3dprinting
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3D gun publisher Cody Wilson was arrested in Taiwan
Cody Wilson, owner of Defense Distributed, a company currently involved in a legal battle over whether it can legally sell plans for 3D-printed guns, has been arrested in Taiwan, BuzzFeed News reports. Wilson was charged with sexual assault earlier this week for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old girl in Austin, Texas. He was reportedly arrested today in Taipei after checking into a hotel.
HP’s Metal Jet could be a huge leap for commercial 3D printing
Just a few years after launching its Multi Jet Fusion 3D printer, HP is ready to get into the world of 3D metal printing with Metal Jet, a new commercial platform. (Did you expect it to be called anything else?) While the consumer buzz around 3D printing seems to be cooling off, it's still a useful technology for large-scale manufacturing — especially when it comes to metallic components. The usual benefits of 3D printing still apply: It can be both significantly faster and cheaper than traditional methods.
Texas company sells plans for 3D-printed guns despite ban
A judge may have extended a ban preventing Defense Distributed from publishing plans for 3D-printed guns, but that isn't stopping the company from finding loopholes to continue offering the weapons. Company owner Cody Wilson has started selling the plans to US customers through his website on his belief that the ban only rules out publishing the plans online, not selling them directly. Those who purchase the plans can receive them by email, secure file transfers or even USB thumb drives shipped by mail.
Judge extends ban on publication of 3D-printed gun designs
A federal judge in Seattle issued an injunction today that blocks Defense Distributed from publishing its 3D-printed gun designs online. The move extends a temporary ban issued last month and the injunction will remain in place until a lawsuit brought forth by a number of state attorneys general is resolved. Washington, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Oregon, Maryland and Washington, DC signed onto the suit last month in an effort to reverse a US Department of State settlement that allowed the 3D gun designs to be published online. Eleven additional states joined the lawsuit earlier this month.
Material with eagle-like grasp could lead to grippier robot hands
Most materials bulge out when you squeeze them, pushing the energy outside. But that's not always what you want -- wouldn't it sometimes be better for them to collapse and hold the energy inside? These exotic materials (known as auxetics) already exist on a basic level, but they tend to be so fragile that you can only use them once. A team of UK scientists may have a better way: they've designed auxetic materials that can repeatedly collapse and store energy many times without breaking or expending additional energy, grabbing on much like an eagle's talon.
Facebook is blocking links to 3D-printed gun files
Facebook is blocking links to sites that host 3D-printed gun files. The company has determined that such designs are not allowed under the regulated goods section of its community standards -- Facebook doesn't permit person-to-person gun sales.
More states join lawsuit to keep 3D-printed gun plans off the internet
On August 1st, Defense Distributed was set to upload designs of 3D-printed guns for the public to buy and download. But the day before, a Seattle judge temporarily blocked their release after seven states and Washington, DC sued the company and State Department. Today, eleven more states have joined the legal battle to stop the firearm plans from being sold online.
Seattle judge blocks release of designs for 3D-printed guns
Today U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik granted a temporary restraining order sought by eight state attorneys general and the District of Columbia to block the sale of designs for 3D-printed guns. Based on a settlement between Defense Distributed and the US Department of State, they could have gone on sale starting tomorrow, but now that is on hold. In both the House and Senate, bills were introduced today to block the sales, and this morning the President tweeted the plan "doesn't seem to make much sense!" The New York Times reports that in his ruling, Judge Lasnik said there are First Amendment concerns, but said the states had established a "likelihood of irreparable harm." State AGs argue that the Trump Administration's settlement "gives criminals and terrorists access to downloadable, untraceable and undetectable 3D-printed weapons." White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley said to the AP that the administration would "will continue to look at all options available to us to do what is necessary to protect Americans while also supporting the First and Second amendments."
States sue to block sale of 3D-printed weapon designs online
The fight to keep 3D-printed gun designs off of the web continues as a number of states said on Monday that they would be jointly suing the Trump administration, Reuters reports. In a press release, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said today that the states have requested an injunction to block online publication of the designs and have filed a lawsuit. Joining Washington in the endeavor are New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Oregon, Maryland and Washington, DC.
A 3D-printed house you can actually live in should be ready by 2019
In The Netherlands, a company called Van Wijnen is working with the city of Eindhoven to build the world's first community of 3D-printed houses. The planned community will have five houses, all printed with concrete. Each subsequent house will build on the ones that came before; the first house will be relatively simple, just one story. The fifth house will be two stories and incorporate what the team has previously learned.
