All posts filed under: RP

Comparing Open-Source and Low-cost 3D Printers with Commercial Products

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When the typewriter was introduced in 1868, it was to people what virtual reality is to us now. It was something people had never seen before, a new idea that added value and made things a little more perfect. The typewriter created perfect typography, but one mistake meant the paper had to be re-written. The same is true today as more and more people learn how to use 3D printing and rapid prototyping. One over-looked mistake in the design of a piece can be fatal to a budget or to the project itself. For that reason, in this article we will discuss the implications and differences between open-source low-cost 3D printers, and commercial rapid prototyping machines. Open-Source Low-Cost 3D Printers Open-Source is the term given to software that is free to use and be edited by people other than the creator. This made a shift in the way that creators and 3D enthusiasts create objects. Imagine if the software was not open-sourced, what would happen? People would have to create and design their own 3D …

Rapid Prototyping in the Fine Arts, Architecture, Jewelry and Industrial Design

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The art that has lived through the centuries, that of Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Picasso, among others, is still loved because of the time it took to make, and the precision of the artists’ hand in creating it. The Sistine Chapel, for example, took four years to paint. The statue of David took three years to sculpt. Now, we can print beautiful and perfect items with the use of rapid prototyping and 3D printing, within hours or days. There’s a company in China that is creating art for a purpose. They are 3D printing houses in twenty four hours. In this article, we will discuss the ways in which rapid prototyping and 3D printing are making it easier for people to delve into the fine arts, architecture, jewelry, and industrial design. Fine Arts Wouldn’t it be amazing if one could eat a course in fine arts and be able to create paintings the same way Van-Gogh or Picasso did? Well, that reality is getting closer and closer. In an article provided by Bloomberg, a 3D printer …

Medical Applications of Rapid Prototyping

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There comes a time in humanity’s time-line, when a dent is created in the universe. This dent, allows us to live in excitement and curiosity of what the future will hold. In this time of our life, we can now use rapid prototyping in the medical field. There have been plenty of movies showcasing a human with robotic parts, a cyborg. With rapid prototyping coming into the medical field, we are getting closer to the day when we are half human and half robot. In this article, we will discuss the ways in which rapid prototyping is revolutionizing the medical industry. Prosthetics In the past, prosthetic and implants were provided to patients with a standard measurement scale. We know that one size does not fit all, and though some people may have a similar body-type and can wear the same length of jeans or size of shirt, it is completely different when it comes to a body part. Rapid prototyping has changed this and can now provide a very accurate measurement of a prosthetic product …

What is the difference between an RP machine and a 3D printer?

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In the past decade, we’ve come across some amazing discoveries and inventions in technology, which have allowed our society to create, test, and understand new methods of production. Arguably the biggest break-through has been that of the 3D printer, which had the whole world speaking about it after it was showcased at the annual CES convention. Rapid prototyping has been around for much longer. Used as a way to quickly test a new product or process, it has allowed entrepreneurs to get their ideas out and pivot with speed. 3D printing, however, is a revolution of its own. In this article, we will discuss the differences between rapid prototyping machines (RP Machines) and 3D printing. Rapid Prototyping So what is RP, or “rapid prototyping”? Just like the name implies, it is a method of rapidly creating a prototype of an idea that may work in theory, but may not work as perfect, in reality. In order to know whether or not the idea or product will work, one must create the prototype (preliminary model). Most …

Additional Organizations

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There are additional companies that produced 3D printing systems. Formlabs, PP3DP Company (China), Ultimaking Ltd. (Netherlands), and Solidoodle just to name a few. Formlabs, based in Massachusetts, was founded in 2011 was well known for raising close to $3 million in a Kickstarter campaign, and for also creating the Form 1 and Form 2 3D printers. Formlabs and PP3DP Company Formlabs was founded by Maxin Lobovsky, Natan Linder, and David Cranor. The three students met while students at MIT, in the Media Lab. They used their experiences at MIT, as well as Lobovsky using his experience with the Fab@Home project at Cornell University to create FormLabs. FormLabs was developed to create an easy-to-use and affordable desktop stereolithography 3D printer, while receiving early investing from Mitch Kapor, Joi Ito, and Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavor. FormLabs had been featured in a documentary, titled Print the Legend, which documented the stories of several leading companies in the 3D desktop industry. FormLabs was a leader in the 3D printing world. PP3DP Company (China), also known as Personal Portable 3D …

3D Systems

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3D systems, a comprehensive set of products and services, that included 3D printers, print materials, on-demand parts services, and digital tools. The 3D ecosystem helped support advanced applications from the product design shop to the operating room. 3D systems had the ability to simulate, do virtual surgical planning, and print medical and dental devices, as well as, provided patient-specific surgical instruments. The 3D system was the original 3D printer and shaper of future 3D solutions, allowing companies and professionals to optimize their designs, bring to life their workflows, be innovative in their products and deliver new business models. The Early Beginnings 3D systems was founded in Valencia, California, by Chuck Hull, the patent-holder and inventor of the first stereolithography (SLA) rapid prototyping system. Before the SLA rapid prototyping was introduced, prior models were expensive and took time to create. With the introduction of solid-state lasers in 1996, Hull and his 3D team were allowed to reformulate their materials. Hull was replaced by Avi Reichental in 2013, while Hull remained an active member of3D systems’ board …

Rep Rap Organization Project

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The RepRap Printer, also called the Replicating Rapid Prototyper, was created as a starting point for the British to develop a 3D printer. This 3D printer would be able to make a copy of its own items, at a low cost. With the RepRap able to make copies of its own items, the makers envisioned the possibility of the RepRap units being cheap, allowing the manufacture of more complex products without having to use complex industrial infrastructure to make them. An initial study done on the RepRap supported the claim that by using RepRap to print common products, there were major economic savings. These saving were also more cost efficient since the RepRap printers was able to clone themselves. Making the savings even greater. RepRap, started by Dr. Adrian Bowyer in 2005, a mechanical engineering lecturer at the University of Bath, UK, was first prototyped in September 2006. Adrian Bowyer, a British engineer and mathematician, after spending twenty-two years as a lecturer, then retired from academic life. The first model of the RepRap successfully printed …

Introduction to Additive Technologies

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The term “additive fabrication” covers a wide range of technologies. They all rely on digital data to come with physical 3D models of objects. All of these technologies have a thing in common; they utilize layering of materials to come up with a final object. In most cases, the more layers that are used, the more an accurate representation of the data is made. These technologies are different from traditional manufacturing methods such as turning and milling. These methods rely on subtraction of material to come up with a final object.

3D Printer Systems for Less Than US$5.000

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The technology for 3D printing has been around for many years and now it is poised to move beyond prototyping into a high-end product and high-volume commercial manufacturing. Most industry players are using this technology in the market to advance their agenda through different design and manufacturing approaches. The technology is set to advance through loosely coordinated developments. In this article, we focus on 3D printer systems that cost less than US$5.000.