The idea of a 3D printer that works like a Terminator robot is quite possibly the most exciting thing we have read all week. The details come from the Technology, Entertainment and Design conference held in Vancouver. The company behind the new technology is called Carbon3D, so what is it all about? Basically, they claim to have up with a 3D printing process that harnesses light and oxygen to make all sorts of things. The firm behind the system call the process “game-changing”. Apparently the technique behind it was inspired by the...
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The number of exciting gadgets and other cool stuff produced using 3D printers is growing all the time. Among the most fascinating new objects printed in this way is a telescope made for £100 by researchers at the University of Sheffield. Now they have shown to the world the first pictures they took using this telescope. They say that the snaps from the PiKon model are of a similar quality to ones taken using far more expensive telescopes. The images taken were shown off during a science festival in Sheffield and show excellent pictures...
Anyone who wants a simple introduction to the world of 3D printing will we pleased to see that Amazon has launched a 3D printing store. This new store gives customers access to a big variety of products that are ready to get brought to life through the magic of 3D printing. The Amazon store looks as though it will offer one of the biggest internet collections of 3D printing material. It will be possible to customise the size, the colour, the style and the materials used in the products in this store. It is expected that the items on offer...
There’s been a lot of talk in recent times about 3D printers. We have already seen how they can be used to print anything from food to guns and replacement body parts. What about the colour though? We aren’t going to be expected to start printing lasagne, Kalashnikovs and new ears in just one colour, are we? Thankfully we aren’t. This is thanks to the new full colour 3-D printer which has just been revealed by Stratasys. This is the firm behind the MakerBot printer range and they say that the new model uses something called triple...
One of the biggest winners with of 3D printing is expected to be the space exploration industry. The possibility of going up into space and printing off tools and food is something which makes long distance trips without a lot of initial weight onboard seem very possible. 3D printing also makes the production process a lot cheaper and quicker than would otherwise...
Some interesting details have just been released of a new 3D touchscreen which the people at Microsoft are working on. The idea is that an LCD flat panel screen shows 3D images which the user can feel and manipulate. The research team at Microsoft’s Redmond campus close to Seattle say that it works due to having force sensors and a robotic arm, which is used to move the screen backwards and forwards. The system calculates how much force is applied by the user’s fingertip and uses that to work out the size and the weight of the objects...
Researchers in Glasgow claim to have come up with a reliable and cost-effective way of forming 3D images. Work has been going on at the School of Physics and Astronomy in the city and the team is led by a chap called Professor Miles Padgett. He said that the system uses single pixel detectors which are placed in four different locations. These are then used to detect the light which is projected towards it in a series of black and white patterns. The clever part is that the detectors can work out the shape of the objects which are in the...
Taking photos from far away is an exciting business as it is but it looks as though it is going to get even better. This is because researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh have been working on a camera which could take photos from a kilometre away. In 3D. In fact, the physicists who have been working on it say that with some extra work the maximum distance could be increased to an amazing 10 kilometres. So how does it work? With lasers, of course. The camera’s lasers are used to scan the object in question and produce the...
With 3D printing in the news a lot these days it seems like a fine time for a website which offers blueprints with come with no copyright restrictions. The firm behind this initiative is called Defcad, although they have been called Pirate Bay by some people. The guy behind it has been in the news since a while back for designing 3D gun parts which could be printed off by gun fans all over the world. They want to see their site end up as a “search engine for 3D printing”, although their idea of getting around copyright laws is sure...
Last summer, a group of scientists from the United Kingdom first unveiled a prototype 3D printer that prints edible chocolate. Now, according to the BBC, the 3D chocolate printer has been perfected and is now available for pre-order. The device, which is named Choc Creator, enables users to “print their own custom-made sweets, layer by layer,” said the BBC on Friday. It is reported that the device works like any other 3D printers, but instead of using plastic to print out its designs, it uses chocolate. The device had drawn...