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3D Printed Fashion: 10 Amazing 3D Printed Dresses

3D printing is shaping the way we design and produce unique fashion pieces. In this top 10 list, we will take a look at the most stunning 3D printed dresses from talented designers and learn how this cutting-edge technology is already changing the fashion industry.

1. Spider Dress 2.0 by Anouk Wipprecht

This bad-ass 3D printed dress simulates the territorial instincts of a spider by using robotic arms that react according to data they pick up from motion and respiration sensors. When the wearer’s breath becomes heavy, the sensors read that she feels threatened so, in response, the robotic arms of the dress will extend to defend her.

Spider Dress 2.0 by Anouk Wipprecht

Spider Dress 2.0 by Anouk Wipprecht

2. Dress from the Voltage Collection by Iris Van Herpen and Julia Koerner

This stunning dress is the result of Iris Van Herpen’s collaboration with Julia Koerner and Materialise. Together they were able to prove that normal rules don’t apply when fashion and high technology combine. The piece’s intricate lace-like texture was created with precision by lasers (in a process known as Laser Sintering) and would have been impossible to realize any other way.

Dress from the Voltage Collection by Iris Van Herpen and Julia Koerner

3. Smoke Dress by Anouk Wipprecht

Anouk created the innovative and interactive 3D printed Smoke Dress as part of a special eight-piece fashion collection for Volkswagen. When someone steps into the wearer’s personal space, the dress automatically unleashes a veil of smoke.

Smoke Dress by Anouk Wipprecht

4. Incunabula Dress by Kaat Debo, Alexandra Verschueren and Tobias Klein

Kaat Debo wanted to bring a fresh perspective to the way we nowadays perceive fashion from 1914. Kaat envisioned a garment that represents the tension between the “desire for ornament and the search for the modern”. Finding inspiration in Irish crocheted-lace, a popular trend in the 19th century, she came to Materialise to 3D print the dress to satisfy her need for the modern. She found that her vision aligned well with designer Alexandra Verschueren and artist/architect Tobias Klein: the idea for the Incunabula Dress was born.

Incunabula Dress by Kaat Debo, Alexandra Verschueren and Tobias Klein

Incunabula Dress by Kaat Debo, Alexandra Verschueren and Tobias Klein

5. Smock Corset by Marina Hoermanseder and Julia Koerner

Austrian designer Marina Hoermanseder teamed up with architect Julia Koerner to create a unique 3D printed fashion piece: the Smock Corset. They produced the most vintage-meets-modern piece of them all: a corset, re-imagined and re-invented. This is what happens when fashion and architecture meet 3D printing!

Smock Corset by Marina Hoermanseder and Julia Koerner (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Smock Corset by Marina Hoermanseder and Julia Koerner (Stefan Kraul)

6. Interdimensional by threeASFOUR

In 2016 New York fashion trio threeASFOUR came to Materialise and Bradley Rothenberg to print one of the creations of their ‘Interdimensional’ collection. The challenge with this dress was using the 3D printed surfaces as pattern pieces, just as if they were fabric being cut into pre-patterned sections of the dress, making it a perfect embodiment of the blend of handmade and machine-made throughout the exhibition.

Interdimensional by threeASFOUR (Photography Schohaja)

Interdimensional by threeASFOUR (Photography Schohaja)

7. Synapse Dress by Anouk Wipprecht

The Intel Edison-powered Synapse Dress has the capacity to log actions, making both the wearer and others aware of sources of stress in the immediate environment. The dress’s headpiece is fitted with a sensor that tracks the wearer’s attention level. Not only does this function track your attention span but it also tells others not to disturb you while you are concentrating on a difficult task. Another sensor embedded in the dress monitors proximity: if the wearer feels someone is invading her personal space, the lights in the dress can give off up to 120 watts of brightness, signaling to the other person to step away.

Synapse Dress by Anouk Wipprecht

Synapse Dress by Anouk Wipprecht

8. Skeleton Dress by Iris van Herpen and Isaïe Bloch

In collaboration with Belgian architect Isaïe Bloch, Iris van Herpen created this somewhat scary dress in the shape of a skeleton. It was inspired by the anatomy of various different animals and took an entire week to print.

Skeleton Dress by Iris van Herpen and Isaïe Bloch (Michel Zoeter)

9. Vortex Dress by Laura Thapthimkuna

Fashion designer Laura Thapthimkuna worked on this space-inspired 3D printed dress. Her fascination with the universe and the theme of infinity were the driving forces behind the stunning design: ”I think what makes the dress different is the concept behind it and the overall design. I really tried to do something quite different and very sculptural. I wanted to create a dress with no apparent beginning or end to it structurally. Something organic-feeling with mathematical elements.”

Vortex Dress by Laura Thapthimkuna

10. Gems of the Ocean by Melinda Looi with Samuel Canning

Fashion designer Melinda Looi’s ‘Gems of the Ocean’ collection includes one of the world’s first full-length gowns to be 3D printed as a single part. It also comes with unique 3D printed accessories straight out of a mermaid’s world.

