15 of The Most Popular 3D Printing Stories For The First Half of 2015

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As we rapidly approach the halfway point of 2015, two questions have popped into my head. The first, “Where has the first half of the year gone?” And the second, “Which stories have attracted the most visitors to 3DPrint.com so far this year?” The first question I could try and philosophically answer, but will spare you the boredom. As for the second question, that’s easy–all I have to do is log into our web stats and figure it out. So here you have it, our most popular stories of the year so far. These stories have received the most traffic on this site since January 2015.

The Famous Blue and Black Dress (or White and Gold) Becomes a 3D Printed Meme

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Remember when that blue/ black or white/gold mother-of-the-bride dress controversy happened? 3D printing company Tinkerine made a tangible version of the internet meme using their Ditto Pro 3D printer. Both versions of the dress were printed.

Carbon3D Unveils Breakthrough CLIP 3D Printing Technology, 25-100x Faster

aa3Redwood City, California-based Carbon3D has unveiled a technology — continuous liquid interface production (CLIP) — that will speed up 3D printing anywhere from 25 to 100 times the usual speed. This story was really big because it a brand new way to 3D print via “harnessing the power of light and oxygen to cure a photosensitive resin” — moving us beyond the layer by layer approach to 3D printing!

Mechanical Engineer 3D Prints a Working 5-Speed Transmission for a Toyota 22RE Engine

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It took 48 hours to print this Toyota transmission, which is a creation of Eric Harrell of Santa Cruz, California, who had previously dazzled us with his 3D printed Toyota engine. The two work together, an incredible feat, which is why this is one of our most popular stories so far this year!

Make Your Own 3D Printer for Under $60 Using Recycled Electronic Components with Instructables Design

3dprinter recycled mainIt’s an amazing concept that has finally arrived: you can use electronic waste to assemble your own 3D printer — you just need to know how a generic Computer Numerical Control (CNC) system works. This final product has over 80% recycled components: both eco-conscious and budget-friendly!

Engineer 3D Prints Amazing Wirelessly Powered Tesla Desk Lamp

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This desk lamp is really cool looking, and what makes it so intriguing is it’s printed on a desktop MakerBot Replicator 5th Generation 3D printer. The lamp operates at 6.5MHz, and is optimized to power a vintage 25W Tesla light bulb. It’s a tribute to the late Nicola Tesla, who invented the alternating current electric supply system.

Jenny Scordamaglia of Miami TV Gets 3D Scanned and Printed in the Nude

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Nudity gets much Internet traffic, of course, and the same is true when it comes to 3D printing news. This story covers the scanning and 3D printing of Miami TV’s Jenny Scordamaglia by 1Click3DPrint. She hosts a Miami-based television show and now she’s 3D printed!

Engineer Creates a Unique 3D Metal Printer for just $2 — Prints in Gold, Platinum, Iron & More

accardifeaturedSkipping the technology that most 3D printers use in favor of electrolysis, an Argentinian engineer was able to create an extremely inexpensive working prototype of a 3D metal printer. Of course, with the price of metal 3D printers, used by large corporations, reaching upwards of $250,000, the idea of a super cheap metal printer is going to make some waves — and it did!

Swedish Student Creates the World’s First 3D Printed Fully Functional Dishwasher

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This dishwasher defies all of our ideas about the large, clunky, built-in machines that grace so many people’s kitchens. Instead, it is a 3D printed turbine contraption that uses a scrubber brush (which is not 3D printed) to wash dishes as you hold them in your sink. Quite clever!

Has this Australian Company Just One-Upped Carbon3D’s Super Fast 3D Printer?

gizmo3Since the story about Carbon3D’s super-fast 3D printing technology was so popular, it’s no surprise that news of another emerging company that may have an even faster printing technology traveled far. Australia’s Gizmo3D is working on a super-fast SLA style 3D printer that may rival with Carbon3D’s technology. This printer prints like an animation, without breaks between frames. People are into fast when it comes to 3D printing.

Japanese 3D Printed Vagina Artist, Megumi Igarashi, is Arrested Yet Again

12121In Japan, it is an act against the government to produce images of women’s genitalia, and this is exactly what led to Megumi Igarashi’s arrest: she 3D scanned and printed vagina art. The story is hot not only because it deals with genitals, but Igarashi is a bit of a folk hero for exposing the double-standard for men and women behind Japan’s obscenity laws.

Cheapest, Best & Most Reliable Desktop 3D Printers — 3D Print’s 2015 Buyer’s Guide

pppAnything that provides an overview of the best and most affordable 3D printers is going to be popular. After all, the market is expanding rapidly, and it can be quite overwhelming to choose a 3D printer. This article summarizes our own suggestions for the best, cheapest, and most reliable desktop 3D printers out there so you can skip some of the headaches when choosing.

3D Printed Bike Snaps in Half During Carleton University Press Conference to Show It Off

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The stage was set for a press conference about a 3D printed bike, but when the rider got on the bike and placed weight on it — it snapped! We usually relish people’s successes when it comes to 3D printing, but as you know, we also learn much from people’s failures. This 3D printed bike: epic fail. Test ride it before you call in the media!

Chinese Company 3D Prints a Full-Size Working Car for Just $1770

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A car company in China, Sanya Sihai, 3D printed a car that weighs 1,102 pounds and is completely electric powered. The printing took 5 full days and it took about 6 weeks to build. The interior is not 3D printed, and its not the most attractive car, but the price is right! In total, including ¥1,000 for electricity and labor, the car cost about ¥11,000 (about $1770 USD) to build.

New Zealand Man 3D Prints World’s Smallest Drill– Just 7.5mm Wide

drillfeatured2What does a drill that is only 7.5mm wide look like? How does it work and how could you use it? Well, this story answers all of these questions and more, as the world’s smallest drill has been 3D printed and is ready to use. Using an Ultimaker 2 3D printer, Lance Abernathy astounds by nailing the category for smallest 3D printed drill… ever.

CoKreeate Teams with Adult Film Star Christy Mack to 3D Print a Miniature Mack Figure

christymackfeaturedNudity sells. Stories about 3D printed nudity sell, too. Christy Mack, the adult film star, was scanned and 3D printed by California-based CoKreeate. But be warned: she is wearing some clothes here, just enough that we didn’t have to do any censoring of sensitive areas — for once!

French Artist César Vonc Designs a 3D Printed Sex Robot: Meet the Soubrobotte

sex-robot-cesar-vonc-soubrobotte

The Soubrobotte is a French 3D printed sex robot that inspires us to think about how technology will transform the landscape of sexuality in the twenty-first century. It’s no surprise that this is being done, and that the technology behind sex robots will include 3D printing. Sex robots have a big future it seems, and this makes for big stories too!

Do you remember seeing these stories? Is your favorite 3D printing news piece not on this list? What do you think will rule for the second half of 2015? Let us know your thoughts and predictions in the Most Popular Stories First Half 2015 forum thread over at 3DPB.com.

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