The trouble with 3D printing a ball bearing is that spheres don't adhere to the 45 degree rule, so they tend to print poorly, or if metal balls are used instead, then the bearing requires assembly. This is a new kind of bearing that can only be manufactured by 3D printing and comes preassembled.

It is a planetary gearset and functions like a cross between a needle bearing and a thrust bearing. No cage is required to keep the rollers in place, because their gearing keeps them perfectly spaced. The gears are all herringbone, which is why it cannot be disassembled and also why it can act as a thrust bearing. If you're wondering how well a 3D printed bearing could work under load, please check out my video: youtu.be/ZghwSBiM0sU

This design is fully parametric and made to be adjusted in the Customizer app to whatever you need. Thanks to aubenc for finding a problem in the first version.

A 1" birdcage with a tiny bird in it, to delight someone, or to wear to flaunt your 3d printing resources. Because every geek girl deserves 3d printed jewelry.

I printed a selection of fan ducts for my Mendel90. Some of them didn't fit and others just didn't work, so I designed my own. I have copied some of the best features from other designs and merged them into a model that will fit on the Mendel90 using a couple of adapters for mounting.

Update - April 2013 - my original fan duct was getting a little overheated so I finally got around to redesigning a slightly longer version which centres the nozzle better.

A fascinating 3-d project, with a complex interior and moving parts, all in a single print.
Push the ball past the spring-loaded jaws, it's only about eight correct moves to get it out, can you discover the secret?
What about your patience - maybe you'll smash the cube to recover the ball!

This is the first attempt at making a lenshood for the canon 18-55 kitlens. It is still a work in progress, but I wanted to share the preliminary results.

The little notch on the bajonet needs to be smaller and probably placed differently.I removed them with pliers so the lenshood would fit. Also the ultimaker printed the hood as two layers which didn't completely adhere.I guess this has to do with the settings of the ultimaker which I'm still very new to.

Hope to inspire some and perhaps improve on this initial desing.

Gicks

*UPDATE*
Version 2 is up! I removed the notch on the bayonet fitting because the fitting is snug enough without it. I changed the thickness of the model from 1.2 mm to 1.0mm so that the two printed lines(inner and outer wall) are much closer together. This improved the overall stiffness of the model.

The trouble with 3D printing a ball bearing is that spheres don't adhere to the 45 degree rule, so they tend to print poorly, or if metal balls are used instead, then the bearing requires assembly. This is a new kind of bearing that can only be manufactured by 3D printing and comes preassembled.

It is a planetary gearset and functions like a cross between a needle bearing and a thrust bearing. No cage is required to keep the rollers in place, because their gearing keeps them perfectly spaced. The gears are all herringbone, which is why it cannot be disassembled and also why it can act as a thrust bearing. If you're wondering how well a 3D printed bearing could work under load, please check out my video: youtu.be/ZghwSBiM0sU

This design is fully parametric and made to be adjusted in the Customizer app to whatever you need. Thanks to aubenc for finding a problem in the first version.

Scanned at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Part of my series "3D Printed Portraiture: Past, Present, and Future," cosmowenman.com/3DPPPPF.html, shown at the MakerBot exhibit at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, 2013.

Albert Einstein sat for sculptor Jacob Epstein in Britain in 1933, while a refugee from Nazi Germany. Epstein described Einstein's "wild hair floating in the wind" and wrote that "his glance contained a mixture of the humane, the humorous, and the profound."

I scanned a cast of Epstein's bronze portrait in August 2012 in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where it is displayed in a gallery where visitors are encouraged to touch the artwork. I used Autodesk 123D Catch to make the scan. I printed the piece in PLA with a MakerBot Replicator and finished it in bronze with Alternate Reality Patinas.

This is my first attempt at the outright duplication of a sculpture scanned in situ in a museum, and I am pleased with the result. My scan captured the rough volume of the features' broader strokes, though not all their individual contours. More time photographing and better lighting would certainly yield a more faithful model.

This subject may be a bit of a cheat, though; Epstein's loose style is particularly forgiving, and the nearly uniform, dark bronze patina is pretty straightforward to approximate. And, of course, Einstein's iconic face is so memorable and easily recognizable. His spark leaps through any medium.

- Cosmo Wenman
cosmowenman.com
twitter.com/CosmoWenman

Designed on Christmas Day 2012, here is the second of my series of printable interlocking puzzles, and this time it's a 4x4x4 cube.
'Printable' means no support material required.
'Interlocking' means the puzzle pieces fit together only in the correct sequence and will not fall apart when the puzzle is moved.

This puzzle is much more challenging than PIP#1 so I will be happy to provide a solution on request, if you need it.

Originally designed for an iPad 3, but fits the iPad 4 as it's the exact same dimensions.

UPDATE: I've uploaded "iPad 2 Stand.stl" use this if you have an iPad 2.

