After last week’s trip to the 3D printing fair here in New York, I’ve been reading and researching 3D printing. The best-known website for buying 3D printed items is Shapeways.
Recently I’ve bought a few items from Shapeways. Each item is printed to order, which means it takes a few weeks to get to you. But it also means that sometimes you have your choice of materials, including sterling silver (the most expensive), steel, brass, sandstone, and various kinds of plastic.
What I bought: This Bamboo Cuff in white plastic, and this iPod Nano dock.
A few of the coolest things on the site:
Jewelry. Lots of rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings. Check out this gorgeous pendant that doubles as a pocket-sized art object. It’s based on the shape that soap bubbles make when clinging together.
Miniatures. Tiny model trains and trucks and spaceships.
Dice. If you play a lot of dice games you should definitely check out some of the incredible designs here, like this Botanical Die.
iPhone cases with all kinds of wacky designs, kickstands, credit card holders, and so on.
Ceramic ware. Yes you can print in ceramic, which means lots of unusual coffee cups. Check out this coffee mug with a caffeine molecule design.
Coming soon: I design my own objects and have Shapeways make them!