MakerBot Industries

ReplicatorG 0008 and the generation 3 firmware v1.4 are now available!  If you’ve been using an old version, now is the time to upgrade.  The highlights of this release are:

• Named SD card builds.   You can now create a library of build files on a single SD card and build them as needed.  No more overwriting your teapots with dodecahedrons!
• ReplicatorG now ships with precompiled firmware images and an integrated firmware uploader.  You no longer need to jump through all the hoops of installing the firmware libraries, the Sanguino patches, or even Arduino at all– just click on “Upload new firmware” in the Machine menu and you can update the firmware on your motherboard or extruder controller!
• The firmware now includes a remote reset command, as well as several small bugfixes that may address some of the in-build hangs some users have been experiencing.

More details, and download links, below.

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Did not do much for modding, but did add some 5mm neoprene between (X/Y) steppers and housing, and on the rod covers/caps to reduce the ratlle, noise and vibrations. That did help quit a bit. No upgrade done to prevent some of the extruder issues/squeeking, but that is planned. Running ReplicatorG 0005, shipped firmware on an Ubuntu AMD64 machine.

Wow, awesome color scheme on Makerbot 133.

Update: Here’s the statue of liberty model!

If you are a regular of the makerbot soup or the flickr group, you may have seen the MakerBot Liberty Prototypes hiding in the background of photos.

Folks had been asking about a bigger machine and so I mocked up the Liberty to extend the build area to 100x100x300mm, which makes for a pretty tall machine.

The good news: it works.
The bad news: it needs a lot more improvement to work well.

My first print of this ended at 150mm because it fell off the XY stage. In the second print, as soon as it got above 150mm in hight, the weight of the liberty made the platform start shifting. There is a little tolerance in the bearings and with all that weight pushed around on the platform, it started rocking the platform back and forth. This resulted in very wobbly lines which isn’t super awesome. Total build time was almost 6 hours.

In future prototypes I’m going to address this by making a wider XY stage and finding an alternative to magnets that will hold the build platform to the base with more strength.

I had hoped that I could just put out an upgrade kit with a new front, back, sides, and long z-stage rods, but I’ve got to go back to the drawing board with the xy stage. My hope is to have this out as an option in 2010. Stay tuned!

Want to see the designs? Here they are. This DXF is best viewed in QCAD.

This Saturday, Bre will be giving a MakerBot lightening talk for Software Freedom Day. I feel very strong that the free culture movement is one of the most powerful forces in the world today. If you have one of these events happening in your neighborhood, I highly recommend showing up.

Even though MakerBot is both a hardware and software solution, the ideals and infrastructure that the free software movement has pushed forward has given us the scaffolding to build the 3D printing hardware we share with our community and the world using the GPL license.

More details – Link
When: Saturday, Sept. 19th from 6pm to 10pm.
Where: Please note the new location! 148 Lafayette St, 12th Floor.
RSVP required to joshlevy.ny AT gmail

CNN interviewed me about MakerBot at Gnomedex in Seattle. Link