BROOKLYN - MakerBot is back in the 3D printing hardware game, but it's shifting away from consumers.
Almost a decade after inventing the home 3D printing market, MakerBot is now focused squarely on professional product prototyping and the education markets.
"It's part of an overall re-positioning," said MakerBot CEO Jonathan Jaglom.
The company unveiled a brand new professional-grade 3D printer, MakerBot Replicator+; new printing material, Tough PLA, that may be stronger and more reliable than both PLA and ABS; new software, including an updated mobile app; and a new educational printer.
The printers are the first new hardware products since MakerBot shuttered much of its Brooklyn production facility and handed product manufacturing to Jabil in April.
Replicator
The pro-grade MakerBot Replicator+ looks a lot like previous Replicator 3D printers, but MakerBot explained that the device has been engineered to create more stable and larger 3D prints. While the printer is approximately the same size as the last pro-grade Replicator, the Replicator+ now has 25 percent more print space and is, according to MakerBot, 30 percent faster and significantly more quiet.
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This may be the first desktop 3D printer that no longer requires a layer of blue tape on the print surface. The Replicator+ will include a flexible print plate, complete with a specially designed grip surface. To remove a finished print, you simply flex the plate and the 3D print pops off.
Even though MakerBot is no longer focused on the consumer market, it still wants users to put these 3D printers on their desktops. Making the printers quiet is obviously critical, but the company also focused on some of the issues people have with ABS printing. ABS is stronger than the corn-based PLA, but can smell pretty toxic during extrusion. MakerBot's solution was to create a new 3D print material: Tough PLA, which combines ABS-like strength with the environmental-friendliness of PLA. For now, it's engineered to work only with the new Replicator+.
Education Plus
For the classroom, MakerBot introduced the new MakerBot Replicator Mini+, an update to the affordable Mini. Like the pro-level update, this Mini looks the same on the outside, but promises faster print speeds, more print volume and quieter operation.
The company also said it's focused heavily on reliability since they know no teacher wants to spend hours fixing a 3D printer.
MakerBot also introduced its new MakerBot Print software, which supports 20 CAD formats out of the box to help close the gap between design creation and print output. It's also designed to help divvy up complex print jobs across multiple 3D printers to help speed prototyping efforts.
For educators, MakerBot updated its mobile app, with a special focus on streamlining the 3D printer first run experience. For educators looking for projects, MakerBot also introduced Thingiverse Education.
If all of this sounds like a shift from cool products that make 3D prints to content, that's intentional. "The most important thing is to take idea out of their heads and let them hold it in their hands," said Carla Echevarria, MakerBot VP of Digital Products.
Both new 3D printers are on sale now and each has a pretty decent introductory price. The Replicator+ is starting at $1,999 (eventual MSRP will be $2,499). The Replicator Mini+ will start at $999 (MSRP will be $1,299).
To get the Tough PLA, you'll need a special extruder for the Replicator+. The bundle of three rolls of Tough PLA and the extruder is $379.
Topics 3D Printing
