MakerBot Industries

Stefan uploaded not-so-mini-figs to Thingiverse recently and they are just so rad.

tmophoto‘s been printing them in all sorts of colors!

Along with the MakerBot 3D Scanner, we’re excited to launch the DIY version of the MakerScanner, an open source 3D scanner designed by MakerBot Operator Andy Barry. The MakerScanner captures color 3D pointclouds that you can convert into printable meshes with entirely open source tools… and a LASER! Basically, you’ll need a webcam, some MakerBotted plastic parts and… a LASER! Did we mention the LASER?

You may have seen this on the Wired blog. It’s another cool way to experiment with 3D scanning. You can even use the same webcam as the Makerbot 3D Scanner to decrease the overall parts cost of your adventures into 3D scanning!

Instead of using lasercut parts, the MakerScanner’s parts are 100% MakerBot printable. If you are without a MakerBot, fear not! As soon as we set up the MakerBot Botfarm™ we’ll start cranking out the parts and assemble a laser based 3D scanner kit for your experimental laser scanning adventures.

Check out the documentation and start building your MakerScanner on the MakerBot Wiki.

MakerBot printed coins and tokens

Besides being a great example of a printed part, jabella’s collection of MakerBot printed coins and NYC tokens is just plain pretty.  I normally photograph on a white background, but it’s now evident to me a black background is much better for printed pieces.  Or, perhaps, you know, photography skillz.

As I wandered around the Botcave last Monday, I noticed a heart-warming trend in the décor:  puppy and kitten calendars everywhere. This is my photo essay about them.

Next to Widget’s workstation, where he is checking the levelness of some rods, two golden retriever pups snuggle with each other, on the verge of a nap.

Near an area where Bot Farm-bound Cupcakes are getting a final check to prepare for the upcoming Maker Faire, where sixteen of them will print full-time, a calendar shows two black labs posing in a grassy field.

Behind a desk where Sam and Marisol were discussing a recent shipment, an inter-species friendship seems to have formed between a floppy-eared pup and a silvery kitten. The furry friends sit together in a high chair.

Attached to a post in the shipping area where MakerBot Kits are gingerly hand-packed packed atop a conveyor belt, a calendar shows a pug-nosed pup nibbling at someone’s jean cuff.

What is the connection between MakerBots and the dogs and cats calendars? Some investigation has revealed that one of the MakerBot suppliers has the option to get calendars as a bonus gift with big orders. When faced with the choice between a gym bag and kittens and puppies, MakerBot will always choose the cute kittens and puppies!

Beco Blocks FTW

Absolutely, positively, a bucketful of Beco Blocks.

When I started printing on my MakerBot, one of the first things I tried to crank out were Beco Block parts.  Using the Skeinforge Multiple feature, I could print up 4-9 copies of a particular block piece at a time.  Unfortunately, without a spindle or an automated platform this was a time consuming process of printing, setting up, and monitoring for tangles.

The idea of setting a MakerBot to build a full set of construction toys and having a bucket of parts a few hours later is almost too much.  What would you print if all of a sudden the setup and monitoring time dropped to zero?