4 ms·

Any examples?

• cschmidt 13y ago
  Some personal favorites I ordered off of Shapeways: http://www.shapeways.com/model/24470/gyroid.html http://www.shapeways.com/model/24470/gyroid.html http://www.shapeways.com/model/335195/the-code-prize-fire-colour.html http://www.shapeways.com/model/335195/the-code-prize-fire-co... http://www.shapeways.com/model/683524/super-mario-mobius-strip.html http://www.shapeways.com/model/683524/super-mario-mobius-str...
  • gurkendoktor 13y ago
    These are useless gimmicks, and in the worst case they can't be recycled. I didn't know of shapeways before, and I couldn't find a single useful thing on it. Are there more pragmatic 3D printing sites?
    • SoftwareMaven 13y ago
      One person's useless gimmicks are another person's stylish nick-knacks. I can't see myself buying a 3D printer just for stuff like that, but the ability to accent my home in an individual fashion is not unappealing to me. Not everything is the world is purely functional.
      • dagw 13y ago
        Not everything is the world is purely functional. Absolutely agreed. I love a stylish nick-knacks and neat design details as much as the next person but there seems to be a disconnect in the 3D printing world. On the one hand everybody talks about the revolutionary effect of home 3d printers, and on the other hand the only examples people have ever shown me are children's toys and stylish nick-knacks. Where are the at least mostly functional examples?
        • bdickason 13y ago
          Here's an example that is not sexy but is at least functional: http://www.shapeways.com/blog/archives/940-how-to-repair-a-bugaboo-pram-with-3d-printing-for-under-25.html http://www.shapeways.com/blog/archives/940-how-to-repair-a-b... Also note Clay Shirky's belief that the most disruptive tech initially appears to be a toy to most. I have to admit, I have the same problem with 3d printing and think that some of the newer materials (stainless steel for example) will really improve the functional designs, especially as the cost decreases. Disclaimer: I work at Shapeways
      • gurkendoktor 13y ago
        I absolutely agree with your last sentence, but why can't it at least be sustainable? (It's really only the non-biodegradable stuff that I have a problem with) I also know that people should have fun in their lives, and yet I can't help but facepalm at people happily driving SUVs around. In the grand scheme of things, the impact of each is tiny, but it confuses me that it's being celebrated by so many smart people. :/
        • gurkendoktor 13y ago
          ...and I think that this might simply be the case because 3D printing was oversold to me personally :)
    • iamwil 13y ago
      Since it enables you to make things you can't imagine, lots of people will make a large variety of things--a long tail of objects. For any subset of examples that people give you, it's easy to dismiss it as gimmicky. You'll need to find your own subset that means something to you.
  • bdickason 13y ago
    Thanks for posting this, cschmidt! Those are some of my favorite Shapeways products as well :D Disclaimer: I work for shapeways
• derwiki 13y ago
  http://www.thingiverse.com/ http://www.thingiverse.com/ has models you can download and print. Lens caps and earbud-wrappers are popular.