Gems of the Ocean by Melinda Looi with Samuel Canning

For more articles about 3D printed fashion, make sure to read our blog post on how 3D printed footwear is changing runways and racetracks around the world. If you are thinking about printing your own fashion design, simply upload your 3D model to and online 3D printing service and choose from over 100 high-quality materials.

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How to Paint 3D Printed Eyeglass Frames Your Favorite Color

If you want to learn how to add finishing touches to your products post-production before shipping to your customers or transform your own 3D printed designs to a more vivacious color you can do so by following a few simple steps. In this tutorial, Steven and Jeremy Gonzalez of The Super Maker Bros demonstrate how to paint eyeglass frames printed in Multi Jet Fusion Plastic PA12 in multiple colors, a process that can be applied to many other projects of the same 3D printed material.

3D printed eyeglass frames in MJF PA12, 220/400/600 grit sandpaper (Photo by The Super Maker Bros)

Primers and paints (Photo by The Super Maker Bros)

Here is what you will need:

      3D model printed in Multi Jet Fusion Plastic PA12 (also applicable for Versatile Plastic)

      220 grit, 400 grit and 600 grit sandpaper

      Spray paint primer

      Spray paint in your desired color(s)

      Clear coat matte or gloss spray paint

      Reusable drop cloths or newspaper to protect your work area from paint

      Highly Recommended: A respirator with replaceable filters will not only protect you from spray paint fumes but will last you through many more future paint projects.

  Once you have these materials you are ready to get started. Follow the steps below and check out this video to see each step in action. 

Step 1:

Prepare your workspace by placing newspaper or a drop cloth over the area to cover any furniture or floor space in range of your spray painting pattern. Protect enough space to spray from different angles.

Step 2:

Put on your respirator. Spray paint fumes are toxic and sanding generates dust particles that are dangerous to inhale, so make sure you sand and spray in a well ventilated area and wear your respirator.

Step 3:

3D printed eyeglass frames, sanded (Photo by The Super Maker Bros)

Start by sanding the glasses pieces to smooth out their surfaces. This will also help the paint adhere to the plastic. Makerbro Tip: The best sandpaper to use is wet/dry or waterproof paper because getting the paper wet helps cool the plastic while sanding as well as keeps small dislodged plastic particles under control. Waterproof sandpaper is black instead of tan or beige.

Begin with a rougher, 220 grit sandpaper to remove any bulky texture and then move on to 400 grit and 600 grit to buff the surface smooth. The lower the number, the rougher the paper is. Be sure to rinse and dry the pieces to remove loose particles.

Makerbro Tip: To give your sandpaper more longevity, apply spray adhesive to the back of your quarter sandpaper sheet and fold it over to make an extra thick one-eighth sheet. This will give you the ability to use more pressure without tearing a hole in the paper.

Step 4:

Prime the frames using a spray primer like the Dupli color filler primer. Spray the glasses using a sweeping motion, keeping the spray can at a distance of about 6 to 12 inches. Spraying too closely will coat the object in too much paint and cause dripping or even cause the coat to crack when dry. Make sure all visible surface area is covered and let the pieces dry before spraying the other side.

Makerbro Tip: Spray paint takes about 30 minutes to dry to touch but wait between 1 to 2 hours to handle it. It will be fully dry after 24 hours.

Step 5:

Once the glasses are primed, sand the surfaces once more using the 600 grit paper to achieve maximum smoothness and wipe away any resulting dust.

Step 6:

3D printed eyeglass frames, painted (Photo by The Super Maker Bros)

3D printed eyeglass frames, painted (Photo by The Super Maker Bros)

Using the same spray painting method as with the primer, spray each piece in the color of your choice and let fully dry for 24 hours.

Makerbro Tip: Want to use more than one color on the same piece? Use masking tape to cover parts of your project you want in a different color. Once the first color dries, cover that portion and paint the rest.

Step 7:

Once the glasses have had 24 hours to fully dry, it’s time to seal up the paint with a topcoat. Using the same spray painting method, apply two layers of topcoat, leaving 1 to 2 hours of drying time in between. This helps protect the paint and enhances the shine or matte finish desired. It also gives a buffer between paint and skin contact.

Step 8:

3D printed eyeglass frames, painted in blue and brown (Photo by The Super Maker Bros)

3D printed eyeglass frames, painted in green and red (Photo by The Super Maker Bros)

Now assemble the pieces and you’ve got a brand new pair of glasses! You can have a pair in every color.

Check out The Super Maker Bros on Instagram (where they’ll be posting more photos and videos) and YouTube for more fun 3D printed projects.

More from the Material of the Month Series: PA12

Part One: Material Overview Part Two: Material Comparison: Nylon Plastics Part Three: Business Example: PA12 used in the virtual reality industry

The post How to Paint 3D Printed Eyeglass Frames Your Favorite Color appeared first on Shapeways Magazine.

