Objet has just launched the massive Objet 1000 3D Printer with a 1000 x 800 x 500 mm build volume, this is 10 times the build volume of the next largest system from the company the Objet Connex500.

So, would you like to do multi material 3D prints or MASSIVE multi material 3D prints? 

Would you 3D Print a bicycle frame at 1:1?

Or perhaps a large snake like object to hold awkwardly?

Either way, the Objet 1000 is a huge, high detail acrylic 3D printer.. Can you imagine an increase from our current bounding box of 250x250x200mm for Detail Acrylic?

Check out the infomercial...

The Objet1000 combines the advanced precision of inkjet-based 3D printing with Objet's renowned Connex multi-material build capability. Connex technology offers a choice of over 120 materials, with materials that simulate both standard and ABS-grade plastics. In addition, you can print up to 14 materials in a single model to achieve the precise look and feel of your intended end product.

The Choice is Yours!!!!

We are now offering two options for Black Friday with 20% off of orders over $75 OR Free Worldwide Shipping on orders of any value. 

For 20% off orders of $75 or more, please enter tdzmu at checkout

or

For free worldwide shipping on orders of any value, enter v9v7r

There is a limit of one use per person on each of the discount codes.

The 20% Discount will be applied to the retail cost but Shapeways shop owners will still be paid full mark-up.

These special offers will be in place until midnight EST so get your orders in today to make the most of our Black Friday specials. 

(Note: If you tried to apply free shipping earlier and had trouble, our sincere apologies! We have reprimanded the robots and the error has been fixed). 

The Black Friday sale is now on at Shapeways!

Today only we are giving 20% off all 3D Printing on orders $75 and up sta Enter code tdzmu at checkout by 11:59PM EST tonight.

We see many architects 3D printing their models using Shapeways 3D printing service but most of them remain behind the scenes and never make it onto the Shapeways site or blog so it is always cool to see architectural 3D prints in the Shapeways marketplace to share what architects are doing.

One of the coolest architectural models we have 3D printed at Shapeways lately is the 1 WTC by Stefdos which is a 3D model of One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower) that glows when lit from within with an LED.

This amazing model that is 3D printed in full color at 25cm high is only $25 on Shapeways, that's $1 per cm... bargain. Check out the video below....

Also check out New Orleans tower Rotterdam 15cm by the ame designer that also glows when lit from within. 

People often describe the FDM (fused deposition modeling) process used by most desktop 3D printers as 'like a hot glue gun extruding plastic'. Well, check out this video of a DIY hot glue gun 3D printer. 

The US Army is taking 3D printing to the front lines with 20ft shipping containers fitted with 3D printers, CNC machines and other fabrication equipment so that they can repair and improvise new parts in the field, speeding up innovation. Each Expeditionary Lab costs a hefty $2.8 million with Exponent Inc. awarded a $9.7 million three year contract worth of expeditionary lab support.

Soldiers no longer have to wait to bring ideas back to scientists and engineers back in the states. The REF has brought the experts to the soldiers in combat.

These mobile labs represent the REF's future as its director, Col. Peter Newell, wanted to figure out a way to help the Army

Mixing digital sculpture with real objects and 3D printing, this video is playful, beautiful, inspiring. 

A sandstone block built from lego, blending real objects with 3d prints from Greg Petchkovsky on Vimeo.

Yes, the free, awesome and easy 3D modeling app 123D has now been extended to 123D Design, available for OSX, PC, iPad AND Web App. That's four times as fantastic with interoperability between all four and the rest of the 123D suite making it easy for you to design for 3D printing with Shapeways.

With Autodesk 123D Design, anyone can have fun designing and making things. Whether it's a new design of your own, replacing a part of something you already have, or reimagining something so that it's just right for you, with 123D Design you can create a digital model of your idea and then directly 3D print or fabricate the things you want, just the way you want them. And the way you work with 123D Design is similar to how you work in other everyday software you're familiar with, so you can avoid frustrations and enjoy the process of making things.

I have had the opportunity to play with an early edition of the software and it is easy to learn and export to 3D print with Shapeways.  This is a perfect tool for someone starting to design their own products as we will be sure to cover in our Design for 3D Printing 101 series. 

Welcome to Design for 3D Printing 101: Intro to Design for 3D Printing.

When you are designing for 3D printing there are two main factors that you really need to take into account before you start.

1. What application to design with
2. What material you are designing for

In this first introductory session, we are going to look at choosing the right type 3D modeling software.

There are now many 3D modeling applications you can use to 3D model your designs to 3D Print, ranging from very expensive professional engineering software to free online tools to get you started. Choosing the right software is an important first step in ensuring you can realize your ideas with 3D printing.

If you want to create organic, sculptural forms and characters to 3d Print, you may want to start with freeform surface modeling software.  This modeling process represents the surface of the object, not its volume. With this method you will manipulate the surface of the model to create the form with points and curves. This gives you the freedom to do flowing forms, but can sometimes make it harder to achieve tight tolerances if your design is made to integrate an external object. 

Above is a screenshot from Sculptris, free surface modeling software. Image via Flickr

If you are looking to engineer a product (or robot) for 3D Printing, you are better off using Solid Modeling Software. This process defines the volume of the object you wish to model, by creating solid geometry, which you then modify by extruding or cutting away mass. The "Design for 3D Printing 101" image above was modeled using TinkerCad, a browser based 3D modeling application with drag and drop functionality to make it very easy to get started.

Above is Autodesk's 123D App, a solid modeler with which you can 3D Print direct to Shapeways. 

You can of course experiment with each to to find what works best for you, but often the tools within the application are designed for a specific kind of geometry.  There is a relatively steep learning curve when you start to learn to 3D model, but once you hold your first design in your hand, it makes those challenges a pleasure.

There are a number of free applications in each type that you may want to download and play around with to get a feel, watch tutorial on YouTube and ask questions in the Shapeways forums as there is a wealth of knowledge within the Shapeways community. 

In the next Design for 3D Printing 101, we will look a little closer at some of the 3D modeling software options available to get you started 3D printing.

We had over 70 entries to the 3D Print Contest for iPhone 5 Accessories with so many fantastic designs it was really hard for us to chose a winner among the high caliber of entries.  There was one design that really caught the eye of the Shapeways team. As soon as we pulled one out of the 3D Printer to test it out, everyone was in love...

The product page is great but we really had to share a video so that everyone could see how the design captured our hearts and won $500 worth of Shapeways 3D Printing for the designer....