Still Brooklyn-based but now with manufacturing outsourced, MakerBot unveils its fifth-generation, lower production cost 3D printer

A leader in the desktop 3D printing industry and one of the borough’s largest tech companies, MakerBot was founded in January 2009 by Bre Pettis, Adam Mayer, and Zach Smith, with an aim to produce an opensource 3D printer that would “democratize manufacturing.” The company is now a division of Eden Prairie, Minnesota based Stratasys LTD, and has offices in both MetroTech
Center and Industry City.

The app- and cloud-enabled MakerBot Replicator is described by the maker as “the ultimate personal 3D printer.” Compact enough to sit on a desktop, but with a build envelope roughly the size of a loaf of bread (456 cubic inches), it can create professional-quality complex items with smooth-to-the-touch surfaces (no sanding or finishing required). The unit’s Smart Extruder turns raw feedstock like ABS or PLA (the latter a biodegradable material made from corn) into user-defined designs, and allows for the swapping out of extruders to keep printer technology viable even as materials change.

It has been a challenging two years for the company, however. Two rounds of staff cuts reduced employee ranks by over 20% in 2015, followed by an announcement in April of this year that it would lay off Brooklyn factory workers and outsource manufacturing to Jabil, a design and manufacturing solutions provider based in St. Petersburg, FL (but which maintains a variety of international production facilities).

Just after the factory switch, MakerBot CEO Jonathan Jalon explained that, “working with Jabil will position us to better manage the rapid change in our industry and reduce our costs to compete more effectively in a global marketplace. We expect that adopting a flexible manufacturing model will allow us to quickly scale production up or down based on market demands, without the fixed costs associated with maintaining a factory in New York City.”

“MakerBot Replicator is an essential tool for children and students,” the company added in a press statement. “Parents and educators can now offer the next generation an opportunity to learn the digital designing skills required to solve the problems of the future. Students will have an edge in the future job market, just like the youth of the 1980s who had access to computers… one reason why our products are in 5,000 schools across the United States.” Retail price for the Replicator is $2,900.

MakerBot
1 MetroTech Center 21st Floor / 347.334.6800
39th Street at Industry City / 347.334.6800 / makerbot.com