GETTING 3D // MakerBot Wants to Arm You With Your Own 3D Printer

 

A couple weeks ago, people flocked to 3rd Ward to check out the MakerBot Make-A-Thon--which featured demos of MakerBot's Thing-O-Matic 3D printers as well as a 3D scanner that our own Kyle McDonald made using an Xbox Kinect.

We caught up with the folks at MakerBot Industries to get the lowdown on their burgeoning company which has been getting tons of well-deserved buzz lately, including major features in outlets like the New York Times and CNN Money.

MakerBot, founded by Bre Pettis, Zach Smith and Adam Mayer, emerged from the trio's desire to have their own 3D printer even though they couldn't afford one. Before MakerBot, most 3D printers cost around $100,000 or more. Their current Thing-O-Matic kit will only set you back $1,299. "They figured out how to get one together inexpensively and then started MakerBot so everyone could have one," says MakerBot's Keith Ozar. "They used the tools at hand, a laser cutter, and as many off-the-shelf parts as possible."

Aside from the mind-blowing possibilities of being able to print a 3D model of literally anything you want, one of the most exciting things about MakerBot is that it is open source, meaning that you can find and use thousands of designs that users have posted on Thingiverse, MakerBot's constantly growing library of digital designs.

Ozar also tells us that one of the recent trends in the MakerBot community has been physical mashups, like "Lepus Draconis (The Drabbit)," a combination of a dragon and a rabbit.

MakerBot is moving fast, shipping around 300 units a month out of their Brooklyn headquarters, and they don't plan to let up anytime soon. "We're committed to supporting creative people to make whatever they want and we won't stop until every creative person has one!" says Ozar.

Terrific! We look forward to creating our own army of drabbits!

Hit the jump to watch a great video about MakerBot from their Blip.tv channel.

-- John Ruscher