Ever get sick of refilling those teaspoons when measuring the perfect amount of vanilla extract for that cheesecake you’re making for your mother on her birthday? Does your wrist get tired, rotating back and forth as you measure 1 teaspoon… 2 teaspoons… 3 teaspoons… Maybe you even mess up the whole recipe, because it’s difficult to measure it out just perfectly and a little extra spills into the mixing bowl in between fills, resulting in a vanilla overdose.

Okay, so maybe measuring 2 teaspoons all-at-once is not at the top of your priority list. But you have to admit, these multi-unit-measuring-spoons are beautiful and owning them would make me feel cool and like I’m at the frontier of modern design. But that’s just me.

Eulàlia Llovet Vidal designed them for the (Un)limited Design Contest. Download the model and make these spoons with your MakerBot. If you do, be sure and tell us about it!

Update: Check it out, Stan made it! Note the challenging overhangs!

We’re growing quickly and we’re looking to add an purchasing assistant to our team. Most of the work involves buying parts from vendors and executing purchase orders. Here is the full scoop on the job:

Responsibilities:
- Purchase parts from vendors for both inventory and research & development
- Maintain accurate inventory records
- File packing slips and invoices
- Enter customer data into databases
- Other clerical/administrative duties as required

Requirements:
- 2-3 years of experience purchasing inventory for a medium-large size company
- Experience maintaining inventory records
- Strong background of being trustworthy and honest
- Excellent computer skills – Windows, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Internet
- Strong work ethic and detail-oriented attitude
- Background check required

Preferred:
- Experience or interest in working with robotics
- Associates/Bachelor’s degree in business

If you’re interested in this job, please email your resume to [email protected] In your email, please include a brief explanation about why you want to work with us and how your qualifications and experience will add value to our company.

Working hours: 10am-6pm, M-F, Full-Time

Compensation: based on experience

We’ve been growing quickly and we’re looking to add some hard-working people to our team. The job we have open is for a production tech. Most of the work you’ll be doing is packing nuts, bolts and other small objects into plastic bags. Here is the full scoop on the job:

Responsibilities:
- Assemble and pack nuts & bolts into small kits
- Work quickly and accurately
- Maintain accurate inventory records in our database
- Perform quality checks to ensure kits are made appropriately
- Restock supplies from warehouse
- Maintain a clean and orderly work area
- Arrive to work consistently on-time

Requirements:
- Detail oriented
- Strong work ethic and able to work in a fast-paced work enviroment
- Able to lift 35 lbs.
- Rock solid computer skills (Windows, Internet, Email)

If you’re interested in this job, please email us your resume to [email protected] In your email, please include a brief explanation about why you want to work with us and how your qualifications and experience will add value to our company.

For more information on our company, please visit: www.makerbot.com

• Location: Boerum Hill

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The RepRap project announced the RepRap Version III named “Huxley” a little over a month ago. ¹ It’s based on the mini-Mendel by Ed Sells.  Interestingly, if you compare the last few iterations of the RepRap, from the Darwin, Mendel, and mini-Mendel – you’ll notice the build volume is shrinking.  As these RepRap designs have evolved, the replication time has gone down, non-printed parts have been decreased, but the usable build area keeps decreasing. ²  I suppose if self-replication is the highest goal, the machine and build volume should continue to miniaturize. 

This raises an interesting question about the optimal size of a 3D printer.  How much build volume do you want or need?  I tend to use an 80-20 rule-of-thumb for such things.  I’m usually happy with a solution that can do everything I need 80% of the time. ³  I suppose if you refused to compromise on build area, you’d have to go with a commercial printer or design your own super-mega-9000 giant printer.

I normally print out small parts, replacement parts, MakerBot parts, or toys – so, I’ve never felt constrained by my Cupcake’s build volume.  And, I’ve felt even less constrained as new printable upgrades are developed that allow you to increase your build area.  I can’t say for sure, but I suspect build volume isn’t that big a deal for most other people – otherwise we’d see more printable volume-increasing upgrades and more attempts at the MakerBot longest print Hall of Fame record.