3Doodler's latest pen promises jam-free 3D printing
As sophisticated as consumer-level 3D printing has become, it still has occasional trouble nailing the basics. Printers still tend to jam, and a model that really likes one kind of plastic may balk at another. 3Doodler might have just fixed all that with its latest pen. The Create+ builds on the original Create with what the company says is the first dual drive system in any 3D printer, promising "almost entirely jam-free" drawing -- the days of a panicked halt in mid-project should be gone. This also helps it work smoothly with a greater range of plastics, including ABS, FLEXY and PLA.
You'll soon be able to get a 3D printed model of your brain
There are almost limitless possibilities when it comes to 3D printing. Design your own color-changing jewelry? Fine. Fabricate your own drugs? No problem. Print an entire house in under 24 hours? Sure! Now, researchers have come up with a fast and easy way to print palm-sized models of individual human brains, presumably in a bid to advance scientific endeavours, but also because, well, that's pretty neat.
Scientists create the first 3D-printed human corneas
Newcastle University researchers have devised a groundbreaking experimental technique that could help millions on the corneal transplant waiting list. By using a simple 3D bio-printer, Professor of Tissue Engineering Che Connon and his team of scientists were able to combine healthy corneal stem cells with collagen and alginate (a type of sugar sometimes used in tissue regeneration) to create 'bio-ink' -- a printable solution that enabled them to reproduce the shape of a human cornea in just 10 minutes.
Researchers develop self-driving boats that can double as bridges
Thanks to 3D printing, the fabrication of prosthetic arms, lightweight EV parts and even space travel have benefited from lower costs of production. Eager to build on that is a team of researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). They've built a fleet of self-driving boats that could provide a tantalizing glimpse into the future of autonomous transportation.
General Motors is 3D printing parts to make EVs more efficient
The virtues of 3D printing have long been touted by a vast range of manufacturers, so it was only a matter of time before the EV industry got in on the action. General Motors has announced that, alongside design software company Autodesk Inc, it's creating lightweight 3D parts that'll help it meet its ambitious plan to add 20 new electric battery and fuel cell batteries to its global lineup by 2023.
3Doodler's latest kits help kids draw 3D shapes in the classroom
Since it crowdfunded on Kickstarter back in 2013, 3Doodler has come out with multiple versions of its 3D-printing pen -- including a kids version and a pro version -- as well as themed kits focusing on architecture, robotics and other STEM activities. Now, the company is launching kits designed specifically for classroom use.
NASA's Orion crew capsule will have over 100 3D printed parts
It's not just revolutionary start-ups like Rocket Lab that are using 3D printing to create their rockets and spaceships. NASA's new crew capsule Orion will have over 100 3D printed parts specially developed by prime contractor Lockheed Martin, in cooperation with 3D printing experts Stratasys and the engineering firm PADT.
Nike's 3D-printed textiles make running shoes even lighter
Nike's use of 3D printing to craft ever-better performance shoes has reached its next logical level. The company has introduced Flyprint, the first 3D-printed textile upper for performance footwear. The material is ultimately a TPU filament melted and applied in layers, but the geometry is the key: Nike is using athlete data (such as that from distance runner Eliud Kipchoge) to determine the composition of the textiles. The result is a high-performance shoe upper that can be rapidly customized for specific regions and individual runners.
Open Bionics’ latest 3D-printed arm goes on sale next month
Open Bionics announced today that its 3D-printed Hero Arm prosthetic will be available for purchase in the UK next month. The company's founders started Open Bionics because they were interested in developing prosthetic limbs that were less expensive than traditional options, which typically cost tens of thousands of dollars. Using 3D-scanning and 3D-printing, they aim to produce more affordable options that can be constructed much more quickly than other prosthetic devices. In the past, they've developed Star Wars-, Iron Man- and Frozen-themed prosthetic hands for children as well as a Deus Ex-inspired arm.
3Doodler's new kits help kids make robotic bugs and dinosaurs
3Doodler's safer, cuter 3D-printing pen for kids called Start can already bring their imagination to life. But these new sets can help them get used to drawing objects if they're just starting out and take their creations to the next level. The company has launched new Start sets at Toy Fair 2018, including a collaboration with insect robot-maker HexBug. It comes with Doodlemolds in the shape of bugs' legs and bodies, as well as motorized parts, so kids can build actual moving critters and race their friends. 3Doodler says the kit can help teach kids physics, engineering and structural principles, since they'll have to make sure the bug they designed can actually move.