I wanted a stand that would hold the iPad both in Portrait (with home button accessible) and Landscape. I came across thing 23758 by tealid but it was very square looking and the back support required support material which made it look unfinished.

First version I made was just slightly rounded in Tinkercad. But have sinced learned Solidworks which is much more powerful.

Pictures/STL attached are of the much improved Solidworks model, but feel free to use the Tinkercad object.

I love the design of sneakypoo's Earbud holder but I don't like turning on support in my slicer.
So I designed a modified version of the shell parts with built-in support flanges that can easily be trimmed off afterwards. This way you can print the shells with nice nubs without turning on support.

While provocatively curved, she is indeed very shy!
She only allows a glowing glimpse of what she holds inside.
A light shade for LED tea-light or Luxeon/Cree LED.
Hiding the source from direct view, it results in a gentle light emerging

Part of the (r)evolutionary twin-shell series.
This family of shapes is one of my older pet projects.

Over the years I designed and printed many shapes, sizes, thicknesses, slopes and variations.

I usually mount the Cree-LEDS on an aluminum disc which is spray painted black.
Besides looking very stylish this also function well as a cooling method for the LED.

The current selection presented is optimized for home printing without support.

From this particular iteration I have already printed Adam, so all should be OK.

Without further delay...

Please meet:
Eno, Adam, Eve and Ando!

Ca 12.5cm high and wide, with 2mm wall thickness.
See the Shapeways shop for Nylon editions in other sizes:
shapeways.com/shops/virtox?section=Lighting
More will be online soon.

One of the most famous statues in the world.

The Thinker / Le Penseur by Auguste Rodin (1902)

Source: 3D models from the MIT CSAIL database

One of the most famous statues in the world.

The Thinker / Le Penseur by Auguste Rodin (1902)

Source: 3D models from the MIT CSAIL database

"Every minute, at least one woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth"
-World Health Organization who.int/features/qa/12/en/index.html

UPDATE 02012-12-15: Meeting went great; beginning collaboration with WinSenga team in 2013! First order of business is obtaining an antenatal care medical manikin/simulator. Anyone have one they want to donate?

UPDATE 02012-12-04: Excited to meet the WinSenga team this week! They're in the US taking meetings and receiving their Microsoft Imagine Cup award.

Inspired by the awesome work of the WinSenga team bbc.com/future/story/20120927-mobile-ear-for-pregnancy-problems, this is a MakerBottable Pinard horn en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinard_horn, a 19th century fetal stethoscope. This MakerSenga - senga is the local Ugandan name for midwife - can be used to diagnose fetal health by a trained practitioner or, paired with the end cap microphone, by anyone with the WinSenga software!

By Miles Lightwood of TeamTeamUSA.

Community health worker photo by Sven Torfin

You like ships. You don't seem to be lookin' at the destinations. What you care about is the ships, and mine's the nicest. So here's a Higher resolution model of the Serenity Firefly-class transport ship.

The original uploads had some messed up normals. This should be fixed in the "v5" upload, though I still need to split the file again. *Update 10/10/11* Whole ship and 1plate have been updated to the "V5" model, which slices better. Still need to make the halves which should only take me a non-lazy minute or two, but the original uploads should be considered deprecated, use the V5 versions for better results.

A printable clutch (purse, evening bag, etc) for desktop 3D printers. I've been a big fan of Zomboe's things, and have been eyeing his chainmail designs since I bought my TOM last year. There are lots of 3D printed fabric applications for pro-grade printers on shape ways, etc, but not for use on reprap or makerbot style printers. Building some awesome and wearable feminine accessories has been on my to do list for awhile.

Goals:
1. Functional purse that will hold an iphone.
2. Print and assemble without glue
3. Attractive and durable enough to actually use.

I did not succeed on these counts. This project is less a work in progress, than an abandoned proof of concept. But, it's time to get it off my hard drive and out on the web. I expect to try again, with some lessons learned.

The problems:
1. This took 24 hours to slice in RepG. That's longer than I want to wait, and too long to iterate quickly. I either need to simplify the geometry somewhat, or use a newer and faster slicer.
2. It's difficult to get every corner to stick to the platform, especially with a second extruder interfering and prying up a loose ends. Aggressive solutions like applying ABS slurry to the platform result in a less than desirable surface finish, and a lot of kapton tape to peel off the print. One missing square, and the print is ruined. There are about 5 holes in my print.
3. I haven't solved how the sides go together. Currently, I think a blanket stitch with plastic lacing used in kids' friendship braclets or embroidery floss should suffice. But it's not a great solution.
4. To be functional, this design really needs a chain or wristlet loop.
5. I could make a nicer looking design if I altered my approach from no-glue-snap-together, to allowing multiple pieces.
6. The hinge works well, but needs to be a little beefier to hold up.

I was happy with how pretty and shiny the fabric looks. With a more attractive shape and clasp, I'd wear it. There are cool options for textile prints with dual extrusion if I could just get everything to stick better.

