3D printing is now really coming to you!  I have written about this intriguing concept several times (each word is a separate hyperlink) in the past few months.  No, a company is selling the device for consumers. MakerBot, from an industrial sector of Brooklyn, is selling a kit ($ 1299) that lets you make products you design. This company is the brainchild of Bre Prettis, Adam Meyer, and Zach Smith.

This desktop size (albeit a big desktop) is not ready to use just out of the box- you need to do some assembly and tinkering. And, you need to connect it to a computer (which does the “thinking”, just like your regular printer needs a “brain” to tell it what to do).  (Many of the designers of 3D products use AutoDesk, a computer-aided-design (CAD) software program, which can be purchased or licensed via an annual subscription, or one of the lower-cost programs (open source choices exist, as well) one can find searching the web.)  But, MakerBot (ThingOMatic) does let you make real products, 5 inches maximum on a side, using plastic as the substrate.  However, this version of the 3D printer only lets you create objects with relatively low resolution (which is not surprising, when you compare this unit with that of the other suppliers, all of which are much higher-priced).  MakerBot also has available a team of 18 intercoupled devices (they call it a “botfarm”) to make larger (than 5 inches) projects possible- for “worthwhile” projects (at their offices in the Gowanus, Brooklyn neighborhood).

In addition to this unit, MakerBot also sells a smaller 3D printing device, ‘CupCake’, and an add-on unit, the ‘Evil Mad Scientist’. As you might suspect, the CupCake is used to make smaller parts than the ThingoMatic; it is also intimated that this device is on close-out (when the last one sells, there will be no more made).  The ‘Evil Mad Scientist’ (‘Eggbot’) draws on egg-shaped or spherical objects, ranging in size from 3 to 10 cm (about 1 to 4 inches) in diameter.

You can see products that have been made using the MakerBot on Thingiverse (kind of an open access design showcase).  The MakerBot entrepreneurs believe the best way to grow their business is to have people share the end product and designs, so that users can “build” on previous developments and designs.  However, the problem with open source development is just that.  Developing medical products you wish to sell and then sharing the designs with others tends to eradicate your competitive advantage. Or, if you were an artist (like Veronica Campos Hallstrom, who makes creative jewelry – check it out), you would be providing your designs and the method of construction to others.  Of course, you could also improve upon the designs of others.  (No, not like those “new, improved” tissues that are always advertised- something really new and improved!)

And, for those of you who prefer videos, the New York Times prepared a video about 3D printing that I just ran across.   It’s about a year old (which in this business is about ½ an eternity), but it is an interesting watch.

Share this: