THERO project

THERO is a privacy project developed by Román Torre and Ángeles Angulo, that uses a Raspberry Pi with TOR routing. By moving the front panel you change your connection to the external Internet and your privacy.
It uses 3d printing to make the full enclosure and mold for the concrete encased version.


Here are two videos showing how the project was developed:








Source:

http://3dadept.com/manage-your-online-privacy-with-thero-a-3d-printed-desktop-device/

Project homepage (in Spanish):

http://www.romantorre.net/portfolio-item/thero/

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3D Hubs launches the Talk sharing community hub for all 3d printing related subjects

3d Hubs 3d printing service launched the Talk community hub where makers can share all projects, ideas, questions and events related to 3d printing.
As the technology grows rapidly with much more people joining in, there is always a need for more communication and exchange.
I feel this will be much used platform.

Here is the Talk homepage:

https://www.3dhubs.com/talk


Here are some trending threads:

https://www.3dhubs.com/talk/thread/ockham-razor

https://www.3dhubs.com/talk/thread/3d-printed-drone-build

https://www.3dhubs.com/talk/thread/3d-printed-kerbal-jebediah-makers-tale

The design and registration is nice looking and easy to use. 

Talk is currently in beta so they would love to hear your ideas on how they can make it better, feel free to reach out to them :)

See you on the Talk!

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GE will 3d print internet-of-things components into machines with Direct Write technology

GE has many advanced 3d printing projects, this is a new one. Direct Write technology will 3d print sensors and components to enable machines to form internet-of-things or industrial internet.  

From the source:

If you feel that the world has become a buzzing beehive of connectivity, wait a few years. A recent report from CISCO estimates that only a small fraction of the devices that could be talking to each other - 10 billion out of 1.5 trillion, or just 0.6 percent - are actually connected. CISCO estimates that the number will jump to 50 billion by 2020, potentially transforming the way we live and the global economy.
Many of the connected “things” will be intelligent machines equipped with myriads of tiny sensors harvesting data and sending it over to the cloud for processing. Scientists at GE Global Research are now experimenting with a technology that could speed up the transition to link up machines and put sensors where they've never been before.

The technology, called Direct Write, allows machine designers to use special “inks” to print miniature sensors directly inside jet engines, gas turbines and other hot, harsh and hard to reach places. “We can use it to print sensors on 3D surfaces,” says James Yang, engineer at GE Global Research who is leading the project. “One day they could be anywhere.”
Yang and his team are using a computer-controlled syringe filled with a special ink to print the sensors (see video below). One ink type uses a conductive mix of fine silver, copper, platinum and other metal particles. A different set of printing liquids resist electricity and use metal oxides instead of pure metals. Yang says that this is handy since “changes in resistivity can give us information about changes in the part.”

The Direct Write technology emerged in the 1990s when DARPA, the Defense Department’s research agency, was seeking a way to print electrical circuits on flexible surfaces. The method is currently being used by the electronics industry to manufacture cellphone antennas.
Yang and his team are using Direct Write to print 3D sensors that can withstand 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and handle high mechanical forces. The sensors could help engineers better understand what happens inside machines and come up with better designs. They could also allow customers to harvest data they could not access before, optimize machine performance and spot problems before they get out of hand.

Source:

http://www.gereports.com/post/87310190690/brilliant-machines-will-have-the-industrial-internet

GE is gigantic corporation but still this reminds me of one much cheaper wire embedding project:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2014/05/3d-printing-with-guided-slew-ring-wire.html

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Honeycomb - free browser based parametric CAD

Honeycomb is browser based sleek looking and free parametric CAD currently in beta. It looks much more usable than standard programmatic CAD.





Here is new demo video of Honeycomb:




http://honeycomb3d.com/

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OpenBuilds building and sharing community

OpenBuilds is a community of sharing. Its goal is to make sharing open source builds as fun and easy as possible and it is the place to share open source builds, projects and ideas with like minded people.

It looks like place with lot of useful information and projects to connect with. I think it will become THE place to go when you start or finish DIY digital fabrication machine project.
May this community grow and prosper!

http://www.openbuilds.com/

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3dagogo - new 3d printing models marketplace with tested 3d models

The main competitive feature of 3dagogo marketplace they list is that the models are tested to give reliable 3d prints.

"An informal survey we conducted revealed that up to 70 percent of free 3D designs on the internet are severely flawed and would result in a failed print and wasted filament," said Drew Taylor, CEO and Co-Founder of 3Dagogo.

https://www.3dagogo.com/

Update (5.2.2014):

they released a new feature: Communities:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2014/02/3dagogo-releases-communites-feature.html

Update (26.4.2014.):

3Dagogo released AstroPrint remote and wireless 3d printer control platform:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2014/05/astroprin-wireless-3d-printing-platform.html

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3D Hubs

3D Hubs - Local 3D Printing from 3D Hubs on Vimeo.
3D Hubs (http://3dhubs.com) provides a collaborative production platform for makers and 3D printer owners.
Using our platform, anyone with a 3D printer can bring customized, locally produced goods to those around them. Together, we are building communities that want to share the fun of making 3D printed products, while igniting a new industrial revolution in the process. test

Join our movement on http://3dhubs.com

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Test your models online with www.willit3dprint.com

This is sooooooooo useful!  You take your model and test it online! No more failed prints, and you can do testing anywhere. Without your 3d printer.

So what can Willit 3D Print do?:

• Test if your part has features that can be 3D printed or not
• Visualise the surface roughness of the printed part
• See where support is needed
• Estimate the build time and the cost of your part
• Calculate the carbon footprint of your part
• Reorientate, rescale, and reposition your part
• Export your changes (in STL or AMF)

http://www.willit3dprint.com/

Update: I gave it a short test. In my latest version of Firefox it failed to load file, probably a bug on my side. It works perfectly in Chrome. It still needs more simulated printers and print materials. Great tool!

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