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Book Printing: Prices for Short Runs of Long Books

A print brokering client of mine is a husband and wife publishing team. Usually they print one or two new titles a year, mostly books of poetry, fiction, and essays. I’ve written about them in these PIE Blog articles before. They both appreciate the finer points of a physical print book, so all of their projects include French flaps (extensions on the front and back covers that are folded inward toward the inside front and back covers). They also have soft-touch laminated covers (a coating that gives a nice rubberized feel to the matte cover), a press score running parallel to the spine, and faux deckled edges on the text block (actually a “rough front” trim).

This client team appreciates quality.

Another way they show this commitment to quality is to initially print 50 or 75 copies of a “galley” proof of each print book (prior to the final run with the French flaps and such). The galleys go to “readers,” who review the books and make suggestions, which can then be incorporated into the final print books.

The Pricing (and Then the Revised Pricing) for the Print Books

Just recently, I requested pricing for 75 copies of each book and provided this to my clients as a benchmark prior to the actual design and layout of the books. Keep in mind that these are 5.5” x 8.5” format, perfect bound books: relatively standard, with standard 70# offset text paper inside and 12pt. covers. The text blocks are black ink only without bleeds. The covers are 4-color process with bleeds.

After I provided my clients with their pricing for the three galley books, their book designers (a different designer for the text and the covers) produced the book art files. In all three cases, the page counts increased significantly (upwards of 100 pages in one instance), and the press runs dropped from 75 readers’ copies to 50 readers’ copies.

I collected this new information, revised the specification sheets, and went back to the book printer’s sales rep for revised estimates. When the prices arrived, the sales rep and I were both surprised by how much the prices had jumped. In fact, the unit costs were almost double those of the first estimate.

Why Did the Prices Go Up So Much?

After the initial shock, this is what I did. I took one of the three book estimates and analyzed the pricing. I multiplied the initial press run (75 copies) by the number of pages (256 pages) and came up with 19,200 pages total. Then I multiplied the revised press run (50 copies) by the the revised page count (382 pages) and came up with almost the same number of pages (19,100 total book pages printed).

This was a bit of a happy accident, because it showed that even though the book was much longer, the total amount of digital press work needed would be about the same. Almost exactly, actually.

Then I compared the initial price ($462.00) to the revised price ($727.00), and determined that the first estimate for 75 copies would cost $.024 per page while the revised price based on the lower press run and higher page count would be $.038 per page.

At this point I asked the sales rep to have his estimating department explain the discrepancy (to his credit, the sales rep had initially called me and offered to do this). We agreed that we wanted to know whether the pricing was accurate (or a mistake). And, if it was accurate, why was it so much more than the initial bid? All of this would occur before I went back to my client with the revised pricing.

Possible Answers

Here are some possible reasons that the increased cost per page might not be either an accident or an unreasonable charge:

Due to the short press run, these three books will be printed digitally, as opposed to by offset lithography. This is true even though the text block of the example discussed above (one of three books) is almost 400 pages. In spite of this book length, the press run is only 50 copies for initial reader review.

Offset commercial printing requires a huge amount of make-ready: that is, preparatory work to get the printing, binding, and any other operations in print book manufacturing ready. For each process, the make-ready precedes the actual run. It contributes to the overall cost, but since offset printing runs are usually very long (perhaps 5,000 or 10,000 copies or more rather than 50 copies), this larger amount of money attributable to make-ready can be spread across the 5,000; 10,000; or even 100,000 copies of the press run. In fact, the longer the run, the less each copy costs, and the less impact the make-ready charges have on the cost of each print book.

In contrast to offset printing, digital printing has relatively little make-ready. But it still has some. The prepress operators and pressmen still have to set up each individual step in the process: everything from producing the digital proofs (if they are printed on an inkjet or laser device) to printing the actual run of pages to all binding, trimming, and packing operations.

This make-ready expense is increased if multiple finishing operations are necessary (anything that follows putting ink or toner on paper). In addition, there is the spoilage that occurs during these extra steps. For instance, after the pages have been printed, the books need to be perfect bound. And to complete all manufacturing processes with a total run of exactly 50 books, more text blocks and covers must be produced to allow for spoilage (in this case, books damaged during the perfect binding process). The same potential for spoilage exists during all printing and finishing operations, and addressing this inevitability (by initially starting with enough copies to accommodate the loss) drives up the overall print book manufacturing cost.

In my client’s case, the page count for each of the three print book titles went up, but the press runs dropped from 75 copies to 50 copies. What this means is that the cost of make-ready (time spent setting up all pre-press, press, and post press operations) and spoilage (books damaged during production) is above and beyond the cost of the actual 50-copy press run (referred to as “make-ready” vs. “press run” on some estimates).

In my client’s case, this cost of preparation or make-ready will now be spread over 50 books, whereas this cost initially (on the first book production estimate) was to be spread over 75 books. When you compare this process to a 10,000 copy press run (or more) of an offset printed book, you can see that a much greater portion of the make-ready cost gets allocated to the unit cost of each of the 50 copies (produced digitally) vs. each of the 5,000; 10,000; or 100,000 offset-printed copies.

