We’re always trying to push the limits of what is possible with 3D printing here at Shapeways, introducing new materials and encouraging innovation. However, sometimes to grow, you have to let things go.
We’ve noticed that you haven’t been as excited about glass over the last year, and we have a great opportunity to use these glass 3D printers for research and development. This means we will soon be bringing you new materials to replace glass!
Please note that December 6th will be the last day we will be offering 3D printing glass, so you have three weeks to place your orders.
What does this mean for you?
If you’re a designer who has glass models available for sale, glass will be removed as a material option starting December 6th. You can, of course, still offer them in other materials. All you have to do is ensure those materials are enabled on your product page. We recommend testing these models in new materials before making them available for sale.
If you want to buy glass products, make sure you do so before December 6th to ensure delivery by the holidays.
I wish to see 3D printing in recycled material ( preferably recycled metal ? )
Do you think you can make chocolate work with these machines? Chocolate prints would be nice. Or cheese.
I would like to see more colors of the Strong & Flexible family like green, yellow and especially orange! O and multicolor prints, but I don’t think that’s possible right now.
Something else I would like to see is the rubberized material you offered for some time a while ago.
Another thing I would love is: The ability to pick up your printed models instead of you guys shipping them. Personally I live close to Eindhoven and even study there so picking up my models would be easy for me and would save me some time and shipping costs!
My number one choice of many would be for a “clean” stainless steel such as the one that a competitor of yours has started using. It looks beautiful… thin walls possible… and small details… not as easy to tarnish.
Yes, that old chestnut, or three:
-Medical Grade Plastics (Bio Compatible)
-Food Grade Plastics
-Rubber/Silicone (Bio Compatible)
The Bio Compatible part is principally to make wearable items less of an irritant or provoke allergic reactions.
Food Grade Plastics: Well, that’s self-explanatory really…
It would also be nice to see the introduction of combi-material prints…
Cheers,
Luis.
I have just been experimenting with glass and find that it was very intriguing. I must get an order for glass in before it is pulled. I would prefer that glass remain available as is it good for jewelry.
As for new materials, I agree that more colors would be nice, I know several Shapeways users that have to dye their own prints.
I knew Ieft one out…
Weatherproof Material information – Effects of Sun, Wind, Temperature extremes, etc.
Not strictly related to new materials, more additional information of this type for existing materials.
Cheers,
Luis.
Just what type of materials can be tried with the printersr you are now using with glass? Plastics, metals, “wood”, unobtainium? What would the resolution and other parameters be?
Might want to mention it on the materials pages (material overview and
glass page) as well – I guess not everybody follows the blog and forum.
Darn it! I was very excited about glass! I guess I just discovered it was there too late :-(, I didn’t get the chance to come around to make designs for it. Also, I think the bounding box for glass was too small. I wanted to design lamp shades and needed larger dimensions.
Anyhow… as for new materials, I would really appreciate a material that had the same physical properties as the strong and flexible (as far as bounding box dim and min wall thickness at least) but that is transparent or at least translucent. That would be really cool!. Otehrwise, more biodegradable or recyclable materials are welcome, as well as wood or a wood composite.
Thanks for your efforts Shapeways!