We’ve all heard of The Missing Link , but electric carmaker Tesla’s April 30th event — The Missing Piece — promises to be somewhat less elusive.
The company’s invite to the press for a look-see, featuring Apple-esque cover art, is indeed a mysterious partial outline of … something with a curved top edge. However the buzz (and a previously emailed announcement) indicates that the company plans to unveil a new home battery at its design studio in Hawthorne, California (a hop-skip from Los Angeles).
The battery for homes and businesses will likely be based on the company’s lithium-ion technology. While few details are available right now, published reports indicate that it may be similar in concept to existing home batteries that can both store excess solar power and backup the power supply in case of an outage.
In addition, the Verge says that Tesla is building a “Gigafactory” in next door Nevada to produce lithium ion batteries for cars and additional uses such as home solar. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also heads up SolarCity , a provider that may also serve as a sales outlet for Tesla’s batteries.
➤ Tesla invite for April 30th event teases ‘the missing piece’
Glowforge 3D laser printer could make mini manufacturers of us all
It finally looks like 3D printing is about to take off in a big way . But not all 3D printers are alike.
One clever new example is Glowforge , a desktop 3D laser printer that allows you to create a large variety of consumer items out of any material — from a leather handbag or wallet to hard wood jewelry boxes and household items to a child’s doll house or even office furnishings.
Designs are derived from popular software such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, Glowforge’s own online catalog, or even from drawings from pen and paper . There’s no need for complex CAD software.
Glowforge is designed to be the middle ground between the maker movement and industrial manufacturing. “If you’re making one to 100, a laser is exactly the tool for the job,” said Dan Shapiro, Glowforge creator and CEO. “The laser can take the cutting of fabrics, for example, off your plate.”
Shapiro envisions the sorts of things Glowforge can make as a good fit for outlets like Etsy, eBay and the local farmer’s market.
Glowforge is a kind of hybrid 3D printer. Unlike 3D printers such as the Form 2 and others that use additive technologies to build objects out of plastic, Glowforge uses subtractive technology that cuts and engraves materials like wood, leather, foam, paper, acrylics, cardboard, fabrics, stone, metal, glass, consumer electronics and even food. After the printer makes the component parts, each piece is labeled to assist in assembling the item later.
“The Glowforge turns everyone into a micro-manufacturer. Things are being created exactly for what’s needed and when they’re needed, domestically, on-the-spot. It’s just-in-time fabrication as well as creating beautiful things out of lovely materials that are actually going to last,” Shapiro said. Lets face it: no one want to carry a plastic handbag.
Glowforge’s one-button interface makes it as easy to use as a microwave oven, and it gets non-technical people involved in making things. “It’s so empowering to kids to be able to imagine something and then go and build it. That’s why kids like to draw and why they love legos and blocks. Glowforge takes that to an entirely different level.”
Just choose a project and place your material inside the printer, where the machine automatically produces a 3D scan, adapting the design based on its measurements.
Then, preview and make adjustments on your Mac, PC or tablet and Glowforge’s dual cameras capture the material and give you an accurate preview of the product. Then push the button on the machine. Glowforge runs automatically, using autofocus to achieve accurate depth and position with most prints taking between two and 20 minutes to complete.
“This isn’t a gadget that appeals to people because it’s interesting; it’s a tool that’s interesting because it’s useful,” said Shaprio. “I felt that was the promise of 3D printers that never quite been realized and that is really exciting.”
Glowforge is launching a 30-day day pre-order campaign, where the current model will be available for $1,995 — half off the regular price of $3,995. Pre-orders can be placed on the Glowforge Website .
➤ Glowforge
Last chance to win a MacBook Pro and choose your own next-gen Android phone
The MacBook Pro Giveaway ends tonight at 11:59pm PT, so take a minute and enter before it’s too late!
The 13″ MacBook Pro features a high-resolution Retina display, a 2.6GHz dual-core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128 gigs of fast flash storage — and it’s ready to rock OS X Yosemite, the latest version of Apple’s beautiful, functional OS.
We’re giving away this bad boy for free at TNW Deals! To enter, just visit the offer page , create an account, and hit ENTER NOW for a chance to win!
You can also follow TNW Deals on Twitter and G+ for extra entries, and you’ll get 5 extra entries for each friend you refer by sharing your custom giveaway referral link.
➤ Enter the giveaway
Ending Friday, we’re also giving away a next-gen Android phone, and you get to choose which one you want! Take your pick from the Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G Flex 2 or HTC One M9.
It’s easy to get a chance to win one of these stunners! Same process as the Macbook Giveaway…visit the giveaway page , login (or create an account) and hit Enter Now. That’s it!
Of course, you can improve your chance of winning this giveaway too by following and sharing on social accounts for extra entries. The more your followers participate, the better your chance of scoring a top-of-the-line Android phone.
➤ Enter now before the winner is selected!