This is a hypothesis (albeit a legitimate, potential reason for the increased cost). Plus, the books will be significantly longer than initially expected.

That said, the only way to know for sure is to have all three revised estimates re-checked, which is what the print sales rep has offered to do.

What You Can Learn from This Case Study

The initial human response to something like this is disbelief and possibly anger. But that’s not productive, so if this happens to you, just ask for a check of all specs and pricing and an explanation of the increased unit cost. After all, your printer is a business partner, not an adversary.

The more additional operations you must do (prepare files in prepress; print the job; fold, trim, and bind the job; etc.), the more money will go into make-ready. If you need die cutting as well, or foil stamping, this make-ready portion of the job will increase even more.

The more steps in the process, the more spoilage will occur (and the more copies will be needed to compensate for this spoilage). Some processes, like perfect binding, may also cause more spoilage than others.

When in doubt, ask your printer to break down your cost by “make-ready” and “cost per run.”

Without printing more copies than you actually need, requesting a higher (vs. lower) print run will reduce the cost per unit of the make-ready portion of the total expense.

The post Book Printing: Prices for Short Runs of Long Books appeared first on Printing Industry Blog.

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Netlooks partners with Sculpteo to create customizable eyewear!

A pair of glasses adapted exactly to your morphology, d […]

The post Netlooks partners with Sculpteo to create customizable eyewear! appeared first on 3D Printing Blog: Tutorials, News, Trends and Resources | Sculpteo.

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Can Additive Manufacturing heal bones with a 3D printed cast?

  Have you or one of your friends ever broke a bon […]

The post Can Additive Manufacturing heal bones with a 3D printed cast? appeared first on 3D Printing Blog: Tutorials, News, Trends and Resources | Sculpteo.

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Groundbreaking news: 3D printed heart with human tissue

  The 3D printed silicone heart was already a huge […]

The post Groundbreaking news: 3D printed heart with human tissue appeared first on 3D Printing Blog: Tutorials, News, Trends and Resources | Sculpteo.

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Millennials, Mills and More with Vanecia Carr, Director of Customer and Brand Marketing, Domtar Paper

Deborah spoke to Vanecia Carr, Director of Customer and Brand Marketing at Domtar, about the importance of building a diverse workforce in the modern print industry in this Podcasts from the Printerverse episode.

When Vanecia talks about encouraging young people to be a part of the print industry, she speaks as someone who came into it as a young college graduate herself and falling in love with it. This personal perspective coupled with her passion for diversity within the industry makes her insights worth listening to and taking on board. In the podcast, she talks about:

Forging a path for herself in a male-dominated industry

Recognising how different today’s customer is compared with 20 years ago

Attracting, and crucially, retaining employees from the next generation

The stigma of ‘millennials’ and how their attitudes around work and careers is different, not worse

Cross-generational mentorship programmes – how the older and younger generations can learn new skills from one another

As Vanecia covers in the episode, Domtar is practicing what it preaches when it comes to championing diversity and moving with the times. It’s recognising there are a myriad of ways to reach customers beyond print and embracing social media and online content to elevate the brand. Or making sure interns know they are valued members of the organisation that have opportunities to progress and grow.

Domtar also puts sustainability at the core of their business, making sure it’s part of the company culture and recognising its importance to their long-term success. You can listen to the full podcast episode here.

Karis Copp is a UK-based writer, journalist and communications expert. With a background as an editor and public relations specialist in the print industry, she now works on a freelance basis covering events, writing on industry news and trends, and working with businesses to help them tell their stories and connect with their customers. Follow her on Twitter @KarisCoppWrites.

The post Millennials, Mills and More with Vanecia Carr, Director of Customer and Brand Marketing, Domtar Paper appeared first on Print Media Centr.

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Building a Better Print Business with Dawn Olson, Konica Minolta

At the InPrint USA show in Louisville, Kentucky, Deborah spoke to Dawn Olson, Director of Production Print/Industrial Print Client Business Development at Konica Minolta Business Solutions.

Dawn delivered the first keynote presentation of the educational programme at InPrint USA in April, in which she talked about business development for clients in industrial and production print in the US. She loves working with clients to help their businesses grow and become profitable as quickly as possible and laid out some great pieces of development advice that we can all benefit if we’re willing to set some clearly defined objectives.

If you missed the event, Dawn gives a great overview of her keynote in the podcast, which provided attendees with the tools to develop a successful business plan. There’s advice on the importance of gathering information from your clients to inform your plan, the ‘art and science’ of developing survey questions, and how to get to grips with it if you’re a visual thinker, as many in the print industry are. It’s great to get some insight on non-traditional techniques for business planning, particularly if you find the idea of preparing for the future a little daunting.

