Makerbot's Replicator 2: The Future in Home 3D Printing
MakerBot's new and improved Replicator 2 brings professional-grade 3D printing into the home for an affordable price.
Earlier this year, MakerBot released its new and improved Replicator 3D desktop printer just in time for CES 2012. The sub-$2000 price range on the device was a turning point for 3D printing technology. High-quality, affordable and user-friendly 3D printers are finally making their way into homes. Now, the company has announced its Replicator 2, bringing easier faster and even more affordable 3D printing to a desktop near you.
Featuring a 100-micron layer resolution, the Replicator 2 is the company's highest resolution printer yet. Capable of creating bigger, professional-quality models, the Replicator 2 is ideal for the desktop of a professional engineer, yet easy enough for anybody with an imagination to use. In addition to its upgraded printing abilities, the Replicator 2 also features a new sleek, futuristic design. According to Makerbot CEO Bre Pettis, it "is available in any color, as long as it is black."
“The new MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer sets a new standard in resolution, build volume, and professional quality in the desktop 3D printer market,” Pettis explains. “With our fourth generation product, we have made the best desktop 3D printer on the market, made it affordable to both professionals and hobbyists, and made it cool looking.”
Like most modern 3D printers, the Replicator 2 uses the renewable bioplastic PLA to create larger prints without warping or cracking materials. With a build volume of 410 cubic inches (11.2” L x 6.0” W x 6.1” H), the Replicator 2 gives its operator a much larger space for multiple-part or larger projects. The MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop Printer is already available for purchase at the company's new online store. The price tag of $2,199 is a bit higher than the previous model, but Pettis firmly believes it to be a worthwhile investment for any professional engineer.
You've stumbled across something known as a "joke." Try to keep up.
In other words, how expensive is it to make an item.
Do I want to make custom (personalized) LEGOs for the kids and become the hero dad ? :-)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_ford#Model_T
(Insert cane-shaking rant about modern education here...)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_ford#Model_T
(Insert cane-shaking rant about modern education here...)
You've stumbled across something known as a "joke." Try to keep up.
In other words, how expensive is it to make an item.
Do I want to make custom (personalized) LEGOs for the kids and become the hero dad ? :-)
"the Replicator 2 is ideal for the desktop of a professional engineer, yet easy enough for anybody with an imagination to use"
engineers, artists, creative types... maybe not you though. no big, all things are not for all people
you can probably print out the shoe soals with rubber glue them on and prolong hte life of an existing pair. might actusaally be able to make croc liek shoes .. or make a computer case out of ABS plastic
Well, that depends on your definitions of "useful" and "waste". If I had one of these I'd have a desk covered in little models. If their only "use" is to look pretty or cool or awesome, I wouldn't consider that a "waste".
Heck, $2200 is less than i spent putting together my desktop computer.
It's great for people who do interesting things.
Now if they could print in some kind of high-temp ceramic, that would be REALLY cool. Then you could do an inverse-print to make a form-mold, and fill it with whatever liquid-hot plastic or metal material you wanted to make an object. Talk about hero-dad, you could make plastic or metal replacement parts for, well, just about anything. Imagine downloading component 3D image spec files from the manuf., buying a block of spec-X stainless steel or can of spec-Y plastic resin from the HW store, and voila... there's your replacement part.
This would lead to a subsequent market shift. Manufs that refused to publish part-specs because they want the replacement part (or item) revenue would end up getting out-marketed by manufs that don't. If I were the CEO of HomeDepot or Lowes, I would assign a new Veep in charge of replicator replacment parts. This person would be responsible for creating relationships with manufs, defining the in-store presence and required materials, setting pricing, procedures and policies, and then all-of-a-sudden the concept of what a HW store can market and sell undergoes a quantum change.
But they have to figure out how to do ceramic (or whatever material can hold the intended target material) form-molds first. And they need to improve on the 100 micron resolution for any moving or tight-fitting parts. Something on-par with what a CNC lathe can do in the radial dimension would be outstanding.
That was exactly my first though when I saw this! How many legos would I need to print to make up $2000?
If a 50 piece set costs ~$13, then that is $0.26 per lego (custom blocks are obviously much more expensive in the $2+ range). But for normal blocks that would be 7,692.3 blocks to pay off this printer... well worth the money if I had a spare $2000 laying around! lol
i know they sell all the parts online, and you really need to know what you are doing, but is it cheaper?
Text was: "Earlier this year, MakerBot released its new and improved Replicator 3D desktop printer just in time for CES 2012. The sub-$2000 price range on the device was a turning point for 3D printing technology. High-quality, affordable and user-friendly 3D printers are finally making their way into homes. Now, the company has announced its Replicator 2, bringing easier faster and even more affordable 3D printing to a desktop near you."
...so yes it refer at original being sub-2000$ but "Replicator 2 is ... even more affordable" that means (for me) way lower than SUB-2000$ !!!
Please read all text not between lines before makeing corrections.
Maybe YOUR life, yes.