But it all sort of drives the same point home -- the Replicator is far from a plug-and-play 3D solution.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
Before the Replicator begins printing, there's a bit of a waiting process.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
Even though we've seen high resolutions out of machines like the Replicator 2, the difference 25 microns makes is practically indistinguishable.
The Replicator 2 that the company announced yesterday may change all that.
FORBES: MakerBot, The Next Generation: Replicator 2 Is The Finest Desktop 3-D Printer Ever
After all, we'd see the Replicator in action a number of times, including right in front of us on the Engadget Show.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
But, while the Replicator comes mostly assembled, there are still a number of things that have to be screwed, tightened, routed and attached.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
What makes the Replicator 2 unique is that these layers are now 100 microns thick about as thin as a sheet of printer paper.
FORBES: MakerBot, The Next Generation: Replicator 2 Is The Finest Desktop 3-D Printer Ever
The Replicator ships with a small plastic square its makers use to test the printer in order to make sure that everything is running well.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
Settings can be adjusted on the Replicator itself by way of the LCD, but the tiny display makes these things a bit of a chore.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
It's this process, ultimately, that's at the center of the Replicator.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
It's a truly awe-inspiring technology that has already begun to transform design industries, and the Replicator takes a big step toward making it a home-based technology.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
You can also export the project to an SD card to stick into the Replicator or, if you're already tethered, you can start printing directly from the software.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
Honestly, thinking of this like frozen yogurt isn't all that far off -- the Replicator creates solid objects by layering levels of thin plastic extrusions on top of themselves.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
For the most part, however, the Replicator is really about novelty and the mere cool factor of having a product that can print out just about anything you can imagine.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
Sure MakerBot earned a fair amount of attention at last year's show with the announcement of the Replicator, which snagged its share of awards from various press outlets.
As mentioned above, the initial run of the product was a loud one -- there was a good deal of grinding noises and foundation-shaking vibrations as the Replicator went to work.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
Even put together, the Replicator isn't all that slick.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
Indeed, the Replicator packaging is a delicate ecosystem.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
Certainly, the Replicator marks a big step over its predecessor, the Thing-O-Matic, introducing dual-extrusion for two-colored printing and a much larger printing area, letting users create standalone objects roughly the size of a loaf of bread.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
The first time you fire up the Replicator, the display will take you through the FRE -- that's First Run Experience -- a series of step-by-step instructions it imparts one screen at a time (you can also access this later in the utilities menu).
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
The Replicator may have just been pushed off this writer's Christmas list. (Note to self: send updated letter to Santa.) But, this isn't a loss for MakerBot Industries, because it's being replaced by the Replicator 2, the newest model of 3D printer from the company.
ENGADGET: MakerBot unveils Replicator 2, 2X and launches retail store, we go eyes-on
The majority of the Replicator's internal space is wide open, save for a build platform that can be adjusted up and down by turning a threaded screw and the gantry atop the space that houses the Stepstruder MK8, whose front is monopolized by a large pair of fans.
ENGADGET: MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
Still in its early prototype stages, the device is an attempt to do for 3D scanning what the Replicator and its ilk have done for printing -- i.e. democratize the process in such a way that makes it affordable and user-friendly enough to make it an appealing prospect for hobbyists and later consumers.
As with the Replicator, the technology driving the Digitizer has been around for some time, and while there's a bit of a land rush to be the first to bring it to market, MakerBot's success has put it in a good position to be, if not the first, then certainly the most prominent example of its consumer-facing side.
ENGADGET: The Engadget Interview: Bre Pettis talks MakerBot's Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner
From the polished, slightly-heavy body to the port replicator to the geeky hip pouch, everything feels solidly built -- as we would hope for a product that's been in development for several years.
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That's a full 37 percent larger than the original Replicator, but the machine itself is the same exact size.
ENGADGET: MakerBot unveils Replicator 2, 2X and launches retail store, we go eyes-on
The way it might work is that the typical replicator will have patterns stored for common things, but the owners of something really special like Bass Ale will figure out a way to encrypt the structure so that they can charge you on a per unit basis.
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These three kits are perfect companions to the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer, as they all require custom items to hold the electronics, which can all be 3D printed on a MakerBot.
The new printer has a resolution of 100 microns, by comparison, the original Replicator had a layer resolution of 270 microns.
ENGADGET: MakerBot unveils Replicator 2, 2X and launches retail store, we go eyes-on
That's the quandary we tackle in this edition of our weekly tablet mag as Brian Heater spends some quality time with the MakerBot Replicator at Engadget's NYC Headquarters.
ENGADGET: Distro Issue 52: Does the MakerBot Replicator signal the dawn of in-home 3D printing?
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