Dawn explains how a strong business plan goes hand-in-hand with finding the right technology for your business; if you know what you are working towards, you have a better knowledge of what fits for your company and your future plans, and Dawn loves helping Konica Minolta clients find what they need.

She describes her position as ‘agnostic’ when it comes to finding the right solutions for clients, as Konica is committed to exploring new technology outside of their portfolio, and doesn’t hesitate to talk to other businesses and bring in outside products. As Dawn says, the best reason to come to Konica Minolta is that ‘customers are going to get the best possible solution, whether we own it or not’.

Karis Copp is a UK-based writer, journalist and communications expert. With a background as an editor and public relations specialist in the print industry, she now works on a freelance basis covering events, writing on industry news and trends, and working with businesses to help them tell their stories and connect with their customers. Follow her on Twitter @KarisCoppWrites.

The post Building a Better Print Business with Dawn Olson, Konica Minolta appeared first on Print Media Centr.

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3D Printing Virtual Reality Products in MJF PA12

Experimenting with virtual reality is an exciting — and somewhat unnerving — process. It often requires much trial and error, which is precisely why the team at Spaces needed to find a final stage prototyping process to aid them. That’s where Shapeways stepped in. Spaces loves Shapeways’ dimensional accuracy and durability and has used 3D printing –primarily the Multi Jet Fusion Plastic PA12 material – ever since first discovering the company.

Why is it beneficial to print with Shapeways over traditional manufacturing methods such as injection molding?

Spaces: We are constantly inventing and iterating, most of the time under very tight time constraints. Using 3D printing allowed us to make parts that broke some rules and to make changes to parts quickly. Shapeways helped us create parts that could not be manufactured through conventional injection molding. Undercuts are a major concern with any tooling for injection molding and create a lot of work to get parts made.

Spaces utilizes 3D printing to build virtual reality experiences. (Photo courtesy of Spaces)

Which is your most used material?

Our most used material is the Multi Jet Fusion Plastic PA12 because it gives us acceptable resolution and is durable.

Why do you print with Shapeways versus desktop 3D printing?

The quality and quantity of the Shapeways parts we print are the main benefit. For the most part, desktop printing does not produce the same quality and resolution. Also, most desktop printers can be unreliable, which is something we cannot take a chance with when printing large quantities of parts for our installations. Most of our parts are conceived using desktop printing methods and then turned over to Shapeways for printing en masse.

What are the added benefits of using Shapeways?

We have been impressed with the customer service. Personal attention is very important when we are working against tight deadlines.

More from the Material of the Month Series: PA12

Part One: Material Overview Part Two: Material Comparison: Nylon Plastics Part Three: Business Example: PA12 used in the virtual reality industry Part Four: Tutorial: Post processing PA12 (coming soon)

The post 3D Printing Virtual Reality Products in MJF PA12 appeared first on Shapeways Magazine.

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Turning a Stick into a 3D Printed Bronze Stylus

Jeremy Burnich discovered metalpoint sketching by accident – and soon after created a bronze stylus in the shape of a stick by using 3D printing. The design was modeled in Rhino and ZBrush and manufactured in 3D printed bronze by i.materialise.

Jeremy was in his backyard with his dog when he saw a small stick on the ground, held it in his hand like a pen, and knew in that moment what he wanted to create. Having created a silver stylus before, he wanted something inspired by nature for his second version and decided to turn a twig into a so-called inkless pen for sketching on stone paper.

Jeremy Burnich became interested in metalpoint sketching and soon created a 3D-printed bronze stylus.

The idea to create these metal writing instruments came by accident, when Jeremy happened to brush his silver ring against a page in his stone paper notebook. Intrigued by the mark left behind, he investigated further and discovered that copper, bronze and aluminum foil had the same behavior.

This led him to discover metalpoint, where people, including Leonardo da Vinci, put a binding agent on a canvas to leave metallic traces behind:

Jeremy was proud to discover the use of stone paper for metalpoint, and soon had developed a silver stylus. His prototype required a lot of hammering, to the point where he wanted a less labor-intensive fabrication method for a second version.

  He came up with a number of designs using different types of materials to try and capture what he had in mind for the stick-inspired stylus. However, in the end, he decided to move to bronze as the most optimal material and use 3D scanning to capture his unique vision and bring it to life.

“I wanted something that would look nice and was useful, and would be at the price point that I wanted,” he said. “It has to look a certain way and work, which precious metals allows for.”

He also didn’t like the feel of other materials, such as aluminum, and wanted to oxidize the metal to achieve a certain aesthetic: oxidizing the stylus brings out more detail of the intricate texture, and can be done by putting the stylus in a solution of sulfur and then polishing.

Finding the perfect twig scan

To turn the branch into a life-like bronze stylus, he found 3D printing to be the best solution. More specifically, he decided to use 3D scanning and have i.materialise do the casting. Searching for different branch and twig design options on Sketchfab, he turned to get help from around the world and settled on a twig that was scanned several years ago by K’s Design Lab in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.

