3D Printers and Printing

David Shircliff is the Technology Education teacher for Loudoun County schools. He has been teaching for 26 years, and loves when students have the “ah-ha” moment when they figure something out for themselves. A Surprise Start to 3D Printing Prior to the school purchasing the Afinia H800 3D printer, David Shircliff did not have experience with 3D modeling or printing. “It was actually a surprise when we got the 3D printers,” he says. “We came in, and it was just sitting there! We had an inkling it might be coming, and knew some school administrators had been researching school-friendly 3D printers, but we had no idea they had made the [Read more…]

Sean Huxter is an avid “Afiniac” who uses his H479 and H480 3D printers to create impressive toys and collector accessories, innovative household improvement pieces, and thoughtful gifts. The 3D Printing Revolution One of Huxter’s first pictures of his H479, right out of the box. Huxter had always dreamed of purchasing a 3D printer. “I wanted a machine like this before I even knew it existed,” he laughs. “I’ve been dreaming about it since I was about 7 years old!” Huxter got his first 3D printer—the Afinia H479—in June of 2013. “I wanted a printer so much that I gathered a bunch of collector toys I had laying around and [Read more…]

Ben Mininberg is an artistic action figure designer, who 3D prints his own creations. He recently upgraded to using the H800 3D printer. Mininberg has been artistically inclined for as long as he can remember. “I’ve loved robot characters, and a had a zillion Transformers,” he explains. “I always had a creative hobby, whether it be making things, drawing, or being artistic in some other way. At one point, I started making lots of model kits, but later decided it was more fun to come up with my own characters. So now, I design almost all my own action figures, and print them in ABS plastic so they can have [Read more…]

TechZone 360, a leading website dedicated to technology news, has recognized the H800 3D Printer as a recipient of the 2015 3D Printing Excellence Award. TechZone 360 is sponsored by TMC, a global integrated media company. TechZone360’s 3D Printing Excellence Awards identify those products, services, and applications that are driving the growth and evolution of 3D Printing. “Congratulations to Afinia 3D, winner of a 2015 3D Printing Excellency Awards,” said Rich Tehrani, TMC (News – Alert) CEO. “They are an innovator and leader within the 3D printing industry and are deserving of this recognition. We look forward to their future successes.” We received the TechZone360 3D Printing Excellence Award in [Read more…]

Jason Rider is the Founder of Thriving Systems Design, LLC and inventor of the C-Bite Stake Coupling and Anchor System. We originally interviewed Rider in March of 2014, shortly after he began using the Afinia 3D Printer. Rider’s product is now being sold nationally, so we decided it was time for an update. Starting Local Rider’s C-bites can be combined in a number of different ways. “I started the C-Bite project in late 2013. I came up with the concept of C-Bite and knew how beneficial it could be. I also knew I would need a 3D printer to really get things going, not only in terms of prototyping, but [Read more…]

Dan is President and CEO of Mr. Speakers, makers of “The world’s first production 3D printed headphone”. His firm, located in San Diego, CA, is known for beautiful and high-functioning products. Dan is an electrical engineer with an MBA and founded MrSpeakers after he’d been working in, and around, the high-end audio market for over twenty years. He has designed both commercial and custom loudspeaker solutions, including the well-regarded Platinum Audio speakers from the late 1990’s. The Alpha Dog Their Alpha Dog product is a thing to behold: a beautiful headphone with highly finished, 3D printed cups and lamb-leather pads. Jude Mansilla, founder of Head-fi. Says, “The Alpha Dog is [Read more…]

Mark Willis is the Tech Ed/Pre Engineering Teacher at Margaret Bell Middle School in Waynesburg, PA. In the Beginning Willis had never attempted 3D printing before getting the Afinia 3D Printer. “When it arrived, I just started printing things, learning from trial and error. Willis’ print demonstrating the Afinia’s 5x5x5 inch build area. The printer was pretty easy to use. Afinia also sent their Vice President, John Westrum, to talk with teachers, walk them through how to use the machine, and demonstrate tricks for printing. It was a great gesture and I found it to be very helpful.“ The manual Afinia provides is also thorough. Between that, and John’s instruction, [Read more…]

