3D Systems Gears Up for 3D Print Week NY with Cubify Pop-Up Shop, Design Competition, Workshops

The Big Apple is heating up for 3D printing enthusiasts with 3D Print Week New York April 13-17th. If you are a maker, hacker, designer, or just getting interested in the hobby of 3D printing, this is certainly an exciting event to check out as it is focused on highlighting the multitude of exciting new innovations — and opportunities — going on in the ultra-creative world of 3D printing.

Those who attend will not only be privy to incredible new 3D printed products and equipment, exciting displays, fashion shows, and talks by industry experts, but will also be able to experience the wide variety of reasons why 3D printing is having such an international impact in so many sectors.

3D Systems is heavily invested in 3D Print Week NY with some exciting events and activities of their own, from their extensive Cubify pop-up shop at the Jacob Javits Center April 16-17, to an exciting design challenge with the much-acclaimed, newly renovated, and reopened Design Museum at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian. 3DS will also be involved in an educational event for the museum in Harlem on April 18th.

The Cubify Pop-Up Shop will definitely be a hot spot for checking out many 3D printed items from the 3DS Cubify platform (available as a mobile app), especially if you are in a shopping mood, as it will be centered around Cubify’s curated 3D printables in:

• Fashion
• Adventuring gear
• Technical gear
• Décor
• Toys
• Collectibles

On hand, 3DS will be displaying and selling 3D printed items from their fashion and home brands such as FreshFiber, as well as items from partners such as NOOKA, United Nude, 360Heros, and Makies.

“We are excited about bringing the 3D printed lifestyle to 3D Print Week NY with a retail experience showcasing stunning 3D printed items from our Cubify.com collections, as well as our consumer 3D printers and scanners,” said Peter Theran, Vice President, Global Consumer Products, 3DS. “From fashion to furniture, we’re showcasing the countless creative possibilities that 3D printing brings to our everyday lives.”

The corresponding 3DS challenge being held in conjunction with the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum is titled ‘Designing the Future,’ which of course is extremely appropriate for the exploration of our favorite technology at hand, which is in many ways responsible for launching us into the technological future. The theme and project scope, however, revolves around ‘The Home of the Now.’

Those who enter the challenge are asked to “reinvent what’s possible in furniture and home décor.” It’s a great opportunity for designers to show off their artistic, conceptual skills as well as their technical skills in 3D printing. In what is certainly attractive to most any artist, 3DS offers designers the chance — and encourages them continually — to shed all the normal constraints and limits that traditional technology binds us with, and to explore the unlimited potential that 3D printing is able to unlock.

The entrants are encouraged to summon new complexity and innovation, and work to break more barriers with their design and 3D printing skills for what are two great rewards: not only will 3DS be giving the winner an amazing Cube 3D printer of their own, but also the tremendous gift of immediate exposure in the marketplace with winning designs marketed as ‘limited editions’ on Cubify. Proceeds will benefit the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.

The ‘Designing the Future’ challenge begins today and ends on April 15, 2015. The date for when the winner will be announced will be released by 3DS shortly. Click here for more information on the rules and details on the challenge.

Always looking toward getting the future designers and engineers excited about 3D printing technology, 3DS has not forgotten the kids. They will be offering free introductory workshops, coordinated by and held at the Cooper Hewitt Design Center in Harlem, on April 18. Children from ages seven to twelve will be encouraged in the workshops to use 3D design, 3D scanning, and 3D printing for creative problem solving. The workshop does require advance registration, however, so be sure to sign your kids up ahead of time if you are interested in getting them involved.

Will you be in New York in April and able to attend any of these events? Discuss in the 3DS Gears Up for April’s 3D Print Week NY forum thread over at 3DPB.com.