Today, we’ve set a new record in 3D printing with more than 100,000 3D printers sold worldwide. By providing the most accessible, easy-to-use 3D printing experience, MakerBot is the first company in the 3D printing industry to reach this important milestone.
“Being the first company to have sold 100,000 3D printers is a major milestone for MakerBot and the entire industry,” said Jonathan Jaglom, CEO at MakerBot. “MakerBot has made 3D printing more accessible and today is empowering businesses and educators to redefine what’s possible. What was once a product used only by makers and hobbyists has matured significantly and become an indispensible tool that is changing the way students learn and businesses innovate.”
To celebrate, we’re launching the #MakerMilestones social media contest and reducing the price of our MakerBot Replicator® Desktop 3D Printer to $2,499 for a limited time.
MakerBot Milestones
MakerBot was one of the first companies to make 3D printing accessible and affordable. Since its founding in 2009, we’ve consistently pushed the boundaries of what’s possible with 3D printing and introduced many industry firsts along the way. Thingiverse was actually launched before MakerBot was founded and was the first platform where anyone could share 3D designs. In 2009, we introduced our first 3D printer, the Cupcake CNC, at SXSW. In 2010, MakerBot became the first company to present a 3D printer at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Now, 3D printing is its own category at CES with a myriad of 3D printing companies from around the world in attendance each year.
After being acquired by Stratasys in 2013, MakerBot introduced its Fifth Generation 3D Printers in 2014, which were the first Wi-Fi connected desktop 3D printers with a swappable Smart Extruder. Today, from the more than 100,000 3D Printers we’ve sold, over 40,000 are Wi-Fi connected. Thingiverse also recently hit a major milestone when it announced one million uploads to its site in October 2015.
Our customers have created a range of amazing designs over the years that have changed industries and lives. For example, a woodworker from Johannesburg, South Africa, and a theatrical prop designer from Seattle, Washington were able to work together across 10,000 miles to create a prosthetic hand that has been used to better the lives of hundreds of people across the globe. The Feinstein Institute is also solving problems in the medical field by 3D printing tracheal replicas to perfect the construction of tissues they will use in their patients.
Our commitment to educators also continues to grow through challenges like the MakerED and Thingiversity S.T.E.A.M challenges and through product offerings like MakerBot in the Classroom and the MakerBot Innovation Center. With multiple MakerBot Innovation Centers open across the United States at universities like Penn State University and the University of Maryland, it’s clear that 3D printing is a crucial part of educating students and preparing them for jobs of the future.
“3D printing has become a major focal point in our school with children as young as five using tools like MakerBot PrintShop™ to create their own designs,” said Yolanda Valencia, Chair of Science and Engineering at Gulliver Middle School in Miami, Florida. “Because MakerBot 3D Printers are so easy to use, our middle school students can move on to more advanced projects. Right now they are working together to find sustainable solutions in urban planning and above all learning crucial skills that they will use for the rest of their lives like critical thinking, collaboration, and product development.”
Tell MakerBot Your #MakerMilestones
To celebrate and recognize those who aspire to innovate, we are reducing the MakerBot Replicator from $2,899 to $2,499 until June 15, 2016. We are also launching a social media contest to encourage customers to share their own #makermilstones for a chance to win one of three MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printers. Whether it’s building prosthetic hands for children, powering advancement in biotechnology, or simply designing the loudest whistle possible for a Thingiverse Make it Loud Challenge, we want to know your #MakerMilestones.
“We’re challenging people across our social media platforms to share their #MakerMilesones,” said Colby Dennison, Vice President of Marketing at MakerBot. “Tell us the moment in which 3D printing inspired you, changed the way you work, or led to a positive outcome for a student, colleague, or friend.”
A panel of judges will select the best stories from the 50 most popular posts across MakerBot’s social media platforms. Our panel of judges include the following:
- Jonathan Jaglom, MakerBot CEO
- Deanne Bell, Co-Host of CNBC’s Make Me a Millionaire Inventor and Founder and CEO of Future Engineers
- Jason Frasca, Entrepreneurship Instructor at Montclair State University
- Tracy Hazzard, CEO of Hazz Design, Inc. Columnist, and WTFFF?! Podcast Co-Host
- Tom Hazzard, COO of Hazz Design and WTFFF?! Podcast Co-Host.