3d printing - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• 3D printers to become cheaper as shipments grow

  Worldwide shipments of 3D printers will nearly double by 2015, driving down the cost of the technology, according to analyst firm Gartner.

• Hungry? Let's print lunch

  Pablos Holman sees a day not too far off when our diets will be tailored to our metabolisms, adding a few bits of broccoli, a smattering of beets and some meat - all extruded from a 3D printer in an appetizing form to please our palates.

• In Pictures: The worst of 3D printing hype

  Undoubtedly, 3D printing is a groundbreaking technology with the potential to change the world. However, the technology has been over-hyped lately, so much so that some experts anticipate consumers will be largely disappointed with the technology’s reality.

• In Pictures: The year in 3D printing (so far)

  With the Inside 3D Printing conference kicking off this week, what better time than now to recap what has been the most eventful year for 3D printing technology so far.

• NSW Police issues warning on 3D printed guns

  New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione today issued a warning on the potential for 3D printed guns to be used in serious crimes in the state.

• 3D printers: Not for the average consumer

  Consumers getting excited about the idea of at-home 3D printers may not want to get their hopes up anytime soon, Gartner research director Pete Basiliere says.

• 3D printer prints its own upgrades

  The 3D printing scene is just getting weirder and weirder as more and more 3D printers get out into the wild. Today's 3D printing development is a series of extendable clamps that allows the MakerBot 3D printer to print larger objects. This is not particularly strange on its own. The weirdness: The clamps can be printed by MakerBots.

• Vase made with 3D printer: What can't 3D printing do?

  Last week, GeekTech bought you the story of the awesome Lego 3D scanner, which literally bought two-dimensional Lego objects to life. Now, quirky gift company Shapeways has taken it one step further, creating an intricate glass vase that your grandma would be proud of--with a printer. The team used a custom 3D printer to print out the floral shaping of the vase, so the full tech specifications are still slim. However they did use a mould prior to printing and finished up with lead glass enamels.

• 3D printing may bring legal challenges, group says

  A coming revolution in 3D printing, with average consumers able to copy and create new three-dimensional objects at home, may lead to attempts by patent holders to expand their legal protections, a new paper says.

• Upcoming Fujifilm printer brings 3D home

  If you've picked up a 3D camera from Fujifilm and are basking in the glory of its 3D display, what are you going to do with the 3D photos you've taken, aside from view them on your slick new 3D HDTV? Rather than order 3D photos from Fujifilm directly, you'll soon be able to print your 3D shots from the comfort of your own home.

• 3D printing coming to the desktop

  Hewlett-Packard, reigning inkjet giant, has partnered with Stratasys, a leading manufacturer of rapid prototyping machines, to bring 3D "printing" of solid objects to the desktop.The HP-Stratasys models have been described as small enough to sit on a desktop, quiet enough to use in an office, and priced under US$15,000.