We anticipated some announcement action this week coinciding with the annual Consumer Electronics show and we were definitely not disappointed. Today we find 3D printer manufacturer MakerBot has announced a brand-new personal 3D printer: The Replicator!The replicator appears to be much more capable but also strongly based upon its predecessor the venerable Thing-O-Matic. This is MakerBot’s normal process: deliver a great machine and then perform experiments to make it better. Then bundle up all those improvements into an optimized new model. That’s what we see today: a machine incorporating a variety of such improvements.
The Replicator prints in ABS or PLA, like its predecessors, but here are the highlights from our view:
- It’s Waaaaaay bigger! The new device’s build envelope is a whopping 3 times bigger (by volume) than the Thing-O-Matic and brings MakerBot in line with many recently announced RepRap derivatives. You can now build up to 225x145x150mm or 8.9×5.7×5.9 inches
- A dual extruder option is available for (the still experimental) multicolor or support material printing
- Replicator includes the new MakerBot Stepstruder™ MK8, which uses 1.75mm filament
- It’s fully assembled – and we see no evidence for a kit option, at least at this time
- A new control panel on the front of the machine lets you know exactly what’s happening without requiring an attached computer – great for those very long prints
- Linear ball bearing mechanicals for smoother, more accurate operation
- It includes a buzzer, likely for notification of print completion – very handy!
- LED lighting is included, something most 3D printers eventually gain as an add-on since everyone loves to watch 3D printing action
- You can initiate a print from your computer via USB or from an SD card using the new front panel
The pricing is higher than the Thing-O-Matic kit, but less than the assembled Thing-O-Matic: USD$1749 for the single extruder version and USD$1999 for a dual extruder model. Which one should you get? We don’t know your budget, but we’d strongly recommend the dual extruder since it permits printing support material – and especially using a different plastic for your raft. Regardless, you’ll wait at least six weeks for yours to arrive as that’s the current lead time. Expect this to grow as orders flood in.
One more thought: does this assembled-only version signify that MakerBot is switching market focus, from hobby kit-makers to more of the general public who can’t handle complex machine assembly?
I think what we are seeing is analagous to personal computing in the late 70s and early 80s; commercial technology that crossed over into the enthusiast hobbyist segment and then made its way into the mainstream when it became simple and easy enough for the average consumer. That market has evolved and niches developed amongst enthusiasts; high performance gaming rigs, low power home servers, whole house automation, etc.
The implications of affordable consumer-grade 3-D printers will create a huge market demand for better performance and extended capabilities. New and existing companies will make significant investment to capitalize on the demand, and the serious DIYer will benefit from better components, prices driven down by scale, new consumable choices, etc. Consumer adoption is the key to driving sustainable innovation.
I think what we are seeing is analagous to personal computing in the late 70s and early 80s; commercial technology that crossed over into the enthusiast hobbyist segment and then made its way into the mainstream when it became simple and easy enough for the average consumer. That market has evolved and niches developed amongst enthusiasts; high performance gaming rigs, low power home servers, whole house automation, etc.
The implications of affordable consumer-grade 3-D printers will create a huge market demand for better performance and extended capabilities. New and existing companies will make significant investment to capitalize on the demand, and the serious DIYer will benefit from better components, prices driven down by scale, new consumable choices, etc. Consumer adoption is the key to driving sustainable innovation.
There was some discussion of this on the MakerBot mailing list, and two employees responded with some interesting information:
The move toward a pre-assembled printer was made to reduce costs before and after the sale. The labor to pack kits for a device as complex as a 3D printer is non-trivial, and this printer has been designed to be extremely easy to assemble in-house. They say they would have to actually charge more for the Replicator in kit form, just due to the increase in labor costs of QA on kit materials.
The second point they made was that support for a kit is difficult and expensive, especially as the market grows to include less mechanically adept users. By shipping a device built and tested by an expert, they will reduce new user frustration (which you see occasionally on the mailing list) and reduce support costs later.
