MakerBot Industries

Well the Wall Street Journal has let the cat out of the bag: we’re moving!

It was just a few weeks ago that I mentioned on this blog that MakerBot had outgrown the Bot Farm on Dean Street in Brooklyn. Today, we’re thrilled to announce that the growth has continued, and we’ve signed a lease to take this show on over to Metro Tech Center in Downtown Brooklyn.

As The Wall Street Journal reports, we will have the entire 21st floor at One Metro Tech, which is over 31,000 square feet.

31,000 square feet! Do you know how many MakerBots we can put in there?! I’m just spitballing here, but I’d guess, like, a million.

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…and lurves it.

CNET’s Rich Brown has some nice things to say about The Replicator, “the most capable 3D printer for under $2,000.”

Yes, but it’s also fun.  And what did Rich use that Mr. Jaws clip for?!

Stay tuned for Rich’s full review of The Replicator, which is due out tomorrow.

A couple of comments have come in through the blog, our twitter, and our Facebook channels to the same effect: does MakerBot still sell the Thing-O-Matic?

Let’s clear this up!

Kits

Since The Replicator launched in January, we have continued to ship Thing-O-Matic kits. We are, however, now completely out of stock of the Thing-O-Matics. We will no longer be offering the Thing-O-Matic for sale.

Support

For those who already own Thing-O-Matics, we absolutely plan to continue our support efforts for the foreseeable future. Please feel free to contact Support at the email address below with your needs.

If you’d like to get some insights from other community members, check out the forums on Support pages, or for the more advance user, dig into the MakerBot Operators Google Group.

Parts

We do still have several relevant replacement parts in stock that you may be interested in. If there’s something that you need, and you don’t see it on the store, drop us an email tosupport@makerbot.com.  We’ll do our best to find what you need to get you up and running.

Feedback From You

No matter what MakerBot 3D printer you are using, we value your input and participation on this blog and in all community outlets. Got a question about an event? Want to chime in with an idea for a blog post? Feel free to drop a line to tips@makerbot.com.

A tweet:

You’re not wrong, @Matt_Dexter, our Productors are fairly wizardly. But luckily they share their secrets!

One of our videos has the answer for perfectly applying your kapton tape. Watch from the 0:35 mark. With a little practice and patience, yours too will be smooth as a baby’s build platform.

An excellent portrait of Grace Kelly

I’m really excited about StippleGen.  And, if you like drawing, robots, or drawing robots I think you’re going to be really excited about it too.  StippleGen is a new free open source program released by our friends Evil-Mad-Scientist-Laboratories.  If you’ve ever purchased or coveted an EggBot, you definitely know who they are.¹

For most CNC machines (such as a MakerBot Unicorn, EggBot, or DrawBot) a traveling salesman / single line art drawing is easiest produce.  Single line drawings are faster than drawings comprised of more than one line, since the drawing robots don’t need to spend time lifting up the pen.  However, if you’re going to require a pen-lift for a drawing, you might as well do it with style – such as with stipples.

Definitely check out EMSL’s blog post announcing StippleGen for more information about this cool program.  It can be used to create an SVG file showing a TSP-style path, a stippled image, and apparently a combination of the two.

1. I cannot believe I didn’t go for the egg puns here… [↩]

Baseball Egg for Egg-Bot by HooDat

One of the best things about Easter is that its season frequently coincides with that of the sacred American holiday known as Opening Day.

It’s baseball season, everyone! The phenomenal, baseball-inspired egg pictured above is a great reminder that the Evil Mad Scientist Egg-Bot is not just an Easter accessory. In fact, it’s not even only for eggs. From our product page,

The Eggbot is super adjustable, and is designed to draw on all kinds of things that are normally “impossible” to print on. Not just eggs but ping pong balls, light bulbs, mini pumpkins, and even things like wine glasses– with a bit of work.

For our friends outside the US, the egg shape certainly lends itself to printing a rugby ball, don’t you think?

If you don’t have one of these gadgets yet, hop over to the MakerBot Store. This really is a toy for all seasons, and the possibilities are endless.

Baseball Egg for Egg-Bot by HooDat

A baseball patern for plotting with the Egg-Bot

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Check out @schmarty‘s photo of his three generations of MakerBot. Left to right: Cupcake CNC #131, Thing-O-Matic #5564, and Replicator #7516. What a handsome family!

You can check out the evolution of Schmarty’s Things on Thingiverse, too.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has been a vocal fan of MakerBot , even shouting out the company in his state of the borough address.

Today, Stringer visited MakerBot HQ for the first time and got the grand tour.

Bre shows the BP around the BotFarm

Bre explaining how The Replicator works

Stringer left MakerBot with his very own 3D printed Empire State Building!

If you’re the kind of person who can’t resist taking a peek at presents before it’s time to unwrap them you’re in luck! You may not have your Replicator yet, but the new Replicator page will walk you through the unboxing, setup and first print, as well as giving you your first look at things like DualStrusion and the Replicator’s schematics.

