3D-printed metal rocket engine tested in Mojave

Students associated with the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) successfully conducted a hot fire test for a 3D-printed metal rocket engine this past weekend. Dubbed “Tri-D,” the rocket was put through its paces in the Mojave Desert.

“It was a resounding success,” said SEDS President Deepak Atyam. “[We think Tri-D] could be the next step in the development of cheaper propulsion systems and a commercializing of space.”

To build the engine, students used a proprietary design they developed. The engine was primarily financed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. and printed by the Illinois-based GPI Prototype and Manufacturing Services.

According to Atyam, the engine was designed to power the third stage of a rocket carrying several NanoSat-style satellites with a mass of less than a few pounds each.

As such, the engine measures approximately 6-7 inches in length and weighs about 10 lbs. Made of cobalt and chromium (a high-grade alloy), the rocket is designed to generate 200 lbs of thrust running on kerosene and liquid oxygen.

Tri-D cost about $6,800 to manufacture, $5,000 of which was contributed by NASA. The rest was raised via student-run fundraisers.

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the meteoric rise of 3D printing has paved the way for a new generation of Internet entrepreneurs, Makers and do-it-yourself (DIY) manufacturers. So it comes as little surprise that the lucrative 3D printing industry is on track to be worth a staggering $3 billion by 2016.

Of course, the Maker Movement has been well acquainted with Atmel-powered 3D printers like MakerBot and RepRap for some time now. However, 3D printing recently entered a new and important stage in a number of spaces including the medical sphere, architectural arena, science lab and even on the battlefield.

3D printing is the greener choice

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the DIY Maker Movement has been using Atmel-powered 3D printers like MakerBot and RepRap for some time now. However, 3D printing recently entered a new and important stage in a number of spaces including the medical sphere, architectural arena, science lab and even on the battlefield.

Indeed, the meteoric rise of 3D printing has paved the way for a new generation of Internet entrepreneurs, Makers and do-it-yourself (DIY) manufacturers. So it comes as little surprise that the lucrative 3D printing industry is on track to be worth a staggering $3 billion by 2016. Recently, researchers at Michigan Technological University confirmed that in addition to being cheaper, 3D printing is also greener than more traditional manufacturing methods.

“Most 3D printers for home use, like the RepRap used in this study, are about the size of microwave ovens. They work by melting filament, usually plastic, and depositing it layer by layer in a specific pattern,” explained Marcia Goodrich of Michigan Tech News. “Common sense would suggest that mass-producing plastic widgets would take less energy per unit than making them one at a time on a 3D printer. [However, our recent study] showed that making [items] on a 3D printer uses less energy – and therefore releases less carbon dioxide – than producing it en masse in a factory and shipping it to a warehouse.”

Photo Credit: Samuel Bernier, Michigan Tech

According to Goodrich, the researchers, led by Joshua Pearce, conducted life cycle impact analyses on three products: an orange juicer, a children’s building block and a waterspout. The cradle-to-gate analysis of energy use went from raw material extraction to one of two endpoints: entry into the US for an item manufactured overseas or printing it a home on a 3D printer.

Pearce’s group found that making the items on a basic 3D printer took from 41 percent to 64 percent less energy than making them in a factory and shipping them to the US, with some of the savings originating from the use of “less raw” material.

“Children’s blocks are normally made of solid wood or plastic,” said Pearce. “[Remember], 3D printed blocks can be made partially or even completely hollow, requiring much less plastic.”

Pearce also noted that his team ran its analysis with two common types of plastic filament used in 3D printing, including polylactic acid (PLA). PLA is made from renewable resources, such as cornstarch, making it a greener alternative to petroleum-based plastics. In addition, the team conducted a separate analysis on products made using solar-powered 3D printers, which drove down the environmental impact even further.

“The bottom line is, we can get substantial reductions in energy and CO2 emissions from making things at home,” Pearce added. “And the home manufacturer would be motivated to do the right thing and use less energy, because it costs so much less to make things on a 3D printer than to buy them off the shelf or on the Internet.”

Yes, Makers are changing the engineering industry

Writing for Electronic Design (ED), Iliza Sokol says Atmel’s recent Maker and Education Community panel illustrates how the wildly popular DIY Maker Movement is positively changing the engineering industry.

