Extreme Redesign: The Ultimate 3D Printing Challenge, is a global design-and- 3D-printing contest for high school and college students. The nine finalists were selected from an international pool of entries by a panel of experts from within the design and engineering fields. Designs fall into one of three categories: High School, University, and Art and Architecture. The three first place category winners will receive $2,500 scholarships. The remaining finalists will each receive $1,000 scholarships.
In addition to the student scholarships, each instructor of a first-place winning student will receive a laptop computer for use in the classroom. This year’s contest also features a new “Green Bonus.” This award will recognize one student in each category whose design best displays innovation in areas such as energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. The Green Bonus winner will receive a $250 gift card.
The cleaning system requires no gloves, goggles or other protective-wear. And the pH level of the cleaning solution generally meets drain water requirements worldwide.
WaveWash was developed to make the 3D printing process nearly effortless and provide a turnkey solution to customers. The cleaning system is as easy to use as a household dishwasher. The system automatically fills with water and automatically drains at the end of the cycle.
The WaveWorks system includes a reservoir to contain solution, an agitation method, and a new cleaning agent called Ecoworks(TM) that combines with water to create a solution that dissolves the temporary support structure. The Ecoworks cleaning agent comes in individual packets that dissolve and release contents when submersed in water.
The WaveWash system weighs 36 lbs (16.40 kg), has a footprint of only 18.24 x 17 in (48.33 x 43.18 cm) and requires less than 20 minutes of setup time prior to operation. Additional features include:
– hands-free process
– an 8 x 8 x 6 in (203 x 203 x 152 mm) part capacity
– selectable 2 or 4 gallon water level
– selectable cycle lengths
“WaveWash provides a turnkey solution for Dimension 3D Printer users,” said Stratasys 3D Printing Product Manager Mary Stanley. “All that’s needed is a small space, water source and drain, and standard power.”
The introduction of Wave Wash is the latest chapter in Stratasys’ drive to develop increasingly eco-friendly 3D printing systems. The company has quietly made strides in the greening of 3D printing in recent years. Its dedication is demonstrated several ways. All packaging is now 100% recyclable. Model material and support material are both recyclable, and they are contained in recyclable cartridges or spools. Plastic modeling bases are recyclable. And Dimension uses the FDM process, which has the inherent eco-friendly benefit of using only the material necessary to build a part, with virtually no waste.
Hewlett-Packard Printers has now moved into the realm of 3D and thankfully you won’t need special glasses to use their new product. This is because I’m referring to the new HP Designjet 3D, which is a desktop printer, however unlike most printers that come to mind, this one is capable of creating small three dimensional objects.
A godsend for designers, engineers, and architects, the Designjet 3D takes printing to the next dimension by layering melted ABS Plastic over and over again in order to render monotone solid objects in sizes up to 8-inches wide, 6-inches deep, and 6-inches high.
The printer comes in two varieties; the Designjet 3D that prints only ivory colored objects and the Designjet 3D Color that can print monotone prototypes in up to eight different colors. Both printers are fully network capable, which means many workers can share the printer and create solid prototypes on-the-fly, which is a definite time saver and a potential cost cutter for companies that rely on prototypes for projects.
Unfortunately, to own one of these bad boys, you had better have a large wallet or a large spending account in your organization. Starting costs for the Designjet 3D printer begin at around $17,500 and right now they are only available in Europe.
Via: geek.com
Additive fabrication system maker, Stratasys, Inc., (NASDAQ: SSYS), today announced it has delivered its first shipments of HP-branded 3D printers.
Stratasys and HP co-developed the exclusive 3D printer systems, which are being manufactured by Stratasys as part of a global manufacturing agreement with HP (NYSE: HPQ), as announced in January.
HP launched its Designjet 3D products in Europe today, making it the only major manufacturer of 2D (or paper) printers in the 3D printer market. The products will be available this May in five European markets: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
Technology & Use
Product designers, engineers, and architects who design with CAD (computer aided design) use 3D printers as peripheral devices to “print” or produce a tangible 3D model from plastic or other material to verify the form, fit, and function of designs prior to committing them to production or construction. Designers often seek 3D printers that model with production-grade thermoplastic when they want to best-predict performance of their plastic end-product.
Stratasys manufactures 3D printers under the Dimension brand, and it makes 3D systems under the Fortus brand. Both product lines, as well as the HP-branded 3D printers employ Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology, which creates three-dimensional plastic models directly from a CAD file. The patented process creates parts by extruding semi-molten plastic in thin layers to “grow” the part, layer by layer. The process of producing a part layer-by-layer is known generically as “additive fabrication” or “additive manufacturing.”
Pioneer & Leader
The term “3D printer” was coined by Stratasys when it introduced its first compact system co-developed with IBM in the mid 1990s. 3D printer is now widely used to describe a segment of additive fabrication machines that generally connotes a compact, low-price unit that is quick and easy to operate. Stratasys was an early pioneer of the additive fabrication industry as well as its 3D printer segment. The company has a seven-year track record as the industry’s unit sales leader, and it has an industry market share of 43 percent, as well as a market share of more than 50 percent for the 3D printer segment. The company’s ongoing leadership demonstrates customers’ long-term satisfation with its products and FDM technology.
The technology to produce 3D models directly from a digital design has been commercial for more than 20 years, but recent advances in 3D printers have dramatically reduced their cost and improved ease-of-use and reliability. Stratasys introduced its Dimension 3D printer line in 2002, with the first printer priced under $30,000. Early last year, Dimension broke the $15,000 (USD) barrier with its office-friendly uPrint, which fits on a desktop.
HP’s Graphic Solutions Business – part of the company’s $24 billion Imaging and Printing Group – executed the distribution agreement with Stratasys. HP is a leading provider of Designjet and Scitex large-format printing solutions, Indigo digital solutions for commercial and industrial printing, inkjet high-speed production solutions and specialty printing systems.
Fortus is a trademark, and Dimension, Stratasys, uPrint, and FDM are registered trademarks of Stratasys, Inc. Designjet 3D and HP are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard.
3D Printers are the fastest commercially available 3D printers, 5-10x faster than other Rapid Prototyping technologies. In addition, multiple parts can be printed simultaneously resulting in increased throughput. In today’s highly competitive global market, fast product development is critical factor for success, printer can make the difference between getting a part in an hour and having to wait days.
High-Quality Colour
3D Printers use multiple print-heads to support full-colour high speed printing. Full, 24-bit colour capabilities from cyan, magenta, and yellow binder ensure millions of distinct colours. Full-colour printing allows component highlights, notations, labels and texture maps. HD3DP (High-Definition 3D Printing) also supports full colour printing on models with complex geometries, curves and small detail.
Affordability
Printers set the standard for reliable and affordable 3D printing technology. Material costs are a fraction of other rapid prototyping technologies with finished parts costing around one third of competitive products. Finally, 3D printers recycle all unused material, so you only pay for what you use.
Easy to Use
3D printers are easy operate. With just a few hours of training, you can operate a 3D Printer. Each 3D printing system is designed for use by operators with limited expertise, which enhances accessibility to the equipment within your organisation.
Installation & Training
Installation is easy – We install your 3D Printer and within a day we are ready to begin the training. Training is comprehensive and we will take you through every aspect of the Printer, the software and producing great parts.
Hewlett-Packard Printers has now moved into the realm of 3D and thankfully you won’t need special glasses to use their new product. This is because I’m referring to the new 
Additive fabrication system maker, Stratasys, Inc., (NASDAQ: SSYS), today announced it has delivered its first shipments of HP-branded 3D printers.