You can go big, or you can go small, with a series of new 3D printers by MakerBot, which is expanding its offerings to appeal to an even wider audience now. “Since these 3D printers will have a Windows 8.1 3D printer driver, owners of these 3D printers can realize the benefits of 3D printing support in Windows 8.1,” writes Gavin Gear on the Extreme Windows Blog.
One of the new models, the MakerBot Replicator Mini Compact 3D Printer, due out this spring, is “all about making 3D printing accessible and easy,” he says. At $1,375, the Replicator Mini “is the most affordable Replicator to date.”
With its build volume of 3.9 inches by 3.9 inches by 4.9 inches, it’s ideally suited for printing smaller objects, he says.
In the video above, Gear talks with MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas about the new printers.
Gear notes that MakerBot “didn’t just show new printers, they showcased a common next-generation MakerBot technology platform that is shared between these new devices,” including Windows 8.1 3D printing integration to allow you to print from any compatible Windows 8.1 app.
That printing integration will let you manage your MakerBot 3D printer “just like any other printer, including print queue management,” Gear writes. “Drivers automatically download and install from Windows Update.”
To learn more about MakerBot’s 3D printers, visit the company website. And to read Gear’s full post, head over to the Extreme Windows Blog.
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Suzanne Choney
Microsoft News Center Staff