Make whatever your mind desires...
One of the coolest gadgets we’ve seen at CES this year is Makerbot Industries 3D printing machine which enables you to produce physical everyday objects, or any item that you can conjure up from the depths of your mind.
The Makerbot Replicator employs extrusion technology, a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile. A material is pushed or drawn through a die of the desired cross-section, allowing users to create objects up to the size of a loaf of bread, 300 cubic inches in volume measuring 8.9 x 5.7 x 5.9 inches.
Extrusion technology has been used for a number of years by engineers to create prototypes, but the Makerbot Replicator is being aimed at the consumer market for making anything from shower curtain rings, bath plugs and door knobs to creating custom gifts for special occasions.
“The MakerBot Replicator is a new way of making the things you want and need,” reads the official press release. “The MakerBot Replicator embodies the spirit of innovation, allowing you to make things right when you need them and right where you are. Instead of going shopping, MakerBot it!”
The Replicator comes equipped with a MightyBoard single-piece motherboard and a 5 axis, 1/16 micro-stepping motor control, and a LCD panel and controller to give users full control over the printer, though it can be accessed via Linux, Windows, and OSX operating systems.
The replicator is available in two versions, a model that prints in one colour retailing at $1,749.00, or a two colour printing version costing $250 more.
The mind truly boggles at the thought of what we could create. If only we had money to burn.
Full technical specifications can be found overleaf. Or you can head over to the official Maketbot website for more details.
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