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3-d printing

Future of 3D printing is bright, says SXSW panel

AUSTIN, Texas -- The future of 3D printing, a technology that's rapidly maturing and enabling a wide variety of people and companies to rapidly design and create physical products, is very bright.

That was the conclusion of a panel of experts who spoke at SXSW yesterday: while there are certainly limitations to the technology, the opportunities that 3D printing offers everyone from garage entrepreneurs to large corporations will be be plentiful, and often economically advantageous.

Today, the technology is already considered one of the hottest around, but during the talk -- which was moderated by CNET's Rich Brown … Read more

MakerBot honcho kicks off SXSW 2013

AUSTIN, Texas--What's next for 3D printing? MakerBot founder and CEO Bre Pettis answered that question in all-capital letters during his opening keynote speech here at South by Southwest 2013.

"LASERS," read a slide with factoid about his company's latest 3D printer, the MakerBot Digitizer.

"It's kind of like Tron," Pettis explained, as a prototype of the new printer fired its laser scanners at a garden gnome.

Introduced by South by Southwest Interactive director Hugh Forrest as the "hero of South by," Pettis started this year's conference with a brief history … Read more

The 404 1,222: Where we bust myths and eardrums (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Makerbong? 3D printing is getting stoned.

- Bloomberg's next ban may be loud headphones.

- A petition to change the national anthem to R. Kelly's 2003 hit "Ignition (Remix)."

- 404 Archive News: 404 Redditor fanbanlo posted a link to download 1,217 archived episodes of the show. Canoy took care of a search for all 404 episodes on CNET.… Read more

3D-printed car saves money, energy

It wasn't long ago when 3D printing was a really cool concept we liked to daydream about. Now, it's gearing up to change our lives. We've seen 3D-printed buildings, portraits, organs, prosthetics, food, couture, a moon base, and even a pen for all your creative and repair needs. What's missing?

3D-printed transport, of course.

That, however, could change if engineer Jim Kor has his way. Heading up the team behind 3D-printed electric car Urbee, Kor has more than 35 years of experience in designing automotive, bus, rail, agricultural and heavy mobile equipment, as well as civil … Read more

Kickstarted 3Doodler: It's a pen, it's a 3D printer

If 3D printers seem too expensive, or too technically complex, WobbleWorks' 3Doodler 3D printing pen looks like a budget- and user-friendly alternative. It also looks like a ton of fun.

The idea behind the 3Doodler is that it takes the core functionality of a 3D printer, essentially an extruder and a heat source, and jams it into a pen-shaped handheld device. Loaded with either ABS or PLA plastic, common feedstock for traditional 3D printers, the 3Doodler "prints" plastic objects by letting you draw them in freehand in three-dimensional space.

The brainchild of WobbleWorks, a robotic toy company formed … Read more

Here's the 3D-printing institute in Obama's State of the Union

A little over a year ago, 3D printing was a funky new technology that you might find at modestly sized booths in the basement level of the Las Vegas Convention Center at CES. Tonight, President Obama mentioned it in the same breath as Apple and Intel during his State of the Union address, while talking about ways to create new jobs and manufacturing in the United States. Here's the passage from the transcript:

After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from … Read more

Say 'I love you' with your 3D-printed chocolate face

If your love is sweet, then 3D-print yourself for Valentine's Day and give the gift that says so.

At a recent workshop in Tokyo, attendees made bite-size versions of their heads in chocolate.

Hosted by 3D-printing firm KS Design Lab and FabCafe, the event, which was limited to women, produced about 20 little chocolate faces that looked just like their human originals. … Read more

YouTube yanks video of 3D-printed rifle magazine

A video showing a gun magazine created by a 3D printer was pulled off YouTube today, only to reappear later in the afternoon.

The removal notice for the popular clip, which was posted by a Texas group known as Defense Distributed, said the video was removed "as a violation of YouTube's policy against spam, scams, and commercially deceptive content."

"Yes, YouTube removed this video because permissive liberals flagged it as inappropriate," the group said in a Tumblr post. "Please steal this and put it everywhere before it is again taken down."

Talking Points … Read more

Next up for 3D printing: a moonbase?

We've put a man on the moon. Perhaps setting up a 3D moonbase will be next.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and architecture and design firm Foster + Partners are jumping on the 3D-printing bandwagon and exploring the feasibility of using three-dimensional printing to create buildings on the moon.

Engineering teams from both parties, and additional partners, are investigating the properties of lunar soil, known as regolith, to see if the material could be used to print "bricks" for a moonbase, thus solving the sticky issue of transporting construction materials from our planet. Previous research from Washington State University and NASA has suggested that moon rocks could be used to print useful objects like tools or replacement parts. … Read more