The 7th annual Maker Faire Bay Area is going down this weekend in San Mateo, California. It’s the biggest gathering of makers, hackers, inventors, and DIY geeks in the world!

Ponoko will be lookin’ good at booth #18 all weekend and causing a stir on the center stage on Saturday at 4pm.

Join us for a big awesome announcement:
Apps for the Makers: 3D Fabrication from Molecules to Motor Cars
Saturday May 19 at 4pm, center stage at Maker Faire
Featuring five leaders who are driving the Maker Movement including Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson, Ponoko CEO David ten Have, and three other special guests. We’ll be tweeting live from the presentation: @Ponoko

Visit Ponoko booth #18:
Get up-close and personal with some of the amazing products created by the Ponoko community. Check out our brand new 3D printing materials. Maybe score a Ponoko promo code. And make your very own lasercut rocketship!

Posted in Ponoko News by Ponoko Team | No Comments

Apple is usually revered as an shining example in the design world. There is the ocassional exception, however. They seem unwilling to design a mouse that takes into account biomechanics and ergonomic factors of the human hand since at least the early 90’s. The iPod earbud style headphones are another instance – where Apple has a priority of designing a geometric neo-minimalist form, rather than ensuring comfort and performance. Cupped headphones are also much better at isolating your ears away from the ambient noise of the world.

These issues led Paris based Chilean industrial designer JC Karich to develop a 3D printable ear enclosed headphone adapter that houses a pair of iPod earbuds.

The headphone adapter is currently a work in progress. The CAD files are hosted on Thingiverse which promotes the sharing of ideas and designs. Karich has provided his data under the creative commons attribution license which means it is freely available to other makers to copy, adapt and improve upon as long as Karich is identified as the original creator. It will be interesting to see what derivative designs appear. You can download the files and print them with your Personal Factory.

Via Digital trends & Thingiverse.

Posted in 3D Printing, David McGahan, Design, Open Source, Ponoko News by David McGahan | No Comments

Retail Ready: small business interview with a creative entrepreneur

Getting Started

• What made you decide to start your own business? I officially started feistyelle in the fall of 2005. At the time, I was pretty active on online crafty message boards, and some makers were starting to set up small businesses selling their work online and at shopping events. This was all pre-Etsy! It felt like the next, exciting step for me was to get my work out in front of a increasingly DIY-friendly public. I was making really different pieces during those first couple of years: brooches, hair clips, badges, out of needle felted wool and Japanese textiles.

• How did you decide on the jewelry direction? I’ve always loved jewelry, but it was actually serendipitious that I started making earrings. When I found out that Ponoko was offering to laser cut felt I about dorked out with excitement. I started by designing a dahlia brooch, and because I didn’t want to waste the felt, I threw in a smaller vector of the dahlia in remaining space. A co-worker wound up wanting to buy the brooch but when she saw the smaller pieces, she said she’d love them as earrings and asked if would I make her a pair. I said, “Sure!” and then walked to my local bead store and asked the shopkeeper sheepishly, “Um, how do you make earrings?” I poked around the bead shop and settled on the hoop design that I still use for the majority of our earring designs. When my co-worker wore the earrings to work, it started a stampede to my office of female coworkers asking for their own pair. I started to realize that I had a hit on my hands!

• What skills did you already have when you started your business and what did you have to learn? I’m a graphic designer so it was helpful to have experience in branding and packaging and of course design software. I did and still am learning about marketing, accounting, and all those very necessary business skills.

The important takeaway here is that you should know how to do everything but you should definitely not do every single thing yourself! I love the extra time I get by having a photographer shoot my product and model shots as well as a person handle online order fulfillment.More from Leslie after the jump:

Business as Usual (or unusual)

• What is the the most challenging part about running your own business? Doing it all myself! I’m starting to bring in more support but getting that going takes quite a bit of time too.

• Do you generally create small production runs or make to order? Mostly small production runs. I do custom orders from time to time, which is both fun and time-consuming. I’ll take on new work if it means I can learn from the process, such as experiment with a new material or test a new design. I design two collections a year to keep things fresh and interesting for the customer. I find it’s more eco friendly to do small runs than large ones where there’s more possibility for creating waste.

• How do you balance your creative drive with entrepreneurial requirements? Take it day by day. My advice would be: Don’t over think what you have to do. If it’s time to working on earring prototypes then that’s when you do it. When it’s time to prep the wholesale order then do it. The myth of the artist lounging in their fab all-white studio designing when they feel like it, is just that, a total myth. You design while the chicken’s in the oven, scribble out your marketing plan on the train ride home, and call the vendor when you’re walking to the grocery store. The work isn’t glamorous but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

I use Action Method for managing my to-do’s and Evernote to capture all the random ideas I generate while walking around or on the train.

Also, I like to mix the creative with the business while I’m out and about. It’s important to talk about your work, your frustrating challenges, and your simmering ideas, with all different kinds of people. Don’t be that quiet artist in the corner. I’ve received such inspiration, developed a clearer understanding of how different people experience my work, as well as deepened business relationships by talking about feistyelle with a variety of people. And last but not least, and this is related, but the people you know in your life are happy to help in their own way support and grow your business. I’ve gotten the most generous, unexpected support from friends who are lawyers to vendors who’ve given precious feedback on how to do what I do better and more efficiently.

Makin’ the Money

• What type of selling outlets are your products in? Shops, online? feistyelle is in 30-plus stores across the country and online: www.feistyelle.com. We just redid our website so definitely check it out and let me know what you think! I’m about to launch the new spring-summer collection: Glimmer & Cream, which features pastel pops of color and metallic shimmer in a vegan suede made from recycled polyester. I’m so excited about using this super soft and incredibly strong material!

