I don’t know what these are, but I like them . . .
Both the flickr page and website for Depart only lists these as “laser cut objects,” so I don’t know what they are for (maybe jewelry?). Regardless of their function, they are beautifully designed, and they show the potential of lasercutting extremely thin parts.
Keep in mind you will probably have a couple failures with broken pieces before you find exactly the right thickness. Look at the “test cuts” image on the pages for each material offered by Ponoko to get an idea of how thin each material can be cut. Our post on the amount of material burned away by the laser could also be useful.
This is the chance for those in the Bay Area to meet other makers and Ponoko creators, and to get their questions answered in person.
The theme for our October meetup will be Holiday Making – decoration ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as great ideas for Ponoko-made presents for your friends and family.
Come along and get feedback on designs you’re working on, or get inspired with ideas of custom awesomeness that you can impress others with.
SHARE AN IDEA & BE IN TO WIN $50 MAKING
We’d love to get your ideas too – everyone who contributes a design idea on our Meetup.com discussion area before the night goes into the running to win a $50 Ponoko Gift Voucher (even if you cannot attend on the night!).
If there’s anything in particular you’d love to see at this meetup or future ones, don’t hesitate to let us know.
Hope to see you there!
Posted in Ponoko News by Josh Judkins | Comments are off for this post
Formerly associated with Phillips, Shapeways is now an independent company.
It’s hard to believe it has only been two years since Shapeways officially launched. It has grown and expanded rapidly offering more and more materials for (like glass) while improving the user interface of the site. Shapeways has been based in The Netherlands since it started as part of the Phillips Lifestyle Incubator for entrepreneurs.
Yesterday they announced this is changing. Shapeways is becoming a fully independent company, setting up a headquarters in New York, and has raised $5 million from Union Square Ventures. I can’t wait to see what amazing things they do with all that money. Here’s an excerpt from the announcement: (more…)
Getting superb results from thin plywood and bamboo.
Every now and then we come across P3 design files that are so densely populated with designs that we marvel at the super efficient use of space. It is fantastic cutting something that will generate minimal waste. However, there can be a downside to adding so much detail onto a large sheet.
Sometimes a sheet of material may not be very flat when we get it from the manufacturer. This is seen most commonly in 2.7mm/0.106″ bamboo, 5mm bamboo (NZ) and other thin plywood. Unfortunately this is the nature of material. The inherent tension in the grain of the wood and the way it is constructed means the panels can warp between the factory they were made in and the Ponoko shop.
Additionally, dense cutting and engraving generates heat build up, which can cause the sheet of material to warp during cutting. This can adversely affect the quality of the cutting, engraving and has the potential to damage the machine. This is most apparent on thin materials like leather, styrene and bamboo.
The best price ever for a Cupcake 3D printer from Makerbot.
Yesterday Makerbot Industries announced a sale on all of their CupCake 3D printers, because of the upcoming release of a new 3D printer to replace the CupCake. This is a great opportunity to get an excellent 3D printer at bargain basement prices. Of course, if you absolutely must have the best of the best, then you may want to wait for the release of the new printer. Still, it’s hard to argue with this deal. They’re even including some major upgrades with the Ultimate package.
Read more about this great offer after the jump! (more…)
Feisty Elle’s environmentally conscious process is reflected in her use of organic forms and materials.
Leslie Yang is the founder and designer for Feisty Elle, a San Francisco-based company offering vibrant statement jewelry and accessories made from sustainable materials such as merino wool felt and bamboo ply.
How did you come across Ponoko?
You know, Ponoko and I have been working together for ages that I honestly don’t recall. But I do know that I had been keeping an eye on their services and was beyond stoked the day I found out they were lasercutting wool felt. I love felt and up until that point, had been needlefelting and wetfelting women’s accessories. I was making women’s accessories and other products by hand with some light sewing. Finding out about Ponoko was like entering into the 21st century!
When did you start making with Ponoko and what type of products do you make?
plus ‘Crafting a Nation’ conference in Washington, DC
Craft is an American tradition, and no matter where you live you will find crafters in your community. American Craft Week, which runs through the first ten days in October, is all about digging a little deeper into your local craft scene. Artist studios, small galleries, workshops, and nonprofit institutions all over the US are inviting the public to discover just how vibrant American craft is today.
A list of participating organizations and events can be found HERE. If you don’t see your state on the list, contact a local craft organization and encourage them to sign up. (I know for a fact that Van Buren has some mad crafting going on; no reason Arkansas shouldn’t be on that list!)
‘Crafting a Nation‘ will be presented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC on October 8 + 9. The conference “will explore how craft practitioners, both professional and self-taught, are a valuable national resource and an integral part of the American economy, running businesses and producing products unique to our nation and important to our economic growth in the twenty-first century.”
Had enough of your mundane reality? How about spicing things up a bit with some simple home-made optical illusions.
We recently mentioned an infinity mirror how-to from Youtube illusion guru Brusspup. While a number of his clips caught my attention, there was one in particular that stood out – another how-to; this time explaining the mysteries of Barrier Grid Illusions. Watch the video above for a good snapshot of this optical novelty.
Following in the footsteps of Rufus Butler Seder, this effect is remarkably easy to achieve using the most basic of Photoshop skills and your own home printer.
What gets my mind ticking over though – is the thought of how this could be taken further with a bit of Ponoko etching and laser cutting. Just like Rufus has done in numerous public spaces, imagine creating dynamic optical features as installations and artworks… or even incorporating these effects into your next laser-cut product!
Learn exactly how to create Barrier Grid Illusions of your own after the break.
PonokOaklanders Dan and Josh received a rush order on an OpenPCR prototype. A laser cut case was needed to house a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine, a tool which can target and amplify a small section of DNA.
The request came in from OpenPCR founders Josh Perfetto and Tito Jankowski who had been contacted by the founder of DIYbio, Jason Bobe. Bobe wanted to show an OpenPCR for a presentation on the amateur DIY bio community — at the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues in Washington, DC.
The presentation — which you can watch HERE — was a great opportunity to demonstrate the scientific creativity going on in the open-source and DIY communities. OpenPCR is “like a Xerox-machine for DNA.” It’s applications include detecting viruses, DNA sequencing, and species determination. OpenPCR’s exposure is growing, and the project has already received double the amount of it’s goal on KickStarter.
CLICK HERE To learn more about OpenPCR CLICK HERE to read Yana’s interview with Tito Jankowski
It started out with a project for the Ars Electronica festival in 2007. Fashion designer Magdalena Kohler and product designer Hanna Wiesener created ‘Gelsomina’, a Voice Knitting Machine. They hacked an old knitting machine so that the pattern “could be directly controlled by live user input.”
Fast forward a few years, and the Gelsomina project has evolved into an interdisciplinary fashion knit label: Trikoton. The Berlin based company offers knit-basics — sweater, vest, leggings, and a few accessories — which are constructed using a dot matrix pattern based on a customer’s audio sample.
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Every now and then we come across P3 design files that are so densely populated with designs that we marvel at the super efficient use of space. It is fantastic cutting something that will generate minimal waste. However, there can be a downside to adding so much detail onto a large sheet.
