👋 Welcome to The Filament Feed!

Today’s top stories: OctoPrint developer catches plugins manipulating usage stats, Prusa3D aims to become biggest 3D printer and filament manufacturer in US, and adaptive nozzle from John Hopkins, and McDonalds embraces 3D printing.

🤩 Hobbyist 3D Printing

OctoPrint Developer Discovers Stat Manipulation from Obico and OctoEverywhere (3 Minute Read) - Link

OctoPrint developer Gina Häußge recently uncovered stat manipulation that resulted in two plugins appearing closer to the top of the OctoPrint everywhere popular plugin list. After discovering the manipulation, Obico developer Kenneth Jiang admitted to a script he had created a while back to pad his plugin’s stats.

OctoEverywhere was discovered to have been manipulating their stats almost a week earlier. OctoEverywhere said in a blog post that they pinpointed the discrepancy to a single community member. They spoke to the member who said they were unsure they were having an impact and immediately ceased the activity.

As a result, Gina is going to be invoicing both plugin makers for the time she spent unraveling the mess and has removed Obico as a sponsor.

Prusa3D Plans to Become Biggest 3D Printer and Filament Manufacturer in the US in a Year (4 Minute Read) - Link

Prusa Research who partnered with Printed Solid last year, plans to become the largest manufacturer of printers and filaments in the United States. Prusa is known for its focus on quality, and this expansion won't compromise that. They'll be using the same methods and tools in the US facilities as they do in the Czech Republic. This includes assembling Original Prusa MK4 printers, producing Prusament filament with the same high standards, and expanding official Prusa repair services to the US.

Overall, this partnership allows Prusa to better serve the US market while maintaining the quality their customers expect.

🏭 3D Printing Industry

John Hopkins Creates an Adaptive Nozzle for Fast and Accurate 3D Printing (8 minute read) - Link

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have developed a new 3D printing nozzle that can change its shape and size during printing. This adaptive nozzle, called AN3DP, can print high-resolution and fast at the same time, something that current nozzles cannot do.

Current nozzles force users to choose between high-resolution, slow printing or fast, low-resolution printing. AN3DP uses tiny pins and an elastic membrane to change its shape, allowing for both high-resolution and fast printing. This eliminates the "stair-stepping" effect seen on curved surfaces with traditional nozzles.

AN3DP can handle various materials and can be integrated into existing 3D printers. While currently it requires manual cleaning and is limited to one process, the researchers are working on making it easier to use and more versatile. With its ability to print complex, high-quality objects quickly, AN3DP has the potential to improve 3D printing in many fields.

McDonalds to Embrace 3D Printing with Custom Printed Light Fixtures from Philips MyCreation - Link

McDonald's partnered with Philips MyCreation to design and 3D print new, custom light fixtures for their restaurants around the world.

These light fixtures are unique and could not be made with traditional methods. They are 3D printed using sustainable materials and designed to shimmer like velvet.

The 3D printing process allowed McDonald's to achieve their design goals quickly and efficiently, while also meeting their sustainability targets. The project was so successful that McDonald's plans to roll out these light fixtures in stores around the world.

🔦 3D Print Spotlight

NASA Saturn V Kit Card, Fletch on Printables.com - Link

If you’re new around here, we looooovvveee space. We also love history. So when we saw this Saturn V Kit Card, we knew this was going on our list to print. The print has two files, a single color file which you can then paint or a multicolor file for those of you with a fancy color changing printer. As you can see from the picture below, this is a beautiful kit and we can wait to give it a go later today!

🔗 Quick Links

⬆️ Recent Slicer Updates

• OrcaSlicer - 2.1.0 Official - 6/21/2024 -(GitHub)

• Cura - 5.7.2 - 6/03/2024 (GitHub)

• PrusaSlicer - 2.8.0- 7/1/2024 (GitHub)

• Bambu Studio - 1.9.3 Public Official- 6/21/24 (GitHub)

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You can always send an email to me, Alex, at [email protected]

Until tomorrow!