The panel was moderated by moderated by Windell Oskay, co-founder of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories. Panelists included Massimo Banzi (co-founder of Arduino), Reza Kazerounian (Microcontroller SVP at Atmel), Suzanne Deffree (Executive Editor at UBM Tech’s EDN), Brian Jepson (Editor at Maker Media), Annmarie Thomas (Engineering Professor at the University of St. Thomas), Bob Martin (member of Atmel’s microcontroller team) and Quin Etnyre (the 12-year-old CEO of Qtechknow).

All of the panelists, says Sokol, agreed the rapidly growing Maker Movement offers a sense of hands-on practicality for aspiring engineers that traditional education may lack.

“Oskay asked why schools should invest in engineering education when they are struggling as a whole. Banzi then reiterated the benefits of the Maker Movement, saying that Makers keep costs down,” writes Sokol.

“Thomas took it one step farther by emphasizing that the Maker Movement is about actual making – not necessarily the tools that are involved – and that it celebrates curiosity and inventiveness.”

Etnyre, who at 12 is already CEO of a company that sells open-source electronics kits and teaches Arduino classes, talked about how the rapidly evolving Movement has had a direct effect on the engineering industry in the last five years alone.

“With crowdfunding, smaller projects have the potential to become bigger open-sourced projects,” he explained.

When asked how one should persuade a kid to spend money on an electronics kit instead of a video game, Etnyre replied: “Just tell them they can make the video game they want to play with Arduino.”

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, typical interests pursued by Maker culture include engineering-oriented projects such as electronics, Arduino-based robotics, 3D printing with Atmel-powered printers like the MakerBot or RepRap and the use of CNC tools.

Indeed, Larry Magid, a technology journalist who writes for the San Jose Mercury News, recently noted that the Maker Movement is growing exponentially by taking advantage of 3D printers, inexpensive microcontrollers (MCUs), robotics, CAD and the ability to control machines with computers, tablets and smartphones. The truth is, says Magid, we are all Makers to a certain extent, even if some of us don’t know it yet.

“All of us – even Leonardo da Vinci – were late comers as far as the Maker movement is concerned,” he opined. “Our prehistoric ancestors millions of years ago, figured out how to turn stones into tools so that they could make things. Only they didn’t have fairs, books and websites to document the process.”

Will.i.am, the technophile founder of The Black Eyed Peas, also offered a ringing endorsement of the Maker Movement and related culture on Facebook.

“Every young person is going to be inspired to be a maker from now on,” said Will.i.am. “It’s like how everyone used to want to be a musician, an actor, an athlete — but a maker is what people are going to want to be.”

Gartner: 49% growth for 3D printer shipments in 2013

Analysts at Gartner say worldwide shipments of 3D printers (3DPs) priced less than $100,000 will increase 49 percent in 2013, reaching an impressive total of 56,507 units. Shipments are slated to increasing further in 2014, jumping 75 percent to 98,065 units, followed by a near doubling of unit shipments in 2015.

According to Pete Basiliere, research director at Gartner, rapid quality and performance innovations across all 3DP technologies are primarily responsible for driving enterprise and consumer demand.

“As the products rapidly mature, organizations will increasingly exploit 3D printing’s potential in their laboratory, product development and manufacturing operations,” Basiliere explained. “In the next 18 months, we foresee consumers moving from being curious about the technology to finding reasons to justify purchases as price points, applications and functionality become more attractive.”

More specifically, combined end-user spending on 3DPs will reach $412 million in 2013, up 43 percent from spending of $288 million in 2012. Enterprise spending is projected to total more than $325 million in 2013, while the consumer segment will reach nearly $87 million. In 2014, spending is slated to increase 62 percent, reaching $669 million, with enterprise spending of $536 million and consumer spending of $133 million.

From an enterprise point of view, current uses of 3D technology focus on one-off or small-run models for product design and industrial prototyping, jigs and fixtures used in manufacturing processes and mass customization of finished goods. However, as advances in 3D printers, scanners, design tools and materials reduce the cost and complexity of creating 3D printed items, the applications of 3D print technology will continue to expand to include architecture, defense, medical products and jewelry design.

As such, 3D printing will have a high impact on industries, including consumer products, industrial and manufacturing; a medium impact on construction, education, energy, government, medical products, military, retail, telecommunications, transportation and utilities; as well as a low impact on banking and financial services and insurance.

