GoKawiilIf you want to see the bleeding edge of 3D printing tech, you go to FormNext in Frankfurt, Germany . If you want to see the latest in consumer electronics, you go to CES in Las Vegas . If you want to see what it’s like to microwave your own head, you go to Open Sauce in San Mateo, California.
The decidedly quirky maker festival marked its fourth year a few weeks ago, bringing together inventors, makers, artists, cosplayers, YouTubers, and yes, a number of sponsors. Founded by science YouTuber William Osman, the festival has become a must-see event for the maker community.
Denise Bertacchi with her Open Sauce project. (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
I attended this year’s festival as an exhibitor, with my “freakishly large, 3D-printed fighting tops.” For full disclosure, Prusa Research sponsored my travel costs and also partnered with me on a contest hosted on Printables, where I provided the example model and was on the judging panel. Polymaker sent an insane amount of filament for printing the tops and arenas.
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We received some amazing and creative entries; even YouTuber and maker Jeff Geerling stopped by to join in on the fun.
PLA and wood PLA 3D-printed violins by Daniel Quicazán, founder of Neoluthy. (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
Besides the obvious 3D-printed robots, 3D-printed printers, and 3D-printed violins (see above), a lot of exhibits used 3D-printed parts as an easy method to prototype and manufacture their project. Here are a few gems we found on the show floor.
Positron 3D
Even with a modest display, you still can't help but notice Positron 3D's amazing LDO Positron upside-down 3D printer. Designed to fit into a 1kg filament box, this printer can be folded down to 200 × 200 × 70 mm in size, making it easy to store or travel with.
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