Last week the Aram Gallery opened its new exhibition ‘Send to Print / Print to Send’ which explores the fast growing technology of 3D printing. The exhibition delves into how the technology is becoming progressively important in a designers process, and no longer for prototyping alone. The items on display range from designs by emerging individuals, to well established companies, showing the wide spectrum in which 3D printing can be utilised.

The exhibition helpfully begins with a brief overview of the 3D printing process, for those unfamiliar with the term, before leading you through a pick and mix selection of examples from the fields of product, fashion, architecture and industrial design, showcasing the extensive possibilities of the technology.

Lox Chair, PearsonLloyd

Endless Chair, Dirk Van Kooij

Continue reading “‘Send to Print / Print to Send’” »

Crotchetdermy Bear, Shauna Richardson

Welding, carving, baking, moulding, weaving, painting, veneering…the list of different ways the 100 items in the V&A’s recent exhibition ‘Power of Making’ have been created is almost endless.

The exhibition joyfully highlights the important role making has on our lives. With over 100 objects on display ranging from a metal flute to a full size crochet bear, each one skilfully crafted, it celebrates both the maker and the making. Continue reading “‘Power of Making’” »

RazorLAB’s very own Soner Ozenc features in the wonderful new publication ‘Paper Jewellery (Design & Make)’, giving his expertise on laser cutting as a technique for paper jewellery making.

The book covers the many different ways you can make unique paper creations, and Soner has collaborated with the author, Sarah Kelly, to write a guide to laser cutting. The piece talks the reader through from setting the document size, up to sending it to the supplier, giving helpful tips along the way.

The book is filled with fantastic photo’s of paper jewellery, with tutorials on how to do it yourself. From the wonderfully simple, to the amazingly intricate, it is sure to provide great inspiration to anyone looking to try their hand at paper creations!

‘Paper Jewellery’ is available from Amazon, click here to check it out.

It’s always exciting to see a process pushed to the limits of its capacity. This beautiful belt from my-lasercut shows the potential of raster engraving when used extensively throughout a product.

Unfortunately, raster engraving gets expensive quickly when used to engrave large areas, but it’s good to know what it can do if you need it.

For help with your own laser engraving project, check out part 1 and part 2 of our How to Improve Your Engraving posts.

Via Flickr

via Ponoko (RazorLAB is powered by Ponoko and is their UK manufacturing hub)

Hey, Sam here. I’m back collecting this week’s posts from The Laser Cutter!

Above is Satellite, a mixed media work including laser cut acrylic from artist Tyler Bohm.

After the jump an answer to the above question with an owl, a tree (see where I’m going with this?), a kimono, and a kick plate.

Above a see-thru owl from NB Studio courtesy of Scott Balmer.

Above is where laser cut owls live: a scripted tree engraved on plywood from daweissman.

Above is a gorgeous kick plate laser cut from stainless steel from Ripley Engineering Ltd.

Above is a kimono inspired brooch laser cut from bamboo and acrylic from Melanie Gray Augustin.

via Ponoko (RazorLAB is powered by Ponoko and is their UK manufacturing hub)

From the IAMAS Ubiqutous Interaction Research Group in Japan comes these nifty techno-dominoes.

Each block is capable of deciding which of its fellow blocks to knock over next. They do this by communicating wirelessly, thanks to internal zigbee radios. Once a block has received the signal to fall, it sends a message to the next block and so the process continues. Click through for a video where several permutations are demonstrated, and a glimpse of the potential of this application is revealed.  

Before you start asking “why only five”, just remember that the Esper Dominoes were produced as a work-in-progress for an exhibition at AXIS gallery in Japan.
It would be great to see these turn into a real product before too long, but if you get sick of waiting you can dive into your Ponoko personal factory and build a whole set of Esper inspired auto-dominoes for yourself.

The dominoes we know and love first emerged from China almost a thousand years ago. With wireless communication, accelerometers and other digital technologies now able to fit inside… the stage is set for these clickety little tiles to well and truly enter the 21st century.

