Replicator

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= 3D printer


Description

"The Replicator is being sold for $1,749 (£1,130) for the basic version that makes objects in one colour. An additional $250 buys a two-colour version.

Each spool of plastic sells for about $50 - enough to build a toy castle playset which would cost up to three times the price in a store.

"It's a machine that makes you anything you need," Makerbot's chief executive, Bre Pettis, tells the BBC.

"Handy in an apocalypse or just handy for making shower curtain rings and bathtub plugs.

"We want to get this into the hands of the next generation because kids these days are going to have to learn digital design so they can solve the problems of tomorrow."

Objects can be created on a computer using free online software such as TinkerCAD or Google Sketchup, before being transferred to the Replicator on a SD memory card.

Alternatively other people's designs can be downloaded from Makerbot's community website Thingiverse.

The site follows open source principles - any design uploaded to it must be shared for free.

"We get asked a lot: 'When will I be able to buy objects?' and I think that is a relic of consumerist lifestyles," says Mr Pettis.

"I would like to live in the future where somebody creates a digital design - maybe a great faucet handle - and after that nobody needs to recreate a faucet handle because it's been done. Or maybe if they want to make it a little bit different it or add their initials they can do that.

"But I don't think we need a marketplace. It's a sharing world. We are at the dawn of the age of sharing where even if you try to sell things the world is going to share it anyway." (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16503443)


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