The "fabric" only bends in one axis on each side, which you should take into account if use it in another way.

This is my brand new interlocking puzzle design that should print perfectly on a well tuned printer.
It consists of three pieces and makes a 3x3x3 cube.
It isn't too difficult to solve but is the first design that is both interlocking and fully printable without support.

Another 123D Catch scan of an ornament made on my iPhone.
This metal mask scanned beautifully and required only minimal clean up in Meshmixer to add a base.

Inspired to build an army of Yodas (/Yodii), but fretting over a high polygon count? We put bmoshe's fantastic model on a diet, and slimmed the mesh down from 147 MB to a svelte ~2 MB.

* Yoda-Lite : Good detail in all areas.
* Yoda-SuperLite: Extra crunching of robe/ shoulder details, while mantaining face quality.

This is simply a 75% scaled version of nervoussystem's Cellular Lamp, cleaned up in the free version of netfabb. This will be the RepRap competition piece for the weeks of Aug 28 to Sept 10 2012.
See:
tinyurl.com/9ox57jp

License is Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share Alike to be consistent with the original model.

his name says it all

someone expressed a need for Gnomes so i decided to add another to the crew.

Modeled in sculptris and truespace 5

Reduce polygone by 90% and size is down to ~4Mo.

STLs are up as build plates (2x).

Improvements from previous versions:
1. Improved printability. Should be able to print all parts without supports
2. Added and improved clearances.
3. Thickened up some of the thinner sections.
4. Pins are compatible with tbuser's Toy Robot Toolkit.
5. Blockbot now has a backpack/pen holder/rocket launcher tube/use your imagination thing on his back.
6. (V3 to V3.1) Pins printed horizontally for strength.

Big thanks to Lochemage for various design input.

This thing was made with Tinkercad. Edit it online tinkercad.com/things/ldHOTOTw1lb

Nautilus gears based on logarithmic spirals. The gear profiles were generated using this Maple script for which full credit goes to the original author:
maplesoft.com/applications/view.aspx?SID=95483&view=html&L=G

Rendered animation of the gears: youtube.com/watch?v=dtkEyZwuwH4

I'm not going to upload the SolidWorks file because it is frankly a mess of different experimentation, but I uploaded the DXF which should be easy enough to modify with most CAD software.

Update: No more breaking pins!

I've replaced the pins with a simple press fit design. Print two of the Connector Bar v2 or the Curved Connector Bar v2 (same idea, just curved for aesthetics) and snap them together! On a well calibrated printer they should snap together easily and hold tightly with friction.

If they aren't sticking together just add a drop of glue! Warning, these bars are one time use, they will be very hard to pull apart without breaking the pin.

I will keep the original bars on for reference.

If you own one of these power supplies you may want to protect others from electrical shock from the exposed power connections.

I modified the great case by HansH to have mounting ears, some support for the SD card and get a better fit on everything, make it slightly thinner plastic and a covered USB connector as it looked a bit ugly just sticking out the top and back of the original case.

It also clips together a little more positively and has better alignment for the connectors.

And finally it has an experimental optical light guide for the on-board LED's

* - Seperate Top and Bottom Stl's added - 23-6-2012 *

This is a derivative of the PanelMax Prusa - thingiverse.com/thing:21135 by TommyC. It adds a couple of small pots for LCD brightness and contrast, along with changing the size of the reset switch to small and low profile.

Quick video of it in action here:
youtu.be/6dPR84LiO9Y

The click encoder, pots and reset switch are mounted on a breadboard within the enclosure which has expanded to fit them.

As the name suggests it was primarily designed for Sanguinololu - it moves the SDSL card reader: reprap.org/wiki/SDSL from the ISP and top of the expansion header into the case and uses every other free pin on the expansion header.

Having recently built a Mendel 90: reprap.org/wiki/Mendel90 I am a convert to ribbon cables so this design uses a single 22 way ribbon cable from the expansion header+isp header to the enclosure. Obviously you can use a different connectors on the end to connect it like the PanelMax to RAMPS or other electronics.

Update - works with Printrboard, see: blog.think3dprint3d.com/2012/07/panelolu-with-printrboard.html for details

Check out blog.think3dprint3d.com/2012/06/panelolu-in-depth.html for more info

Kits available on emaker:
emakershop.com/browse/listing?os&l=301
and ebay
ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l2736&_nkw=reprap+panelolu

Siamese Orchid, an asymmetric double vessel inspired by the complexity of these flowers.

Originally designed for glazed ceramics, but also seems like a good challenge for home printers.
Current images are preview renders.




If you would like to support my design efforts you can buy the ceramics version from straight from here:
shapeways.com/model/619809/SiameseOrchid.html

This is a derivative of the apparently impossible cube puzzle. While a Cube is cool a sphere is much cooler. I take no credit for the original design from which this was derived.

I didn't have to original model used so I grabbed the impossible cube STLs and unioned them with a sphere (as appropriate).