RapidMade Speaking at the Northwest Machine Tool Expo

RapidMade, Inc. proudly invites you to attend a one hour seminar on 3D printing next Wednesday at the Northwest Machine Tool Expo starting at 9:30 AM.  Admission to the expo and seminars is completely free and the event takes place at the Oregon Convention Center (777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd., Portland OR.)

Erin Stone, president, and Matt Garrett, VP of Operations will give the presentation.  Topics covered include:

• What is additive manufacturing (AM)?
• Where has AM been and why is it getting so much attention now?
• What’s new in AM technology & materials?
• What does this mean for your business and how can you leverage AM for a competitive advantage?
• Where does your business fit in the national and regional AM landscape?

If this topic is of interest to you (likely since you are reading this blog) and you can make it out (less likely), we would be happy to see you there!

3D Printing Applications in Animation

We have seen animation studios like LAIKA use 3D printing technology to create their characters, even the weapons on Men in Black 3 were created using Objet printers.

The link below will bring you to a video that illustrates how a Dutch company uses 3D printing for their animation shorts. This was commissioned by advertising agency Kesselskramer, produced at Nexus Productions, and was made in collaboration with model maker / sculptor Jethro Haynes. The apples and core models were built using 3D printing technology in order to maintain the logo shape.

Follow this link to view their amazing video

The Weapons Of Men In Black 3 Were Made With 3D Printers

I remember when Men in Black came out in theaters in 1997. Agent K & J had the most awesome fire power in the universe! Their weapons struck fear in the hearts of all alien foes and had the ability to bring down space crafts. Since then, advancements in 3D printing have allowed model makers to create more detailed props and character costumes that make science fiction enthusiasts jump out of their seats. Moddler, a 3D modeling studio based in San Francisco, created the weapons on Men in Black 3 using the Objet printer.

Check out Moddler’s gallery here!

Google’s 3D Pasta Printer

We know that 3D printing is already emerging in the food industry as a creative tool to make certain foods aesthetically unique. According to an interview with Bernard Faucher, Google Chef, the industry giant owns a 3D printer that produces pasta according to employee preference. This seems very likely as pasta can be easily extruded into a variety of appetizing shapes, perhaps multiple layers of ravioli to fit 4 different sauces into the cavity?? This seems too good to be true for you pasta lovers out there!

Faucher says, “When I cook with it, my food has a distinct and customized shape”. 

Read the full article here!

9 Ways 3D Printing Will Change the World

Do you remember when StarTrek or The Jetsons aired? Both shows seemed to have accurately predicted the way technology has advanced in the past decade with their replicator machines. Although this emerging form of technology is widely recognized as a way to produce mass amounts of prototypes and other forms of commerce, it’s potential reaches further than that. 3D printing is becoming a crucial part of manufacturing advanced systems and replacement parts for almost every industry.

1). Medical Industry

2). Advances in Research

3). Product Prototyping

4). Historic Preservation

5). AEC

6). Advanced Manufacturing

7). Food Industries

8). Automotive

9). Jewelry/Accessories

Read the full article here!

The End of Chinese Manufacturing and Rebirth of U.S. Industry

We are beginning to see a push towards bringing American manufacturing back on American soil. There are a number of emerging technologies that are championing this movement such as robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing, and nanotechnology. These have been moving slowly so far, but are now beginning to advance exponentially just as computing does. When the ruling corporations like Apple, Boeing, Caterpillar, and General Electric begin to bring their manufacturing back to America perhaps we will witness a domino effect that will bring family wage jobs back home where they should be.

Check out the full article here!

Awesome Toys by My Robot Nation

Check these little guys out, they are the cutest little robots out there! These toy robots can be designed and personalized by the consumer then 3D printed in a range of sizes. They also come fully colored and assembled, ready to play with straight out of the box. You can make them look as scary as you want with guns and sharp clamping teeth, or as adorable as you want with hearts and bright colors. The combinations are endless!

Check out the website here!

  

A Solar Printer that turns sand into glass

This beautiful machine literally uses the raw power of the sun to turn sand, an abundant resource, into glass. In a world where energy consumption is becoming a main concern this technology explores the potential of “desert manufacturing”. This technology is taking us into the next step of utilizing the suns potential to its fullest. Imagine this machine scaled up 100x to “print” houses in the middle of the desert. Perhaps when we terraform Mars our colonists will be living in glass structures.

Click here to view the full article!

Yoda helps explain the latest technology innovation

The force is strong with this technology… Although 3D printing is still in its infancy stage, the rate that it is evolving is astounding. At first, 3D printing was used for rapid prototyping in design visualization and development. The technology has arrived to the point where it can now be used for final part production, printing circuitry, and even artificial bone structures. This article illustrates the detail and intricate geometries that are possible with this technology, and it is getting better everyday. Almost every industry can benefit from additive manufacturing in one way or another. Experts are constantly discovering new applications such as printing “smart” wings for UAVs, printing organs and prosthetic limbs, and of course printing Yoda figures (my favorite)!

Check out the full article and video here!

Thanks Yoda, you are very wise!

Do you like to rock?

Additive manufacturing has found traction in practically every industry today, including music! We all love seeing rock stars decked out in make up and flashy clothes while they deliver a heavy dosage of ROCK to the crowds that bow down to them. Additive manufacturing is now contributing to that attractive glamour that keeps us coming back to support our favorite rock stars. Guitar bodies are being printed to look like spider webs and butterflies… Who doesn’t like spider web and butterfly guitars? Not only does it save on material but it is faster to manufacture and the design potential is almost limitless! These guitars are the perfect pieces of art, they look amazing and in the right hands they sound amazing.

Check out the full article here!