“I looked for branches that I thought would make good pens and hold nicely in your hand,” he said. However, he thought the bark was not detailed enough for his creation.

To make the model more realistic, he returned to his backyard in Pittsburgh and photographed a number of tree trunks and bark. He turned the textures and patterns on the bark into height maps, loaded them in ZBrush as brush alphas, and then sculpted realistic natural details, along with a rounded tip, on the scanned twig.

After he was done adjusting the 3D mesh, he exported the file and had i.materialise cast it in bronze and finish production.

“I have always had a really good experience working with i.materialise. They are really good at working with you in terms of specifications and on a person to person basis,” Jeremy said. “They are very willing to let me take that leap of faith, and assure that the designs will work and it will come out well.”

The stylus itself is 4.7 inches (120 millimeters). “i.materialise is willing to make the biggest, little pieces,” Jeremy said. “I was really pushing the limit and maximum that they allow.”

Just like baking a cake in the oven

The whole process, including the design process and production, took about two weeks.

When he first received the inkless pen, his first reaction was “this is awesome!” It looked just like a metal branch, and it worked – precisely what he envisioned.

“It was just like baking a cake in the oven, the only difference is this cake took two weeks!” he added.

Once it arrived, there was little post-production required. The last step was to oxidize in sulfur, in which he meticulously placed in the nooks and crannies of the bark texture to bring out the realistic details of the branch and bronze highlights on the sculpted bark. Then, the fully functioning bronze branch stylus and conversation-starting piece was complete.

Learn more about 3D printing in bronze on our dedicated material page. If you created a 3D file that is ready to be printed in any of our 19 other 3D printing materials, make sure to upload it via our online 3D printing service.

If you need more information about 3D modeling, make sure to take a look at our tutorial on how to cut costs for your next 3D printing project and which 5 modeling mistakes you need to avoid.

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P&G: Additive Manufacturing at the forefront of Supply Chain Innovation

Most people will know them, Procter & Gamble (or P& […]

The post P&G: Additive Manufacturing at the forefront of Supply Chain Innovation appeared first on 3D Printing Blog: Tutorials, News, Trends and Resources | Sculpteo.

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Metal 3D printing: Meet the indestructible guitar

Do you know what is one of the most robust 3D printing […]

The post Metal 3D printing: Meet the indestructible guitar appeared first on 3D Printing Blog: Tutorials, News, Trends and Resources | Sculpteo.

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Battle of software: SketchUp vs AutoCAD

There is plenty to choose from when it comes to 3D soft […]

The post Battle of software: SketchUp vs AutoCAD appeared first on 3D Printing Blog: Tutorials, News, Trends and Resources | Sculpteo.

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Nylon Plastics Material Guide: PA11, PA12, PA12GB in SLS and MJF

Shapeways offers several different nylon plastic materials:  Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) PA12 known as Versatile Plastic, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) PA11, Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) PA12, and Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) PA12 Glass Beads.  SLS materials are produced using EOS machines while Multi Jet Fusion materials are produced using HP machines.  While the material properties are similar, they are each slightly different, making each more suited for a specific application over another.  Below we’ll discuss what makes each material special and then compare their technical specifications.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) PA12

SLS PA12, otherwise known as Versatile Plastic, is the most widely used 3D printed plastic due to its balanced property profile. These balanced properties, including high strength and good chemical resistance, make it a great multipurpose material suitable for a wide range of functional applications. Machines producing SLS PA12 have the largest build platform, allowing larger parts to be printed.  A range of colors is available that is not available in the other nylon materials. Several finishes are also available for SLS PA12 including Processed, a tumbled finish which removes some material to create a smoother finish, and Premium, the smoothest finish with a semi-glossy surface.

Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) PA12 & PA12GB

Multi Jet Fusion PA12

PA12 produced using Multi Jet Fusion technology has very similar properties to Versatile Plastic / PA12 produced with SLS.  However, due to a slightly different printing technology, it has more consistent, isotropic properties throughout the part.  For example, SLS PA12 will have slightly compromised strength in the z-axis of printing (between printing layers). Multi Jet Fusion PA12, however, has the same strength in the z-axis as the x-y (within layers).  MJF PA12 also has a slightly higher elongation at break. This improved elasticity makes it more resistant to breakages and as a result, thinner wires and wall features are able to be produced. Multi Jet Fusion is printed at a lower layer thickness over SLS PA12 providing better resolution of small details.   Additionally, Multi Jet Fusion produces a final part with a surface that is slightly more sealed than those produced with SLS. As a result, for some geometries, watertight properties can be achieved.

Multi Jet Fusion PA12 Glass Beads

MJF PA12 with Glass Beads is filled with 40% glass bead particles and as a result, is a much stiffer material.  The higher rigidity makes this well-suited for structural parts and housings that will remain stiff and strong over time.  It will hold up better over time, specifically for applications that may be exposed to friction and wear, such as tooling and molds. 

