It is amazing how much 3d printing has evolved over the past 10 years.  I am hopeful for the future of this emerging technology and cannot wait to see the effects it will have on the medical industry. If you didn’t get a chance to read my latest In the Queue email, you can catch it here.

Let’s have a big round of applause for this month’s winner: K. Yost from Utah. That $250 Gift Card to Quickparts.com will really come in handy for an upcoming Stereolithography (SLA) project.

Here are the correct answers to this month’s challenge:

1. What was the name of the sheep that was the first animal cloned from an adult?
 Shrek
 Dolly
 Lamb Chop
 Martina

2. What is the name for the FBI’s database of DNA for convicted criminals?
 The CODIS databank (Combined DNA Index System)
 The DNAOCC databank (DNA of Convicted Criminals)
 The Miescher databank
 The Convicted Criminal DNA databank

3. Who was the first person to isolate DNA in 1869?
 James Watson
 Francis Crick
 Rosalind Franklin
 Friedrich Miescher

4. What holds the bases of DNA together?
 Polymer
 Sugar
 Hydrogen bonds
 Glue

5. What percentage of DNA do we share with chimpanzees?
 Between 81-86%
 Between 87-93%
 Between 94-99%
 100%

6. How much of our genes are shared with siblings?
 25%
 50%
 75%
 90%

7. Who discovered the double helix model?
 Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling
 Friedrich Miescher
 Erwin Chargaff
 James Watson and Francis Crick

Turns out I am better at 3D Printing with food than actually cooking food. If you didn’t get a chance to read my latest In the Queue email, you can catch it here.

Let’s have a big round of applause for this month’s winner: J. Mulligan from Florida.  That $250 Stereolithography (SLA) credit at Quickparts.com will really come in handy for an upcoming project.

Here are the correct answers to this month’s challenge:

1. Who was the Baby Ruth candy bar named after?
Grover Cleveland’s daughter, Ruth
Baseball player, Babe Ruth
Journalist, Ruth Gruber
Actress, Ruth Ford

2. Why is there a string on the Animal Crackers box?
To be displayed hanging from a shelf in stores
So children could drag the box around and pretend it was a train car.
For small children to carry it around easily.
It was made to be a Christmas ornament.

3. Which country consumes the most cheese with 52.7 pounds per capita?
Italy
France
Greece
Germany

4. What is a cheese monger?
Someone who sells cheese professionally
Someone who likes to eat cheese
A cheese maker
Someone who is obsessed with money

5. Who created milk chocolate?
Henri Nestle
Daniel Peter
Milton Hershey
Dominbro Ghirardelli

6. Who set a world record by eating an amazing 68 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes during the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2009?
Eric “Badlands” Booker
Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi
Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut

7. Approximately how much pizza does the average American eat in a year?
10 pounds (20 slices)
25 pounds (50 slices)
50 pounds (100 slices)
75 pounds (150 slices)

Let’s have a big round of applause for this month’s winner: G. Arens from Missouri.  That $250 Gift Card to Quickparts.com  will really come in handy for an upcoming Stereolithography (SLA) project.

Here are the correct answers to this month’s challenge:

1.  UCLA holds the record for the most NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championships with 11 titles.  What team is second with 7 national titles?
A. Indiana
B. North Carolina
C. Kentucky
D. Duke

2. All four #1 seeds from each region in the tournament have made it to the Final Four only once.  What year did this happen?
A. 2002
B. 2004
C. 2006
D. 2008

3.  In 1985, Villanova became the highest seeded team to win the National Championship.  What was Villanova’s seed that year?
A. #7 seed
B. #8 seed
C. #9 seed
D. #10 seed

4.  Throughout the years, what team is the only team to win first round games ranked as a #15, #14, #13, and #12 seed?
A. Richmond Spiders
B. Princeton Tigers
C. Butler Bulldogs
D. Santa Clara Broncos

5.  Who has scored the most total points in NCAA Tournament history?
A. Bill Walton (UCLA)
B. Tyler Hansbrough (UNC)
C. Joakim Noah (Florida)
D. Christian Laettner (Duke)

6.  What team has made the most official Final Four appearances with 18?
A. North Carolina
B. Duke
C. Kentucky
D. UCLA

7.  What active coach has the most NCAA Tournament Titles (4)?
A. Roy Williams
B. Mike Krzyzewski
C. Billy Donovan
D. Jim Calhoun

Dror Peleg, an Israeli student at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, designed ‘Frii’, an injection molded single speed city bike made with various recycled plastics. Using injection mold technology, constructing the Frii bike is less labor-intensive and more accessible than the traditional metal bicycle.

