Future of 3D Printing: MakerBot CEO Expecting Explosive Innovation

By emeadows
August 31, 2012

“MakerBot Industries was already arguably the best known name in the emerging home 3D printer market with its Cupcake and Thing-O-Matic printers,” reports GigaOM. “But the launch of the Replicator printer in January at CES exceeded MakerBot’s best projections and it’s prompting CEO Bre Pettis to imagine even more possibilities with 3D printing.”
Before the Replicator, MakerBot had sold 7,500 units overall. Now the company is at 13,000 units.
The Replicator comes fully assembled and ready to use. It costs $1,749 or $1,999 for a model that produces two colors. Its price and ease of use are propelling its success.
Pettis is beginning to imagine the future of 3D printing. “I want to find ways for people to make money and turn their cutting edge ideas into cash,” he says. “When you take Americans, who are so innovative and will fail until something works, and put a machine in their hands that [makes] anything, it’s volatile. We will have an explosion.”
According to Pettis, the economics make sense for entrepreneurs. The article details more of his ideas, writing that a “kilogram of plastic starts at $42 dollars and can create almost 400 chess pieces. Now with Replicator, the typical buyer profile is changing.”
“While it used to be hackers and programmers that were interested in previous printers, Replicator now attracts all kinds of customers, from industrial engineers and designers to parents, teachers and hobbyists,” he concludes.

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