• In what ways do you promote your business? I use Facebook and Twitter for social media. I also have a separate Etsy store from my online shop. Lastly, I make a point of always having business cards and wearing one to two pieces of my jewelry. People always like to see you wear your own stuff to get a sense of how to wear your pieces.

Sage Advice

• Have you made any business decisions that you regret? I wouldn’t say I have regrets but I do have some lessons learned. On a couple of occasions I stayed in a business relationship longer than I should have. If the ROI isn’t there, then cut it off cleanly and quickly, otherwise you not only lose money, you lose time that you could spend finding another company or person that would could be an infinitely better fit for your business needs.

• What would you say is the key factor to your success? Between the time I stopped needle felting pieces and the time I started laser cutting felt was one year. I decided then that what I was making wasn’t working well and that I would put the company on hiatus and just be open to trying new things. That one year allowed me the opportunity to both produce a well-liked product and one that could scale. This transition wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gotten honest with myself. It’s an important practice, specifically if your work isn’t clicking with your target audience. You’ve got to take a calm, critical look at your work and ask yourself tough questions like: “Is this design appealing? Why isn’t it selling?” both of which are hard to do but are very necessary if you’re in business. You needn’t beat yourself up, but do take a break or move on to another design.

Posted in Jewellery, Laser Cutting, Small Business Stories, Yana Skaler by yana | No Comments

The versatility of 3D printers is much lauded, and there are many reasons why we hold them in high regard. But what happens when you need to output lines in space rather than volumes? That’s where a CNC wire bender comes in handy. Usually found in factories and serious machinery setups, CNC wire benders tend to be out of reach for the DIY maker.

Not any more. The guys over at Pensa have developed a handy little unit they call the DIWire Bender. This table-top device is a prototyping machine that can bend metal wire into 2D and 3D shapes.

It’s still early days for this device, yet things are off to a promising start. The wire is fed through a series of wheels that straighten it, and then on to the bending head that articulates in 3D to create the curves of your design.
There are some interesting ideas floating about on what this can be used for. From prototypes and wireframe models, to spectacles and on-demand jewellery… it’s even possible to create custom springs and other tricky engineering components.

“A DIWire Bender could eventually become an element in an array of 3D equipment with different capabilities. One day, if you get enough rapid prototype machines in a room hooked into a data line, you may be able to fax a bicycle. Now that would be cool.”

Follow through after the break for a neat little video of the DIWire in action.

DIWire via Solidsmack

Posted in Digital Fabrication, Guy Blashki, Hardware, Maker Movement by Guy Blashki | 1 Comment

Hey, Sam here,back collecting the post from The Laser Cutter.

It’s been two weeks and it’s time for the big news: TLC has a Facebook page so you can submit you work to be featured through there!

Maybe that wasn’t as exciting as I thought…

Anyway, above is laser cut Nori from UMINO. Photo courtesy of  Bored Panda.

After the jump, a bike safe, another wedding invitation, and Melbourne Laser Cutter…

Above is a laser cut steel bike safe from steelpipe1.

Above is a laser cut wedding invitation from Julia of meat&chocolate.

Above is a work from Melbourne Laser Cutter who is nice enough to extend a 15% discount to TLC readers – info here.

Posted in Laser Cutting, Sam Tanis by Sam | No Comments

(We’ve seen a printed mini-lathe before, but that project seems to be obsolete now.)

Posted in 3D Printing, Hardware, Open Source, Rich Decibels, Tools + Apps by Rich Decibels | 1 Comment

“Form follows constrains” philosophy aids design process

Alienology founder Igor Knezevic isn’t interested in showing half-baked concepts or even refined ideas.  Alienology portfolio consists only of products available for purchase – an outcome enabled by a commitment to minimise the time span between idea and the manufactured object. Igor has embraced on demand digital fabrication with every limb to rapidly move through a process that would have required much time and capital investment under the traditional manufacturing model.

The LA based design company embraced the Ponoko model from the onset and has used its laser cutting and 3D printing services to create numerous lighting elements, jewelry and tableware.  Igor already had experience with digifabbing technologies and had access to making facilities, but the option of an online service made it possible for him to focus on designing the products rather that concerning himself with how to make them physically.

Of course, design is never a straight forward process, and prototyping one of its integral features.  Many of Igor’s designs undergo repeated experimentation to achieve the functionality, fabrication efficiency and the desired aesthetic of the final product.  Igor has had pieces 3D printed in plastics and Stainless Steel, and for laser cut objects worked with tinted acrylics, felt and different wood materials, such as Veneer Core and Eurolite Poplar.  He makes a point of considering material quality as one of the starting points in a design, so little finishing is necessary to complete the products.  There are also some products that are designed to be spray-painted and lacquered.A few words from the designer after the jump:

How would you describe your creative process? There is certain aesthetic and logic in my works. What emerges is hopefully a beautiful form, but based on strict constraints of material and geometrical or computational rules. Most of my works have certain degree of parametric dependencies. By using parametric and CG (computer graphics) software to create most of my designs, a new aesthetics is emerging. The final form is rarely immediately apparent. For most of objects created from flat sheets of material, I try to honor that initial given situation…. and use that to my advantage. Also I always try to use maximum material from the sheet. I truly believe that constraints are good for design. In other words, if you choose these constraints wisely, the design solution will emerge out of that naturally.

There is a progression in design process. Line is basic element (1D)… then you go about designing 2D pattern by altering these lines… then you fold that into 3D form. You keep doing that back and forth.

