Makerbot announces new 3D scanner
"We are super excited to be able to announce at SXSW Interactive that we are developing the MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner" said Bre Pettis, the company's CEO, in a statement on Friday. "It's a natural progression for us to create a product that makes 3D printing even easier. With the MakerBot Digitizer, now everyone will be able to scan a physical item, digitize it, and print it in 3D - with little or no design experience."
According to TechCrunch, the scanner "uses two lasers to map small, breadbox-sized objects and a webcam to create a digital model of any object." Presumably the scanner translates that information into a CAD file.
Frustratingly though, Makerbot has not disclosed any specifics on the Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner. Its price, availability, features, and specifications are nowhere to be found.
In an email sent to people who signed up for more information on the Digitizer, MakerBot said the scans would be completed in "as little as three minutes."
Well, that was quick. Bre Pettis just started delivering South By Southwest's opening remarks and may well have taken the wraps off the biggest news of the show. Of course, we'll still have to hang out in Austin for a few more days just to, you know, totally make sure, but this really does feel like a doozy. As the MakerBot CEO puts it, "It's a natural progression for us to create a product that makes 3D printing even easier" - but, let's be honest, few of those who don't have a vested interest in moving some 3D printers are running around calling the whole process particularly "easy." And while consumer-facing devices like the Replicator, CubeX, Solidoodle, et al. have gone a ways toward making the technology more accessible for laypeople, there's still a fundamental breakdown: the creation of models to be printed.
The maker community has helped on that front, as well, with MakerBot's Thingiverse serving as an unparalleled resource for 3D images, meaning that, once your printer's all set up and calibrated, you can download and print to your hearts delight - but what if, say, you want to print up something that some kindly soul hasn't designed for you? You could learn a CAD program - or you could invest in an industrial 3D scanner. The latter option has lead to something of a land rush of companies and individuals looking to break things wide open with an affordable, consumer-facing offering. And while MakerBot still seems a ways away from the final product, the company used SXSW as a platform to unveil a prototype of its MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner.
The product certainly falls in line with Pettis' utopian dreams of the "next industrial revolution," which he excitedly evangelized during our chat at CES... As he puts it, "With the MakerBot Digitizer, now everyone will be able to scan a physical item, digitize it, and print it in 3D - with little or no design experience." Lasers and cameras built into the device scan and object, convert it into a digital file and then you print it. Or so the idea goes. Naturally, it's a bit early to get too excited, as this is still a prototype - at the very least, however, it's certainly a promising turn to see a company that's such a force in helping to mainstream 3D printing throw its hat into the scanning ring.
We're getting ready to spend some time with the device here in Austin - and will be speaking with Pettis about the prototype. We'll follow up with you when we get some more answers. In the meantime, there's a 2D press release for you to scan.