Ron Smith is the Engineering and Metal Fabrication teacher at Nestucca High School in Cloverdale, OR. Complex Concepts & Making the Connection Ron Smith doesn’t shy away from teaching his students complex concepts. In his classes, he covers topics ranging from vectors and trigonometry, to statics, forces, and velocity. “Some kids in math classes think, ‘where will I ever use this?’ In my class, students apply the knowledge hands-on. They get a good grasp of the real-world applications for the concepts, and learn what engineers do on the job. They love seeing this real-world engineering, and it gets them fired up for going beyond graduating high school. Something More After [Read more…]

Ebelt is a pilot, participated in NASA’s Zero Gravity flight, and enjoys gliding on the weekends. Kaye Ebelt is an inspired educator and life-long learner who has a BA in Elementary Education, ME in Computer technology, and MS in Science Education. She is currently an Albert Einstein Fellow, serving as the Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation. Ebelt also participated in NASA’s MicroGX and Reduced Gravity Flight in 2011. The Power of Passion It is clear from Kaye Ebelt’s background that she has a passion for learning. During her interview, we learned how she is passing that passion on to other teachers and students. As the Directorate for [Read more…]

Daniel Lucaci leads Industrial Inspection Systems (IIS) Ltd., located in Ontario, Canada. IIS provides automated Non-Destructive Testing and Examination (NDT/NDE) solutions to the oil and gas industries. An Industry of Integrity Oil and gas pipeline integrity is extremely important. Pipelines can fail due to defects such as corrosion, cracks, or dents. These can result in property damage, injuries or, in the worst cases, fatalities. Daniel Lucaci’s company provides testing and automation solutions to pipeline manufacturers that certify and ensure the safety of their pipes. IIS solutions allow manufacturers to automatically inspect their pipeline welds for defects. If a defect is encountered, it is marked and an alarm is activated so [Read more…]

Daniel Casner is the president of Robot Garden, a community workshop that provides members with the resources to create technologic and artistic projects, individually or as part of a team. As an indication of Casner’s community activity, he recently received the President’s Volunteer Service Award. “An idea is a curious thing. It will not work unless you do.” – Jaeger’s Facts Daniel has the above quote on his personal website. After interviewing him, it is clear that through hard work, he has been able to bring great ideas to life. One such idea is Robot Garden, a community workshop in Livermore, CA. Robot Garden strives to inspire and educate the [Read more…]

Setting The Scene with the Afinia 3D Printer Owen Collins is a Professor and Head of the Department of Theatre at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA, about 3 hours southwest of Washington, DC. Prologue Owen had always enjoyed theater’s “technical side”. “My dad is an architect, and through him, I developed an interest in drafting. During the late 80’s I was employed at his firm and learned how to use computer drafting tools.” “During graduate school, I became interested in how computers were used to control the “technical side” of the production: lighting, sound and video affects. I worked in New York City for a year and then [Read more…]

Drumroll, Please… Today, we are reducing the price of our award-winning H-Series 3D Printer 19%, to $1,299USD. (NOW ONLY $799 – update 3/15/2016) The printer can be purchased from the Afinia 3D Store or from Afinia 3D Retail, Online Partners and Resellers. “We are excited to offer this substantial price decrease to our customers. It will make it even easier for schools with tight budgets to purchase 3D printers for STEM education in the classroom.” – John Westrum, V.P. of Afinia 3D. The company also recently announced the availability of new Premium PLA filament at $29.99 per reel, which will also benefit school budgets. A Leader in Desktop 3D Printing [Read more…]

TANDEMKROSS is a New Hampshire-based company that locally designs and manufactures gun improvement products. Their mission is to solve firearm problems that the manufacturers can’t or won’t: Making good guns great. Competitive Shooters Their market is predominantly gun-owners who use their firearms for competitive shooting. They make magazine expanders, front and rear sights, and kits to simplify the takedown of guns for cleaning, as well as many other accessories for Ruger, KelTec, and other manufacturers. “The firearm industry, as we know it today, has been around since the 50’s. When you look back at the number of manufacturers that have been around for a while, there aren’t that many. Colt, [Read more…]

