3D Printers and Printing

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…]

Stuart Ferguson is the Head of Technology at The Foundry, a global developer of software for use in the design, visualization, and entertainment industries. Ferguson has been creating 3D graphics for 30 years, and recently began 3D printing with the Afinia H479 3D Printer. A 3D Printing Pioneer “I’ve been creating 3D graphics since shortly after the first Star Wars movie, but when I became interested in 3D printing I had no idea what to do. After reading MAKE Magazine’s 3D printer reviews, it was clear that Afinia was high quality, and would be easy to use, even for someone who isn’t overly technical. I’ve been very happy with it.” [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…]

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…]

Todd Hummer is a Satellite Teacher for Butler Tech, teaching a 7th grade Project Lead the Way STEAMM (science, technology, engineering, art/design, math, and medical) class. Butler Tech is a career-technical school for adults and high school students in Hamilton, Ohio. Partnering with Butler Tech “The partnership that our district has with Butler Tech is very exciting. Butler Tech offers classes to high school students, adults, and businesses wanting to educate their workforce. They also provide satellite programs giving 7th through 12th graders the opportunity to learn about engineering and the biomedical fields. Seventh graders are all encouraged to take the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Design and Modeling class, [Read more…]

Young adults and children are our future. As they continue to grow, they change our world with their thoughts and actions. At Afinia, we recognize how their thoughts and actions are influenced by educators and schooling, and therefore, how an education that emphasizes STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) is extremely important. Many of our customers in the field of education have realized the benefits of including 3D printing in their classrooms and makerspaces, and have incorporated this technology into their lessons. Their passion and creativity are inspiring, and we wish to share their stories. We’re proud to announce our second eBook, Afinia 3D Printer-Enhanced Educators: Stories of Success. [Read more…]

“Our story begins when a few educators in Baltimore learned that the city was closing the nearby Rec Center. The closings were due to the financial constraints of the Baltimore school district budget. Two blocks from one of the most recent Rec Center closures, however, a technology teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools had a vision of revitalization. His vision found a way to re-imagine the role this underutilized space could fill by converting it from a Rec Center into a Tech Center, where youth could learn a wide variety of high-growth, tech-sector skills such as digital fabrication, web or app development, and electronics. To turn this dream into reality, [Read more…]

Bonnie Roskes is the creator of 3DVinci, a company that offers training in SketchUp and other application tutorials to beginners and professionals and everyone in between. Roskes is a professional structural engineer who loves teaching others how to use great modeling applications. Her “Google SketchUp Cookbook” was a Graphic Design Amazon Bestseller in 2009. In The Beginning 3DVinci was an innovation born out of necessity. “I wrote the first tutorial for SketchUp in 2001, when SketchUp wasn’t at all mainstream. There were no other tutorials on the market, and people needed guidance on how to use the software. In 2006, when Google bought SketchUp, there was a free version that [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…]

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…]

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…]

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…]

Welcome Back to Time Lapse Thursday! This week’s Time Lapse Thursday is the second half of our two-part series. We will be finishing up with the second video showing the GoPro Case we 3D printed. The case is attached to the GoPro Drone Mount on the bottom of an AR Parrot Drone. This model is designed by Gimungus. We printed our file at:Z Layer Resolution: 0.15mmFill: SolidMaterial: ABSQuality: NormalWith RaftSize: 75.18 x 97.66 x 23.28 mm Thanks for tuning in to see the conclusion of our two-part time lapse. Visit our Instagram page to take a peek at the final assembled GoPro Drone Mount model.Until next week, Happy Printing! [Read more…]

Glen Risberger, Afiniac and Mentor to Gladstone Robotics Glen Risberger really likes robots, so much so, that he has been a mentor of the Gladstone Robotics team (First Robotics Club #3131) for many years. Looking to help take his team to the next level, Glen began looking for a 3D printer to create custom robot parts. “There were lots of kits available. We decided that we would rather build robots than a 3D printer so we started investigating ones that were already built. We got really serious in October and November of 2012 and received a copy of Make Magazine’s Ultimate Guide To 3D Printing. It was obvious to us [Read more…]

Welcome back to Time Lapse Thursday! This Time Lapse Thursday post highlights the ability of the H-Series to print a model that has moving parts and hinges. We printed a Hinge Box created by profhankd. This nifty little box can lie flat or fold up to hide a little treasure inside, the choice is up to you! We printed our file at: Z Layer Resolution: 0.15mm Fill: Solid Material: ABS Quality: fine No Raft Size: 86.18 x 122.09 x 8.08 mm Did you know that we’re looking for models to display at our CES booth? If you use your Afinia 3D Printer to prototype or manufacture, we want to hear [Read more…]

Vadym Chalenko: Designer, Inventor, and Manufacturer Vadym Chalenko began his career as a graphic designer and has created illustrations for a number of retail t-shirt customers. He also has an interest in photography/ videography, and therein lies the start of his journey from Inventor, to 3D printing to Manufacturing. Capturing Inspiration “Last September I was looking for another phone and was really surprised by the photographic and video-graphic quality of the new models. I selected a Galaxy S3 and started using it more as a camera than as a phone.” The Beastgrip is a universal lens adapter and rig system for Iphone, Android or Windows phones. “Overall, camera phones have [Read more…]

3D Printing, Math, Biology and Worm Locomotion Eva Strawbridge, Assistant Professor – Department of Mathematics and Statistics, James Madison University (JMU) and Jeff Kopsick, Junior in Mathematics and Biology are on an unlikely 3D printing journey. We’ll get to the worm locomotion part, shortly… Their story began when Jeff took an independent study course in 3D printing. He’d never seen a 3D printer in action and knew that his Dad’s company used one to design bottle cap prototypes. That was it. Once familiar with the capabilities of a 3D printer, Jeff was inspired, and wondered if a 3D printer could be used to create micro-environments through which round worms (Caenorhabditis [Read more…]