Do you have any tips for other makers? Adjust your designs incrementally… do not work at it for months fixing small details only so see that overall concept is not good. Instead, make early cuts – and then DO SHOW that to friends and other designers. Then, DO LISTEN to what they say. Then… disregard most of what they say (for a while), seriously reconsider what you did so far and why, and then make final decisions yourself. Revise and improve design. There will be failures. Try again. Keep repeating. So it goes.

Posted in 3D Printing, Furniture + Lighting, Jewellery, Laser Cutting, Maker Stories, Yana Skaler by yana | No Comments

Objects that come out of most hobbyist 3D printers look a bit rough. The printing process creates ridges and swirls that, in my opinion, look nice and homemade… But to others that look can be an eyesore.

Luckily, ABS plastic is very receptive to post-processing. As I tell folks whenever I run a 3D printing demo: you can sand it, drill it, paint it, you name it.

The team at MakerBot TV recently put together an episode showing some of these finishing techniques, including the use of modeling epoxy:

That’s definitely a method I’ll have to try sometime. My own process for smoothing involves light sanding, followed by multiple applications of acetone:

For more techniques, you can watch the full episode of MakerBot TV embedded below:

If you’re going to put some of these to use, just keep in mind that basic safety equipment is always a good idea.

(via Make)

Posted in 3D Printing, Derek Quenneville by Derek Quenneville | No Comments

Just when you thought it was easier than ever to design and make stuff using Autodesk’s 123D suite of apps, today Autodesk has released an iOS version of their model-and-make software tool, 123D Make.

123D Make Intro iOS app is FREE and available for the iPhone and iPad.

123D Make is also available as a web-based and PC application, and — as of today — as a Mac OSX application.

So what does it do, exactly? 123D Make is all about converting your 3D models into 2D pieces for easy assembly, complete with animated instructions. You can print out the patterns and cut the pieces yourself or — thanks to the Ponoko Personal Factory API — you can have your pieces lasercut & shipped to your door.

There are 2 ways to get a design:
You can browse their set of pre-made kits OR you can use the ‘Revolve’ feature to draw a shape and revolve it into a 3D form. The image above shows the revolve tool used to make a bowl.

Designs can be constructed with 2 methods:
Waffle construction uses intersecting pieces, like the rocket design shown below. Stacked construction uses multiple, stacked layers, like the dinosaur head shown further down.

Whether you are browsing the 123D library of designs or modelling your own forms, the ability to quickly visualise the 3D form and generate cutting patterns within the familiar IOS environment provides a smooth entry point for many newcomers to digital manufacturing.

10 steps to making with the 123D Make iOS app

1. Open 123D Make on youriIOS device
2. Browse products or build your own with the Revolve tool
3. Select your favorite design
4. Pattern of flat pieces is generated
5. Click ‘make’
6. A cart item will appear in your 123dapp.com account
7. Get an instant price
8. Order your design
9. Receive order confirmation
10. Product made and shipped to you!

Posted in App Gateway, Guy Blashki, Laser Cutting, Ponoko News, Software, Tools + Apps by Guy Blashki | No Comments

Shapeoko was developed by Edward Ford. His Kickstarter campaign ended up being over 700% successfully funded. The machine is a desktop mill with a foot print of 400mm x 450mm. It will cut wood, plastic and metal up to 200mm x 200mm x 89mm in size.

Assuming that Inventables receive a minimum of 100 orders within the next 24 days – they expect to ship out the mills within 70 days of order fulfilment. If they don’t receive sufficient numbers, all orders will be refunded in full. If you’re interested go visit the order page.

Posted in CNC Routing, David McGahan, Hardware by David McGahan | No Comments

PS. note the nifty cut-outs to make flexing buttons. Cool!

Posted in Electronics + Robotics, Laser Cutting, Open Source, Rich Decibels by Rich Decibels | No Comments

So you can talk to the hand

Majority of Bryan’s projects involve re-purposed electronics and custom built circuits.  The end result doesn’t have to have a practical application, as long as the experimentation process is fun.  Metals and plastics are Bryan’s favourite materials to work with, as they are accessible, easy to machine and add a sense of permanence to the work.  3D printing in metal is certainly on that list.

One such project is Glove One:

a wearable mobile communication device. It presents a futile and fragile technology with which to augment ourselves. A cell phone which, in order to use, one must sacrifice their hand.  It is both the literalization of Sherry Turkle’s notion of technology as a “phantom limb”, in how we augment ourselves through an ambivalent reliance on it, as well as a celebration of the freedom we seek in our devices. Emotional investment becomes physical, as the functionality of the device depends on the dysfunctionality of the wearer. While we enjoy the fantasies they offer, we rethink the technologies we construct and reflect on how they construct us.

Essentially, this is a prototype for a mobile phone glove with a futuristic armor aesthetic that evokes a fusion of Inspector Gadget and Daft Punk robot gloves.  The glove phone is designed around components from wrist-watch cell phone that wasn’t getting much use.  The structure of the glove was 3D printed from Super Fine Plastic to give the parts the best form definition.  Bryan wanted to give the glove a smooth, shiny finish, and that meant a lot of sanding and several coats of paint.More on Bryan’s process after the jump:

How would you describe your creative process? Phase One – Concept generation:  Take a few hours to sketch and generate as many ideas (no matter how stupid they seem) as possible… at this point it is quantity over quality. Phase Two – Concept selection:   Assign values to each concept, and/or devise a way to distill the pile of sketches down (sometimes this means combining several concepts) until I end up with two or three concepts. Phase Three – Sampling:  Build a quick and dirty mock-up/prototype for the few concepts that made the cut (I usually work in paper/card-stock and scotch tape at this point). Phase Four – Prototype design:  Plan a more robust version or which ever “sample” is working out the best.  Here’s where I usually begin modeling things on the computer. Phase Five – Production:  Make it!

