Video: MakerBot's build-it-yourself 3D printer in action, replicator in the works

We just bumped into the MakerBot industries folks and got a quick look at the CupCake CNC rapid prototyping machine (3D printer, for us luddites). The thing extrudes Lego-type plastic into fairly detailed shapes, and MakerBot sells it as a kit for $750, or fully assembled for $2,500. What's most exciting is that the MakerBot folks are now working on a 3D scanner kit, which once combined with the CupCake CNC will make a full-on homegrown replicator. Diamond Age, here we come! A quick demo of the CupCake is after the break.

[idiot @ Jun 10th 2009 9:15PM]

reprap's gonna be pissed...

[idiot @ Jun 10th 2009 9:18PM]

aaah poo, no mention of replicating itself. reprap is safe...for now.

[idiot @ Jun 10th 2009 9:40PM]

well failz on me, it IS a reprap.

[Erb @ Jun 10th 2009 11:33PM]

C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!

Damn triple poster. >:D

[evanbooth @ Jun 10th 2009 9:28PM]

"...tallest building in the world..."

"No it's not."


haha

[Kyle @ Jun 10th 2009 9:38PM]

ah... ninja'd

lol

[TomTom2007 @ Jun 10th 2009 9:38PM]

lol... oh the old time....

[Maxx @ Jun 10th 2009 9:50PM]

I am glad that someone caught that. I am still lauging......

"No its not" !

[Brendan H @ Jun 10th 2009 11:10PM]

Yeah, it's not even the tallest building in the US, hasn't been for a while (Sears Tower). Tallest in New York (since 9/11, unfortunately).
Actually, it's number 11 on the list of world's tallest buildings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_and_structures_in_the_world

[ehru @ Jun 10th 2009 11:22PM]

@Brendan H

I'll just stick to "no it's not"

[MaxSMoke @ Jun 11th 2009 12:49AM]

Haha, didn't even notice him say that because I was too busy staring at the printing and imaging what I could make with it.

$2500 for a CNC Printing is INSANELY cheap, affordable enough I could actually swing buying one. But the lack of support material makes the things I could make with it limited. Maybe if I printed my own support pegs and cut them off afterwards? For $2500, I could work something out!

[m.edgar @ Jun 10th 2009 9:29PM]

So what's the resolution on this thing? A millimeter? Half a mm? A micrometer?

[Jonathan @ Jun 10th 2009 10:33PM]

I've seen this before and it was kind of crap. That empire state building looked pretty good.

[-Tj- @ Jun 10th 2009 10:35PM]

Hard to tell from this video, but from the video on the makerbot website, the resolution looks decent for a $750 machine. Not great, and it won't win awards for resolution, but regardless, it looks like it's doing great things on the cheap. Maybe my camera purchase will have to wait... I have some 3D models to print.

[MaxSMoke @ Jun 11th 2009 12:56AM]

No way, I'm guessing 2+ millimeters. Look at the needle on the top, the black version the needle is only half formed, and the white version, the needle is missing entirely. It's very rough. But it could be nice for larger model that you assemble in pieces. For $2500, you could experiment with all kinds of things a service bureau would charge you the cost of a new car to make.

[jasay @ Jun 11th 2009 11:50AM]

Doesn't directly answer your question since it doesn't say the size of the extruded plastic but the motors seem pretty good:

http://wiki.makerbot.com/cupcake

Specifications

* Usable Build Area: 100mm x 100mm x 100mm
* X/Y Positioning Resolution: 0.085mm
* Z Positioning Resolution: 3.125 microns
* Maximum X/Y Feedrate: 5000mm/minute
* Maximum Z Feedrate: 200mm/minute
* Typical Z-layer height: 0.3725mm
* Outside measurements: 350mm x 240mm x 450mm

[jasay @ Jun 11th 2009 11:51AM]

Whoops, should have kept look before I posted.

http://wiki.makerbot.com/faq-frequently-asked-questions

What is resolution?

It's accurate to .1mm which is roughly equivalent to 300 DPI and the extrusion width is .4mm.

[H3r3tic @ Jun 10th 2009 11:22PM]

did they just make 3D sculptures of penises?

[Game_playa @ Jun 10th 2009 10:22PM]

If you say so.

[andres @ Jun 11th 2009 12:15AM]

you need to see a doctor right now if thats what yours looks like

[gerrrg @ Jun 10th 2009 9:34PM]

Oh, this freaking rocks!

Wait what, REPLICATORS??!?!!?

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Jun 11th 2009 12:38AM]

Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

[Kyle @ Jun 10th 2009 9:36PM]

"It's the tallest building in the world!"

"No its not..."

[bootareen @ Jun 10th 2009 10:11PM]

LMAO that guy is stupid. It's been stripped of that title for over 50 years.

[ChaosEntity17 @ Jun 10th 2009 9:37PM]

$750?
WHERE?!?!

[DucatiGuy @ Jun 10th 2009 9:39PM]

Ummm, maybe... http://makerbot.com
Took me a whole 5 seconds to LOOK IT UP!!!!!!!!

[fischju @ Jun 10th 2009 9:40PM]

REPLICATORS?!

[GnuGeek @ Jun 11th 2009 5:18AM]

Too much of stargate

[B3astofthe3ast @ Jun 10th 2009 9:47PM]

HA! I'll just use my old high schools 3d printer to print me a 3d printer! And then I'll use that to mass produce 3d printers and sell them for massive profit!

