Makers can’t actually own a MakerBot 3D Scanner, the Digitizer, until the tools start shipping in October, but they can see the device this weekend, at The New York Maker Faire.
MakerBot will be showing off the Digitizer on the Innovation Stage on Saturday at 1 PM. The Maker Faire takes place at the New York Hall of Science in Queens.
The Digitizer is available for pre-order, for $1400. Manufactured in Brooklyn, MakerBot is advertising the scanner with the language: “Calling Early Adopters — Intended for experimenters and visionaries who are ready to blaze a trail into 3D creation.” Which might be a way of gently reminding users that it is still brand new technology.
Most 3D scanners till the Digitizer appear to cost around $3,000 to $10,000.
- The scan volume for the Digitizer is an 8″ tall cylinder, 8″ in diameter.
- It renders objects with 0.5 mm resolution in approximately 200,000 triangles.
- Scans take about 12 minutes.
- The MakerWare for Digitizer software the renders the object without any need for repair or patching by the user.
- Designs generated by the scanner are watertight, meaning there are no gaps in the model.
- It cannot recreate machines with moving parts. Nor is it meant to scan living things.
The Digitizer is meant to generate a quick and easy 3D model of real world objects, allowing makers to quickly create a design of the object that they can reproduce with any 3D printer. The site explains that the designs can then be easily modified, combining two 3D printing designs into one or modifying the existing real world object. An FAQ explains the Digitizer’s uses and some of the kinds of objects it has a hard time scanning.
The FAQ also promises more tips and tricks for getting the best results from the scanner in upcoming videos.
Bre Pettis, MakerBot‘s CEO, announced the device in this video on YouTube:
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