Les applications de l'impression 3D pour les entreprises

Depuis quelques années, l'impression 3D a le vent en poupe. On entend souvent dans les médias parler de "révolution industrielle" a propos de l'impression 3D et des technologies dites de fabrication additive. Cependant, il est important de noter que ce phénomène concerne a l'heure actuelle principalement les professionnels et les entreprises. Le secteur automobile est un bon exemple avec de plus en plus de constructeurs qui intègrent l'impression 3D dans leur processus industriels de design et de production.

L'année 2015 a marqué un net ralentissement du coté des ventes d'imprimantes 3D grand public, avec notamment les difficultés rencontrées par le pionnier du secteur, l'américain Makerbot. Les raisons de ce déclin (sans doute temporaire et corollaire de la bulle qui l'a précédé)? Les technologies d'impression 3D ne sont aujourd'hui pas encore assez matures pour etre utilisées par des utilisateurs lambda. Les imprimantes dites du bureau et abordables restent relativement compliquées a manipuler. Et surtout, la question des applications de pose pour le grand public: passé les impressions d'objet type gadgets, quelle est la réelle valeur ajoutée de l'impression 3D pour le grand public ?

C'est donc bien les applications professionnelles de l'impression 3D qui ont le vent en poupe, a commencer apr le prototypage rapide par exemple. Il est intéressant de noter que nombre de modeles d'imprimantes 3D, créés a l'origine pour le grand public, sont en fait utilisé majoritairement par des professionnels. Certaines industries matures utilisent meme des machines de fabrication additive pour la production de petite séries ou de pieces uniques, parfois en métal comme le fait Airbus par exemple.

My review of the Einscan-Pro, a portable 3D scanner by Shining 3D

Today I would like to talk about a very cool 3D scanner that I had the opportunity to test recently, the Einscan-Pro. This portable 3d scanner was introduced during the recent CES conference in Las Vegas. This handheld 3D scanner is designed and manufactured by Chinese company Shining 3D.

The Einscan-Pro is targeting professionals looking for an affordable and high performing 3D scanning solution. I found this product very interesting because it's definitely filling a gap on the market. Currently, if you want to invest in a 3D scanner, you're either stuck with entry level desktop 3D scanners or commercial grade portable scanners that are much more expensive.

Starting at $4,000, the Einscan-Pro is a great compromise: it is a flexible 3d scanner, suitable for various applications, from reverse engineering to inspection, art preservation, and even 3d body scanning. this new model is getting lots of positive reviews from the 3d scanning community. Shining 3d is currently ramping up their distribution network in order to make the Einstein Pro available through resellers worldwide.

I’ve tested it and I was amazed by the ease of use and the quality of the results. At this price point, no doubt the Einstein Pro will carve its niche on the 3D scanners market.

How to chose the best 3D filament for your 3D printer in 2016?

If you are a 3D printer owner, you know that choosing the right 3D filament is key to get successful prints. However, with the hundreds of brands available on the market, it can be very difficult and time consuming to compare all the options and identify the best choice of 3D printer filaments for your project. Here are some tips that might help you to find the best 3D filament for your FDM 3D printer.

A good starting point in your research for the best 3D filament is a 3D filaments comparison chart such as this one on Aniwaa. Their database covers all the major brands of filaments for 3D printers. Their comparison engine allow you to easily filter hundreds of 3D filaments by material, diameter, colors and properties. In a few clicks, you can compare all the wood 3D filaments available and select the right one for you!

Before you buy your 3D filament, you need to figure out what type of filaments are compatible with your 3D printer. It sounds obvious but some machines only accept proprietary filament, in which case don't gamble on trying a different kind. PLA filament is the most common consumable for 3D printers, while ABS filament is less frequently used because it requires a heated print bed on the 3D printer. All these 3D filaments come in spools, usually of 1kg but sometimes less (especially for the more expensive exotic filaments).

Once you've determined the technical characteristics 3D filaments compatible with your 3D printer (material, diameter, extrusion temperature...), you need to think about what type of object you want to 3D print. There are many kind of plastics-based 3D filaments available on the market, in a wide range of colors. It is even possible to use exotic filaments with awesome properties: some are flexible, glow-in-the-dark, or transparent. There are even some 3D filaments which contain wood or metal, to give a great feel to your printed object.

