Makerbot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer

Interest in 3D printers have never been as great as now, and at CES 2013 makerbot showed several different models for home use.

At CES 2013 in Las Vegas earlier this month they demonstrated Makerbot Replicator 2X, which is an experimental 3D printer for the more advanced users who are not satisfied with the usual Replicator 2 model. It has dual extruders for ABS plastic, allowing for two-color printing, and a price of $ 2,799.

Here’s are a few of the great things in the Replicator 2X:

–  High-tolerance aluminum build plate that’s machined for crucial flatness to make it resistant to warping or sagging that could affect the quality of your prints.

–  New easy-load filament lever makes loading filament as easy as flipping a light switch.

–  Re-designed filament feeding system dramatically reduces stripping, skipping, and jamming.

–  Enclosed sides keep drafts at bay and stabilize the ABS cooling period for less cracking and peeling.

Las Vegas, January 8, 2013 – MakerBot®, the global leader in 3D printing, is unveiling its newest desktop 3D printer at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.  The MakerBot® Replicator™ 2X Experimental 3D Printer is the big brother to the recently released fourth generation MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer. The new MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental Desktop 3D Printer pushes the boundaries of 3D printing and is designed for the 3D printing enthusiast that wants a full-featured desktop 3D printer optimized for printing with ABS Filament and ready to explore the frontiers of 3D printing.

 

“If you are a MacGyver, a Doc Brown, or have a little mad scientist in you, and want to experiment with one of the fullest featured desktop 3D printers and see where it can take you, the MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental Desktop 3D Printer is for you,” noted Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot.  “The MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer that we introduced this past September, is probably going to be one of the most successful 3D desktop printers of 2013, and we love its ease of use and reliability.  The MakerBot Replicator 2 was optimized for PLA Filament, which has been proven to be a consistent-use filament.  But there are many ABS Filament fans out there that want to keep using ABS, even though it can be a trickier and more challenging product to use.  With the introduction of the MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental Desktop 3D Printer, we can meet the needs of all types of desktop 3D printer users.”

Designed for 3D printing experts working in R&D who want to blaze a trail into the future of 3D printing, the MakerBot Replicator 2X features experimental dual extrusion and uses the familiar petroleum-based thermoplastic MakerBot ABS Filament.  The MakerBot Replicator 2X is an even more advanced extension of MakerBot’s most recent new product, the MakerBot Replicator 2.

The redesigned heated build platform and the heat-capturing enclosure of the MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer optimizes it for use with ABS Filament; and the reengineered extruder supports experimental dual extrusion for anyone who is ready for the challenge. One of the most significant changes made to the MakerBot Replicator 2X is the reengineered extruder. The extruder on the MakerBot Replicator 2X has been totally redesigned for easy-loading and low maintenance. The new design reduces stripping, skipping and jamming and the constant force filament feeding system means less wear on your machine.  The MakerBot Replicator 2X has the ability to make large ABS prints more reliably than the original MakerBot Replicator did. This full-seal heat-trapping enclosure helps to stabilize the ABS cooling period so that you can spend less time worrying about shrinking or cracking. And the single-piece, thermal formed magnetic lid keeps heat in when you need it and releases it when you don’t.  And the MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental Desktop 3D Printer offers beautiful 100-micron layer resolution.

The new release of MakerBot MakerWare will also make generating dual extrusion models easier than ever. A new drag and drop feature allows different models to be dropped onto the virtual build plate and viewed in the colors that you plan to print them.

“We are super excited to see the beautiful multi-colored prints made using the dual extruder,” noted Pettis.

The MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer created a new standard in desktop 3D printing and MakerBot has built the MakerBot Replicator 2X on that foundation.  The MakerBot Replicator 2X rises to a new standard while still offering a full set of features that allows for all the experimentation that any daredevil could hope for.

So if you have the courage and patience to face the inconsistencies of ABS and the difficulty of dual extrusion, if you’re willing to walk to the edge of what’s possible and push it farther, if you’ve taken apart a flamethrower and put together a trebuchet, then the MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer is for you.

The MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer will begin shipping in mid-March and is priced at $2,799, and is available for sale beginning January 11, 2013