Staples and CG Trader Offer A 3D Print Challenge

You might recall a year ago when MCOR announced it had struck a deal with Staples to provide color 3D print services in their retail stores. Now, the service is active in Europe and to promote it Staples has teamed up with 3D graphics site CGTrader on a design challenge. 

 

To enter, you'll have to submit a new design to CGTrader for the contest. You entry will be judged on the following: 

 

• Quality of the 3D printable model
• Uniqueness, innovation, and general achievement in design of the 3D printable model
• Model printability is approved
• Clear and attractive presentation on CGTrader.com

 

The distinction of this contest is that it involves the MCOR 3D print technology, which permits full color 3D printing using their ingenious and inexpensive paper process. Most other 3D print contests do not involve color printing, so special attention must be paid to the visual appearance. 

 

This contest is notable as it has a very decent prize: €1000 (USD$1358) and a €900 one-year subscription to Staples MyEasy3D. 

 

If you're a 3D modeler with color experience, we recommend you try out your imagination on this contest - and do it before the 21st of October, when entries are closed. 

 

Via CGTrader

The Extreme Redesign Contest Returns

Each year Stratasys sponsors a 3D print design contest for students at various levels of academia. Often the contest produces amazing innovations and we expect no less this year. 

 

They're expecting STL files to be submitted that exhibit "creativity, practicality and mechanical function". 

 

As in previous years' contests, three categories of entry exist: Middle & High School Engineering, College Engineering, Art & Architecture. Ten winners will be selected from each category, eligible for awards of cash, 3D prints and of course exposure of their innovation to the world. 

 

A new prize has been added. A "limited time demo 3D printer" will be awarded to the instructor of each first place winner. Teachers, you know what this means - get your students involved!

 

You've got plenty of time to work on your entry, as the contest entry process closes on February 6th, 2014. 

 

Via Stratasys

IDSA Launches 3D Printed Car Contest

The Industrial Designers Society of America is sponsoring a rather unusual 3D printing contest, which culminates at their August 12 annual conference. 

 

The design part of the contest is straightforward: submit a design that is "beauty / fun / thematic" and uses "unique attributes of 3D printing". Designs must employ specific supplied axles and wheels. A jury will select the best ten finalists, whose designs will be 3D printed. 

 

Then the fun starts. 

 

Each of the ten 3D printed finalist cars will shoot down a real-life ski-jump track, recorded from many angles with slow-motion video. The "jumps" will then be judged based on: flight length, aesthetics and of course, "most spectacular crash". The winner of each category receives their own Up! Mini 3D printer. 

 

Have you ever designed something to explode dramatically? 

 

You will. 

 

Via IDSA

A Raspberry Pi 3D Print Challenge

Are you a designer looking for a challenge? The team of Raspberry Pi, Autodesk 123D and i.Materialise have opened up a contest to produce the most "original and fun" case for a Raspberry Pi in polyamide material. 

 

If you don't know, a Raspberry Pi is an integrated single board microcomputer suitable for embedding into smart objects. It uses software libraries similar to those commonly used on most servers, so it's easy to program - and thus extremely popular. 

 

Many projects are designed with Pi's, and most will require a case that suits the usage of the project. The Raspberry Pi Case Challenge offers a premium membership in Autodesk 123D as the main prize. The challenge closes on September 1st. 

 

Check out all the details at the link below, including a STL file that can help you design a case into which a Raspberry Pi will actually fit. 

 

Via i.Materialise

CGTrader Announces Design Contest Winners

Each design contest brings out the best in creativity from its participants, and the recent "It Was Made Real" 3D print competition by CGTrader was no different. They've just announced the winners of the competition and we're very impressed with the results. 

 

The winner was a bust of a SciFi "Traveler", by Pixel Artist/Vertex Sculpter Chee Fong, whose amazing work is actually available for free download if you'd like to try printing it yourself. (Watch out for the chin overhang, though). 

 

We'll direct you to their announcement to see the other winners, who include a complete hand-cranked power generator design, a Zombie Hunter, Fractals and much more. 

 

Via CGTrader

Win a Replicator 2X In Manchester

A 3D modeling contest has been launched that offers a complete MakerBot Replicator 2X as first prize. The sponsor is unlikely for a 3D contest: 2D print cartridge company CartridgeSave.co.uk. 

 

Nevertheless, a contest is a contest. This one involves producing a figurine of an "original 3D character", "your ultimate action hero". The organizers will print out your design on their Rep2X at a Manchester, UK meetup and determine who wins the contest. 

 

Registration is at their website below. The contest is open and entries may be received until 27 June. The meetup occurs on 11 July. 

 

If you're in Manchester this could be one of the easiest ways to get your hands on a MakerBot Replicator 2X. 

 

Via CartridgeSave

Michigan Tech's 3D Printers for Peace

The recent development of 3D printed weapons has caused others to strive for more peaceful uses of the technology.Michigan Technological University, a.k.a, Michigan Tech, has launched a new competition: 3D Printers for Peace. 

