Makerbot #225
I have a real passion for DIY, Hacking, and Inventing. And for a long time I have been interested in and following the 3D printing technologies. I had seen the RepRap and Fab@Home printers, but they seemed to be still too Alpha stage for me. They also had a significant barrier to entry. So when I saw the Makerbot I thought this is it! A full kit with everything you need to build a ThermoPlastic extrusion 3D printer. FDM baby!(Fused Deposited Material). The same method used by commercial machines costing $15K-$60. The catch is of course that your build size is small4″x4″x6″.
I did wait a bit to allow them time to refine production and release kits that were complete and reliable. Primarily 4th Gen Extruder and assembled electronics.
I bought and built Makerbot #225 and have been really impressed, excited, and empowered! If you follow there google group you may get a wrong impression. Which is that it doesn’t work reliably. But I have been running mine for about 1 month without any troubles. I think what happens on these groups is that people tend to post on them when they have trouble, and not so much when things are going good.
Another great place is thingiverse. A portal for sharing design files for the physical world. (ie. 3D design files to print on a Makerbot). Check out my things
I see this 3D printer technology evolving and becoming as common as standard printers. We are at the stage similar to Altair was for computers way back in the day, and it’s exciting to see.
Stay Tuned, because I know that the Makerbot will be involved in alot of things I design and build.