Announces New Materials, Professional Services and Partnerships at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
MakerBot, a global leader in the desktop 3D printing industry, is at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week and is on a mission to transform the way people think about 3D printing by building on the comprehensive MakerBot® 3D Ecosystem. Part of the MakerBot 3D Ecosystem expansion includes new materials and partnerships and services that help make 3D printing easier and more accessible to more customers. MakerBot's presence at CES is at booth #72711, located in the Sands Expo Convention Center, CES Tech West, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
New for MakerBot in 2015:
1. MakerBot PLA Composite Filaments are made with composites of real Metal, Stone and Wood that provide beautiful, realistic and highly stabilized material for fifth-generation MakerBot Replicator® 3D Printers. These new filaments bring 3D printing closer to the look of a finished product, yet retain the nontoxic and ease-of-use properties that make PLA such a popular 3D printing material. With MakerBot PLA Composite Filaments, the exciting potential of the swappable MakerBot Replicator Smart Extruder will also be realized, as new Smart Extruders are developed to match the new materials.
2. MakerBot 3D Professional Services is a new division that brings MakerBot's years of experience in the 3D printing industry directly to customers via expert consulting, education, design services, 3D printed products and software applications for companies, organizations and schools interested in incorporating 3D printing. The launch of MakerBot 3D Professional Services includes:
• Consulting from MakerBot
• MakerBot Learning
• 3D Design Services by MakerBot
• MakerBot 3D Printed Products
• MakerBot Innovation Center Management Platform
3. MakerBot Mobile True Remote Printing and Monitoring will now be fully realized! This exciting new MakerBot feature is designed to allow full control and monitoring of 3D printing on a fifth-generation MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer from anywhere, anytime, via a Wi-Fi or cell network and will be available in early 2015.
4. MakerBot Kit for MODO 801 is an application designed in partnership with the global software company The Foundry for MODO 801, that takes advantage of MakerBot's open API and full integration with Thingiverse.com, one of the largest 3D design communities in the world for viewing, sharing, downloading and 3D printing 3D designs. This exciting integration allows MODO and Thingiverse users the ability to store, share and 3D print designs made with MODO 801.
5. MakerBot Thingiverse and GE FirstBuild Icebox Challenge Winners unveiled! Have you ever dreamed of being able to accessorize your home appliances with items made just for your lifestyle? Now you can with innovative 3D printed refrigerator accessories inspired by MakerBot Thingiverse and GE FirstBuild's Icebox Challenge winning 3D printed accessories. Need a pizza box holder? A way to monitor your milk from the grocery store? What about unique storage solutions? FirstBuild is incorporating some of the 3D printed accessories crowdsourced from the Thingiverse and FirstBuild communities into its new ChillHub smart refrigerator, also being launched at CES. The Icebox Challenge is just the first of several design and innovation challenges that the MakerBot Thingiverse and GE FirstBuild communities are undertaking in 2015 to showcase the power of Real-Time Prototyping™ on a MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer.
6. Martha Stewart for MakerBot Digital Store is planning to expand in 2015 with new collections. CES 2015 will provide a venue to showcase how Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia incorporates MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers into its design process. The MakerBot CES experience will also include a sneak peek of some Martha Stewart for MakerBot Digital Store collections to come.
"CES 2015 is different for us in that we are purposefully not introducing new 3D printers at CES this year. Instead, we are focusing our efforts on creating the most comprehensive MakerBot 3D Ecosystem to support our customers," noted Jenny Lawton, CEO of MakerBot. Lawton went on to state, "Last year was a really big year for us. We brought three new MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers to market, plus we launched numerous other initiatives including MakerBot Desktop, MakerBot Mobile and MakerBot PrintShop; we introduced the MakerBot Digital Store and brought on licensed partners Sesame Street, Uglydoll, Hello Kitty and Martha Stewart; and we expanded our global presence with MakerBot Europe and our retail presence to the point where MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers and the MakerBot Digitizer™ Desktop 3D Scanner are now available in more than 500 retail stores throughout the U.S. and Europe. That is a lot. For 2015, we are focused on enhancing the overall MakerBot 3D Ecosystem by listening to our users, fine-tuning our 3D printers, iterating our software and apps to unlock their full potential, and launching new MakerBot PLA Composite Filaments as well as services that will make 3D printing even more interesting and accessible."
Lawton also noted, "We know there is a lot of hype around 3D printing. We also know that 3D printing is not plug and play. It can be challenging and that is why a major emphasis is on creating a MakerBot 3D Ecosystem that helps make 3D printing easier and more accessible. At CES, we want to ground the hype and showcase how educators, businesses and real users have incorporated MakerBot 3D printing into their daily work and lives."
MakerBot's CES booth experience illustrates how real users are incorporating 3D printing into their workflow, saving time and money, and inspiring a whole new generation of innovators. MakerBot CES booth partners include:
• GE FirstBuild: Learn about the power of Real-Time Prototyping and innovative ways to rethink the traditional manufacturing process by incorporating 3D printing. At the MakerBot CES booth, meet two FirstBuild engineers and Natarajan (Venkat) Venkatakrishnan, the director of FirstBuild, and hear their vision for using 3D printing to transform the traditional design and manufacturing of products.
• Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia: MakerBot's CES experience will feature a firsthand look at how 3D printing transforms the design process for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and helps bring designs to life and products to market faster and more affordably. Meet a Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's designer and learn how they take new product ideas from concept to completion by transforming the design process with 3D printing
• Whitby School: This pre-K through eighth grade school uses MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers for all grade levels to inspire and excite kids to think differently about their world and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow. Meet Whitby School's technology teacher and hear how she incorporates 3D printing into the school's curriculum for math, science, art, business and more.
