Startup unveils 3-D scanner at SXSW
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MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis speaks Friday at the South by Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, Texas.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Startup MakerBot on Friday unveils a desktop device that can scan small 3-D objects
- The resulting digital file can then be used to print a 3-D replica of the object
- MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis: "There's a renaissance going on (in 3-D printing) now"
- Pettis was speaking Friday at the South by Southwest Interactive festival
Bre Pettis, the company's
co-founder, took the machine around to Austin's watering holes, set it
on the bar and showed off its capabilities by printing shot glasses.
"They were pretty popular," he said.
On Friday, Pettis was
back at SXSW, this time as a keynote speaker before a packed hall of
3,000 people, further evidence that 3-D printing is a hot trend in the
tech world. Once again, he brought a new prototype with him.
This time MakerBot unveiled a desktop device that can scan small three-dimensional objects. Called a MakerBot Digitizer,
it's meant to complement the company's Replicator printer by letting
customers scan objects, then feed the resulting digital files to the
Replicator to be printed.
MakerBot released this image of small gnome sculptures that can be scanned and printed with its products.
The Digitizer uses two
lasers and a webcam to scan objects up to about 8 inches in diameter
(Pettis brought a small plastic garden gnome as an example.) The process
takes less than three minutes.
Once the digital scan is
completed, an object can be printed right away. It's easier and faster
than using software to design a digital printing model from scratch.
"This is something you
would envision being science fiction, but in fact, it is real -- and it
is so cool," said Pettis, who described the Digitizer as a great tool
for archiving or replicating prototypes, models, parts, artifacts,
sculptures and other objects "If something gets broken, you can just
scan it and print it again."
3-D printing through app
He said the scanner will
hit the market this fall. Pettis did not say how much it would cost,
although if the price is comparable to MakerBot's printers -- $2,000 to
$3,000 -- it'll be within reach of most small-business owners.
The process of 3-D
printing uses computer-created digital models to create real-world
objects -- everything from simple toys or jewelry to more complex
objects with moving parts. The printers follow the shape of the model by
stacking layer upon layer of molten plastic to produce the items.
The emerging 3-D printing industry got a boost last month when President Obama highlighted it in his State of the Union address as something that could revive manufacturing and fuel new high-tech jobs in the United States.
The New York-based
MakerBot has emerged as a pioneer in the burgeoning field by making home
3-D printing relatively affordable. Pettis, who was splashed on the
cover of Wired magazine last year, has become the industry's poster boy.
"I think we can safely
say that if there is a 3-D printing revolution, he is the commander in
chief," said SXSW Interactive Director Hugh Forrest in introducing
Pettis, MakerBot's CEO, on Friday.
In his remarks, Pettis
said he has been excited to see the many ways people have used 3-D
printers to enhance their lives. He showed a slide of a boy in South
Africa, born without fingers on his right hand, who received a low-cost
prosthetic made by a 3-D printer.
"There's a renaissance
going on (in 3-D printing) now. It's never been easier to make and share
things," he said. "You can fill the world with garden gnomes if you
want."
Somebody in the audience asked Pettis if 3-D printers will someday be able to print any object you could possibly need.
"Yes, eventually," he
said. "There are some limitations (now)," he added, citing MakerBot's
messy attempts to print food, such as chocolate.
MakerBot's announcement
of its Digitizer scanner is an unusual occurrence at SXSW Interactive,
which is typically known for launching apps and social media tools, not
hardware. But the small but growing company -- Pettis said he's looking
to hire 50 people -- is already becoming a role model for other
startups.
"As an entrepreneur you
have to believe that it's possible (to succeed)," he said in response to
a question from an audience member. "One of the reasons MakerBot worked
is that we didn't know how hard it was going to be."
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