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Featured Designs

The International Space Station Welcomes The Moon Gallery Art Collection Onboard, Including A Miniature 3D-Printed Cube

The International Space Station Welcomes The Moon Gallery Art Collection Onboard, Including A Miniature 3D-Printed Cube

Although the Moon is around 238,855 miles (or 384,400 km away), humanity has always been fascinated by it. From ancient lunar calendars to the Moon landing in 1969 to low and high tides affecting shorelines at this very moment, Earth’s natural satellite is entwined in our past and present. But how will it shape our future? Discover how the Moon Gallery — including a 3D-printed cube — aims to teach us about the unique conditions in space for future generations and extend humankind’s cultural reach into this final frontier.

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Recreating Leuven Town Hall In Intricate Detail Using 3D Printing And 100% Re-Used Powder

Recreating Leuven Town Hall In Intricate Detail Using 3D Printing And 100% Re-Used Powder

Leuven is a hotbed for innovation, renowned for its world-famous university and scientific and research-based institutions. The city is also prominent for its drive towards sustainability, gaining accolades such as the European Green Leaf Award (EGLA) and the title of European Capital of Innovation (iCapital) in the last few years. 

Stad Leuven is constantly investigating ways to combine innovation and climate-change initiatives to improve the lives of residents, typically working with local suppliers and businesses that share their ethos. That’s why they contacted our parent company, Materialise, to help with their latest project, an intricate 3D-printed model of Leuven’s Town Hall.

Leuven Town Hall: a gothic masterpiece

Leuven Town Hall (Stadhuis in Dutch) is over 500 years old, so it’s normal that the building needs a bit of a renovation. Certain areas will have improved accessibility, while other structures will be worked on in the future. The restoration plan was the inspirat

“3D Printing Is A Revolution”: A Talk With Artist Koen Van Daele

“3D Printing Is A Revolution”: A Talk With Artist Koen Van Daele

Long-time i.materialise user Koenraad Van Daele combines a classical background with modern techniques, creating some truly inspiring designs. In this user spotlight, we talk to him about the inspiration and techniques behind his work and why 3D printing is so important to him.

When Koen began his first project with i.materialise in 2008, it marked a significant shift in his journey through the art world. Classically trained as a marble sculptor from the age of 18, including two years spent in Carrara, Italy — the center of the stone sculpture industry — Koen now mainly focuses his attention on vector art and 3D modeling. But what inspired the shift?

“I bought my first computer in the 90s and started using graphic programs,” he tells us. “I realized that I had a talent for drawing with software. When you work as a web designer or system engineer like I did, it’s very easy to go from one platform to another, and in between, start designing for 3D.”

The perks of 3D printing

H

Why Not Make Your Own? From Watch Collector To Watch Designer

Why Not Make Your Own? From Watch Collector To Watch Designer

Five or six years ago, Juha Savisalo started dabbling in a new hobby: collecting and repairing old mechanical watches. As his interest grew, he thought, “Why not create a design of my own?” And that’s what led him to 3D printing watch components through i.materialise. Read on to learn about Juha’s process of creating the watch, why he opted for the methods he chose, and more.

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Brighten Up Your Holiday Season With 3D-Printed Gifts

Brighten Up Your Holiday Season With 3D-Printed Gifts

Whether it’s a gift with an extra personal touch or a decoration for your tree that you just won’t find in shops, there’s plenty to inspire you right here on i.materialise. We’ve dipped a toe into that pool of creativity to bring you some of our favorite ideas in our very own holiday season gift guide.

The lights go up. The sweaters go on. You fondly remember that Michael Bublé exists. It can only mean one thing: the holiday season is here again. It’s a wonderful time of year, filled with friends, family, and of course, a thoughtful gift or two. This year, you can make it more special, unique, and fun than ever by combining it with your love of 3D printing. Just take a look at some of these incredible designs to get you started.

