MakerBot Hopes To Disrupt Market With Large Z18 3D Printer
MakerBot announced a new line of 3D printers at CES that run the gamut from smallish and more affordable to large (and less affordable, for the average Joe). The latter is now shipping, and MakerBot believes that it’s more than just a big 3D printer.
“This is a massive scale for a 3D printer and comparable to 3D printers that cost tens of thousands of dollars more,” said MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis in a press release. “We believe that the MakerBot Replicator Z18 is going to disrupt the industry in that it enables 3D printing of large-scale and complex prototypes and models that were previously out of range for the creative community.”
MakerBot Z18
That community, he further noted, includes engineers, architects, and educators. The most notable feature of the Z18 is its size, as it offers a build volume of 18x12x12 inches (HxLxW). It also offers 100-micron resolution, an easily swappable Smart Extruder, a better build chamber to curtail curling, onboard camera for print monitoring, a 3.5-inch color LCD display, and more.
The Z18 costs $6,499. Those who preordered months ago will get their machines shortly, and if you order today it will take 6-8 weeks.
“This is a massive scale for a 3D printer and comparable to 3D printers that cost tens of thousands of dollars more,” said MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis in a press release. “We believe that the MakerBot Replicator Z18 is going to disrupt the industry in that it enables 3D printing of large-scale and complex prototypes and models that were previously out of range for the creative community.”
MakerBot Z18
That community, he further noted, includes engineers, architects, and educators. The most notable feature of the Z18 is its size, as it offers a build volume of 18x12x12 inches (HxLxW). It also offers 100-micron resolution, an easily swappable Smart Extruder, a better build chamber to curtail curling, onboard camera for print monitoring, a 3.5-inch color LCD display, and more.
The Z18 costs $6,499. Those who preordered months ago will get their machines shortly, and if you order today it will take 6-8 weeks.