Via Engadget

via Ponoko (RazorLAB is powered by Ponoko and is their UK manufacturing hub)

Dale Dougherty, editor of MAKE and co-founder of O’Reilly Media, recently presented on the maker movement to the audience at TED@MotorCity.

Dougherty opens up the presentation saying, “All of us are makers,” and gives us a look at some of the amazing and off-beat creations being coming from today’s makers.

He also brings up hacker-spaces, open-source projects, and of course 3D printers.

Take 10 minutes and check out TED’s latest idea worth spreading:
We are makers.

via DavetenHave (t)

via Ponoko (RazorLAB is powered by Ponoko and is their UK manufacturing hub)

The Franklin Art Deco Lamp has been nestled comfortably in the Ponoko Showroom for some time now.

Laser cut from black and clear acrylic, it uses the materials wonderfully with decorative edge details that lend an authentic historic personality to the piece. Ponoko user Sherman Warren has designed the Franklin to be equally stylish as a solo unit or as a matching pair of illuminated bookends.

Numbered lamps are available right now from the Ponoko Showroom in your favourite colour, so long as it’s black.

via Ponoko (RazorLAB is powered by Ponoko and is their UK manufacturing hub)

How they went from the initial idea to final manufacturing in five months.

Dan Provost and Tom Gerhardt brought the Glif, a combination iPhone stand and tripod mount, to the market in a mere five months.

This process involved finding funding, developing the design, making prototypes, working with manufacturers, and setting up distribution.

Large companies regularly plan ahead by a year or two for this process, so the fact they went so quickly is incredible. They managed this feat with the help of Kickstarter, Shapeways, Shopify, and many other services.

Luckily for us, they have written a thorough account of how they did it with lots of helpful details and advice. Read all about it.

Via The Kickstarter Blog

via Ponoko (RazorLAB is powered by Ponoko and is their UK manufacturing hub)

Some of our favorite articles around here are the maker stories. We love to learn about all the amazing and surprising things people do with Ponoko. These stories are about the challenges makers face along the way and their eventual successes.

If you need some encouragement after something went wrong with a project or if you just want to read about some of the things other people are making, keep reading for ten of the best maker stories.

#10 When Medieval Meets Modern

Whystler makes his living designing products in 3D for virtual worlds. He started using Ponoko to turn some of his ideas into real, physical products.

#9 Simple Solutions

Brent Wilson sells a range of elegantly simply products through Ponoko that he designed to solve everyday problems he has encountered.

#8 Crafty Knitting Supplies from Karrie

Karrie specializes in supplies for knitting with a line of delightfully quirky tools and accessories. She’s a knitter herself, and she makes products to make it easier and more fun.

#7 From Doodles to Scribbles

Morgen Bell was inspired by the original Spirograph and figured out how to improve upon the design. The project was just for fun, but some of her friends convinced her to start selling the kits.

#6 Modular Wall A.R.T.

Donald Rattner found Ponoko while looking for a way to make modular wall art pieces he designed for himself. Now his architecture firm also functions as an art studio with a comprehensive catalog of modular wall art.

#5 Mo For All

Nathan Pryor’s neckwarmers pretty much speak for themselves. He uses Ponoko to accomplish designs that would have otherwise been impossible for him.

#4 Data Visualization & Digital Fabrication

Students from the University of Cranberra, Australia made coasters and table mats laser engraved with a data visualization representing forest and deforestation in various countries.

#3 A Marvelous Process

Jon of WoodMarvels has the largest showroom in the Ponoko community. He offers laser cut models of everything from jets to mars rovers. In this article he takes us through his process step by step. This is definitely not one to miss.

#2 From Blight Comes Beauty

Anna von Hartitzsch, a fashion design student, used laser cutting to produce a line of clothing inspired by her grandmother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s.

#1 Don’t Eat the Sprouts

Pepper Sprouts offers a line of charming home accessories and jewelry. Jen Pepper, the designer, used to sell a line of textile-based products before discovering Ponoko. Now her best sellers are laser cut coasters and trivets. The products use a combination of updated traditional designs and imagery from the natural world.

via Ponoko (RazorLAB is powered by Ponoko and is their UK manufacturing hub)