[Kinger @ Jun 10th 2009 10:03PM]

"Yo dawg, I heard you like 3d printers..so i printed you a 3d printer now you can 3d print while you 3d print"

[ED @ Jun 10th 2009 11:57PM]

exponential growth!

[scott @ Jun 10th 2009 10:47PM]

yay Bre Pettis! Too bad he didn't sound quite up to snuff... Great machine though!

[Chad @ Jun 10th 2009 10:58PM]

lol "The Empire State building tallest building in the world." "no its not." with no response...

[Barrett @ Jun 10th 2009 11:13PM]

Tallest building in NYC. Tallest in terms of my own personal emotional value. OK, I dunno where I was going with that.

Zach Smith/Hoeken, the guy with the hand in the left part of the frame is the guy who really designed this thing.

I have one of those black ABS plastic boxes. The resolution is pretty good. Keep in mind, you can't build "anything". Certain things just don't build well. Still, for several hundred (I'll be nice and not give away the # of benjamins) in parts, this thing is freaking awesome.

This will get really interesting once a scanner is made, and wax becomes part of the process, allowing literally any contiguous form to be rastered out.

Commercial machines that do this for architecture firms usually cost $200,000 and come with their own supervising/operating employee.

Such models often cost $2000 a pop to build.

Bre is the man. I'm pretty sure that error was intentional, but in saying so, I'm rendering it no longer funny. Pun intended.

They've also rastered out a Lego brick that properly fits together with real Lego bricks. OMG.

[Jeremy W @ Jun 11th 2009 1:43AM]

>> Still, for several hundred (I'll be nice and not give away the # of benjamins) in parts, this thing is freaking awesome.

Sorry to shit on your douche parade, but Engadget's blurb already gave away the pricing. Douche.

[dj-kenpo @ Jun 11th 2009 9:30AM]

wow jeremy harsh.
hows this.
you go design a 3d printer.

until then keep sitting on your ass eating potatoe chips and shut it.

[Cold Bitter Truth @ Jun 10th 2009 11:56PM]

was that a shout out to Neal Stephenson at the end? The Diamond Age is one of my all time favorite books and of course, there is some replicator type devices in the book ;)

[MaxSMoke @ Jun 11th 2009 1:00AM]

What is the cost of consumables??? Even if the printing resolution is poor, this could finally open up large scale printing for costs that would be IMPOSSIBLE through service bureau like Shapeways.com. I could make a large model in parts and put together large statues and functional toys. But where do you get the plastic from?

[jasay @ Jun 11th 2009 12:02PM]

From the FAQ (http://wiki.makerbot.com/faq-frequently-asked-questions):

What kind of materials can you print with and what is the cost per pound of material?

We sell two kinds of plastic and are in the process of having a third manufactured.

Our favorite right now is ABS plastic which is the same thing Lego is made out of. It's super strong, fuses really well to itself and looks great!

We also sell HDPE which is the same thing that milk jugs are made out of. It's got some issues with warping on wide prints, but it has great low friction properties that make it perfect for some applications.

We are in the process of having PLA manufactured. PLA is a plastic-like material made from corn. It's clear and looks awesome. We've had some stops and starts with it as we try and get the right mix. (The first batch was too melty) Stay tuned.

You can buy the plastic for the MakerBot on the MakerBot store at http://store.makerbot.com/plastic.html

The cost is as follows

ABS natural - $50 for 5 pounts ($10 per pound)
ABS black - $60 for 5 pounds ($12 per pound)
HDPE - $30 for 5 pounds ($6 per pound)

We have a few other extrudable options in development. We have a frostruder that extrudes frosting and our intern Will is exploring hot glue and crayons as potential extrusion materials.

I should say that 5 pounds of material goes a long way. We go through about 5 pounds a month and we print almost continuously!

[loopyoyo @ Jun 11th 2009 2:59AM]

"tea, earl gray, hot"

[ScottishDan @ Jun 11th 2009 9:45AM]

Already been said, reading FAIL

[Mike in Vegas @ Jun 11th 2009 3:47AM]

Was this shot in 2009 or 1969? What's up with those horn rims and Walt "Clyde" Frazier chops? And how about the housing of the device...

[Running Gadget @ Jun 11th 2009 7:34AM]

Burj Dubai in the UAE makes the Empire State Building look tiny!! It's not even the tallest in the US I think.

[Dayne @ Jun 11th 2009 8:59AM]

Stargate=Replicators are bad.
Star Trek=Replicators are good.

This'll spur the build your own robot hottie economy.

[Jason @ Jun 11th 2009 9:50AM]

Ohhhhhhhhh, those are Empire State Buildings.

The preview picture made me think it was from the AVN Expo.

[Jon Acheson @ Jun 11th 2009 10:31AM]

Yeah. Replicators. Assuming what you want to replicate is another half-melted looking glob of plastic.

[Ry @ Jun 11th 2009 10:34AM]

Thatssss pretty niooooce

[itsthegiancarlo @ Jun 11th 2009 10:56AM]

I see more women buying these printers than men. Why? Just think of the things they could print out for their personal use.

[Carolyn Slater @ Jun 11th 2009 11:27AM]

Want to learn more about 3D printing? visit: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cea/vision0509/#/14

[heng @ Jun 11th 2009 1:19PM]

hum. so whats new?
go to rap-man.com for the same kit for the same price for a 3D printer
get a scanner at david-laserscanner.com for 400€
done.