

MakerBot showed off their new Cupcake CNC at the Consumer Electronics Show and there was a constant crowd trying to get a glimpse at the 3-D plastic printer. Basically the printer draws each layer of a design, then draws the next on top of it.

According to a MakerBot press release it works just like a glue gun.

To get a sense of how it works, imagine an extremely accurate, programmable glue gun. The Cupcake CNC starts by drawing a picture of the first layer of your object in plastic. It then raises the extruder up 1/3rd of a millimeter and draws the next layer. When all the layers are complete, you’ve manufactured a 3D object from your own or an open source design.

The device serves — a DIY kit itself– as a good glimpse into the subculture of do-it-yourself technology. While it’s not financially connected to Make Magazine or the popular open-source Audrino chip and operating system, MakerBot’s founder Bre Pettis has plenty of connections. Pettis created videos for Make Magazine and the MakerBot printer runs on the Audrino system.

The first few printers that come up on a Google search are $14,900 and $35,000, and the cheapest one on EBay is 4,999.98, so at $950 the MakerBot printer is a bit easier on the pocket book.

The printer can be used to make a robot shell for one of the many robotics kits out there or make a little gondola for a blimp kit.

At even the low price of $950, the MakerBot 3-D printer is a bit rich for the occasional tinkerer, but since the DIY movement is incredibly well connected, it could make a great addition to a local hackerspace and would be quite affordable if a few members split the cost. Renting out the MakerBot to other local makers could make up for a lot of the costs as well, though I didn’t find anything on Craigslist, talking to local makers could put one on the right track.

All in all, the MakerBot printer is a really interesting step in DIY tech and gets techies closer to putting their imaginations instead of their money into their new gizmo.

Below is some more video of the MakerBot printer in action at the 2010 CES.