Personal Manufacturing Machine Makers
= machine builders that focus exclusively on the sale of personal-scale manufacturing machines.
URL = http://www.makerbot.com
Location: New York, New York.
"MakerBot makes and sells affordable 3D printers that print plastics. Their leading 3D printer is called CupCake CNC which was has its technological roots in an open source hardware design for a model of 3D printer called RepRap that was invented at the University of Bath. Machine blueprints for CupCake can be freely downloaded. The CupCake is unique in that it can replicate its own parts. Users purchase machine kits online and assemble them at home. It takes two skilled people about two days to assemble a CupCake. MakerBot sales are strong. It began to sell kits in April, 2009. In March, 2010, 11 months later, the company reported it had sold 695 kits." (http://web.mae.cornell.edu/lipson/FactoryAtHome.pdf)
URL = http://lumenlab.com
Location: The United Kingdom.
LumenLab sells Multipurpose Machines, meaning their personal-scale machines have the ability to use a number of different toolings, including 3D printing, 3D milling, and precision-engraving.
"LumenLab’s two machine models are the micro v3 that’s about 10 by 12 inches in size and costs $1294, and the larger m2 for $1799, which is about 19 inches square." (http://web.mae.cornell.edu/lipson/FactoryAtHome.pdf)
- Bits From Bytes, Ltc.
URL = http://www.bitsfrombytes.com
Location: United Kingcom.
Bits From Bytes sells kits for 3D printers for home, classroom and small business use. Bits From Bytes was recently acquired by a larger 3D manufacturing machine company called 3D Systems. Bits From Bytes plans to continue to sell their low-end 3D printers. Their BFB300 sells for 2000 euro and can print a number of different materials. Their 3D printers are also based on the RapRap Darwin open source machine created by researchers at Bath University in England. As of March, 2010, Bits from Bytes was shipping about 200 kits a month." (http://web.mae.cornell.edu/lipson/FactoryAtHome.pdf)