Tag Archives: MakerBot
MakerBot and 3D Systems Execs Square Off in CES Interview [Video]
In the video below, CNET’s Rafe Needleman interviews executives of two 3D printer makers and how they are charting the future of manufacturing.
Bre Pettis from MakerBot emphasizes his company’s focus on open-source innnovation. The Replicator is great for tinkerers.
Cathy Lewis from 3D Systems talks about the range of capabilities from personal 3D printing to mass production via the cloud. The Cubify allows consumers to “color in” designs provided by the 3D Systems marketplace.
Rafe Needleman approaches questions from “How do I print 5000 widgets?” to “Why wouldn’t I just buy this widget at retail?” and more.
The MakerBot Met Hackathon Spreads with Art Derivations
Last week the MakerBot team joined forces with artists to democratize famous works of art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These 3D designs are now on Thingiverse and ready to be 3D printed. For example, the marble lion statue pictured above dates from 400 B.C. and is now available in digital form on Thingiverse.
As art is being democraticized, meaning users can download and print their own editions of these classical pieces, we are already seeing derivative digital works of art. In the example below, Jean-Antoine Houdon’s Bather was placed in a bath tub and uploaded to Thingiverse.
While this is in early days, it is incredible to now have the raw works of art at our digital fingertips for new creation.
Via MakerBot blog.
The MakerBot Team is Democratizing Art at the Met
The MakerBot team is democratizing the art world. Using an app called Autodesk 123D Catch and the MakerBot Replicator, the team is scanning exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then 3D printing replicas. From the MakerBot blog:
June 1-2, for the first time in history, a collection of brilliant digital artists from the MakerBot Community will be graciously welcomed by the Met in New York City to study, capture, and recreate pieces from the Met’s vast collection of art and artifacts. These artists – stay tuned and we’ll tell you who! – will capture significant works into the digital domain using Autodesk’s 123D Catch, clean up and manipulate the resulting models, and then produce replicas and original pieces of art on our 3rd generation 3D printer, The Replicator.
From The Next Web:
Imagine an art class where you can see the Statue of David right in front of you. Imagine what will happen now that contemporary artists will be able to explore and hack famous works from the past. This is huge for the art community, The Met is absolutely awesome for letting this happen, and I couldn’t be more excited about this.
And in Bre Pettis’ own words:
I was an art teacher in Seattle Public Schools and with my students I could only get them to a museum once a year. Together we would get on a bus, go get a tour of a museum and go back to school.
It was great to go to a museum, but it was limited. I had a wish then that I could bring the museum into the classroom. Little did I know that 6 years later, I would be in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with some of the best artists and designers in the world scanning art and sharing it on Thingiverse for the world to download and make. We’re taking it even farther than that though. I don’t think I imagined that the work could be changed, mashed-up, hacked, and remade. It is truly a brilliant and wonderful future we live in where you can go into a museum that allows photography, take lots of pictures and then use 123D Catch to turn it into a model and share it on Thingiverse.
I’m so proud of the Met. It’s my town’s museum and it’s a brave and bold institution and it is so forward thinking that they’ve invited us in to scan, hack, and make things. When I started Thingiverse, I knew that I wanted the classic sculptures of the world to be in the universal library of things, but I imagined that someone would have to pull off the ultimate heist to make that happen. Instead of having to steal the art, the Met shares the future vision of MakerBot where the greatest artworks of the world are accessible to everyone and they’ve invited us in to make history and share the art with the world.
I’m thrilled about this, but it’s just the beginning. I hope that you will explore and capture and share the great artworks of your town. Together, we can create a great database that will inspire the next generation of artists.
Met Photo by makerbot used under Creative Commons license.
Bukobot Bucks Trend with Over-Subscribed 3D Printing Kickstarter Pitch
Nearly a month ago, we analyzed the funding goals of 3D printing Kickstarter projects. The conclusion?
- Of the 13 projects since October 2009, only 6 have successfully reached their funding goals, or 46%
- The average funding goal of a successful project is $3,842 and the average funds raised is $11,039, or 287%
- The average funding goal of an unsuccessful project is $16,874 and the average funds raised is $1,105, or 7%
- The average number of backers for a successful project is 55 with each backer pledging $164
- The average number of backers for an unsuccessful project is 21 with each backer pledging only $38
- There was no geographic concentration of successful projects
Now Bukobot is bucking the trend and has been oversubscribed based on its misson to deliver an affordable 3D printer with no compromises.
From an interview with VentureBeat, Bukobot founder Diego Porqueras explained his motivation:
Porqueras promises that the Bukobot (named after his “tough” dog, Buko, who he rescued from the streets), will be the most inexpensive 3D printer on the market to date.
“Compared to a MakerBot [and other similar companies], my design is a lot more efficient and simplified while still keeping the rigidity of a box,” Porqueras told VentureBeat. “I wanted to think outside the box (literally) for the design because this would allow a lot more flexibility for expansion and modifications to the feature without having to redesign or build a whole new frame.”
Most of Porqueras’ models are under $1,000, which is a deal when compared to MakerBot’s Replicator, which costs nearly $1,800.
Below is the video of the Kickstarter pitch that attracted 400% of its target funding level.
Via VentureBeat.
Bukobot photo by JuniorMonkey used under Creative Commons license.
Cheaper, Faster, Smaller 3D Printer: ORD BOT
In the world of $20,000 3D printers like the most recent professional desktop printer from Objet and the $1,700+ MakerBot Replicator, is there an alternative?
Yes. Discovered at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012: the ORD BOT, a 3D printer that is cheaper, faster, and smaller than the competition.
PC World’s Geek Tech blog featured the ORD BOT:
The ORD BOT is a simple 3D printer platform kit that uses an extruder to “print” 3D objects, just like the Cube or the MakerBot. However, unlike the MakerBot, the ORD BOT can only print using one color at a time (for now, anyway). But what it lacks in color it gains in speed: Its print speeds exceed 400mm per second and can reach up to a whopping 1 meter per second. This is considerably faster than the MakerBot’s output speed of 33mm per second. The ORD BOT comes with two different print areas with the largest, called the Hadron, being about 200 square milimeters.
Now the ORD BOT isn’t for just anyone–it’s made with serious makers and DIYers in mind. This platform kit is just that–a platform: You have to provide your own electronics and build the whole thing from scratch (this does make it highly customizable and flexible), but according to a spokesperson at the ORD BOT booth you can order one with the electronics included for about another $200.
There is also a wiki with various recommendations on electronics to use, as well as detailed specs and CAD files pertaining to the platform. The platform will cost you $290 for the smallest one, called the Quantum, and $400 for the Hadron–the platform plus necessary electronics is still several hundreds dollars cheaper than other commercial 3D printers out there.
Right now there are over 120 ORD BOT users, and you can get your own over at Inventables if they get enough pre-orders for another batch by May 31st. Inventables is selling the Hadron and it comes with stepper motors, you provide the rest.
Via PC World.