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) PA11

In contrast to PA12 Glass Beads, SLS PA11 is the most flexible nylon material due to its much higher elongation at break.  It also has slightly higher strength than the other three materials. This combination of high strength and good elongation at break makes it the most impact-resistant material of the four choices.  Popular applications include sports equipment, orthotics and prosthetics, hinges (where high ductility is important). PA11 also has higher temperature resistance and is based on renewable resources, therefore making it more environmentally friendly.

Below is a table to directly compare material properties:

Tensile Strength X-Y Tensile Strength Z Glass Transition Temp Tensile Modulus X-Y Tensile Modulus Z Strain at break X-Y Strain at break Z Density Flexural modulus MPa SLS PA12

(Versatile Plastic)

48 MPa 42 Mpa 349 deg F 1650 MPa 1650 MPa 18 4% 0.93 g/ cm3 1500 MPa MJF PA12 48 MPa 48 MPa 369 deg F 1800 MPa 1800 MPa 20% 15% 1.01 g/cm3 1730 MPa MJF PA12 w/ Glass Beads 30 MPa 30 MPa 367 deg F 2500 MPa 2700 MPa 10% 10% 1.3 g/cm3 2400 MPa SLS

PA11

52 MPa 52 MPa 396 deg F 1800 MPa 1800 MPa 50% 35% 1.05 g / cm3 1800 MPa

More from the Material of the Month Series: PA12

Part One: Material Overview Part Two: Material Comparison: Nylon Plastics Part Three: Business Example: PA12 used in the virtual reality industry (coming soon) Part Four: Tutorial: Post processing PA12 (coming soon)

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Book Printing: Paper for a Client’s Digital Print Book

A print brokering client came to me recently with a book project. She wants to print 300 or 500 initial copies of her 432-page, 6” X 9”, perfect bound book (potentially with our without such high production values as French flaps and deckle edges on the text pages). She plans to follow this initial press run with a print on demand contract through one of the online POD (print on demand) vendors.

The Paper Specifications for My Client’s Print Book

My client specifically requested 100# gloss text for the interior of the book. I suggested a 12pt cover (rather than a thinner option of 10pt). I noted that with or without the French flaps (an extended cover folded in on the back and front of the book, making the perfect-bound book appear to have a dust cover), the overall feel of the cover paper would be more substantial at 12pt. I said this heavier cover stock would be consistent with the heft of the text block (at 432 pages, as noted above).

So I sent the specifications to six book printers.

The vendors that offered digital printing all limited the paper choices, and some sent me an email restricting these paper choices to just an uncoated 80# cover stock and 50# or 60# uncoated text stock. Based on my knowledge of commercial printing, I believe the printers did so to keep prices down (fewer paper choices allow print suppliers to buy only a few kinds of paper in bulk, at a lower rate, while avoiding specialty stocks that would require costly minimum purchases).

In addition, based on notations on one of the estimates from one book printer (a reference to inkjet compatibility), it seems that paper choices are limited in some cases to ensure that the printer’s digital printing technology will be effective on the specific paper chosen for the job.

So, to summarize, paper limitations seem to reflect two things: the economy of scale in paper purchasing and the desire to choose paper that readily accepts either toner or inkjet inks.

In spite of these paper limitations, two of the printers agreed to bid the text of the job on coated paper: an 80# gloss text, closer to what my client had specified. This drove up the overall price by just under $1,000.00, even for the short press run (300 or 500 copies). Granted, the text was long at 432 pages, so the paper usage was substantial, but still nowhere near as high as for a 1,000-copy run one printer required to move the book from digital technology to offset printing.

One of the vendors who was willing to include an option for 80# coated text came in with exceptionally attractive pricing. So I asked him if he would produce the text blocks digitally, and then print covers with French flaps on an offset press, and marry the digital texts to the offset covers. He said he could not do this because the two printing plants (one digital, one offset, owned by the same printer) were nowhere near each other geographically.

So, in this case I learned that limits on hybrid book printing (marrying offset and digital printing technology), at least in the case of larger book printers, may be based solely on logistics. Since it’s cheaper to separate a large digital press installation from a large offset installation, marrying the output from each may be impossible (or at least financially imprudent).

To complicate matters, once the printers were already in the process of bidding on the print book, my client offered a description of the text. All text ink would be black, but, in addition, there would only be a handful of photos.

This last specification got me thinking. Why had my client specifically requested 100# coated text for the interior of the book? What was the purpose? So I asked. She thought it made for a classier looking book.

In response, I explained the reasons for selecting coated text paper. I said coated stock was ideal for a 4-color text, because the ink would sit on the surface coating of the press sheet rather than seeping into the paper fibers. Especially for 4-color images in the text, this would be essential. Gloss text is good for making photos “pop” (i.e., to appear as crisp as possible), while dull coated text would be better for printed words and other line art. A dull coating is kinder on the eyes than a gloss coating, minimizing reader eye fatigue.

The long and short of it was that my client agreed to a 60# white opaque text sheet. This will bring down the cost somewhat, and it will be thick enough (when compared to 50# white opaque paper) to minimize show-through of the photos. (This is the unwanted ability to see the photos on one side of a page through the back side of the same page.)

The one thing I should probably add at this point is that I did not immediately contact all of the printers and request adjusted estimates. Instead, I will compare all bids on 80# coated text. Then I will choose a few of the estimates I like (maybe two) and request updated estimates on 60# white opaque text paper. The initial bids on 80# coated text will provide a relative price comparison of all of the vendors. Then, by shifting one or two vendors’ bids to 60#, I can bring the price down a little. Any other approach would create chaos in the printers’ estimating departments.

What We Can Learn from This Case Study

This project is still in flux, but here are a few rules of thumb you can use in your own print buying or design work as you narrow down the specifications for a book project:

Consider an uncoated text sheet for a book that is text-heavy. You will save money, and your readers will probably be equally happy. I personally consider coated text sheets to be more appropriate for full color book interiors or photo-heavy texts.

If your print book has a 4-color interior, or a lot of large photos, consider a coated stock. Ink has better “hold out” on coated paper. That is, the ink sits up on the surface coating rather than seeping into the uncoated paper fibers of an uncoated stock (which dulls down the look of the images). If you choose a coated stock, choose gloss coated paper for a photo-heavy book and dull coated paper for a text-heavy book that still includes some photos.

Consider the weight and opacity of a commercial printing paper. A 60# white opaque press sheet is less transparent (less chance of show-through with photos) than a 50# white opaque sheet, and opaque paper in general is less transparent than offset text paper.

Don’t assume an uncoated paper will always be cheaper than a coated one. I have found some premium uncoated papers that are more expensive than lower quality coated sheets. Be safe. Ask your printer.

Start at 10pt (thickness) for a cover stock. For a weightier paper, choose 12pt. These are usually specified as C1S and C2S. The former means there is coating on one side, while the latter means there is coating on two sides. If you’re only printing on the outside covers, consider a C1S sheet. But if you’re printing on the inside covers, too, make sure you specify a C2S sheet. Otherwise the ink will look different on the inside and outside covers (because ink sits on top of the surface of a coated press sheet but seeps into the fibers of an uncoated press sheet).

Some printers will specify cover stocks in pounds rather than points (80# cover rather than 10pt, for instance). I’d encourage you to stick to 80# and 100# cover stock, but, to be safe, ask for samples. You can even request a paper dummy, which is a bound, blank paper book created at your chosen page count with the text stock and cover stock of your choice. (Your printer can have the paper merchant make one for free.) It helps to get a sense of exactly what the book will feel like in your reader’s hands.

Make all of your decisions based on what you see and feel with your hands (printed samples or paper dummies), because it’s all too easy to make a mistake if you only look at the specifications (paper weight, finish, opacity, coating, caliper or thickness, surface formation, brightness, whiteness, etc.). These specs are useful, but they ignore the fact that reading a print book is a physical, tactile experience.

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QUIZ: Are you a 3D printing expert?

If you are reading this blog, you are interested in 3D […]

The post QUIZ: Are you a 3D printing expert? appeared first on 3D Printing Blog: Tutorials, News, Trends and Resources | Sculpteo.

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Leading PRINT with Thayer Long, President at APTech

Deborah spoke to Thayer Long, President at APTech, about the organisation’s Leading Print magazine and the events on the horizon during this Podcasts from the Printerverse episode.

As the industry evolves, the way the community connects and shares knowledge needs to evolve too, and APTech are expanding their horizons and doing their bit to ensure print is moving in the right direction.

In this podcast, Thayer expresses the need for a bit more honesty and transparency in the industry, a virtue at the heart of their publication Leading Print. The magazine features no sponsored content or advertising, choosing instead to focus on meaningful editorial content and give honest accounts of the challenges and successes print companies face.

As the organisers of the annual PRINT event in Chicago, they are broadening their portfolio with the Leading Print Forum and the Print Innovation Exchange. The latter evolved from the association’s annual conference, and following good feedback the event will return this June.

Leading Print Forum aligns with the publication of the same name, and will help equip businesses to be prepared as the industry adapts. The half-day event will be hosted ahead of the International Sign Expo in Las Vegas.

As a somewhat inward-looking industry, it’s great to see outside knowledge being championed; as Thayer puts it in the podcast, print isn’t the only industry evolving and needing to embrace innovation. Indicative of this is PRINT19 keynote speaker Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, who will undoubtedly offer a unique perspective to attendees but his involvement also demonstrates print’s role in media and the communications space remains essential.

PRINT19 will be taking place October 3-5 in Chicago, and of course, there will be an intergalactic experience to be had as the Printerverse returns! Registration is now open.

Karis Copp is a UK-based writer, journalist and communications expert. With a background as an editor and public relations specialist in the print industry, she now works on a freelance basis covering events, writing on industry news and trends, and working with businesses to help them tell their stories and connect with their customers. Follow Karis on Twitter @KarisCoppWrites.

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