Deck the halls in whatever you want

Tired of tinsel and shiny metal balls? Probably not — it’s hard to beat a classic, after all. But you can definitely add something new to your festive set-up. Take this beautiful Quin Ornament by Bathsheba Grossman or t

Finding The Sweet Spot By Designing For 3D Printing

Finding The Sweet Spot By Designing For 3D Printing

Confiserie Van Damme produces over 19,500 tons of marshmallows in different shapes, sizes, and varieties every single year: a delicious product with small margins that requires relatively expensive machinery. And that’s where our parent company Materialise’s advisory team Mindware came in. With their knowledge of design for 3D printing, they could efficiently translate an essential machine part for design — the nozzle — into something customizable yet more affordable. 3D printing’s design freedom and short development time was an essential key for the company to open up production, with new designs for clients that they previously had not been able to work with.

Part of being able to introduce new styles of marshmallows is having a unique nozzle that can pump out marshmallow cream in the correct flow, shape, and separation of colors to create a particular design. Typically, a single nozzle consists of 12 metal parts that are welded together and a nut. The conve

3D-Printed Molds For Special Concrete Pillars Brings Revolutionary Sustainable House One Step Closer

3D-Printed Molds For Special Concrete Pillars Brings Revolutionary Sustainable House One Step Closer

Sustainability, environmentalism, and climate change are subjects at the forefront of hearts and minds across the planet. Recent events, from forest fires and floods to record weather temperatures and shifting ecosystems, indicate that we must make a concerted effort to come up with sustainable solutions to global issues. One such problem is providing adequate shelter to urban slum families in sub-standard housing in Africa. What could help solve this crisis? The Tridealhouse project.

Tridealhouse — a triangular house that stimulates happy living, urban farming, and sustainable utilities to help tackle urban poverty — solves five slum household deprivations as defined by the UN-Habitat while providing food and micro jobs. To confront such wide-ranging issues, this ambitious project needed more than just theoretical knowledge, it also required specific materials and expertise. That’s why the Trideal team contacted our parent company, Materialise, to collaborate on making special, 3D-

From Swarovski Competition To Reusable Bag: How An Innovative Designer Created A Fully 3D-Printed Purse

From Swarovski Competition To Reusable Bag: How An Innovative Designer Created A Fully 3D-Printed Purse

Since 2009, when we launched our i.materialise platform, our mission is to enable creative people worldwide to design and sell their unique 3D-printed objects. One of the makers who caught our attention is Marta Cherednik, a Singapore-based 3D printing designer who runs a design studio MALINKO.

Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, Marta has quite a peculiar background story. First, she studied geology. After graduating, she moved to Australia, where she worked in mines for a few years as a geologist. Later on, she decided to change her career. She was interested in learning how things are made and how to find a creative outlet for her ideas, so she studied Industrial Design. For seven years, she worked for an Australian train company, where she honed her skills in designing trains and learning about highly technical aspects of industrial design.

Despite the exciting job, she wanted to express her creativity, even more, so she started designing small 3D-printed objects. Her des

Castles In The Air? How 3D Printing Elevates Architecture

Castles In The Air? How 3D Printing Elevates Architecture

From aerospace to mass customized wearables, 3D printing brings the house down in so many business verticals — including architecture.

Imagine: The architect sits at their drafting table, their head filled with lofty designs. When it comes to helping their clients and partners see what’s in their mind’s eye, sketches and virtual renderings can only get them so far.

That’s where 3D printing comes in: one of the technology’s benefits is that it can expand design freedom.

Let’s look at four times architects were able to add new dimensions to their designs.

Sagrada Familia

A 3D model of a Sagrada Familia cathedral presented in the 3D printing software Magics by Materialise.

The team working on the world-famous Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona has been using 3D printing since 2001. But even back in the late 19th century, the architect Antoni Gaudí understood the importance of moving from 2D to 3D and would often handcraft models of the elaborate building to get a be