MakerBot says they are still committed to providing full, open source, documentation on the hardware, which is really the most important thing for the hobbyist community.
There was some discussion of this on the MakerBot mailing list, and two employees responded with some interesting information:
The move toward a pre-assembled printer was made to reduce costs before and after the sale. The labor to pack kits for a device as complex as a 3D printer is non-trivial, and this printer has been designed to be extremely easy to assemble in-house. They say they would have to actually charge more for the Replicator in kit form, just due to the increase in labor costs of QA on kit materials.
The second point they made was that support for a kit is difficult and expensive, especially as the market grows to include less mechanically adept users. By shipping a device built and tested by an expert, they will reduce new user frustration (which you see occasionally on the mailing list) and reduce support costs later.
MakerBot says they are still committed to providing full, open source, documentation on the hardware, which is really the most important thing for the hobbyist community.
There was some discussion of this on the MakerBot mailing list, and two employees responded with some interesting information:
The move toward a pre-assembled printer was made to reduce costs before and after the sale. The labor to pack kits for a device as complex as a 3D printer is non-trivial, and this printer has been designed to be extremely easy to assemble in-house. They say they would have to actually charge more for the Replicator in kit form, just due to the increase in labor costs of QA on kit materials.
The second point they made was that support for a kit is difficult and expensive, especially as the market grows to include less mechanically adept users. By shipping a device built and tested by an expert, they will reduce new user frustration (which you see occasionally on the mailing list) and reduce support costs later.
MakerBot says they are still committed to providing full, open source, documentation on the hardware, which is really the most important thing for the hobbyist community.
There was some discussion of this on the MakerBot mailing list, and two employees responded with some interesting information:
The move toward a pre-assembled printer was made to reduce costs before and after the sale. The labor to pack kits for a device as complex as a 3D printer is non-trivial, and this printer has been designed to be extremely easy to assemble in-house. They say they would have to actually charge more for the Replicator in kit form, just due to the increase in labor costs of QA on kit materials.
The second point they made was that support for a kit is difficult and expensive, especially as the market grows to include less mechanically adept users. By shipping a device built and tested by an expert, they will reduce new user frustration (which you see occasionally on the mailing list) and reduce support costs later.
MakerBot says they are still committed to providing full, open source, documentation on the hardware, which is really the most important thing for the hobbyist community.
@Justin – we never see 2D paper printer kits, do we?
@Justin – we never see 2D paper printer kits, do we?
*PVA
I would like to see complex examples using dualstrution + water soluable PVA.
It has been available for the TOM for a while. It will be interesting seeing it in action tomorrow
*PVA
I would like to see complex examples using dualstrution + water soluable PVA.
It has been available for the TOM for a while. It will be interesting seeing it in action tomorrow
I think you're right, this definitely signals a move toward selling to the general public rather than exclusively DIYers. That was inevitable given Makerbot's stated aspirations to make 3D printers as ubiquitous as computers. I wonder whether, given the design decisions necessary to create something that's cheap to assemble, a Replicator kit may be very difficult or impossible to produce such that it can be easily built at home.
I also strongly suspect, by the way, that support material printing is coming. It has to, right? Water-soluble PLA is available, and now with dual-extruder support you can print with normal PLA for the structure and water-soluble for the gaps. All that's missing is software support.
I think you're right, this definitely signals a move toward selling to the general public rather than exclusively DIYers. That was inevitable given Makerbot's stated aspirations to make 3D printers as ubiquitous as computers. I wonder whether, given the design decisions necessary to create something that's cheap to assemble, a Replicator kit may be very difficult or impossible to produce such that it can be easily built at home.
I also strongly suspect, by the way, that support material printing is coming. It has to, right? Water-soluble PLA is available, and now with dual-extruder support you can print with normal PLA for the structure and water-soluble for the gaps. All that's missing is software support.