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Smithsonian X 3D Conference Explores Cultural Institutions & 3D Printing

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Smithsonian X 3D to be held in Washington November 13-14 is a free event which will show how 3D technologies will transform the work of the Smithsonian Institution, and museum and research institutions worldwide.For the first time ever, state-of-the-art 3D scanning and image-based modeling technology paired with new Smithsonian tools will enable museum collections, scientific specimens, and entire research sites to be digitally recorded, studied, and shared in immersive detail.Researchers and conservators can use 3D capture to document and analyze a single artifact or an entire field site.Curators and educators can use 3D imagery to explore complex ideas and share new discoveries.Teachers, collaborators, and members of the public can interact with Smithsonian museum objects in new ways.

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The Biggest and Fastest Growing Industry: 3D Printing?

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The list makes sense to us.Everything points to green, especially those wind turbines we see out the window.Personal Care rides on the aging demographics in Western countries.Social Network Games may be seen anywhere youngsters combine with smartphones.Generic Pharmacy results as patents expire.

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Separating Facts from Fiction About 3-D Printing

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3-D printing sounds like the stuff of science fiction: A technology that potentially can create any object of one’s imagination, even human organs, with just a few computer instructions.To Star Trek fans, the technology may evoke memories of Captain Picard ordering his favorite cup of tea using a voice-activated replicator on the Starship Enterprise: “Tea.Earl Grey.Hot.” But 3-D printing is real and creating renewed excitement these days.

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The Bukito Portable 3D Printer

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A new sturdy, fast and portable 3D printer is available on Kickstarter.The Bukito Portable 3D Printer by Deezmaker has already raised USD$100K to launch their new machine, so it seems that people are interested in 3D printing portability.  This is not the first 3D printer for Deezmaker; they previous released the Bukobot last year, raising over USD$167K.But why a second 3D printer?They say:  After our first successful Bukobot Kickstarter project, we started working on this design because we keep seeing the trend of others making low cost, but unreliable, 3D printers without really focusing on the details that make a 3D printer robust and basically do what they are suppose to: make great 3D prints.

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i.Materialise Opens In Japan

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3D print service i.Materialise has blossomed into a new location: Japan.They now offer their services in Japanese.  Theres a production change, too.The print service has long had operations in the Netherlands, its home base, but now can partly produce orders on the Japanese mainland.

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Theres More To The 3d Printing Revolution

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Were reading a piece in Forbes that describes what they call the 3D Printing Revolution You Have Not Heard About.They refer to the less visible industrial application of 3D printing in the hearing aid market.  A hearing aid must fit precisely into the patients ear and therefore must be custom made.Custom made items are ideal for 3D printing because the technology cannot cheaply mass produce anything.But it can produce one-off items in reasonable time and cost - precisely what is needed for hearing aids.

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Londons Science Museum Needs Your 3d Prints

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The London Science Museum is developing an exhibition focused on 3D printing, set to open this October.A key part of the display will include a giant wall containing a variety of different 3D prints from different printers, using different materials and having different shapes.  But where will these prints come from?The museum has invited 3D printer owners worldwide to produce and donate objects to this display.According to the museums Exhibition Content Developer Rohan Mehra:  We’re after the widest range of materials/colours possible, so not just FDM but any other process too, so long as the object is (mostly) 3D printed.

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3D Printing and Robotics Combined in a Life-like Spider

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I was already a big fan of the T-800, T-850 and the liquid metal shape-shifting T-1000.But last week, I bumped into the T8.This one is not a Terminator, but a bio-inspired high resolution 3D printed spider that uses a total of 26 servo motors, and it’s powered by the Bigfoot™ Inverse Kinematics Engine.Believe me, it has written ‘WANT’ all over it.The T8 by Robugtix™ is an octopod that can mimic the movements of a real spider.

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3D Printing Becomes Standard Equipment for UK Schools

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UK Education Secretary Michael Gove announced Englands schools will use a new national curriculum commencing in September 2014.While the new curriculum contains a variety of improvements, there is a rather interesting inclusion: exposure and basic training on the use of advanced technologies such as robotics and 3D printing.  This implies each UK school (at least the public ones) will effectively be required to provide a 3D printer, associated software and training to children as young as five years old.  First, someone is going to sell an awful lot of inexpensive 3D printers.There are approximately 17,000 primary schools in England alone, and if each required at least one 3D printer, well, you get the picture.

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i.materialise Japan gets social!

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Do you want to know what’s going on in our Japanese office: follow our collegues on social media!All Japanese designers, makers and hobbyists can now be served in their own language.Not only through our new website, but we’re also present on social media!Check out the Japanese Facebook page:

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