Check out this amazing video of a Gear Ring 3D printed in Sterling Silver by Shapeways.  The design was 3D modeled in Autodesk 3D Studio Max uploaded to Shapeways to be 3D printed in Sterling Silver in multiple parts then blackened with 'liquid smoke' and assembled in place to make the mechanism work.

You cannot currently 3D print moving parts in metals such as Stainless Steel and Sterling Silver but you can make articulated mechanisms in both Acrylic and Nylon. Take a look at each of the material pages for specifications but you can usually heave moving parts in Acrylic (depending on the geometry) with a 0.4mm gap between parts and in Nylon (depending on the geometry) you can have moving parts with a 0.6mm gap.  Any parts that are closer or touching will be fused together into a solid form.

How to extend the life of a kitchen appliance using Shapeways 3D printed ceramic parts.

When a small part for Shapeways community member Mitagaki's Panasonic Bread maker broke he looked everywhere for a replacement part.  The manufacturer no longer supported the model so what was a $5 replacement part became unobtainable and the $200 appliance was rendered worthless. 

Rather than throwing the entire appliance away, Mitagaki 3D modeled a copy of the broken ceramic part and then 3D printed it in ceramics with Shapeways. 

After successfully testing the 3D printed ceramic component he made a minor adjustment to the design and has now made the Panasonic SD-YD250 breadmaker replacement bobbin available for others to repair their appliance using Shapeways.

Check out this video of Adam Savage of Mythbusters giving a tour of his home office including a shelf of Shapeways 3D Prints.  Adam shows of his collection of 3D printed memes including Sad Keanu, Success Kid and the Joseph Ducreux Sculpture along with Theo Jansen's Strandbeest and the Thorn Dice set.  Perhaps Adam should share his collection in the Shapeways forum.

Connecting to the Shapeways 3D Printing API the iOS Stand Creator is an app that makes it easy for anyone to customize a stand for their iPhone and 3D print it with Shapeways.

Usually when we think of iPhone apps we think of applications within the iPhone but this application makes it easy for anyone without 3D modeling skills to create a customized stand in just a few mouse clicks.  

What makes this app really interesting is that it uses 3D printing to make functional, not decorative items.  Most of the apps so far plugging into the Shapeways 3D Printing API on the Create page are making sculptural, cosmetic products or jewelry while there is a huge potential in making 3D Printing apps that connect things to things. 

If you want to 3D print a custom product but do not know how to 3D model the iOS Stand Creator App is a great way to get started, if you are a designer and/or developer interested in getting into the 3D printing app market this is a great example of how to make a customizable, functional product.  Take a look at some of the stands made so far that are now ready to 3D print.

Congrats to Kioròdesign and Archipelis.com. 

3D printing pioneer Joshua Harker gives a presentation at TEDx Bringhampton University of how his career moved from artist to sculptor to engineer and back to artist again via 3D modeling to 3D print.  Joshua's Crania Anatomica Filigre has become one of the most recognizable '3D printed products' thanks to his hugely successful Kickstarter campaign that relaunched his career as an artist.

Take a listen to his inspiring presentation Making the Unmakeable - The 3rd Industrial Revolution.

Check out this super cute lightweight 3D printed ballon powered toy car by dominikraskin.

The lightweight design makes use of the possibility to create moving parts such as wheels integrated into the 3D print when design for Nylon 3D printing.  Check out the video of the car in action below.

Using a 3D Printed Hang Glider Bracket and The X Bracket Universal Smartphone Holder Tom Rust shot a HD video of a flight over Fort Funston, San Francisco CA. With a view of the North Pacific coastline including Daly City, Northern Peninsula, San Francisco out to Point Reyes and as far east as Mount Diablo, Sutro Tower and Golden Gate Bridge as well as peaks of downtown San Fransisco.

This is a perfect use of a super lightweight material like 3D printed Nylon (WSF) to make a custom mount for a specific purpose such as a hang glider mount for around $40. Take a look at Custom Solar Power's range of 3D printed products designed to connect things to things. 

For those of you who suffer easily from vertigo, do not watch this video.