Before injecting, the bearings are placed into the mold. The tires are then injected over the rims using “full” material making them flat tire-proof. The seat can be injected in different sizes, the wheels are interchangeable, and different colors can be chosen, making the bikes easily customizable.

The Frii is built to be sturdy with a shorter fork, plastic ribs, and the pyriamid shaped bottom. The recycled materials create additional strength for the bike.

The concept behind the design was creating a hybrid of local industry and traditional product.

To see more pictures of the Frii, click here!

To learn more about injection molding, click here!

A big congratulations this month’s winner: M. McGraw from Massachusetts.  That $250 Gift Card to Quickparts.com  will really come in handy for an upcoming Stereolithography (SLA) project.

Here are the correct answers to this month’s challenge:

1. What player has won the most Super Bowl MVP awards with three?

A.     Troy Aikman

B.     Terry Bradshaw

C.     Jerry Rice

D.     Joe Montana

2. Who is the only player to have won Super Bowl MVP on a losing team?

A.     Roger Staubach

B.     Kurt Warner

C.     Chuck Howley

D.     Jake Delhomme

3. What team lost a Super Bowl by the smallest margin in the game’s history?

A.     New England Patriots

B.     St. Louis Rams

C.     Buffalo Bills

D.     Miami Dolphins

4. Which Super Bowl winning starting quarterback attempted the fewest passes in a single Super Bowl game?

A.     Bob Griese

B.     Len Dawson

C.     Bart Starr

D.     Joe Namath

5. What player holds the record for most career sacks in the Super Bowl?

A.     Reggie White

B.     Mean Joe Greene

C.     Randy White

D.     Charles Haley

6. What player holds the record for most interceptions in a Super Bowl game?

A.     Rod Woodson

B.     Everson Walls

C.     Rod Martin

D.     Darrell Green

7. Where was the first Super Bowl held?

A.     New Orleans

B.     Miami

C.     Los Angeles

D.  Phoenix

My favorite Custom Parts Manufcturer, Quickparts.com, recently sent me a dozen of these sweet gift cards for $250.  The gift card can only be applied to SLA projects, but the finish and material choice is all yours!!

Ofcourse I don’t believe in getting something for nothing, so I set-up a trivia challenge page that I will use in my selection process.  Simply answer all 7 questions correctly and you will be entered into a drawing to win a $250 gift card to use with your next SLA project with Quickparts!  Make sure to send me your responses before Tuesday, January 17, 2012 in order to be entered into the drawing.

Click here to claim your $250 gift card NOW!

I will post the answers and winners tomorrow at 12pm EST. Good Luck!

What is OpenRP?
The STL (Stereolithography) file format is, and for the foreseeable future, will be the standard mode of data exchange in the Rapid Prototyping industry.  It is a known fact that the STL file format does not employ efficient methods of data storage and lacks security.  Over the years, attempts have been made to replace the STL file format with a better, efficient and secure alternative.  Most of these attempts have been made by major RP software developers who, in one way or the other, have tried to derive financial benefit in the bargain.

OpenRP is not another attempt to replace the STL file format.  OpenRP is a non-profit initiative by Deelip Menezes which aims at offering the RP industry an alternative mode of data exchange while maintaining perfect compatibility with the STL file format and without any loss of data whatsoever.  OpenRP offers the RP industry a new RP file format and free software to read and write RP files.  All software at this web site is and will always remain free.  None of the applications, plug-ins or libraries will ever expire.  You are urged to freely use the software for as long as you like.