Hello owners of laser cutters, CNC routers, 3D printers etc

In just a little bit, we’ll be releasing something we think is pretty big. We’ve been working on it for more than 2 years now. And we’re gunning for a launch in Q4 this year.

You could call it Digitalmake – an online Ponoko account designed especially for owners of digital making technology (eg, laser cutters, CNCs, 3D printers).

Digitalmake springs from our desire to create a digital making network that enables products to be made as close to the point of consumption as possible.

With Digitalmake you can manage and download product designs and materials for digital making. You can also offer your fabricator to Ponoko users (and get pre-paid jobs).

But before we launch, we need to make sure we have covered everything.

Can you help us out?

We really want to get this right. So can you let us know what you think about this?

So, if you want access to more making jobs, to grow your making community, or you want an online system to manage all of your design files and materials, or anything else you think would be a cool way to link your fabber to the Internet creative community - please let us know your thoughts - you can find out more here.

the best company at NeoCon 2009

(above: portrait from MetropolisMag.com)

Stephanie Forsythe, along with Todd MacAllen and Robert Pasut, make up molo—a collaborative studio that approaches product design from an architect’s perspective. The outcomes are wonderful, multi-functional structures that can be interpretted for use as furniture, lighting, space dilineation, or custom installations. The molo aesthetic is strikingly unique yet versatile enough for a range of interior styles: residential, educational, corporate, or commercial.

(above: the very popular molo booth at NeoCon 2009)

Most people favor the deluxe permanent showrooms of to-the-trade-only manufacturers and their champaign and hors d’œuvre afternoon hours, but I have to say that the molo booth was my absolute favorite at NeoCon. They were really the freshest company at the event, and their products spoke most to what I think is the artistic vision, environmental outlook, and indie philosophy of today’s young designers.

Keep reading for the story on how molo came about, circumventing the traditional A+D route, and how their amazing designs were inspired by dollar store trinkets.

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Eco Design for Everyone

Knoend is a design innovation studio that believe that design is a catalyst for change and has the power to create new experiences that will bring enhanced meaning to life. Knoend’s company name was conceived to describe the limitless possibilities that knowledge can bring to the world.
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The Gowanus Studio Space is a Brooklyn based workshop for designers equipped with woodworking and printmaking facilities, gallery space, and resources for financial assistance. This month the studio is holding a competition to create a Jell-o mold. The contest is at the actual studio in Brooklyn and takes place 20 June 2009 from 6–10 p.m.

If you’re in the New York area and would like to compete, be sure to register by THIS FRIDAY 12 June. There will aslo be a vacuum forming workshop sometime before the event. Get all the details here.

On a similar note, if you know of any local (USA) design events coming up in your area, please e-mail me to let me know. ( turner[dot]kleigh[at]gmail ) Ponoko has a little something to encourage designers to participate. ; )

Simen Svale Skogsrud has posted a remarkable bit of laser cutting on the Thingiverse website: a working Air Vane Motor. I just love how simple the thing is.

Simple Air Vane Motor by Simen Svale Skogsrud

Watch a video of the motor in action here.

This kind of project really excites me because it is a dynamic object, and it is really addressing the problem of driving small scale laser cutting towards more complex and functional applications, both of which are quite unusual to see. Plus its a cool mechanism!

There appears to be a burgeoning community of makers on Thingiverse, posting and remixing each other’s designs, many of which, like this one, aren’t complete products by any means but the building blocks towards other things. Quite literally in the case of wizard23’s Parametrized Lego Bricks, for 3D printing. Indeed, Thingiverse user Matt has already posted a 3D printable version of the Air Vane Motor.

Another of may favourite things about this one is Simen’s motivation for the thing:

After seeing some kids playing with a little air plane powered by compressed air from a soda bottle, I decided to see if I could make a laser cuttable version of such a motor.

Simple, straightforward and playful!

via Thingiverse blog

Fine Timber Craftsmanship

Nick Randall, of Tasmania, Australia’s practice focuses on a contemporary aesthetic. He creates bespoke pieces of furniture which are simple yet bold. Conceived upon a foundation of clean and simple gracefulness, embellished with ornamentation of bold and striking patterning and fine detailing.
All work is handcrafted with an innate attention to detail which resonates within the finished piece, unique designs created with passion and care.
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Avoid the Pain with Ponoko

If anyone has ever been involved in Industrial Design, Interior Design or Architecture for a large (or even mid sized) corporation you will know the pain of an incredibly slow process punctuated by hours of mind numbing meetings where an original concept is diluted beyond recognition by accounts, engineering, marketing, middle management, upper management, directors and the weird guy who is either in the IT department or servicing the coffee machine.
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Want to show your creativity at your favorite event/s?

Whether it’s a local fair or an international gig, we’ll help you get there with FREE making, materials and/or shipping!

In return you’ll display some Ponoko cards, take some photos and write a story telling us all about it.

Just let us about your plans - about you, your product and the event:

About you
What’s up? 

Your product
What do you have in mind? And what are the normal costs to make it with us (making + materials + shipping)? 

The event
What, where, when, how many people?

Just email this info to us here: grants-at-ponoko.com … and we’ll get right back to you with details of your grant.

Happy days.

3D Signage ala Ponoko

I always love to see the diversity of designs that are realized via Ponoko’s services, especially when the designers/users share their experiences on site such as Make, Instructables or on their own blogs.
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The Smart Materials Kit is a sample collection of various powders, wires, and plastics with “smart” qualities. The kit comes with the book Fashioning Technology: A DIY Intro to Smart Crafting by Syuzi Pakhchyan and published by CRAFT.

Material samples include:

• ¼ oz phosphorescent powder (make glow-in-the-dark ink for printing!)
• 10g of blue photochromatic powder (color-changing in different light)
• 10g of yellow photochromatic powder (color-changing in different light)
• 10g of thermochromatic powder (color-changing with temperature)
• 2 feet of shape memory wire; 5 crimp beads to control the wire
• 2 ounces of polymorph plastic (heat and mold as many times as you want)

We’ve mentioned a few designers on the blog that are using these kinds of materials.

• Josien Pieters uses thermochromatic inks in his dynamic wallpapers.
• Marie Ilse Bourlanges visually captures the movement of the body in her experimental fashion.
• Kathy Schicker uses photochromatic and phosphorescent techniques in transformative textiles.
• Nendo designed a “blooming” lamp with a shape-memory alloy.

The Smart Materials Kit is available with Fashioning Technology for $65 at the Maker Shed.

via Fashioning Tech