1. Photo courtesy of didelco10 [↩]
2. Amusingly, it’s likely Webca’s printable Cupcake, which takes a really long time, only made MakerBots even more popular.  Go fig. [↩]
3. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been using a netbook for the last two years.  Long battery life, low price, good portability, but no optical drive – which I never used that often anyhow. [↩]

This is a really cool little lamp from the (Un)limited Design Contest that turns on and off as you physically turn it.

The design is simple, you could use your MakerBot Unicorn Pen Plotter Kit to draw the outline of the lamp shade (for a smaller version) and mark up a PCB for the LED circuit. If you want to adapt the design for a MakerBot, upload it to Thingiverse and tell us about it!

Robo-Blueprints

There are a lot of things on Thingiverse where I really wish the designer would also upload their design files. ¹  While you can piece a model back together from the STL, you end up with a mess of triangles which is not easy to manipulate.  Original design files allow people to more easily create variations, derivative works, or compatible parts.  And, they allow people to carry your designs farther than you might have thought.  Below is my top ten list of things on Thingiverse where I wish the designer would upload the original design files:

10. Lamborghini by twotimes

This design could be changed to include female Beco block connectors into each half – so that a male-male connector could be used to fit it together. ²  No need for glue!  Perhaps it could be printed with captive wheels?  If not captive wheels, perhaps just little axles  for snapping/popping some other kind of wheel onto it.

9. Stereoscopic Viewer by kongorilla

Two words:  “Printable Viewmaster.”  We can do it, we have the technology.

8. Light duty plyers by Starno

Perhaps the design could be modified to create light duty scissors?

7. Dragon Head by natetrue

What about a printable dragon head that could be attached to legos, Beco blocks, or other building toy?

6. Reciprocating Laser Cutter by peter

I realize Peter is hard at work on research and development into selective laser sintering and posted lots of directions, but this idea is just too cool not to document.

5. Modular Dungeon Walls by zxqueb

Why stop at dungeons?  Why not printable modular castle pieces?  Or, this would be sweet, printable modular cubicles!  You could print out your work space!

4. Fake Altoid Tin by pandelume

Altoid tins are just such great project enclosures.  But, think about how much cooler it would be to be able to create a tin that’s the exact dimensions you require – or that has a set of supports or dividers for your project.  Maybe an Altoid tin that has a secret compartment?

3. Illusionist Buterfly Locket V2 by mctrivia

This is a really cool puzzle-style locket.  Think of it as transformer jewelery.    I suspect it could be redesigned to be completely printable. ³

2. Duplo Brick to Brio Track adapter with snap-lock by Zydac

Brio tracks to ANYTHING would be sweet.

1. Ball Bearing by RayRaywasHere

I think a printable ball bearing is a huge step forward for printable toys.  It looks like it is printed flat, as a single piece.  That means it could be incorporated as-is into a printable Dalek to make a rotating head. ⁴  You could use these ball bearings directly as wheels for the Lamborgini.  Or use them in place of idler pulleys on the MakerBot itself.

1. Photo courtesy of LZ Creations [↩]
2. Can you tell how much I love Beco blocks? [↩]
3. I just happen to really like totally printable designs [↩]
4. The Doctor Who New Series Dalek Body by InnovationByLayer would be #11.  I’d really like to create a version with a head that rotates, articulated appendages, and maybe even wheels. [↩]

For those of you that were amazed by the Mega Claw at the NYC Maker Faire, the creators from Split Reaction have uploaded the entire design to Thingiverse. At the fair visitors maneuvered a gigantic joystick to capture balloons for a chance to get a prize. The best part about it was that everyone was a winner, unlike the usual outcome with the real claw crane game.

Build it yourself for your next party. It’s sure to be a hit!