“Most businesses are only now beginning to fully comprehend all of the ways in which a 3DP can be cost-effectively used in their organizations, from prototyping and product development to fixtures and molds that are used to manufacture or assemble an item to drive finished goods,” said Basiliere. “Now that many people in the organization, not only the engineering and manufacturing department managers but also senior corporate management, marketing management and others, have heard the hype, they want to know when the business will have a 3D printer.”

Unsurprisingly, 3D printer prices are projected to decrease during the next several years due to competitive pressures and higher shipment volumes, even after allowing for providers who will be offering devices with higher performance, functionality and quality that enable them to hold the line on pricing. To be sure, 7 of the 50 largest multinational retailers will likely sell 3D printers through their physical and online stores by 2015.

“Simply experiencing the technology and conceiving ways to use it will mainly drive makers and hobbyists, not the average consumer, to purchase a 3D printer to begin with. However, we expect that a compelling consumer application — something that can only be created at home on a 3D printer — will hit the scene by 2016,” Basiliere added.

“This application, which will be the most compelling use case yet for consumer 3D printing, will arise from work done by makers and other enthusiasts who push the envelope of consumer 3D printing uses and enabled by manufacturers who develop ‘plug-and-play’ tools.”

As previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the DIY Maker Movement has been using Atmel-powered 3D printers like MakerBot and RepRap for some time now. However, 3D printing recently entered a new and important stage in a number of spaces including the medical sphere,architectural arena, science lab and even on the battlefield.

Penn State talks MakerBot and 3D printing

The meteoric rise of 3D printing has paved the way for a new generation of Internet entrepreneurs, Makers and do-it-yourself (DIY) manufacturers. So it comes as little surprise that the lucrative 3D printing industry is on track to be worth a staggering $3 billion by 2016.

“Information technology in manufacturing is really transforming what’s possible,” explained Irene Petrick, a senior lecturer at Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). “3D printing just changes how we think about who a manufacturer is in the first place. I don’t have to be an engineer to design and I don’t have to be a traditional manufacturer to produce… [So] it’s really not the existing manufacturers [who] are going to drive how the future of manufacturing evolves.”

Recently, the IST acquired a new Atmel-powered MakerBot 3D printer to replace the very first printer the college purchased in 2007.

“When the original printer died last year we found out it would cost $8,000 to fix. The new 3D printer, a MakerBot Replicator 2, costs under $2,500. The material used to build objects is also less expensive with the Replicator,” said 3D visualization researcher Wade Shumaker. “The fact that the Replicator is more affordable opens it up to a wider base of users, and there is a much larger community of users which has arisen and become a very open source group of DIYers.”

As Shumaker notes, the DIY open source mindset has prompted users to share 3D objects they’ve designed.

“This has led to sites like www.thingiverse.com and www.makezine.com, where you can find 3D objects to download for free and to buy which include everything from functional items (knobs, handles, iPhone holders, bottle openers) to art (jewelry, sculptures, toys) to medical supplies (braces, ID bracelets, hemostats, models of organs),” he continued. “I think what you’re going to find over the next few years is 3D printing is going to become a little more mainstream. When people break something, instead of going out and buying a replacement, they’re going to print it out.”

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the DIY Maker Movement has been using Atmel-powered 3D printers like MakerBot and RepRap for some time now. However, 3D printing recently entered a new and important stage in a number of spaces including the medical sphere, architectural arena, science lab and even on the battlefield.

Yes, Makers are reinventing retail

Atmel is at the very heart of the DIY Maker community – a rapidly growing movement which is well on its way to “reinventing” the retail sector.

“Consider the craft maker whose merchandise got so much exposure through a recent Etsy-Nordstrom partnership that she and her husband both quit their day jobs to handle production and sales,” writes Adrienne Burke of Forbes.

“Or take the math professor who sent his ‘rocket cup’ design to Shapeways to produce a 3D ceramic tool for teaching students about paraboloids. After cup sales went gangbusters on Shapeways, a Fred & Friends wholesale order put it onto Urban Outfitter’s shelves.”

To be sure, Shapeways allows approximately 11,000 virtual shop owners to manufacture and sell their own designs by digitally delivering them to the company’s New York City 3D-printing factory and offering them in the Shapeways online marketplace.

According to Shapeways co-founder Marleen Vogelaar, the platform enables members “to be entrepreneurs and have a life …producing beautiful, meaningful products” as well as to custom-design unique, personal items.

Indeed, says Vogelaar, Shapeways effectively changes “everything” that is difficult about traditional manufacturing, such as hosting web sites, dealing with customers/vendors, stocking expensive inventory and ordering 20,000 pieces of the same item.