Have you been surprised by anything in the Ponoko process: Very surprised at how generous customer support was.  For each print I ordered there were these long email conversations between me and customer support, mostly me asking questions and them explaining processes or making suggestions on altering my designs to make them more “3D-print friendly”. The biggest negative of my whole PF experience was the excruciating wait for the parts to be printed.  Three to four weeks for a print falls outside of my instant-gratification category.  Rapid Protyping is a relative term!Do you have any tips for other makers? Yes – if you are designing an object that will have integrated hardware or electronics, leave time and/or be prepared to make more than one print/cut.  The first print I ordered was a disaster because I hadn’t allowed wiggle room for components and nothing fit correctly. The second try worked much better… and if I do a third version it would be close to perfect!

bryancera.co.nr

Posted in 3D Printing, Electronics + Robotics, Maker Stories, Yana Skaler by yana | 7 Comments

What do we really know about 3D printing? Perhaps it’s time to find out what’s happening out there, and you have been invited to help put those juicy numbers together.

Backed by the P2P Foundation, Peer Production is currently running a survey with the goal of providing insights about 3D printing communities to the people who are actually doing the printing.

It’s only 20 questions long and can be completed in just a few minutes. So if you’ve dabbled a little in the world of 3D printing and would like to contribute, head over to the P2P Foundation survey where your experiences can be turned into numbers for the inspiration of the broader community.

The 3D printing community survey closes on May 15th, with results to be published soon after.

via Statistical Studies of Peer Production

Posted in 3D Printing, Guy Blashki, Maker Movement, Mass Customization, Technology by Guy Blashki | No Comments

Marius Watz, the original artist-in-residence at MakerBot, recently published his Modelbuilder library to github and 3D printed some lattice structures that he’s generated with it.

Modelbuilder is a library for artist programming tool Processing that aims to streamline the creation of geometric 3D models for printing. It comes with a few examples, like a script that creates these random badge-like shapes:

Development of Modelbuilder is ongoing, and Marius is looking for “smarter minds” to check out the github repository and suggest improvements.

If you’re not quite up for that, you can at least check out the full gallery of lattice prints and other Modelbuilder models on Flickr.

(via the MakerBot Blog)

Posted in 3D Printing, Derek Quenneville by Derek Quenneville | 3 Comments

The white knight of model making

When it comes to laser cutting, fabricating components for model making is where this material truly shines.  Prefab laser cut model kits are already available for the likes of railways, trucks, aeroplanes and buildings.  Styrene’s properties make it an excellent material choice for these applications.  While it doesn’t cut as precisely as acrylic, it is easily sanded or scored with a craft knife, which is perfect for leaving sprues (little “bridges” of material) to hold parts in place.  Partially laser cut parts can be easily snapped off the kit sheet and sanded back for a clean edge.  Styrene is not the only flexible plastic that can be laser cut.  There’s also PETG and polypropylene.  When it comes to model making, styrene has significant advantages over both of those.  It can be easily bonded to itself with solvents (no heat welding required), and it takes on various paint finishes so can be painted to resemble other materials such as metals or wood.  Styrene also thermoforms better than the other plastics, and thinner pieces can be formed to a mold with a hairdryer.

Styrene’s flexibility, ease of finishing and bonding have seen it used in prosthetics, jewellery and even a Vanilla Design coffee cup holder.  Some of the material’s limitations are its fragility in delicate pieces and its inability to hinge.  Any score line compromises the structure of the sheet, and applying force to that area will snap the material.  Of course, this can also be an advantage with laser cutting – using heavy vector engraving instead of cutting right through noticeably reduces kerf, while still allowing for the cut piece to be snapped out of the sheet.  This approach works with long straight lines and simple, open shapes, and prototyping is necessary for optimum results.

The white styrene can also be used in lighting design.  Its glossy finish makes it more reflective than propylene.  However, because it has a low melting point, only fluorescent and LED light sources can be used.  Featured designs (clockwise): Middle C by Sherman Warren, Lotus by David Knott, Warp by Alienology, Urchin by Fabripod, Tumbleweed by Del Jackson, Carbon by Cindy Hartnett.  Carbon is also this month’s FREE file for download.  Make your own Carbon light!

Styrene is available from Ponoko US and Ponoko NZ, and there are also US and NZ material samples to give you a better idea of cutting and engraving finish.

Posted in Furniture + Lighting, Laser Cutting, Materials Catalog, Toys + Games, Yana Skaler by yana | 7 Comments

At what point has the status quo been shaken to its core… and we can declare ourselves in the midst of a Revolution? Reflecting on the changes that are taking place in various manufacturing industries, a recent article in The Economist puts forward some interesting points and suggests that we are, indeed, at the cusp of the Third Industrial Revolution.

If you’ve ever wondered about the impact that technologies such as Additive Manufacturing can have on a larger scale, then you are well advised to click through and read the full text. Before the really juicy content kicks off, there is a neat overview of current industrial practices, followed by an introduction to 3D printing and how it is already so much a part of our lives. Then things start to get interesting.

It’s not all about Additive Manufacturing – the factory of the future is also evolving to make use of smarter and more flexible production equipment. This means that as the number of people directly employed in making products declines, there will be a direct impact on the cost of labour (and therefore cost of production). What does this mean? Manufacturing techniques will make it cheaper and faster to produce locally, moving work back to the rich countries that enjoy so much gleeful consumption.