Afinia 3D, a leading supplier of Desktop 3D Printers, now offers a new line of Premium PLA filament at store.afinia.com. Current colors include Green, Blue, and Gray, with Black, White, and Natural becoming available in the fall. PLA, also known as Polylactic Acid, is a cornstarch derivative and is the world’s second most commonly-used 3D printing thermoplastic. “Afiniacs are an enthusiastic and creative bunch, and they have asked us to add PLA filament to our line-up. In our experience, 3rd party manufactured PLA filaments do not print consistently and have issues with brittleness, nozzle clogging, and bridging or spider webbing that can leave users disappointed with the results. Our Premium [Read more…]

3D Printed Minnesota Wild Logo The Minnesota Wild are still hanging on in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After upsetting the Colorado Avalanche, they are giving the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks a run for their money. The Wild logo was designed by John Westrum of Afinia, this print showcases our H-Series’ ability to easily stop in mid-job and change filament colors. Red layer first, followed by Yellow, Green and White. [Read more…]

Clark Barnett is an Educator and Education Technology Consultant in Thousand Oaks, CA. He is currently part of the Conejo Valley Unified School District and an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University. In education circles, he’s known for his Ecosystem and build-a-bug Entomology labs. Engaging Through Experience “I was trying to figure out how to really engage my students because Ecosystems and Entomology are subjects that are far more interesting to experience than to read about. Fortunately, I got my hands on an Afinia Desktop 3D Printer last summer and the teaching ideas just began to flow. I decided to tell the kids that the classroom was an Environment in which [Read more…]

Afinia H-Series-printed models are featured in the just-released project book Modeling in SketchUp for 3D Printing, by Bonnie Roskes. Bonnie Roskes of 3DVinci has been writing SketchUp project books and producing YouTube tutorials for over 12 years. She has recently turned her attention to using SketchUp to create models for 3D printing. Bonnie says, “The 3D printing seed was planted when several teachers approached me about writing a project book on this topic. Schools are funding STEM, and 3D printers are finding their way to more and more classrooms.” “Teachers with 3D printers often wonder how to get started and what to make. My book opens by discussing printer types, [Read more…]

Steve Ryan: We Want His Job Steve Ryan owns RyanTech Engineering, an Orange County-based firm that specializes in Product Design and Development. When we say, Orange County, we actually mean “off the shore of Orange County” – his office and Afinia Desktop 3D Printer are on his yacht off of Dana Point. When we asked Steve what he did for a living, he said, “What we do is take our clients’ ideas and create a manufacturable product and make sure the design intent doesn’t get lost along the way. Sometimes we engineers focus a bit too much on the engineering and loose some sight as to the intended use of [Read more…]

Mark Andersen – Restoring Pipe Organs with the help of his Afinia 3D Printer Mark Andersen is Vice President of Artisan Instruments, Inc. , a 65 year-old pipe organ restoration firm, based near Seattle, WA. He is also a concert pipe organist. In The Beginning Mark developed an interest in mechanics and music when he was quite young. “I had a bunch of model train sets and was constantly taking them apart and putting them together. About that time I was introduced to the pipe organ – it was a match made in heaven.” “When in high school, I apprenticed with a North Carolina pipe organ builder and spent many [Read more…]

We’re rounding out the year for Time Lapse Thursday, with only one more left. For this week, we decided to toss in a bit of a complex structure by printing a Castle created by ramenspork. This design is just as detailed and impressive small as it is when printed on larger scale. We printed our file at: Z Layer Resolution: 0.20mm Fill: Loose Material: ABS Quality: Normal With Raft Size: 82.51 x 68.38 x 99.12 mm What we really enjoyed about this print is that it’s what everyone needs to complete their very own fantasy world! Go ahead, STORM THE CASTLE! Until next week, Happy Printing! [Read more…]