We recently displayed our 3d printed lego tractor at a trade show that was a big hit! We made this Lego K'nex tractor with 720 individual 3d printed pieces using our SLS technology, nylon and our own developed post colouring process for the Toronto Design and Manufacturing Show. One of our technicians and his 7 [...]
It's funny how many times I've heard someone say 'you should patent that idea'. Here's the deal: in order for an invention to be considered for a utility patent it must be a new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, composition of matter, or improvement on any of the aforementioned, in addition to the [...]
Anyone who has had an idea has likely thought about a patent to protect it. So over the next few weeks we'll touch on patents, starting with: What Is A Patent? A patent is a legal document issued by the patent office within each specific country or region that provides a set of exclusive rights [...]
Often I receive emails from people interested in having a replacement part made for their car either because the part has been discontinued or because they think 3d printing it would be cheaper than buying from the dealership, however it's important to take the following into consideration. In order to 3D print any part, a [...]
I was invited by Mark Reyland, a well respected blogger, innovator and inventor who has dedicated his blog to helping inventors, to share my insights on 3d printing, prototyping and inventors. To see the article on his blog www.inventoropinion.com or read on. Mark and I had a great conversation the other day about inventors, prototyping [...]
Ok, now from the world of super cool-meets super high tech-meets super geek comes one of the greatest feel good stories ever! Alex Pring, a 7-year old boy born without a fully developed arm recently received a pretty awesome gift! A functioning 3-D Printed arm, fashioned after Ironman's suit. Central Florida students and graduates called [...]
Received this great email about an SLS prototype we printed that I wanted to share right away. Nice way to start the morning... "Hi Annette, I just wanted to let you know about some testing we did. Last week we did destructive testing on the parts where this washer was used. Our injected plastic parts [...]
Save the date: Feb 24, 2015, we will be speaking at "Inventors Circle", a Toronto based co-op created for inventors to help provide support and information while exploring or developing their idea for an invention. We will be speaking for an hour on some of the basics that every inventor needs to know. http://inventorscircle.org/pb/wp_cf62ccfa/wp_cf62ccfa.html
Yes you CAN but you might want to wait a few more years. In theory it can be done but the materials and detail level required to make a good sound (let alone great sound) is still a few years away. (think late 1800's and a phonograph player). Cool idea though, right?
Thanks to TV shows like the recent episode of Person Of Interest, we feel it's our responsibility to say that while 3D printing is pretty awesome, it does have limitations that the media rarely mentions. For example 3D printing alone cannot make a functioning tablet or iPad with a build in camera and access to [...]
