Pretty Graffiti has designed a 3D Printed Stand for the OP-1 Synthesizer to raise it up and put it on the perfect angle for performance.

Earlier this year the designers of the OP-1, Teenage Engineering released the 3D files for accessories for the synthesizer when they could not find an affordable distribution channel for their international community.  This was the first time we have seen a manufacturer releasing 3D printable files so that their users could 3D print their accessories, either with a desktop 3D printer or via a 3D printing service such as Shapeways.  Now we see Pretty Graffiti may be the first user to carry on the momentum of adding value to the synthesizer, without Teenage Engineering investing in design time or manufacturing.  

GoPro users have already been taking this tack for a while now with around 80 GoPro related products in the Shapeways gallery with everything from 3D Printed GoPro Nerf Mounts to a 3D Printed GoPro Kite Mount.

I am sure this is the very first ripple of a tidal wave of 3D printed products we will see on Shapeways that add value to an existing product with little or no investment by the original manufacturer.  When manufacturers do get on board and start making 3D printed parts available we will see the same speed of innovation and product diversity as we already see happening within the Shapeways community.

Who do you think will be the first manufacturers to really take the opportunity and run with it?  How can we help them to understand it is in their best interest to start releasing accessories to be 3D printed on demand?  

Following on from the previous post where we looked at The 10 Most Favorited 3D Printed Products of 2012 on Shapeways which reflects the love given to products from within the Shapeways community, this time we are going to look at the 10 Most Viewed 3D Printed Products of 2012 on Shapeways.  This one was a VERY close race and you will see some products that you have already seen in the previous list of the 10 most favorited 3D printed products.

Again, starting at number 10 and working our way down the 3D printed products with the most views according to Google Analytics. 

Super Mario Mobius Strip Design by joabaldwin

GLaDOS ring Design by QUATRO

A Little Sad Keanu Reeves Design by neuralfirings

2012 has been a massive year for 3D printing and the Shapeways community.  We have seen many of your products go viral and get a lot of love from the internet.  Following are the 10 most favorited 3D printed products of 2012.  This does not mean they are the most sold or viewed items, simply the products that have been given the most love from the Shapeways community, either by being favorited, or added to a wishlist.  What was your favorite 3D printed product of 2012?  Did it make the list?

Here they are starting at number 10.

The Nocturnal Watch by Whystler

The GLaDOS ring by QUATRO

Propeller Propulsion for Theo Jansen's Strandbeest

To help you make the most of the current discount on Stainless Steel we wanted to share some of the all time most popular products 3D printed in Stainless Steel.  Of course if there is nothing that tickles your fancy you can also (quickly) design your own as long as you get your order in before the December 31st at 04:59 GMT. Enter code jv9dv at checkout where it says "Promo Code" (not "Apply Credit").

A favorite in the Shapeways office, especially on Friday afternoon, the Klein Bottle Opener.

One of the most popular items of all time on Shapeways, the Thorn Dice Set with Decader.

We see waves and waves of the Explorers Ring - U3 Version rolling out of the Shapeways 3D printers.

With MILLIONS of views on YouTube, we had to include the Twin Rail Mobius can-take-a-ball - Pendant

3D Printing is not always about the new, sometimes it is about repair the old, like a (very) personal favorite of mine, Repair Part for a Bugaboo.

If you are designing something new to be 3D printed in Stainless Steel, be sure to pay close attention to the design guidelines for stainless steel. A few of the most important things to keep in mind: 

• Your design must have a minimum thickness of 3mm.
• The entire part must be bigger than 3x3x3mm and smaller than 750x381x381mm.
• No interlocking or moving parts.

Be sure to follow these rules to avoid the disappointment of having your design rejected due to one of these issues as the discount will not be carried over to reprint or replacements of any rejected parts.  The discount does apply to all stainless steel finishes including the Bronze and Gold finishes.

Joshua Harker on the 3rd Industrial Revolution We were happy to have Joshua Harker visit us at the Shapeways HQ in New York City to finally meet after 3D printing SO MANY of his skulls.  We took the opportunity to record our part of our conversation about how he used Shapeways 3d printing and Kickstarter to take his career into a new direction, how on demand 3D printing makes it possible for artists and designers to realize their ideas, and how platforms like Shapeways and Kickstarter make it possible to reach a massive audience with no financial investment or risk.  In short, 3D printing and the 3rd industrial revolution as celebrated by his latest Kickstarter project, Anatomica di Revolutis. The full interview runs for around 15 minutes and covers much of Joshua's amazing success over the past 12 months, check it out. Relevant posts on the Shapeways Blog. Innovation Amplifier : Crowdsourced Capital and On-Demand Digital Fabrication Anatomica di Revolutis: The 3D Printing Revolution on Kickstarter

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A Look at the Colors We Launched Earlier This Year. Earlier this year we launched some new colors and improved the process for our existing colors to make your 3D prints smoother, with more reliable colors. We just wanted to share some images of the current colors across variable geometry, from curved to flat surface, angular sections, emboss and engraving.  You can see that the color is quite consistent across the diverse range of geometries.  The only significant difference being where the text is engraved or embossed, where small details look to hold slightly more color.  We have also noticed that some thin, wiry parts can look slightly darker, with more saturated color than solid, flat surface. Now that we have these colors locked down, what color Nylon would you like to see us introduce next?  Let us know with CMYK or Pantone colors?  Relevant posts from the Shapeways Blog. Launching New Polished Colors What 3D Printed Material Would YOU Like to See Next on Shapeways?