Rapid Ready Roundup: Stratasys, 3D Printing Down Under, Memorabilia and Bacon

In the course of my diligent efforts to keep you good people up to date on the state of additive manufacturing, I come across many interesting news items. I’ll gather them up every so often and present them in a Rapid Ready Roundup (like this one). You can find the last Roundup here.

Let’s kick off this Roundup with a look at earnings as an indicator of additive manufacturing (AM) growth. Stratasys has released its third quarter revenue numbers. The company brought in $49.7 million, which is a 24% increase over revenue for the same period in 2011. Stratasys also reported an increase of units shipped for a nine-month period, with 2,509 this year, compared to 1,902 units last year.

“System unit sales, which grew by 52% during the third quarter over last year, benefited from the launch our revolutionary new Mojo 3D printer, the first 3D printer available for commercial use priced under $10,000,” said Scott Crump, chairman and CEO of Stratasys. “Sales of the Mojo were helped by our new program to recruit sales agents who focus exclusively on selling our most-affordable 3D printer lines. We believe that the Mojo platform, combined with our new sales agent program will continue to drive an expansion in our 3D printer sales.”

Moving on Down Under ... Australia is hopping on to the 3D printing train with the upcoming establishment of an AM workshop at The Edge, at the State Library of Queensland (SLQ). The workshop will be open to the public and is being funded via Pozible, a site similar to Kickstarter, but more friendly to Australian projects.

“If this campaign is successfully funded it will create the first public resource of its kind in Queensland,” said Janette Wright, SLQ chief executive and state librarian. “You will be able to walk into The Edge, book a printer and put it to work on personal projects, experimental works, prototyping and anything in between. This resource will open a wealth of possibilities for artists, entrepreneurs and creators of all ages and will also provide a new range of learning opportunities at The Edge.”

I love the Indiana Jones movies (yes, even the fourth one). While I’ve never been much into collecting movie memorabilia, this gold-plated replica of the Ark of the Covenant was shiny enough to catch my eye. The 7.8 x 4 x 3.4 in. piece was created using 3D printing and sells for $800, minus the gold plating. If it ships in a wooden crate, that would be about perfect.

Bacon. Never mind that guy from Pulp Fiction, who doesn’t love those tasty pieces of pork? Shapeways has harnessed the power of AM to manufacture a Möbius strip with the appearance of bacon, but is sadly made of sandstone. Still, now the idea is out there. Never-ending bacon should become part of someone’s platform for the 2016 elections.

Below you’ll find a short clip displaying the bacon Möbius.

Sources: Brisbane Times, Stratasys, Etsy, DVICE