Note:
I usually recommend to stay away from the cheaper brands of filaments, as they're often low-cost but also low-quality and can even damage your 3D printer.
Here is a list of some of the top reliable brands which I do recommend: ProtoPasta, FormFutura, Kobo, Taulman3D, AllProfessional3D, Voltivo, ColorFabb, MadeSolid, OO-Kuma, NinjaFlex, Polymaker, 3DFuel.

How to chose the right 3D printer for you? My 2016 3D printer buying guide.

The topic I want to discuss today is a much debated issue in the 3D printing community: in 2016, how to chose the best desktop 3D printer? Here are some thoughts I wanted to share today, a few steps to hopefully help you find the best 3D printer - for you!

As you can imagine there are many ways to answers this question. My personal take on this is: you should take all the articles pretending to give the authoritative list of "the best 2016 3D printers" with a grain of salt (including this post!).

First, as for any tech object, you should do your own research well ahead of the actual purchase. In the case of 3D printers and additive manufacturing devices, you'll be dealing with a fairly new technology - and the potential issues that can come with it. Buying your first 3D printer can be envisioned as a learning experience. By researching which 3D printer is the best for you, you will learn a great dal regarding the technical specs of these machines, the potential risks, the pros and cons of the different categories of 3D printers and the best suites for the application you have in mind. This pre-purchase research phase is paramount and you should not neglect it and go with the first recommandation you read online!

A great place to start your quest for the perfect 3D printer is Aniwaa.com, a website that contains a lot of valuable information about 3D printing, along with a huge database of all the 3D printers available on the market.

The first step is to determine which type of 3D printer is good for you, for example a kit 3D printer if you're a DIYer with hands-on experience in electronics, or a plug and play desktop 3D printer if you're looking for something easy to use. You have to consider not only your level as a maker but also the application you have in mind: what do you intend to 3D print?

Then depending on your budget, the list of options will narrow quite quickly. Again, you can use this comparison tool for 3D printers to identify machines within your budget. Once you have a shortlist of potential good 3D printers that look right for you, you should ask advice to experienced makers on forums or Facebook groups about 3D printing and additive manufacturing. The advise of current users and experienced makers is invaluable... Another important point: you should always try to purchase your printer from a reseller or online store based in your country, in order to benefit from after sales support, product guarantees etc.

Finally, don't research for too long or you might never pull the trigger :)
There are so many things to take into account for the choice of your first 3D printer that you cannot possibly think of everything. When you feel ready, just make a call for the best available option you have and begin the adventure.

Congratulations, you're in for a quite awesome ride!

Welcome to my 3D printing world :)

Hello,

This is my first post on this blog and I'm pretty excited to start this new project and share my passion for 3D printing!

My name is Martin, I live in Cambodia and I'm a big 3D printing geek. I love 3D printers, 3D scanners, and pretty much the entire 3D printing ecosystem. In this blog, I want to share with you some interesting news about 3D printing.

About me: I'm French, I graduated from a business school in 2007 then I worked 5 years at Google, in Dublin then in NYC (see my Linkedin profile here). I quit my job last year to fully dedicate myself to a 3D printing-related project with my partner and best friend Pierre-Antoine (you can visit his blog here). We started an information website about 3D printing, Aniwaa.com.

With Aniwaa, we're building the most authoritative source for 3D printing data and information. We call ourselves the IMDb of 3D printing :) Our goal is to provide relevant information for all types of users, from beginners to 3D printing expert. Aniwaa focuses on giving accurate and comprehensive information regarding 3D printers and 3D scanners (price, reviews and ratings, technical specs etc). We offer tools to easily search and compare 3D printers, 3D scanners but also various other product categories involved in 3D printing (such as 3D software, 3D filaments or 3D printing services).

Anyway, that's it for the introduction, I'll be back with some news soon.

Cheers :)

PS: in case you're wondering, the 3D printer pictured above is the Ultimaker 2+, a desktop 3D printer by Dutch manufacturer Ultimaker, released recently at CES 2016 in Las Vegas. I put it there because it's a very good machine, with a simple but beautiful design. Check our review with the link above to get more info about this product.