“They can go to really high‑scale, selling thousands and thousands of parts without creating a sweatshop in their own house… With the Maker Movement, anybody can be an entrepreneur.”

The Verge’s Adrianne Jeffries expressed similar sentiments, opining that it is now all but “impossible” to deny DIY is in.

“Every part of the ‘Maker Movement,’ a big-tent phenomenon that covers everything from homemade jewelry to homemade drones, is booming,” writes Jeffries.

“Outside of the Make Media empire, there’s been an explosion of crowdfunded maker projects on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. On the other end of the business spectrum, [the Atmel-powered] MakerBot, one of the best-known companies in the Maker Movement, was just bought by a public company for $604 million.”

According to Jeffries, it makes perfect sense that Making is trendy right now, as Maker culture encourages empowerment: skill over money, building over buying, creation over consumption.

“The Maker Movement covers bicycles that generate electricity, art projects that light up when you press a button, and the enormous genre of how-to videos on YouTube. It’s in line with the eco-friendly and buy local movements, the back-to-artisanal aesthetic, and the geek worship that are also part of the post-aught zeitgeist.”

Ben Bendig of the Epoch Times concurs.

“3D printing is certainly part of this [Maker] sea change, but may have more potential to disrupt traditional manufacturing. There are also products like [the Atmel-powered] Arduino that allows people to easily build hardware setups that can employ a variety of sensors to do all sorts of things. What was once the domain of those with a fair amount of electrical engineering knowledge is now far more accessible,” he concludes.

The “monumental” shift of 3D printing

In a recent Forbes article, Natalie Burg confirmed that 3D printing is well on its way to “monumentally” changing the world – beginning with the traditional supply chain.

“The proliferation of 3D printing feels like a ‘this changes everything’ moment. The devices are making their way into businesses [and] some experts believe they’ll make their way into [mainstream] homes one day,” Burg observed. “[However], it all begins with disrupting the supply chain. With the power to print customized, single items quickly, 3D printers in businesses and homes will entirely change how goods move around the world.”

Indeed, a 2012 report from Transport Intelligence – titled “The Implications of 3D Printing for the Global Logistics Industry” – examines what impact such a paradigm shift would likely have.

“A proportion of goods which were previously produced in China or other Asia markets could be ‘near-sourced’ to North America and Europe,” the report concluded. “This would reduce shipping and air cargo volumes.”

Gavin Davidson of NetSuite expressed similar sentiments.

“It’s not just for the designer of the end product, but imagine a global supply network where every supplier has a 3D printer that the designer can ‘print’ to at any time,” he said. “It’s almost Star Trek’s replicators.”

Meanwhile, the Harvard Business Review noted that the 3D printing of commercial products will likely prompt the manufacture of goods which are “infinitely more customized.”

As previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the rapidly evolving 3D printing industry is projected to be worth a staggering $3 billion by 2016, with Credit Suisse analyst Julian Mitchell recently expressing bullish sentiments about the 3D printing market.

“Most corporate guidance defaults to the assumptions of industry consultants who estimate the 3D printing market will grow at ~20% annually,” Mitchell wrote in an industry note published on Business Insider.

“We challenge this assumption and attempt to quantify the addressable market by investigating the opportunities within key verticals such as aerospace, automotive, healthcare and consumer. We conclude that these four markets alone (which comprise ~ 50% of the AM market today) represent sufficient opportunity to sustain 20-30% annual revenue growth, bolstered by the technology’s transition from prototyping to end use parts and expansion into metals.”

According to Credit Suisse team, the most rapid expansion of 3D printing will be seen in the consumer market.

“[This] is the fastest-growing portion of the 3D printing market, with expectations for 100%+ YoY growth in 2013. [The Atmel-powered] Makerbot describes its offering as intended for the ‘pro-sumer’ market (manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $2,200-2,800), expecting many systems to be dual professional / personal use among small business owners or serious hobbyists,” Mitchell added.

It should be noted that the DIY Maker Movement has used Atmel-powered 3D printers like MakerBot and RepRap for some time now. However, 3D printing recently entered a new and important stage in a number of spaces including the medical sphere, architectural arena, science lab and even on the battlefield.