“Everything in the factories of the future will be run by smarter software. Digitisation in manufacturing will have a disruptive effect every bit as big as in other industries that have gone digital, such as office equipment, telecoms, photography, music, publishing and films. And the effects will not be confined to large manufacturers; indeed, they will need to watch out because much of what is coming will empower small and medium-sized firms and individual entrepreneurs. Launching novel products will become easier and cheaper. Communities offering 3D printing and other production services that are a bit like Facebook are already forming online—a new phenomenon which might be called social manufacturing.”

Systems and processes that we engage with on a daily basis were practically impossible a little over a decade ago. So it is perhaps not too bold a statement to declare that the Third Industrial Revolution is upon us.

Previous paradigm-shifting changes took place in Britain in the late 18th century, when the textile industry became mechanised and the use of machines rather than making by hand quickly spread across the globe. Then in the early 20th century the assembly line, pioneered in America, heralded the era of mass production.

It would seem that a full circle is ushering in the age of Social Manufacturing. The use of new materials, completely new and highly flexible processes, ease of access and novel collaborative services are turning manufacturing away from operating at mass scale. Individualised production is the new game. Welcome to the Third Industrial Revolution.

The Economist via Solidsmack

Posted in 3D Printing, Digital Fabrication, Guy Blashki, Interviews, Thoughts + Opinions, Maker Movement, Technology by Guy Blashki | No Comments

Hey, Sam here,back collecting the post from The Laser Cutter.

What’s the big news you are asking? Well, it will happen in two weeks. I am wrapping up my first year at grad school this week, my computer crashed and died, and I think those are good enough reasons to take a week off from TLC (which equals 2 weeks off from Ponoko). But that’s not the news. The news is that I will be launching an Facebook page for TLC which means that anyone who wishes to submit work to be featured can do so through there.

Above are two Tardis… Tardises… Tardi? Laser cut by Mark Pitcher.

For more news and laser cut stuff see bellow

After the jump, the etsy rule, a silent protest, more toast, and a business cards…

So after getting mad at etsy.com I wrote up this rule.

Someone else who was mad at etsy for the same reason actually did something of value – the silent protest.

Above is another work of laser cut toast, this time from Evolution Laser Works,  and again is available with a 15% off discount – see here.

Above are laser cut and etched wood business cards from KitsapMaker.

Posted in Laser Cutting, Sam Tanis by Sam | No Comments

Editor’s note: In this guest post, CEO and co-founder Cassandra Glessner of San Francisco based nonprift SF Commonality gives some marketing advice that we at Ponoko truly believe in: sell your story and the orders will follow.

Forget marketing. That’s right, I said it; forget branding, synergy, and any other buzzword that make people’s eyes glaze over and brains recoil in horror. The most important thing that any small business start-up should recognize instead is that what you are really selling when you sell anything is a good story.

If people buy your delicious tomatoes or your jewelry or your solar panels, your whats-its, or your widgets; they are buying it because they are sold on the story of it. They compare, in an instant firing of emotional synapses, the story of that product with other stories of the other products out there, and purchase yours because they found yours more personally compelling. Your photographs, your presentation, you yourself — everything you put out there about your product is part of that story.

The most compelling stories are the ones that are true, the ones that people can identify with, and the ones that, crucially, they want to retell. Most of the time when a product has to lean heavily on making up stories about itself, it’s not a very good product, and the stories have to be rather outlandish to even make people pay attention. We’re practically swimming in a sea of examples of this; much of the advertising and marketing around us, in fact.

Creative people, those on the cutting edge of technology, design or those who are introducing a new product, can sometimes find themselves disadvantaged, even with a great or true idea, because their story is one that has not been told before. They have to come up with ways to tell this new tale. Like Copernicus or Tesla, they are a continuation in a long line of great and small innovative thinkers that struggled to bring their (brilliant) ideas to market.

In the case of Copernicus, it took more than his own groundbreaking story that the earth moved around the sun (and not the other way around); it took lots of other scientists telling their own stories about the one he had begun – adding evidence and observation that eventually sold people on a theory that they, to this day, cannot experience for themselves. Not even astronauts can feel space whipping through their hair as we sail through orbit. There is the power of collective storytelling.

This collective storytelling effort, this building on top of building, is why creative thinkers in the Internet age should take heart. For Copernicus it took hundreds of years for his ideas to be widely recognized and retold. Today, clever and pleasing stories shot on a home camera can be (and are) viewed by as many people as clever and pleasing professionally produced commercials shown on television. Open-source images become massive internet memes that people caption and re-caption, altering and expanding the stories they tell.

As a hands-on real person maker, you potentially have the same reach as anyone with a large advertising budget and television ad space–as a small business you can make real stories (the ones about you, that are true) central. They can be about how your jewelry is personalized for each customer and their stories of how that personalization made all the difference to a romantic gift; how your solar panel was lovingly crafted with multiple levels of sustainability designed into it, and is built with help from your family; how it was designed with your customers’ family in mind.

If you can make it funny, so much the better. Humor increases the likelihood that people will remember your story; it makes an instant emotional connection.

Create a story, that’s true and personal and appealing–that demands retelling–and it will be retold.

Posted in Interviews, Thoughts + Opinions, Selling + Business Tips by Kristen Turner | 1 Comment

For Erik Pettersson, learning the ropes on his new eMaker Huxley 3D printer was an opportunity to get creative. Taking inspiration from Thingiverse users producing gears and kinetic objects, Erik set out to create something unique that could spread across the wall in his stairwell (and meet his wife’s approval).

