Tag Archives: MakerBot
Venture Capitalists Looking Closely at 3D Printing Deals
Why are venture capitalists looking closely at 3D printing deals? This discussion highlights the interest of Brad Feld and the Foundry Group.
MakerBot is probably the most well-known venture-backed 3D printing startup, with nearly $11 million in funding and 125 employees. It also helps that MakerBot’s CEO Bre Pettis is 3D printing’s first celebrity.
One of MakerBot’s investors is Foundry Group, based in Boulder, CO. Foundry Group is investing out of two $225 million funds and has made over 70 investments. The group is composed of four managing directors with cultural leader Brad Feld.
Brad recently published a blog post about what he is obsessed with as an investor.
As the endless stream of emails, tweets, and news comes at me, I find myself going deeper on some things while trying to shed others. I’ve been noticing an increasing amount of what I consider to be noise in the system.
My best way of categorizing this is to pay attention to what I’m currently obsessed about and use that to guide my thinking and exploration. I took a break, grabbed a piece of paper, and scribbled down a list of things I was obsessed about. I didn’t think – I just wrote. Here’s the list.
- Startup communities
- Hci
- Human instrumentation
- 3d printing
- User-generated content
- Integration between things that make them better
- Total disruption of norms
Note that 3 of his 7 themes are: HCI (human computer interaction), 3D printing, and user-generated content. As the software and hardware for 3D printing becomes more accessible to the masses, these 3 ideas go hand in hand.
At Maker Faire Bay Area 2012, Brad spoke at a “Hardware Innovation Workshop” and relayed his thoughts about the Maker movement and 3D printing. As reported by VentureBeat:
“We don’t give a shit about hardware, and we don’t do hardware investments,” said Feld, whose Foundry Group has invested in several hardware companies, including MakerBot Industries, Spheero, and Fitbit. “What we love is software wrapped in plastic.”
Later, Feld moderated his statement, acknowledging that he does care about hardware. But what matters to Foundry, in this case, is whether the company fits into one of its major themes: In this case, human-computer interaction, or the ways in which humans feed data to machines. For that to work, hardware depends on software to help it interface with its human users.
“The maker movement … has really shifted this dynamic,” Feld said. “Users can create stuff that they care about.”
We look forward to seeing more startups focused on HCI, user-generated content and 3D printing – more “software wrapped in plastic” - getting support from renowned investors like Foundry Group.
Brad Feld photo by Rocky Mountain Joe used under Creative Commons license.
3D Printing Vending Machine: Print on Demand at Virginia Tech [Video]
3D printers, such as the MakerBot Replicator, are currently priced at over $1,700 and out of range for the typical student. Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering has devised a unique solution to giving students access to 3D printers without the associated costs.
The folks over at Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering are taking 3D printing to a whole new different level. Enter DreamVendor, a set of four MakerBot Thing-O-Matics that is enclosed in a glass. It’s not really your typical vending machine, but boy, the DreamVendor does one special thing – it turns Computer Aided Design or CAD into a physical object. The DreamVendor is the brainchild of Dr. Chris Williams, Director of Virginia Tech’s DREAMS Lab, and student Amy Elliot, who led the design. “We wanted an experience where someone could walk up and use a 3-D printer without having to worry about anything besides loading a file and selecting ‘Print,’” Williams said.
In order to use it, you’ll have to insert an SD card that has your CAD design file stored on it. Then, the Makerbot Thing-O-Matic 3D printers will fabricate your design and dispense the finished product into the bin for your taking. Although the DreamVendor 3D machine may not appeal to all, it’s perfect for tech students and designers who want to quickly fabricate their own prototypes for their projects. To learn more about DreamVendor and how to use it, you can visit Virginia Tech’s DREAMS Lab.
Watch the video below as Amy Elliott gives us a tour of the DREAM Vendor.
Via Ubergizmo.
Maker Faire Bay Area 2012: Highlights and Headlines
Maker Faire 2012 took place in San Mateo, CA this weekend. Visited by over 120,000 people, Maker Faire featured exhibits ranging from robots to 3D printing to electric cars to art installations. Here are some of the highlights that made headlines.
TechCrunch: In Which The Maker Faire Restores Your Humble Correspondent’s Faith In Humanity
The maker movement has hit an interesting flux point; its amateurs and enthusiasts, much like the computer geeks of the 1970s and 1980s, now stand on the verge of watching their hobby erupt into big business that will reshape the way people everywhere live.
Make: Maker Faire 3D Printer Census
While walking around the Maker Faire grounds this morning I took a quick census all of the 3D printers. All told I saw 55 3D printers on the fairgrounds, 23 of which were unique designs. That’s not including the CNC machines or the stock of three dozen or so Replicator, Up! printers, and Printrbots for sale in the Maker Shed. I’m impressed!
MakerBot: Maker Faire Emergency Averted By Tinkercad And MakerBot!
Here’s the scene: a middle school boy goes to a fantastic summer day camp, Galileo Learning, in Hillsborough, CA. He builds a great go-kart as his final project. But when Galileo transports the go-kart to Maker Faire, the steering wheel is dangling by a single bolt. Missing a nut!
San Jose Mercury News: Maker Faire explodes into the ultimate DIY project
Maker Faire has exploded into the ultimate do-it-yourself project: In only six years, the once-intimate weekend gathering is now attracting massive crowds and exporting the experience around the globe, from Chicago to Cairo.
SF Gate: Maker Faire: Festival of invention and creativity returns to Bay Area
It’s mad science for the masses. A celebration of the do-it-yourself-mindset. A place where you go to play with robots, see a giant metal dragon breath fire, turn old computer parts into cool sculptures, and watch Coke react with Mentos mints, sending geysers of soda shooting the air over twenty feet high. Think Burning Man for geeks and kids with a dizzying array of DIY projects and science demonstrations.
PC World: Maker Faire 2012: A Gallery of Creations
That said, one of the big themes at this year’s event is the fusion of digital and tangible, with recurring favorite 3D printers taking center stage.
Patch: Eye-Catching Creations at the Maker Faire
Outside, an even more jaw-dropping world of larger-than-life displays were set up in a festival-like atmosphere, such as a two-stories-tall metal dragon that actually breathed fire, and all manner of decked-out homemade vehicles, animatronic figures and more.
And finally, neon robot land sharks!
Maker Faire photo by Kiet Callies used under Creative Commons license.
MakerBot Builds 3D Printed Robot Petting Zoo for Maker Faire [Video]
The MakerBot team has taken some time away from their day jobs to build a Robot Petting Zoo in time for Maker Faire. Of course, the robots are 3D printed on the Replicator.
Watch the video below to see all of their amazing creations.
What to 3D Print: Wired Showcases the Best of Thingiverse
Wired and Thingiverse teamed up to showcase some of the most impressive 3D printing designs that can be printed on your MakerBot.
Above is a genuine Mario Kart Koopa shell racer.
His goal was to build a full-size RC vehicle based on Mario Kart Koopa shells. The Makerbot’s constraints would have stymied a lesser designer, but by breaking the design into small parts, Skimbal created a large, multi-color object, where the resolution is barely noticeable. The project takes over 40 hours to complete, but it’s like being able to print the Mona Lisa in your garage.
Next we have a Lincoln Log cabin. We have covered the disruptive impact that 3D printing will have on the toy industry. Why buy expensive toys when you can 3D print cheap generics?
And finally, we have a novel design called Big Love Heart Gears. This is something that would not be possible with traditional manufacturing processes because the design is printed as one interconnected object.
Via Wired.
