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Formlabs launches its first SLS 3D printer for in-house prototyping
It's for professionals only, with a professional price-tag.
MIT builds low-cost synthetic muscles out of nylon cord
Researchers have been trying to build durable, low-cost synthetic muscles for years but to no avail. The systems developed so far have either been too expensive to produce en mass (like carbon nanotube) or too delicate and power hungry (looking at you, shape-memory alloys) to be useful outside of laboratory conditions. But a team from MIT have just struck upon the Goldilocks zone of robo-muscles with nylon fiber of all things.
3Doodler's new pro pen 3D prints in wood and metal
Once the hottest thing in gadgetry, 3D printers have become less buzzy as folks tire of ABS figurines. 3Doodler is trying to shake things up a bit with its 3Doodler Pro, a freehand pen that can print with materials containing real wood, copper and bronze. It doesn't melt copper, obviously, but 3Doodler adds particles of real metal and wood chips to a plastic ink base. The result is wood printouts that smell and sand like the real thing, or copper and bronze inks that glow when you shine them up.
3D printing gets more flexible with Nylon extrusion
3D printing with ABS and other plastics that have a low-melting point are old hat. And, with the price of entry dropping below the $500 mark, soon enough anyone will be able print their own pirated 45s. Instructables user [taulman] has has taken it upon himself to push the DIY polymer extruder scene in a new direction -- Nylon. The slick and bendable Nylon 6 melts at 320 degrees celsius, roughly 100 degrees higher than the more common and brittle ABS. The flexible nature of nylon has some obvious advantages, particularly when printing tubing or even an iPhone case. What's more, gears and bearings created from the synthetic don't need to be lubricated. But, this isn't the end game for [taulman]. The resourceful DIYer plans to keep working on his high-temperature system until he can build custom creations from Delrin and Polycarbonate. The obvious downside here, is that higher temperatures require more power and more rugged components that could drive up cost. But, we'd say it's a small price to pay for being able to print your own Otterbox. Check out the video demos after the break.
EADS's Airbike is a 3D-printed nylon bicycle, actually looks rather decent
We've seen plenty of neat 3D printing products over the last year or so, though none are as impressive as this bicycle in terms of scale. Unveiled by EADS (European Aerospace and Defence Group), the Airbike is "grown" with nylon powder using a process called additive layer manufacturing, which is similar to 3D printing but with the added benefit of laser-sintering to reinforce the structure. This way the parts can save up to 65 percent in weight while retaining the same strength (of steel or aluminum in this case), and apparently Airbus was quick to pick up this technology well before everyone else (hence named Airbike, in its honor). It's all well and good, except EADS does say there's still some way to go before we can print our own custom Harley-Davidson bikes without breaking our banks. Shame -- as with many things in life, we'll just have to wait.
Elle, Nylon and Pop Sci gladly adopt Apple's subscription terms
Not every publisher's feathers were ruffled by the changes Apple made to its subscription policy earlier this week. While Rhapsody may have responded negatively to the changes, some publishers are accepting the new terms and adopting Apple's new subscription model. According to Advertising Age, three popular magazines, Elle, Nylon and Popular Science, will let customers subscribe via the App Store and, in return, will concede some of their valuable customer data to Apple. The trio believes the advantages of distributing content via Apple's mobile platform outweigh any potential disadvantages. Nylon is the smallest magazine of the bunch and will be least affected by the loss of customer information. The independent magazine eyes the monetary reward of increased subscriptions and assumes its customers will still provide demographic information via other methods. Popular Science shares a similar approach and may prompt users to share their information after they have purchased a subscription and received their second or third issue of the digital magazine. Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., the publisher behind Elle magazine, is taking a wait and see approach. Rather than become enemies with Apple, the magazine is going to adopt the model and see how it turns out. The publisher also sees the model as being very fluid and one that Apple and publishers can modify over time. "I don't think this is something that is set in stone either for us or for Apple. I'd rather work with them to improve it over time than just sit on the sidelines," said Philippe Guelton, Executive Vice President and COO at Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.
NYLON and Urban Outfitters getting limited edition pink Zune
Quickly hipsters, look this way! We know you're staring down your credit card this very moment to see if you can manage to be rocking 3rd gen iPod nano on the L train by next week, but were you aware that a company named "Microsoft" makes a product with similar music-playing capabilities? Sure, it won't work with your Mac, but the Zune makes up for all that by rocking this new look torn straight from the pages of NYLON magazine. But you'll have to act fast, because they're only selling 1000 of these custom Zunes at Urban Outfitter stores. The first ones will be at NYLON's Fashion Week party on September 6th in Soho, and the rest will be available later this month across the country.Read - NYLON official siteRead - "Making of" video
A quick glance at MacBook sleeve cases
Now that laptop case manufacturers have had a few weeks to react to the new MacBook, they've started to release an array of sleeves that fit perfectly around the MacBook's refined curves. There's something for everyone here, whether you want a sleeve with a little more padding than usual, a sleeve that makes a colorful statement or one that keeps your nether regions nice and cool. Read on for the round-up.