What emerged was a set of six framed pieces, which are connected by mechanical transmissions. A motor in one of the hubs kicks off the motion, which is transferred through some 120 different 3D printed parts across the frames.

The original Gear Painting certainly taught him a lot about using Sketchup and the potential (and quirks) of his 3D printer. With Gear Project 2, some 91 hours and 316.65 metres of filament later, it would seem that Erik is well placed to take on his next 3D printed challenge.

Read all about Gear Project 2 in this thorough worklog. Not only does he include an impressive number of in-process pictures, but also many valuable insights that popped up during the exploration. Did his wife approve, in the end? You’ll have to click through to find out!

snille via 3Ders

Posted in 3D Printing, Functional Art + Objects, Guy Blashki by Guy Blashki | No Comments

Mother’s Day is only a couple of weeks away, so we have some creative inspiration and gift ideas to get you on the path to becoming your mother’s favourite child. Few admonitions are as cutting as “I am disappointed in you” coming from your mom. Make sure you make her something wonderful this year, or at least buy her something unique that doesn’t come from a mall.

Personal ornamentation is often a popular option. Gilded Butterflies are a range of one off fluttering pendants that are as individually unique as each butterfly’s wing pattern. The pendants are laser cut out of bamboo plywood and laminated with real butterfly wings. Feisty Elle offers an impressive variety of intricately cut bamboo and 100% wool felt jewellery, with the dahlias being so well recognised that they are now being plagiarised around the world. Plagiarism is not cool. Colleen Jordan’s 3D printed miniature wearable planters are infinitely customisable by whatever is planted inside, and they are also available in different shapes and colours.

Jewelry needs somewhere to be stored. Harbinger Co don’t just make jewellery, but also create beautiful boxes for all that loot. You may be already the apple of your mother’s eye, but chances are that there are some other family members that your mom is fond of. Such as the dog or the goldfish. Familial pride and joy is best displayed photographically, in a picture frame, such as the flower one by BEDA Design Inc. You know you’re not doing your mom proud if the goldfish gets the middle flower. On the topic of furry and scaly friends, Pepper Sprout Designs make animal themed trivets amongst many other home gifts. These are laser cut from 100% wool felt.

Your mom will hopefully be happy to see your smiling face, and should that grimace require additional illumination, a lamp could be very useful. Alienology create different types of lighting, including the Bloom Table Lamp that is laser cut from Eurolite plywood. Jenny Keate’s fluffy Luminant lamp is made from a combination of wool and laser cut plywood. It has the softness of a sheep without any of the annoying bleeting. Another home frienly idea of mum is a Decoy Lab clock made from Earth friendly bamboo and adorned with a forest-full of cute animals.

The best gift is the one made by you, and we’re here to help facilitate the opportunity by providing FREE design files that you can download, customise and make with Ponoko. The Tulip Vase is designed to be flat packed and easily assembled with minimal components. All you need is a glass test tube to put water and flowers in and to give the vase structure, so no glue is required. If made from plywood or MDF, the parts can be painted, waxed or varnished, and there are a few finishing options for both US and NZ materials. The Ball of Stars by Dizingoff is designed as a 3D printed art object that can be made into a light with an addition of an LED. Mother’s Day is usually accompanied by a greeting card, so this is no exception. The Lace Card is designed specifically for cardstock, which is the Ponoko promotional material until the end of April – design something to be laser cut from cardstock and you could win a neat piece of technology. We even have a tutorial on how to use laser cutting to make greeting cards.

Posted in 3D Printing, Downloadable, Functional Art + Objects, Furniture + Lighting, Jewellery, Laser Cutting, Yana Skaler by yana | No Comments

From Maker Faire to Renegade to tons of local events, summer craft fairs are just around the corner. For Ponokoans running maker businesses, we know summer craft fair season means ramping up inventory, refreshing your product line-up, and fulfilling orders.

To give your summer biz a little boost, we’re running your favorite deal:

Spend $50 or more at Ponoko, get a FREE $50 Making Voucher!

To get your $50 making voucher: place a $50 minimum order at the Ponoko US or NZ hub. Type in SUMMERBIZ in the special shipping instructions, and we’ll email you your $50 Making Voucher.

Things you should know: Offer is for making stuff with Ponoko. Showroom or sample store purchases do not qualify. $50 minimum does not include shipping. Other coupons and vouchers cannot be used towards $50 minimum. Offer only good at Ponoko US and NZ. Offer totally valid for Ponoko Prime accounts! Offer ends at 10pm pacific time on May 20, 2012.

About the free Making Voucher: Promotional making voucher is good for a future order, not the initial $50 order. One promotional voucher per account. (Making Vouchers are good on making costs only.)

Posted in Ponoko News by Ponoko Team | 8 Comments

Kevin: Thank you for your kind words. We are very grateful for the response that the NTH received.

My background is a bit varied, but I majored in music, and have spent the last decade or so in synthesis and generative music. I run sineqube.com which offers freeware and shareware Max/MSP applications geared toward the niche electronic musician. I also have some art and graphic design background, dabble in programming, and tinker with electronics. My day job is teaching music.

John: My day job is designing electronics for my company, Highly Liquid. Before that, I worked in the telecom equipment industry as a software engineer.Tell me about the process of getting from the first breadboard prototypes to this slick product: how long have you been working on the design? Is it the result of a gradual evolution or a more intentional process.

