3D Printer for Home, Education and Rapid Prototyping

Artistic Action Figures and 3D Printing

Ben Mininberg is an artistic action figure designer, who 3D prints his own creations. He recently upgraded to using the H800 3D printer.

3D-printed action figure by MininbergMininberg 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 articulated, mobile joints.” [Read more…]

3D Printing Beginner Wows With Iron Man MK 42 Prototype

James Christianson is a filmmaker, animator, and artist who is fascinated with the potential of 3D printing. Recently, he created an Iron Man MK 42 Prototype boot using the Afinia 3D printer, and some help from friends.

Afinia 3D printed MK 42 Prototype by James Christianson
The completed, painted Version 2 of Christianson’s MK 42 Prototype.

Looking at Christianson’s 3D-printed Iron Man MK 42 boot prototype, you’d never guess that he’s new to 3D printing. “3D modeling and having a knack for designing sparked my interest in 3D printing,” explains Christianson. “When I bought the Afinia 3D printer in 2013, I decided to take on the challenge of creating a mechanized armor prototype as a challenging hobby.” [Read more…]

Designing Projects with 3D Printing, Art, Science, and Engineering

Dot Silverman is an Electronics Designer at Instructables. She has a BA in Physics, with an emphasis in Engineering, and she is passionate about merging creativity and the sciences.
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Experience 3D Printing: Art and Engineering

3D-printed mounts used for a project.
3D-printed mounts used in Silverman’s “Mobile Sun-Seeking Robot” project.

“I was first introduced to 3D printing during my sophomore year of college, and started using 3D printers extensively when I joined the Instructables team. I’ve designed everything from ornamental products, like 3D-printed earrings, to more functional items, like 3D-printed components to hold down motors. I’ve found that the Afinia works well for [Read more…]

The Physical Realm of Natural Disasters and Crime: Doug McCune’s 3D Printed Art

Doug McCune is a programmer by day and artist by night. In his 10 years of programming, he has a lot of experience in mapping data such, as natural disasters. He decided to integrate his artistic side to transform the data he is exposed to professionally and to visually tell a story of his city.

“I live in San Francisco and experiment with data from this area. I love that my art tells me – and others – about where I live. I also work a lot with natural disaster data, which has been fun to explore artistically. I’ll take the data and work in my garage at night exploring ways to transform it into the physical realm with 3D printing. Most recently I 3D printed the South Napa Earthquake.” [Read more…]

3D Printing Technology-Integrated Art Projects Engage the Community

Corinne Okada Takara is a Bay Area artist and arts educator who creates technology-integrated art projects. Takara creates public collaborative works of art and hosts workshops at museums, libraries, classrooms and colleges. Her most recent collaborative art project, “A Serving of Shapes,” incorporated 3D-printed art.

Art and Education

“As an artist and educator, 3D printing sparks my interest on multiple levels. I knew I wanted to explore the exciting possibilities with 3D printing and wouldn’t move my work forward without a 3D printer; I realized this especially after attending a 3D printing expo last fall. I was already working in SketchUp, but the thought of printing my designs was exciting, so I started searching for a printer. The stars aligned, and I found a tradeshow model being sold on Craigslist.”

The Fine (Art) Prints

“I have successfully incorporated 3D printing into my fine art in a short period of time. I’ve received grants that have allowed me to engage the public to create collaborative art, and 3D printing has been a fantastic way to engage youth and the greater community in these projects. People get excited about creating their own 3D printed designs and want to see the prints right away. [Read more…]