Atmel @ 2013 World Maker Faire: Day 1

Yesterday, Atmel kicked off the 2013 World Maker Faire in NYC with a star-studded analyst panel. Today, the Faire officially opened its doors, with hackers, modders and DIY Makers showcasing their creations, many of which are powered by Atmel microcontrollers (MCUs).

Atmel’s booth in the Arduino Pavilion is drawing  huge crowds, with entire families and Makers of all ages eagerly gathering around to see a number of uber-cool exhibits and demos including:

* Hexbug/hovercraft hacking:  Atmel employees are hacking traditional Hexbugs and hovercrafts using Arduino boards.

* MakerBot: We’re showcasing the wildly popular AVR-powered 3D printer and providing 3D samples over the weekend.

* Pensa: This company uses Arduino boards to make their flagship DIWire, a rapid prototyping machine that bends metal wire to produce 2D and 3D shapes.

* Infinity Aerospace: The ArduLab – powered by Atmel’s versatile ATMega 2560 microcontroller – is a highly capable experimentation platform ready for space right out of the box. Sensor mounting is straightforward, with unique functionality addressing the technical challenges of operating in space.

Additional exhibitors at the Atmel World Maker Faire booth include Fuzzbot (robots), Evil Mad Scientist and Colorado Micro Devices.

Don’t forget to follows us at @makerfaire, @atmel and @arduino!

Analyst: 3D printing industry set for incredible growth

Bloomberg’s Betty Liu recently noted that the rapidly evolving 3D printing industry is projected to be worth a staggering $3 billion by 2016. This week, Credit Suisse analyst Julian Mitchell expressed similar bullish sentiments about the 3D printing market.

“Most corporate guidance defaults to the assumptions of industry consultants who estimate the 3D printing market will grow at ~20% annually,” Mitchell wrote in a recent industry note published on Business Insider.

“We challenge this assumption and attempt to quantify the addressable market by investigating the opportunities within key verticals such as aerospace, automotive, healthcare and consumer. We conclude that these four markets alone (which comprise ~ 50% of the AM market today) represent sufficient opportunity to sustain 20-30% annual revenue growth, bolstered by the technology’s transition from prototyping to end use parts and expansion into metals.”

According to Credit Suisse team, the most rapid expansion of 3D printing will be seen in the consumer market.

“[This] is the fastest-growing portion of the 3D printing market, with expectations for 100%+ YoY growth in 2013. [The Atmel-powered] Makerbot describes its offering as intended for the ‘pro-sumer’ market (manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $2,200-2,800), expecting many systems to be dual professional / personal use among small business owners or serious hobbyists,” Mitchell added.

As previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the DIY Maker Movement has used Atmel-powered 3D printers like MakerBot and RepRap for some time now. However, 3D printing recently entered a new and important stage in a number of spaces including the medical sphere, architectural arena, science lab and even on the battlefield.

This school library is now a Makerspace

Recently, Bits & Pieces ran an article about how the Xinchejian crew constructed a “Pop Up” DIY space in a shipping container as part of Make+, a non-profit art and technology program headquartered in Shanghai, China.

We also took a closer look at the city of Baltimore which is filling up with DIY spaces for Makers, hackers and modders to share ideas, tools and projects. Besides the Hackerspace (founded in 2009), there is The Node in the Station North Arts District, Fab Lab, Unallocated Space and the Baltimore Foundery.

As we’ve previously discussed, the wildly popular Maker Movement isn’t limited to adults, with DIY culture appealing to people of all ages, all over the world. Unsurprisingly, the Grand Center Arts Academy (GCAA) has decided to join in on the DIY fun by creating a Makerspace in part of the school library. MakeZine describes the GCAA Makerspace as a drop-in space for students to maximize their creative genius.

Indeed, students have access to the space before school, during study hall, at lunch and after classes. The library Makerspace is already stocked with a variety of electronics and workshop tools, including Arduino boards and the MakerBot Replicator 2, both of which are powered by Atmel MCUs.

“[The] Makerspace provides GCAA students with unique opportunities to meld left-brain critical thinking skills with right-brained creativity and innovations to create solutions to real world problems,” said parent & LEED Green Associate Dr. Katie Belisle-Iffrig who has been leading the effort to establish a Makerspace Booster Club to help raise funds and gather supplies for the space.

According to Makezine, additional support is still needed for the crowdsourced Makerspace Grant Program where GCAA students can apply for $30 mini-grants to fund materials for their projects. Click here for more information on how you can help the GCAA Makerspace grow.