John: It took roughly a year to get from the first breadboarded “bird’s nest” mockup to the production prototype. We built one breadboard version, followed by 4 custom PCB revisions.

Our main design goal was to build something fun and simple to use. Development followed in a mostly straight line with lots of refinements along the way. Looking back, the first prototype can be easily identified as a primitive, very ugly version of the production NTH.How have you found working with Ponoko’s making system and services? Any unexpected hurdles or pleasant surprises?

Kevin: John had some experience cutting things for Highly Liquid, but this was my first real laser cutting project. Getting the enclosure finalized was certainly a challenge at times, due to file transfer issues between programs, scaling anomalies, layout discrepancies, etc. So, getting to the final product once all of the issues were rectified was a big win.

Our enclosures were all prototyped using a local laser at the Columbus Idea Foundry, and the shipping units will be cut by Alex Traxler at Griffen Hollow Studio.

We decided to produce a Ponoko article so that we would be better informed about the process for those backers interested in making their own enclosures. The Ponoko making system is impressive and helps identify any issues in the file before moving to the cutting phase. This is obviously a great financial and temporal boon as the customer can feel confident that their first order will be done correctly. Also, it gave us an excuse to make a bamboo NTH.Watching the pledges roll in on Kickstarter must have been a thrill and a tremendous validation for your hard work. How did you make your project stand out from the crowd? What kind of supporting publicity work did you have to do to make this a success?

John: We are very grateful for the support that the NTH has received. Interacting with our backers has been the most rewarding part of the project.

For the Kickstarter project itself, we did our best to have a very concise project description and video. We also got the help of a professional photographer to do product photos. To drive traffic to the project, we sent press releases to synth related blogs and took advantage of the mailing lists from our individual businesses. Finally, Kevin spent lots of time creating interesting demonstration videos for inclusion in project updates that we posted during the funding period.

Kevin: It’s obviously a very surreal and humbling experience to see such a strong positive response to anything one puts so much time into creating. We are very pleased so many people are as excited about the NTH as we are.

We have been very fortunate to know some great people in the DIY and electronic music fields over the years. John’s work at Highly Liquid has garnered great praise from his community, and I’ve been lucky to meet fantastic artists and musicians through sineqube.com. We mentioned our collaboration with the NTH to the people we met through these ventures and some of the publicity took care of itself as a result.We tried to use the Kickstarter Update process as a vehicle to show all of the NTH’s great features in more detail than we had time for in the primary video. We kept an eye on the feedback we were getting during the campaign so we could address any confusion about the instrument. For example, it became clear to us that a few people weren’t sure about the NTH’s MIDI capabilities, so we made sure to make this explicit in subsequent media. Our goal with the NTH was always to make it as fun as it is technically interesting, and we made a strong effort to show both sides of its personality in our video, audio, and images.The DIY electronics community is really held together by a combination of a few core forums and a million scattered blogs: what are some of your favourite online resources?

John: I like the reading about DIY projects at GetLoFi and Make. I also love seeing the musical creations of the users at the Highly Liquid forum.

Posted in Electronics + Robotics, Interviews, Thoughts + Opinions, Laser Cutting, Maker Stories, Open Source, Rich Decibels by Rich Decibels | 2 Comments

David Nichols of Dotmatrix Design takes major inspiration from various infrastructure and industry around the Bay Area. Conveniently located in same area, Ponoko has helped shape his creative process. David’s first project was a human scale model of SF Sutro Tower, “a local landmark TV tower that pokes through the fog of the city most days of the year”. He had the tower CNC routed out of plywood, and it will be making its way to Maker Faire next month as part of the Ponoko display.

David likes the challenge of using interlocking to produce 3D objects out of 2D shapes, so laser cutting and CNC routing are his ideal precision fabrication methods. He’d made a tiny model of the container cranes in the Port of Oakland and also laser cut maps of the Bay Area. Most of the objects he created are fabricated out of wood, either in plywood or composite form. Hardboard and MDF are some of David’s favourite materials to work with. The material choices allow for minimal finishing and easy assembly that doesn’t require adhesives.A few words from the designer after the jump:

How did you make products before Ponoko? What I really love about Ponoko is that it’s opened up the possibility for me to make products at all. Focusing on creative design and accessing fabrication services with the click of a button online really lowers the threshold of difficulty, time, and cost that’s necessary for me to create physical products. I’m pretty busy and although I like to get my hands dirty from time to time, Ponoko’s resources allow me to sustain a business that would otherwise be impossible.

How would you describe your creative process? I find that chasing down ideas is the best way to lead to new perspectives. If I get the notion that a birdhouse would be cool, I HAVE to make one. What I learn in the process of making that birdhouse will kick off 4 or 5 other ideas to track down. Sometimes it leads somewhere interesting, sometimes not, but the key is to keep moving.

Have you been surprised by anything in the Ponoko process? Every time I open a box from Ponoko with a new design there’s going to be a surprise. Luckily, most of my surprises have been great because the design looks so much cooler in person than on a screen!

Do you have any tips for other makers? Making things is a learning process, and learning often involves making mistakes. If you’re willing to ask lots of questions and feed that knowledge back into what you’re doing, you get better and better. Now that I think of it, this applies to everyone. Please tell this to everyone.

Tower image via Flickr

Posted in CNC Routing, Functional Art + Objects, Laser Cutting, Maker Stories, Yana Skaler by yana | No Comments

Trimble Navigation who is a leading provider of advanced positioning solutions has bought SketchUp from Google for an undisclosed sum. Google originally purchased SketchUp from @Last Software who developed the software from a start up in 2006. Google has spun it into one of the most popular 3D modeling applications – fostering a community of whom there are millions of users worldwide, through selling it as a freemium product.

