Shapeways 3D Printspiration
Welcome to the Future of Stuff.
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on to something new!
I’m making some 3D printed kinetic art!
These were 3D printed by Shapeways in their White...
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An affordable Eames chair…thanks to 3D printing.
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Shapeways API meet up
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@shapeways materials; physical + baseball-card-style, awesome. #3dprinting
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How Cool Is 3D Printing, by Shapeways
Inside 3d printer #shapeways #3dprinter #nyc #machines#tech (at Shapeways LIC)
@shapeways spotting in #brooklyn #nyc (at South Slope)
@etsy community team meet lasers at @shapeways #nyc (at Shapeways LIC)
Looking forwards to tonight’s @lucidnyc event at @drom #nyc (at Drom)
Taking 3d printing to the streets. #nyc (at Park Avenue Laser Vision)
Hang Out with Shapeways 3D Printing Engineers Fridays at 5 in the Factory
Fridays at 5 in the Factory (NYC time) is a Google Hangout to give you an opportunity to ask the Shapeways 3D printing engineers your questions about Shapeways materials, processes and how to design for success. We had an impromptu hangout last Friday that included a brief introduction to some of the Shapeways team along with a shaky, noisy virtual tour of the factory.
Register on Google+ to Fridays at 5 in the Factory or just virtually drop in to listen, ask questions and give feedback.
Please note this is a virtual hang out as we cannot yet host people in the factory, those events will come once we have finished building out the site and all of the machines are safe in their cages.
We are looking forward to seeing you online and talking 3D printing with you.
How To 3D Print at Home with an iPhone and a Magnifying Glass (VIDEO)
While looking for a way to recycle our excess Nylon powder we found a way for anyone to 3D print at home with an iPhone and a magnifying glass.
At Shapeways we recycle most of the Nylon powder from our industrial 3D printing process but sometimes the powder does not meet the standard required for use in our 3D printers. We were looking at the testing process when we made a really exciting discovery, with a tightly focused beam of light you can solidify the Nylon powder into a solid.
We did some experiments and discovered a way that anyone can 3D print at home using an iPhone and a magnifying glass with our Nylon powder. Take a look at the simple video below and email freenylon@shapeways.com and we can send you (for the cost of shipping) some of our excess Nylon for you to try at home.
In a relatively simple step by step process that almost exactly replicates the way in which our industrial 3D printers work it is easy to 3D print a basic form with an iPhone with a ‘Torch’ app, a strong magnifying glass, a ruler and some fine Nylon powder.
- Prepare the Nylon powder to around 3mm thick on a clean flat surface. The smoother this first surface the better quality your 3D print will be as this is the foundation of your entire print. (This is the same way that our 3D printers prepare for your 3D prints)
- Use the Torch App to activate the flash on your iPhone and a magnifying glass to focus the light into a tight beam. You will need to experiment to fid the perfect distance from the Nylon and the time it takes to solidify the powder so that you do not burn the Nylon. (Our industrial machines use much the same process except with a laser to speed up the printing time and give greater accuracy)
- Use a ruler or other straight flat item to gently cover the first layer of your 3D print with around 0.5mm of Nylon powder, you will be printing your part from the bottom up, tracing the existing layer to ensure the melt together. (Again, this is the exactly the same process our SLS 3D printers use, except the layer of Nylon is in the Microns yet still building objects from the bottom up)
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 to print your object, ensuring you melt each layer to the layer below, as you gain confidence you can try to 3D print simple interlocking parts like a chain. (please note: The strength of the part is reliant on the uniformity of the bond between Nylon particles, we do not recommend you use this process for any parts under stress. The industrial 3D printers Shapeways use are high precision machines that 3D print high quality parts. Home 3D printing with this process is an experimental process for fun more than function.)
Take a look at the video below to see our results, if you want to try this yourself at home contact us freenylon@shapeways.com and we can send you some Nylon (for shipping costs) so you can try this at home too.
Shapeways @meetup is now happening in #nyc (at Shapeways HQ)
The view out the window of shapeways HQ in #nyc #manhattan (at Shapeways HQ)
Inside the belly of a laser sintering 3d printer at Shapeways factory in #nyc
Tech and the City: The Making of New York’s Startup Community
Tech and the City: The Making of New York’s Startup Community is a new book by Alessandro Piol and Maria Teresa Cometto that looks at the exploding tech startup scene in New York City including an interview with Shapeways CEO Peter Weijmarshausen .
“Tech and the City” is the first book telling the story of how and why this is happening: from the birth of Silicon Alley in the ‘90s to today’s level of activity and important milestones, such as the building of the Cornell NYC Tech campus. Based on over 50 interviews with entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, university professors, members of the Bloomberg administration and other stakeholders, this book’s objective is to inform and inspire the current generation of entrepreneurs.
Just released on Kindle for less then the price of a decent coffee in NYC and soon to be released on Paperback the book is perfect for anyone who is interested in tech or curious as to why New York City is fast becoming a central hub, attracting entrepreneurs
Drink one less coffee and download the book, or it is free if you are already an Amazon Prime member.
#madeinthefuture #nyc #dumbo @shapeways
Shapeways 3d printed shoes at ‘shoe obsession’ exhibition at FIT. #fashion #shoe #nyc #3dprint #3dprinted #shoes #lasers (at Fashion Institute of Technology)
