Every week we are seeing more and more people looking for 3D modelers to help them 3D print everything from human busts to scale laundry baskets through to slightly more functional objects.

A recent request by baerfoot is looking for someone to help him 3D model a repair part for his wife's Senseo Coffee Machine.

The replacement part is not available from the manufacturer but he has the existing broken part that will be relatively easy to copy for someone with basic 3D modeling skills.  If you are a 3D modeler who is capable of helping baerfoot keep his wife caffeinated drop him a line in the Shapeways Forums. While you are there you may as well submit your portfolio in the 3D Modelers for Hire section too.

UPDATE: It seems like our experiment worked for one day only, Happy April Fools Day.

While looking for a way to recycle our excess Nylon powder we found a way for anyone to 3D print at home with an iPhone and a magnifying glass.

At Shapeways we recycle most of the Nylon powder from our industrial 3D printing process but sometimes the powder does not meet the standard required for use in our 3D printers.  We were looking at the testing process when we made a really exciting discovery, with a tightly focused beam of light you can solidify the Nylon powder into a solid.  

We did some experiments and discovered a way that anyone can 3D print at home using an iPhone and a magnifying glass with our Nylon powder.  Take a look at the simple video below and email freenylon@shapeways.com and we can send you (for the cost of shipping) some of our excess Nylon for you to try at home.

We are looking for a someone to help us to find and introduce new 3D printing materials and processes to Shapeways.

The Materials group at Shapeways is responsible for pushing the boundaries of what people can create. A great material can open up new product categories, drive huge growth for the company, and expand people’s minds as to what’s possible with 3D Printing.

As Product Manager focussing on 3D Printing materials you will work closely with Supply Chain and internal Production to predict demand, launch new materials, improve existing materials, and monitor the success of our materials portfolio.

If this sounds like the perfect role for you, take a look at the responsibilities and requirements. 

Come and join the Shapeways team.

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.

Today we bid a sad farewell to Tinkercad, one of the easiest 3D modeling apps plugging into the Shapeways 3D Printing API.

When Tinkercad launched in early 2011 as a simple browser based, drag and drop interface for 3D modeling, it made it easy for anyone to create a 3D form.  In August 2012 when Tinkercad plugged into the Shapeways 3D Printing API it also became one of the easiest ways for people to learn how to 3D print their own designs which is why we used it to teach everyone from 2nd graders to senior citizens how to design for 3D printing.  With the introduction of the ability to import existing designs Tinkercad also became one of the easiest ways to modify and customize an existing design.

Luckily we are seeing more and more 3D printing apps plugging into the Shapeways 3D Printing API to make it easier for people to access 3D printing but Tinkercad will be missed.

For Tinkercad users they are rolling out the closure in stages:

• Effective immediately they have closed sign-ups for new users    
• April 30 2013 - All free accounts will be changed to read only    
• August 31 2013 - All academic accounts will be changed to read only    
• December 31 2013 - All paid accounts will be changed to read only    
• June 31 2014 - Read only access for all users will be discontinued 

This means if you currently have files stored on Tinkercad, you will have until June 31 2014 to download them from their storage and/or upload them to another repository such as Shapeways, Sketchfab or Thingiverse.  If you have unfinished models in Tinkercad you have a limited time to make the modifications to export and/or 3D print them.

There is also an FAQ with additional details.

We wish Kai, Mikko and the Tinkercad team the best of luck as they move away from the development of the Tinkercad user interface and onto Airstone Labs.

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.

We found a squishy 3D printing material back in early 2012 that was not quite ready for us to use with our 3D printers so we found another flexible alternative that unfortunately was not up to our standards so we had to stop supporting the material when the trial ended.  

We are super excited to learn the original flexible material is finally ready and we are preparing our 3D printers so that we can offer it to everyone to 3D print.  

Do you want more flexible 3D printing for your designs?

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.

We are hosting another class to Design for 3D Print with 123D Design and Shapeways.

This beginners class is an intro to 3D modeling with Autodesk 123D Design and 3D Printing with Shapeways.  

We will work step by step through some of the basic tools used to 3D model, how to construct basic forms using sketches, solid modelling, and basic patterns.  We will then upload our designs to Shapeways to get a taste of how to export your 3D model to 3D print.  

You do not need to have any experience with 3D printing or 3D modeling to participate in this class.  Bring your Mac or PC laptop your charger, and an external mouse and create an account on Shapeways prior to the event and download 123D Design we will be using in the class..  If you are interested in a broader overview of the materials, processes and some 3D printed case studies, take a look at the intro to design for 3D printing. 

Thu, Mar 28th, 2013 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT at Shapeways HQ in NYC 

Sign up via Skillshare

Congratulations to Kimberly Ovitz for getting her Shapeways range of 3D printed jewelry into the April 2013 edition of Elle Magazine.  The fashion and jewelry industry has become one of the fastest growth markets for 3D printing with designers such as Kimberly Ovitz, Ursa Major and Vera Meat joining the existing Shapeways community as a way to sell their 3D printed designs.

Some of the best uses of 3D printing is the ability to connect things to things, whether it is your a plant to your bike, your GoPro camera to your drone or your Raspberry Pi case to your Lego castle.

The MagSafe Adapter Key Ring by jbobrow makes sure you do not lose the Magsafe Adapter for the new MacBook and connects it to your keyring 3D Printed in Stainless Steel using the adapters internal magnet.  Clever.