So what does this mean for SketchUp users? Trimble appears eager to continue growing the vibrant SketchUp community, by stating as part of the acquisition they intend to partner with Google to maintain Google Warehouse’s collection of 3D models. I expect Trimble will be wary to make any drastic changes with such a large vocal community of users.  Trimble will incorporate their expertise and experience with location and positioning systems such as GPS and mapping into SketchUp’s feature set. I think we’ll be see future versions of SketchUp Pro beginning to compete with some of the geospatial 3D CAD packages from Autodesk. As such new features Trimble brings to SketchUp will likely benefit architects and engineers in the geospatial fields the most, although Trimble also lists laser and optical mapping technologies amongst its product solutions, so I wouldn’t discount the possibility that we’ll see some form of native 3D scanning support incorporated into SketchUp in the future.

John Bacus, the product manager for SketchUp addressed the non-architectural/construction/engineering users regarding the sale on the SketchUp Blog:

“If you’re one of the many, many people who use SketchUp for something else—from education to woodworking, geo-modeling to movie-making—rest assured that there will be a SketchUp for you, too. Our mission has always been to make 3D modeling tools that anyone can use. The free version of SketchUp is an important part of our world as well, and that isn’t changing in the least.”

We can rest assured that SketchUp will continue to a great 3D modeling application for everyone.

Via SketchUp Blog

Posted in David McGahan, Interviews, Thoughts + Opinions, Software by David McGahan | 3 Comments

Making balloon animals (and balloon anythings) is about to become much cooler. That’s because a collaboration between ETH Zurich and Disney Research Zurich has produced a new approach to making inflatable shapes with 3D printed molds.

The traditional method of creating rubber balloons using a sculpted mold does not lend itself to complex shapes. But the method described by Bernd Bickel and crew instead uses models of uninflated shapes that can be computer-simulated to reach a target inflated shape.

Basically, by figuring out the “at rest” state of the balloon and 3D printing that as a mold, the inflated version can be a perfect shape instead of a blown-out, distorted version that would come from simply inflating a scaled-down model.

Have a look at this video comparison to see the difference between optimized and unoptimized shapes as they are inflated:

It’s a really interesting problem to solve! If you’d like to read the in-depth explanation, the paper is available as a PDF along with the full-length video here: http://graphics.ethz.ch/publications/papers/paperSko12.php

The findings are to be presented next month at Eurographics 2012. (Which makes me wonder if they’re actually supposed to be online yet – so read quickly. )

(via New Scientist)

Posted in 3D Printing, Derek Quenneville by Derek Quenneville | 2 Comments

This neat set of laser cut stainless steel cards will see you through all manner of emergencies. Whether it’s a culinary conundrum, a tricky twist without a tool, or fish ‘n chips too oily for fingers… Robert Rüf and Steffen Kehrle’s Survival Kits have you covered.

It’s not the first time this kind of concept has popped up, but this one is particularly nicely executed. Perfect to slip into a wallet or between the pages of an organiser (there is life beyond the iPhone, after all).

Click through to see Survival Kits in action.  

via NotCot

Posted in Functional Art + Objects, Guy Blashki, Laser Cutting by Guy Blashki | No Comments

Choc Edge is offering “the world’s first chocolate 3D printer” for sale. The first ten Choc Creators were offered on eBay, and the next 90 are currently available for pre-order at a discounted price.

The technology for the Choc Creator was developed by a team of researchers at the University of Exeter.

Via Laughing Squid

Posted in 3D Printing, Taylor Gilbert by Taylor Gilbert | No Comments

The recent merger of Objet and Stratasys makes the combined company the largest 3D printing company in the world with a $1.4 billion dollar equity value.

3D Systems has been acquiring 3D printing-related companies at an impressive rate in recent years, including ZCorp and Freedom of Creation, but this merger eclipses them. As 3D printing technology becomes cheaper and more accessible, the industry is also becoming more competitive and, potentially, highly lucrative. A battle is now being fought over who will have the right patents, the best distribution networks, and the right people.

Via solidsmack

Posted in 3D Printing, Taylor Gilbert by Taylor Gilbert | No Comments

A collection of 3D printed hats and acessories were shown on the runway as part of the Materialise World Conference in Leuven, Belgium. Well known designers Elvis Pompilio, Daniel Widrig, Niccolo Casas showed pieces in addition to the top 20 entries in Materialise’s recent “Hats Off to 3D Printing Challenge.”

At the end of the show Mark Bloomfield was announced as the winner of the challenge with his hat “Daisy.”

The video is in Dutch, but there plenty of good footage to see for those who don’t speak it.

Via Het Nieuws

Posted in 3D Printing, Fashion + Textiles, Taylor Gilbert by Taylor Gilbert | No Comments

Hey, Sam here,back collecting the post from The Laser Cutter.

Above is a skate deck – laser etched by Andrea Leggit – was donated to the Montana Skatepark Association as part of their annual OnDeck fundraising auction, which you can bid on right now.

After the jump,  records, lamps, software, and a cutting board.

Above Vinyl Lattice designed with Grasshopper and laser cut into a vinyl record by Austin Chod.

Above is the assembly of a lamp From Alvaro Soto.

Above is a work made with Boxdesigner – which allows you to design boxes (and other things) to laser cut through your browser. Thanks to Gerd Brath.

Above is a laser etched cutting board with a 1″ grid from Herrings Engraving.

Posted in Laser Cutting, Sam Tanis by Sam | 3 Comments