In this week’s class session we discussed various business models that have arisen the ‘maker’ mentality. A company that is playing a significant part in this blossoming industry is Shapeways. Shapeways crowdsources ideas for 3d models and puts them into production based on support from the community. Here we can already see the emergence of quality controls and model/print standards being put into place in an otherwise highly deregulated environment. After learning about other 3DP resources that the public can access online, we were free to browse the hundreds and thousands of ready-to-print models available through the internet. Thingiverse was a popular destination and there were a variety of compelling objects.
Modular Phone Holder – http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:938573
Something like this can easily impact my daily life as in California, it’s illegal to hold a smartphone in one hand while driving a vehicle. However, with this apparatus (partially scaled to fit my unique phone case), I will be able to operate basic music and GPS functionality without worrying about a ticket.
Customizable Cable Holder http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:145187
These small cable holders will handily keep my desktop cables in order, particularly after I remove my laptop from its place on my desktop, freeing up all sorts of cables and leaving in a messy heap. They would need to be customized for my desk and individual cable size variations but otherwise the design is sound.
Vase – http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:18672
Just in time for Valentine’s day! I would think that a little more weight at the bottom of the model would help with stability, but this design is quite straightforward and doesn’t require much explanation. Flowers, I would use it for flowers.
Watch – http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1249221
I’ve always been fascinated with the mechanics of a watch, or time-keeping devices in general. A project like this would vastly help my learning and further my appreciation for the work that goes into watch and clock design and construction. Customization may come in the form of scalability and materials used, but otherwise the intricate mechanics are best left untouched.
In class, I printed a miniature keychain modeled after a skeleton mob found in the video game Minecraft. Hoping to learn more about the maker mindset and its impact on the industry this coming class session!
Hey Andrew,
I also printed out a keychain! My keychain is rather flat and doesn’t offer the versatility that yours displays. How long did it take to print? Also, it was awesome to have you as my buddy for last Monday’s class. I enjoyed our conversation about Shapeways and how it offers such cool, bizarre items.
Hi Andrew,
Oh that keychain came out really well! Did you print it in 2 different machines to get the colors or is it just the lighting? In addition, your point of Shapeways being a point of quality control in an otherwise deregulated environment really struck a chord in me. With 3D printing being such a personal thing, its hard for there to be really any kind of control in place. Shapeways does provide a good point of regulation in that sense.