Leaders of the New School: The Evolution of MakerBot

From "maker" to "performance" 3D printing.

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During a recent flight to New York, I finally got around to watching Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett pull off an elaborate jewellery heist in Oceans Eight. I knew 3D printing featured in the movie but hadn’t anticipated it would play such a key role in the plot, allowing the con artists to replicate a priceless diamond necklace using a desktop, plastic-extrusion printer. If you say so, Hollywood.

Fittingly, this magic machine was stamped with a MakerBot logo, the very same Brooklyn-based 3D printing company I was on my way to visit.

MakerBot, has been a card-carrying advocate for the 3D printing revolution ever since its former CEO, Bre Pettis posed on the cover of Wired magazine claiming the Replicator was going to change the world. It was also a victim of the hype it helped create, opening short-lived physical stores (which TCT paid a visit to in 2013) and launching products too soon, like Bronze and Iron materials, which were never released commercially.

As the company marks its 10-year anniversary this year, now feels like the ideal time for a new product reveal and with it, a more industrial-minded MakerBot.

The following day, on the 21st floor of Brooklyn’s Metro Tech Center, the company launched its latest machine which aims to bridge the gap between desktop and industrial 3D printing. The Method is designed to deliver industrial precision, reliability, and dimensional accuracy at a more accessible price of 6,499 USD.

The system, which MakerBot has been working on for two years and believes opens up a new category in "Performance 3D Printing", feels like a logical next step for the company, which has realigned itself across education and professional verticals under the leadership of CEO Nadav Goshen. The machine is aimed at professionals to enable testing and validation of accurate prototypes and faster product design cycles, leveraging expertise from Stratasys, of which MakerBot is a subsidiary, and the accessibility of its own machines. This feels evident in its design which could pass as a desktop version of Stratasys’ popular F123 Series and the installation of a touch screen interface in place of the manual control knob from the Replicator+.

Its sturdy Ultra-Rigid metal frame houses a Circulating Heated Chamber which regulates the temperature to provide cooling at a controlled rate, while new Dual Performance Extruders combining water-soluble PVA, enable print speeds up to two times faster than current desktop systems. It also features dry-sealed material bays to keep out moisture, a spring steel build plate to allows parts to be popped off, and built in sensors and automation features.

The Method will initially be available with PETG material but MakerBot says there are more to follow across two categories; Precision and Specialty Materials. On the software side, MakerBot Print is compatible with 25 of the most popular CAD programs and supports collaborative cloud-based working. The software offers default print modes as well as the option to choose your own custom settings, with the overall aim to get you from design to print as fast as possible. We also saw how parts can be nested in MakerBot Print so that designers can print multiple parts, leveraging the water-soluble support material, to create full prototypes in a single print run.

The decision for MakerBot to go for the gap between desktop and industrial is interesting. Speaking with Goshen, the company spotted a need to "develop something completely new" and in the last two years, has invested heavily in order to bring as many industrial features as possible into the desktop format it is known for without having to compromise on quality. For businesses who may have been previously priced out by larger industrial systems or needed something more from the desktop, the Method may be just the thing.

This article was first published in TCT Magazine Europe Edition Volume 27 Issue 1 as part of a wider feature titled 'Leaders of the New School: Where are they now?' which documented the journeys and development of a host of the most renowned figures and companies in the industry. 

You can click through to the other interview pieces that completed this series below: 

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