MakerBot Industries

Viktors Nyckel (spare key for piggybank) by snrk

What does a MakerBot dad do when his kid loses the key to his piggy bank?  Design and print a new one!

During the winter, my son lost the key for his piggybank. I tried to print a new one this January out of ABS, but that didn’t work. Today, he nagged me for another try, and with a little downsizeing, and PLA in my new Stepstuder, the key actually forced the pigs security system. Big win!

Hurray for snrk, dad and MakerBot hero!

Dalek Edition - Candy Dispenser Topper by TeamTeamUSA

Having known a few Pez dispenser collectors in my time, I have always figured it was just a matter of time before the addiction showed up on Thingiverse. Even better than a model of a Pez dispenser, here’s a thing-post that instructs you how to create “toppers” for existing Pez dispensers using any item on Thingiverse:

The Dalek is just one topper that can be printed using the attached dispenser_insert.stl; virtually any thing on Thingiverse can be turned into a topper with the correct transformations and support material (so sharpen your support-fu)!

As I have been researching support for a week or so, I’m particularly excited about this challenge, and am hunting through Thingiverse for potential candidates.

Dalek Edition - Candy Dispenser Topper by TeamTeamUSA

DISPENSINATE! Show that pesky Davros what his Daleks are really good for - dispensing candy! The Dalek thingiverse.com/download:23816 is just one topper that can be printed using the attached dispenser_insert.stl; virtually any thing on Thingiverse can be turned into a topper with the correct transformations and support material (so sharpen your support-fu)!

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Since this weekend’s Memorial Day holiday is the traditional North American start of the grilling season, I was of course scanning Thingiverse for those last-minute BBQ-related prints.  And I was shocked by what I found: more or less nothing!

KitchenAid Mixers get some love, and there are a good number of kitchen-related projects, but this taco holder and beverage opener are just about the only things that seem to have any relation to a BBQ…and the taco holder is a bit of a stretch if you’re not doing a Tex-Mex backyard gathering.  (Ok, here’s a spork, but he’s eating yogurt in the demo – not BBQ-approved.)

So do MakerBotters just not like barbecues?  I was expecting an organizer for grilling tools and some beverage holders, maybe an assembly for a cold-smoker, at least.  Or is the barbecue already a perfect experience that needs no tweaking by DIYers?

I don’t know about you, but I find that tough to swallow.