We’re building a #MakerBot so we can 3D print a model air show inspired by everyone’s ideas. If you’ve got something #aviation related that you’d like us to print, post it to the Air Show tab on our FB page – Facebook.com/GE, or leave a comment here! #GE #avgeek #3Dprinting (Taken with instagram)
Source: generalelectric
Welcome to the Future
I present to you… the Makerbot Industries Thing-o-matic #3988
A revolution… It’s a 3D printer… Yes, you heard me right… I am printing in 3 dimensions…
There are some expensive 3D printers in the industrial market (like this one) but the Thing-o-matic is an open source desktop printer, deriving from the RepRap project.
But what does it mean? It means that using recyclable plastics (BPA free), I can model and print things. And by things, I mean most anything that can fit within a 100mm cube.
Like, let’s say, a Darth Vader bust:
Or a blue and green dragon:
Or a lego man, replacement parts for a cabinet, a personalized one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry… it’s practically limitless! The best part is, once you’ve prototyped your part, you can send the files off to Shapeways where they can print it in high resolution with metal, plastic, or whatever material you can think of!
It’s crazy! It’s fast! It’s the future!
3D Printing with Makerbot
The latest gadget that I’ve been lusting over is the MakerBot…
This thing is bad-ass… When there’s all of this exciting stuff happening with large sets of data and crazy device interactions on the internet, there’s a home-grown movement to bring 3D printing and replication to the home front.
Enter the MakerBot. A realtively cheap ($750) DYI open source 3D printer. The Cupcake CNC is the platform in which cheap hardware, combined with hackable electronics and open source software, allow the average hacker to bring a 3D printer system to their home. Typically large scale, industrial 3D printers are $10,000 to $25,000… This is a fantastic start!
There are some limitations. They only extrude certain materials (plastic and frosting) and their build platform can only support 100mm x 100mm x 130mm, which is slightly smaller than a rubix cube. But it’s a start.
Beyond printing in 3D for fun and profit… are more exciting concepts. Distributed manufacturing comes to your home. The MakerBot needed a way to get more parts (which they print from the same machine) ready for another batch of machines. So what did they do? They asked the people who have already bought the machine if they would produce parts with monetary return on each part made.
Now THAT’S impressive. It’ll be exciting
Oh and btw, I have procured funding for a machine to be purchased in October, with a probably ship date in November… I’m not quite sure if I can really produce anything with it, but I have some time to start creating some models and ideas of what to print!
I'm a Ruby developer that loves to play with science, math, and gadgets. Previously, I was part of a startup called drop.io, acquired by Facebook. I live in Fort Worth, TX with my wife, 2 dogs, and baby boy. I'm a foodie, a gamer, and a self proclaimed scientist.
