2016 has been — let’s say a mixed bag; while this year saw the loss of beloved celebrities, a heated US election, Brexit, Zika, an escalating crisis in Syria, and many other globally divisive happenings, it was also a year of unprecedented development technologically. We’ll stay away from another celebrity tribute or political debate and focus on what’s really important here — this year in 3D printing. Keeping our eyes toward the tech sector, it’s easy to see that 2016 offered some big news in each of its 12 months. This year was also one of great growth for us here at 3DPrint.com, as we saw an increase in readership and have been making every effort to connect more with our community, engaging you through webinars, giveaways, our forum, social media, and more.
We’d like to keep the focus on you, so as this year winds down, let’s take a look at some of what caught your attention in technology throughout this year: here’s a look at 16 of your top stories from 2016! These are our most heavily trafficked articles published over the last 12 months. Thank you for reading, and we hope to continue putting out the content you most want to see as we get into 2017!
The Free Library of 3D Printable Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures is Now Complete!
Because it’s not a party until you can 3D print your own (adventuring) party, the love for Dungeons & Dragons is here to stay. A popular application for 3D printing among geeks and hobbyists, creating minis for tabletop role playing games has really taken off. 3D designer, US Army vet, and D&D player Miguel Zavala was hard at work creating every monster seen in the D&D Monster Manual — and in May of this year he finished the collection, almost 300 models strong. This was our most heavily trafficked and shared article of 2016, highlighting that sometimes miniatures are big news — and if we can’t use technology for fun, what’s the good in it, right? This D&D library struck a chord in all of our geeky little hearts this year.
Poland’s 3D Printing Scene Was Built Upon a Huge Deal That Never Happened
“Due to confidentiality of the agreement, we are not able to reveal additional details of the contract, other than to say that it could not be completed on mutually acceptable terms and conditions by both parties.
We want to clearly communicate that information related to this opportunity was, and has been clearly communicated to prospective investors. As the article noted, Zortrax discontinued communication efforts regarding the potential contract in our marketing communications, addresses to the market, and conversations with investors due to its unsuccessful conclusion.
We would like to note that financial numbers quoted in the article do clearly indicate the usage of real numbers. Potential profits from unrealized contracts are not reported and were not formally included for the basis of establishing the valuation of the company.”
2016 3D Scanner Buying Guide
Gigi the Macaw is the Proud Recipient of the World’s First 3D Printed Titanium Beak
GE Announces $1.4 Billion Investment: Acquisition of Arcam AB and SLM Solutions
When eBay Sellers Try to Defend Their Illegal Sale of 3D Models from Thingiverse, Comedy Ensues
Few things rally communities together quite like outrage. Back in February, we saw what happened to some eBay sellers who nabbed some 3D models from Thingiverse and sell them for a profit — and let’s just say it wasn’t pretty, and I’d like to never be in those guys’ shoes (and not just because of their questionable morals). The eBay sellers, who went by just3dprint, posted an, ahem, verbose argument about why they were doing what they were doing, but their position of basically “we’re doing this because we can, suckers” shockingly didn’t go over too well among designers, makers, and IP experts. While makers had a sad face for a while, eventually they turned it upside down as Thingiverse users won the day.
Multi-Color, Multi-Material Unprecedented Efficiency: Stratasys’ J750 Reinvents 3D Printing
Dubai Inaugurates First 3D Printed Office Building, Constructed in 17 Days
HP’s Multi Jet Fusion 3D Printer Unveiled
Dude, Awesome Lack Hack: Maker in the UK Designs Large Format 3D Printer with IKEA Table
Twin Babies No Longer Joined at the Brain Thanks to 3D Technology
Physicists Create 3D Printable Map of the Oldest Light in the Universe
Ahem! Eyes Up Here, Please: A Focus on SexyCyborg & Her 3D Printing Journey
TSA Discovers 3D Printed Gun in Carry-On Luggage at Reno Airport
Ready to Get Naked? 3D Scanning Smart Scale & Mirror Allows You to See The Truth
ORNL and Boeing Earn Guinness Book of World Records Title for Largest Solid 3D Printed Part
Showing that we all still love the big news, our final story that drew in the reading crowds featured a record-breaking 3D print job. The largest solid 3D printed object was officially named by the Guinness Book of World Records in August, as Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Boeing created a massive trim tool, made in carbon fiber and ABS thermoplastic composite materials. 3D printed in 30 hours, the part measures 17.5 x 5.5 x 1.5 feet — about the length of a large SUV. Weighing in at 1,650 pounds, the solid piece was created in ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility using the Big Area Additive Manufacturing Machine (BAAM), an extremely large-scale 3D printing system developed by ORNL and Cincinnati Inc.
From 3D printed D&D minis to a 3D printed large object, and with all these stories in between, no one can argue that 2016 was uneventful in 3D printing. We’d be hard-pressed to pick top stories from the thousands of articles we published over the last calendar year (though we’ve tried), so we’re glad to see that through reading you helped to narrow down selections this year.
3DPrint.com has had a busy year, going around the world to cover 3D printing, and working to keep up with all the new 3D printer introductions in 2016 — along with news covering business, software, materials, and more in 3D technologies. As we kick off 2017, we can only say: hold on! It’s looking to be another whirlwind year full of technological advances and thrilling happenings. We’ll be starting the new year off (after celebrating appropriately, of course) running, as we cover CES 2017 from the ground next week in Las Vegas — and we’re seeing no signs of slowing down.
Thank you for a great year! We love to stay in touch — send in an email, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, join the conversation at 3DPrintBoard.com — and we’re looking forward to another year of bringing you the best news in 3D technologies. From our whole team: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Discuss in the Top Stories of 2016 forum at 3DPB.com.