MakerBot today unveiled the company’s next-gen 3D printer with bigger and better specs, aiming to capitalize on the fast growing market for 3D printing enthusiasts and professionals. The Makerbot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer is the company’s fourth-generation 3D printer, and provides 100-micron layer resolution and a build volume of 410 cubic inches, both significant increases over previous Makerbot models.
MakerBot has built a reputation as a company that brings affordable, open source 3D printers to the masses, and in particular, the hobbyists that are keen to purchase a kit product and assemble their machines at home. This latest release is a clear shift from that and the new Replicator 2 is aimed at engineers and creative professionals, with its new sleek black metal finish that comes fully assembled, allowing users to print more sophisticated objects. According to the company, users need only lift the Replicator 2 out of the box and plug it in to get started.
修改后的复制器2还包括一个名为Makerware的软件更新，该软件简化了打印对象的行为，以更快，更一致地打印。Makerware允许您将多个型号拖放到虚拟平台中，并在发送打印之前对其进行缩放并单独或同时调整它们。
The company has set it self an ambitious target of democratizing desktop manufacturing and competing against mainstream 3D printer manufacturers. The company raised $10 million last year from a group of venture capital companies and angel investors to set the company on this path. This is MakerBot’s big moment — similar to how Apple made desktop publishing mainstream nearly 30 years ago — and it seems the company is putting down a multimillion dollar wager that 3D printing has hit its mainstream moment.
The Replicator 2 is available now via the公司的网站, distributors and the company’s new flagship store in Manhattan for $2,199, with four to six week lead time on deliveries.
About Makerbot
总部位于布鲁克林的Makerbot®（www.makerbot.com）成立于2009年，已成长为桌面3D打印的全球领导者。Makerbot在2009年至2011年底制造的所有3D打印机（工业和个人）中拥有16％的市场份额。2011年，Makerbot拥有21.6％的市场份额。
工程师，设计师，研究人员和喜欢做事的人使用的是13,000多个Makerbot Desktop 3D打印机。在Makerbot的网站上Thingiverse, MakerBot owners can access and contribute to a “universe of things.” More than 28,000 projects, models, and things are available that can be downloaded and printed on a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer!