If you’ve waiting for a bot, reading through this will give you a head start when your package arrives.  If you’re still considering whether to purchase a MakerBot, this will give you an in-depth look at the process of using one.  Also, these pages also include some excellent tutorial videos expertly directed by MakerBot TV’s own Annelise!

With this manual, we’ve really put a lot of work into showing how to get started with the Replicator, and how to use MakerBots in general.  Our goal has always been to lower the bar for access to 3D printing, and this is the start of a big push to make the process of learning how to MakerBot more approachable.

So come on over and check out the brand new Replicator User Guide.  If you’ve got notes for us on what works and what you’re still confused about, leave a comment here or email us at support@makerbot.com!

MakerBot is all about open source, so for us, the release of The Replicator includes the release of the things that went into it. So, here’s what may be the ultimate Thingalert: The Replicator and some of its components are now officially Things on Thingiverse, complete with wiring diagrams, lasercut drawings, and downloadable models of parts.

So, have at it. The designs for The Replicator are yours to play with. Modify! Redesign! We’re hoping for a lasercut diamond case, since apparently they can do that now — or, if you haven’t got large enough diamonds lying around, maybe an acrylic one? Surprise us.

The MakerBot Replicator by makerbot

The Replicator is MakerBot's newest and best yet personal 3D printer. With a build envelope that’s roughly the size of a loaf of bread, it gives you the power to go big, and with the new MakerBot Stepstruder MK8, built-in Dualstrusion is possible for the first time.Technical Specifications Printing • Build envelope: 225 x145 x150 millimeters or 8.9 x 5.7 x 5.9 inches • Build Volume: almost 5 liters • Layer thickness: Choose .2-.3mm with stock nozzle. • Stock nozzle diameter: 0.4 mm • Speed: 40 mm/s • Flow rate: approximately 24 cc/hr • Maximum recommended extruder temperature: 230 C • Maximum temperature for heated build platform: 120 C • Positioning precision: 2.5 micron on Z axis 11 micron on XY axes Electronics • MakerBot MightyBoard single-piece motherboard • 5 axis, 1/16 micro-stepping motor control • 4x20 LCD character display and multi-directional control pad • Piezoelectric buzzer • Software-controllable RGB LED lighting • Universal Power Supply - 100-240V, 50/60Hz, 4.0A (input), and takes standard IEC cable Software • Controlled through ReplicatorG™ • Compatibility: Linux, Windows, and OSX • Print from SD card or over USB • Input file type: STL, gcode Materials • Works with ABS, PLA, and other materials • Filament diameter: 1.75 mm Mechanical • Linear ball bearings • Precision ground 8 mm shafts • Durable ABS injection-molded parts • Snap-on, snap-off carriage assemblies • Overall dimensions: 320 x 467 x 381 millimeters or 12.6 x 18.4 x 15 inches • Shipping weight: 32lbsSupport and Documentation Find the Replicator User Guide at makerbot.com/replicator/docs

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MakerBot MightyBoard RevE by makerbot

This is the MakerBot MightyBoard, a revolution in 3D Printer Control Technology. Use it to power your MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer. Here are just a few things the MightyBoard can do: control up to 5 stepper motors with BotStep Stepper Controllers, control up to two extruders (with heater cartridges, safety thermostats, thermocouples, and fans), control the Replicator Interface Board, connect to up to 6 endstops, control RGB LED light strips, control a heated build platform, and much much more! Even more features: -Pizeo Buzzer -Lots of Debugging LEDs and extra I/O pins broken out for hacking -Access to I2C and UART for hacking -Hardware-based safety cutoff for extruders -Extra FET for hacking -Arduino Mega Compatible -digitally-controlled potentiometers for setting motor currents (no more trimpots!) Designed by Jeremy Blum. This is part of The MakerBot Replicator, which you can find at thingiverse.com/thing:18813

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MakerBot BotStep17 REVE by makerbot

The BotStep17 plugs into the MightyBoard to control the stepper motors on your MakerBot Replicator. Designed by Harry Mulliken. This is part of The MakerBot Replicator, which you can find at thingiverse.com/thing:18813

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MakerBot Replicator Heater Board REVB by makerbot

For use with the MakerBot Replicator. This guy gets HOT! The heated build platform evenly heats the base of your 3D print, ensuring good adhesion to the platform. It features an on-board thermistor so that the software can monitor and control its temperature. Designed by Alison Leonard. This is part of The MakerBot Replicator, which you can find at thingiverse.com/thing:18813

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MakerBot Replicator Interface Board REVB by makerbot

The Interface Board is a PC-free controller for your MakerBot Replicator. When hooked up to the Replicator's MightyBoard, the interface controller can be used to jog the printhead, run calibration scripts, initialize and monitor prints, and more! Designed by Will Sakran. This is part of The MakerBot Replicator, which you can find at thingiverse.com/thing:18813

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