 

The contest requires you to design a 3D printable object that is peaceful. Wait, what does that mean? They explain: 

 

We are challenging the 3D printing community to design things that advance the cause of peace. This is an open-ended contest, but if you’d like some ideas, ask yourself what Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, or Ghandi would make if they’d had access to 3D printing.

 

Ghandi and 3D printing. Hm. 

 

The contest, like most, is judged based on innovation, printability, feasibility, presentation and, of course, peacefulness. It's open to "anyone in the United States or Canada", so others will unfortunately be unable to compete for the three prizes: a fully assembled Type A Machines Series 1 3D printer, a RepRap Prusa 3D printer kit and a large pile of 3D printer plastic. 

 

If you have a peacemaking idea on your mind, you'd best prepare a design and send it to Michigan Tech before September 1, when contest entries close. 

 

Via Michigan Tech

Win an Ultimaker 3D Printer from GrabCAD

If you have ideas for new toys on your brain, consider entering GrabCAD's new "Ultimaker 3D Printer Toy Design Challenge". Your entry could win you a brand new, fully assembled Ultimaker personal 3D printer. 

 

In fact, GrabCAD and Ultimaker are offering no less than five Ultimakers as prizes, four of which are fully assembled. There's more prizes, too. 

 

The contest involves submitting design entries for children's toys, preferably with multiple parts, each of which must fit within Ultimaker's build volume of 21 x 21 x 21 cm. Interestingly, the contest accepts entries only submitted in STEP or IGES format, suggesting they're looking for creators using more advanced 3D modeling tools. 

 

Who wins? We don't know, but the panel of distinguished judges will evaluate the entries based on their creativity and coolness, as well as their ability to successfully print on an Ultimaker. 

 

Via GrabCAD

What's In Your PrintCave?

Sports fans might have a ManCave, equipped with a wall-sized flat screen, cushy recliner chairs, bar fridge and chip bowls. But what makes up a PrintCave? 

 

A 3D printer, obviously, and perhaps storage for filament. But what else might you have in your PrintCave? Tools? Showcase of your best models? Lighting? Something you have that no one else does? 

 

We'd like to find out. If you're proud of your PrintCave, please send a description of your setup with images (and your name and general location) to info@fabbaloo.com and we'll feature the best entries in a future post. 

 

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Win a Free Leapfrog 3D Printer

Leapfrog, the makers of the popular Creatr and Xeed 3D printers is now one year old. They've chosen to celebrate by offering a free Creatr personal 3D printer to a lucky winner who likes and shares the post on their Facebook page. 

 

The contest closes May 31st and offers two prizes: 

 

• One free Creatr Dual Extruder 3D Printer with print material
• One free filament package [10 filament colors at your choice]

 

Looks like a good deal to us, don't you agree? 

 

Via Leapfrog

The Winner of the 2013 Extreme Redesign Contest Is... What?

Each year Stratasys sponsors a contest among students to find the most fascinating and useful 3D designs. Winners of the Extreme Redesign Contest receive prints of their designs as well as scholarships - and fame, too. We always take a close look at the winners as they typically exhibit ingenious creativity. 

 

But this year we can't. 

 

The first place winners in the College Engineering category were  Michigan's Andrew Roderick & Brian Booth. What did they design? We won't know because: 

 

The description for this design is confidential at this time. This entry has been recommended for further examination by Edison Nation for a potential licensing agreement. 

 

We're certain we'll see this one in the future.  

 

Meanwhile, second place went to Sandra Wojtecki & Helena Skonieczna of Toronto, who designed a funky functional wall-mounted dish rack. 

 

While there were many winners in other categories, we particularly liked Michigan's Josh Ryan's entry, which won first place in the Middle/High School Engineering category. His design, the Magnesium Fire Starter, completely solves the problem of weatherproof fire ignition: 

 

The current design uses a thin piece of metal, which is stricken against a magnesium rod, to create a spark. However, this movement requires two hands, is jerky, and prone to user errors. User errors include being unable to direct sparks in the desired direction, and hitting the kindling due to the jerky movement. My product uses a lever design, which enables usage with one hand. Pushing down in one spot is all that is needed to make a spark. This action is smooth and simple, and makes it easy to direct sparks. The redesign uses a spring to maintain tight friction between the magnesium and steel. It is fully weatherproof, portable, durable, and environmentally friendly. The redesign enables users to have one hand available for tending the fire while the other is used to light it.

 

Invention is the future, and these students will take us there. 

 

Via Stratasys

Want a Free Up! 3D Printer?

Who wouldn't want one? Now's your chance to get one by entering PP3DP's Instructables contest. The contest is pretty straightforward: post an Instructable (a set of detailed instructions on how to make something) on the Instructables site between January 7th and April 1st that "shows off your skills as a maker". You'll then be eligible to win one of ten Up! 3D printers. 

 

Strangely, though, the contest is open only to residents of the following countries: US, Canada [excluding Quebec], UK, China, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia,  Colombia, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, India, and Denmark. 

 

Via PP3DP