Bryan puts his Replicator on a rolling Ikea “Alex” cart, so that it can follow him around the house. So I guess his WYMB answer is “everywhere”.

Where Bryan MakerBots: anywhere this cart can roll

This weekend, Keith, Nick, and myself are heading from Brooklyn to the Windy City to introduce The MakerBot Replicator to the gathering hoards at The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) convention and host a wild meet up for MakerBot operators and Chicago makers at the hackerspace Pumping Station: One on Friday night.

So if you live in the Greater Chicago Area — or Illinois in general — you have no excuse not to zip over to join us at one of these two events!

Here’s where to find us!

The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo

C2E2 Booth 635
North Building at McCormick Place
2301 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois
Hours:

• Friday, April 13, 2012 – 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Professionals Only)
• Friday, April 13, 2012 – 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Open to the Public)
• Saturday, April 14, 2012 – 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
• Sunday, April 15, 2012 – 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Pumping Station: One

3354 N. Elston – Name is painted on the door
(CTA stop is Belmont on the blue line)
Chicago, Illinois
Hours:

• Friday, April 13th - 9:00pm – 11:00pm
• Refreshments, beer, and (probably) pizza to be provided, in quantity.

Also, head back to Pumping Station: One for their Saturday night 3rd Birthday Party benefit!

Once again, like a groundhog on February 2nd, the MakerBot software crew emerges from our den of creativity to blink at the sun and tell you that summer is only a few weeks away. But, unlike our friends of the Marmota monax species, we come bearing gifts. Gifts of software, firmware and shiny new features!

ReplicatorG 0034 Released

Since we last announced a new ReplicatorG, we’ve quietly released a few intermediate versions, but for most users this jump will be from ReplicatorG 0029 direct to ReplicatorG 0034. That jump includes a lot of under-the-hood changes and a few UI and usability improvements. They include: faster two-stage warm-up for printing, new UI for the Bot Control Panel, Nozzle Offset tweaking, alternative preferences system, spelling mistake fixes, updated print anchor code, updated start and end gcode, fixed dual extrusion bugs, skeinforge 47 for The Replicator, new GCode commands, and much more.

Installers

To make our Windows and Mac friends happy, we have wrapped ReplicatorG in installers!  And we’ve even made some instructions about how to use them! Sadly, our Linux users are stuck with ye-olde tar.gz installer for the moment.

And more!

After the break, we’ll tell you a little bit about some user interface changes in this new version of ReplicatorG.

Replicator Firmware 5.2 Released!

This firmware is smarter than ever! On some of our first batch of bots, the distance between the Right and Left extruder is further than expected. Replicator Firmware 5.2 includes tools to customize that setting, so your dual material prints can be more accurate than ever. To update your firmware on The Replicator, follow the instructions in the Upload New Firmware wizard found within ReplicatorG’s “Machines” menu.  Make sure you choose “MakerBot Replicator (MightyBoard)” !

Read the rest of this entry »

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 [email protected]!

Crain’s New York Business just featured MakerBot in an article on the growing presence of 3D printing in NYC. The story looks at the expansion of the industry and the potential that it offers the city.

A sneak peek from the article: “The technology is transforming industries such as jewelry-making, medical devices and architecture. New York City, with its robust design trade, may be a natural home for 3-D printing. Indeed, the Bloomberg administration is betting that the technology will create new businesses and help existing ones be innovative and more competitive.”

The folks from CBS News came by the BotFarm last week and took some photos for this awesome slideshow! Scroll through to see a collection of some of our favorite MakerBotted objects and the Replicators and Thing-O-Matics in action.

The press are weighing in on MakerBot’s NYFW collaboration with Asher Levine…

CNN’s Laurie Segall says “3D printed glasses are Fashion Week’s hottest accessory” - Read the article

MTV Style exclaims “Yay, 3D printing for everyone!” – Read the article

BlackBook Magazine calls The Replicator a “highlight of the show” – Read the article

Portfolio.com ponders, “Can 3-D printers revolutionize fashion?” – Read the article

Tomorrow night, New Yorkers will have the chance to see The Replicator in action at The Apple Store Fifth Avenue! Explore the emerging world of 3D printing with MakerBot Industries and see a live product demonstration by CEO and co-founder Bre Pettis.

Space is limited to get there early!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

8:00 p.m.

767 Fifth Ave.

New York, NY 10153

(212) 336-1440

In case you missed it (or like me, don’t have a TV), check out The MakerBot Replicator on this morning’s episode of Live! with Kelly. TWiT’s Leo Laporte shows Kelly Ripa “the future”… and she likes it!