy. Using decades of their own engineering experience, the manufacturer will work with research partners with knowledge in additive manufacturing.
At the moment, the TechCenter Additive Manufacturing facility has just two 3D machines on the floor, a plastic SLS 3D printer and also a metal 3D printer. The latter is an EOS M 290 SLM 3D printing platform.
The small team from Thyssenkrupp will receive support from an interdisciplinary additive manufacturing project group set up by the company back in 2015. In fact, the group is also in the middle of trying to secure several patents for 3D printed products. For the engineering giant, 3D printing technology will enable more design and also manufacturing freedom.
“For the first time, we can focus fully on the design itself without having to factor in the restrictions imposed by conventional manufacturing processes – that opens up completely new potential for innovation,” said Dr Reinhold Achatz, Chief Technology Officer at Thyssenkrupp.
The TechCenter team will also pick up on the work initiated by the project group. The overall aim is to further technological development. Additionally, the staff will focus on projects that showcase how 3D printing can impact the industry. At first,Thyssenkrupp’s central development department will manage the additive manufacturing facility. However, after three years, the TechCenter will fall under the company’s Materials Services business sector.
Source: TCT Magazine
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September 6, 2017 at 12:58AM
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20 Best Custom Nerf Gun Attachments to 3D Print
By Claire Sembera
The days of simple single-firing Nerf guns are over. Embrace the new age and retrofit your arsenal with the best custom Nerf gun attachments out there.
The post 20 Best Custom Nerf Gun Attachments to 3D Print appeared first on All3DP.
September 5, 2017 at 10:59PM
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Artist Ironically Scans Tasmanian Eucalyptus Tree and 3D Prints it in Paper
By Hanna Watkin
Associate professor at Cornell University, Jack Elliott is 3D scanning and printing a tree to make a point about the forest industry.
Is there any better way to raise awareness than through art? Artist and associate professor at New York State’s Cornell University, Jack Elliot points the spotlight at the Tasmanian forest industry with his latest bit of ironic sculpture.
Elliott has begun the project by scanning a Tasmanian Eucalyptus tree, which he then plans to 3D print using paper. Accomplishing this later stage will make use of Mcor 3D printing paper technology.
The project may sound nonsensical, but Elliott has sound reason to use art to pique people’s interests. After all, it was through speaking to Tasmanian locals during an arts residency at the University of Tasmania’s Cradle Coast Campus that he learned of the state’s forestry troubles.
In a decision to turn the industry’s process on its head, instead of cutting a tree, he will scan and print it in 3D. The result, he explains, will be “scaled down, of course, and maybe only parts or sections of the tree… But it will be made of paper and that’s what I’m shooting for. There’s a great irony there.”
The “model” tree was originally scheduled to be removed from the Burnie campus for being a hazard. Yet, after Elliott discussed his ideas with UTAS, they agreed to cut down only the top of the tree, allowing the artist to work on the remaining stump.
To begin the project, Elliott first removed the bark from the dead tree. That took him about a week. He then digitally scanned the contours of the tree using laser scanners fitted to iPads and techniques from photogrammetry.
The next step will be to create a model from the scans and to 3D print the tree in the USA. The choice of working with paper also seeks to acknowledge Burnie’s paper making history.
The final paper print should be very solid. However, at just 30 cm, it will be less of a replica, and more of a symbol. Elliott explains:
“The idea is to inform people about the human-nature relationship, all of which is going pretty badly right now, right? Trees serve as a good metaphor for a lot of these issues, everything from invasive species to global warming, population ecology… So when I did research on Tasmania I was looking for a good tree story.”
The artist particularly struggles with the idea of cutting down the world’s tallest, most majestic organisms in order to produce everyday items like paper and toothpicks, especially when such items could be made from many other materials.
To find out more, you can listen to Elliott talk about his project in an interview with ABC Northern Tasmania, on Soundcloud. And if you’d like to know more about the technology Elliott is using, read about past uses of Mcor printers on All3DP or visit the Mcor website.
Source: ABC News
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September 5, 2017 at 09:03PM
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3D Print Lego: Bricks, Heads, Pieces, and More
By Franklin Houser
Lego and 3D printing are a match made in heaven. How about 3D printed Lego curved bricks, superhero figurines or Lego to Brio converters?
The post 3D Print Lego: Bricks, Heads, Pieces, and More appeared first on All3DP.
September 5, 2017 at 06:59PM
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thingiverse novita’
3d print ......errori ed esperienze, 