MakerBot Industries

A few days ago, answering Customer Support questions, I was thrilled to read the following:

I worked on my Thing-O-Matic through the long weekend and yesterday around 6 pm actually started printing. I’m a 53-year-old lawyer with no formal technical training and have never really done any robotics or electronics building on my own before. There were times during the startup process when I thought I might have bitten off more than I could chew. But ultimately I found answers on the web for every issue I encountered and … I DID IT.

I followed up with Greg about his experiences and he added:

I feel like I’ve really become part of an important phenomenon here. I see this little “toy” the same way Benjamin Franklin saw the potential of flight when attending the first manned balloon flight. He heard a skeptic comment “What’s it good for?” Franklin replied: “What’s a newborn baby good for?” I think we’re on the cusp of a real revolution with the maker movement, and I’m excited to be part of it.

Well, MakerBot is thrilled with the growing army of MakerBot Operators. Where possible in the endless maelstrom of support tickets, Ethan, Isaac and I will slip into the blog here to brag about a few of these incredible folks.

Here’s a micro interview with Greg:

Q:   What brought you to 3D printing/MakerBot?

A:   First, a long-term interest in new, personal manufacturing tools.  I believe we’re on the verge of a “new industrial revolution” with this technology.  More proximately, I saw a youtube video about MakerBot, then spent a few weeks looking into other options, and finally decided that I just might be able to tackle building a TOM.  So I took the leap.

Q:   What is your favorite thing you have printed so far?

A:   Hoeken’s Twisted Form Study

Twisted Form Study by hoeken

Just a bunch of regular polyhedrons hanging out doing normal things. Print out the whole series and it looks nice.

This thing brought to you by

Q:   What object do you most want to design (or download from Thingiverse.com)?

A:   I’m an avid collector of 1/18 scale models.  I have a dream of being able to contribute to this hobby with things I make myself.  I’ve been working toward the idea of building a 1/18 scale model of a German V-2 rocket.  Maybe by the end of the year I can do it!

Thanks, Greg, for getting in touch with us.

If any of you MakerBot Operators out there have a great story or picture of you/your bot/your prints, send them our way: support at makerbot dot com.