3D printing is all the rage
If you haven’t discovered 3D printing yet, it’s time to get into it. 3D printers have been around since the 80’s, but the technology has only recently become available to the common consumer.
Makerarm is a startup that has set out to help people “make anything, anywhere.” The Makerarm is a desktop mounted robotic arm with a number of interchangeable tool heads that help you fabricate just about anything right from your home office or workshop.
The quick-changing heads include tools for 3D printing, plotting, milling, engraving, assembly, and more. According to 3Dprintingindustry.com, the Makerarm is “one of the most flexible and capable desktop hybrid machine[s] yet designed.”
Makerarm is like 10 cool 3D machines in one
The Makerarm combines the functions of several other high-tech fabrication machines such as the Makerbot Replicator, the Pegasus Touch, Carvey, LazerBlade, and Squink. You’d have to own all of these machines together to do what Makerarm can do alone.
Besides 3D printing, the Makerarm can also cut, laser engrave and etch a variety of materials, and can do some light-duty milling of plastics, woods, and soft metals. It can create large scale drawings for practical or artistic purposes.
It can assemble electronics, drill, glue, and solder, and can pick things up and move them around as needed. You can even teach Makerarm to perform new functions, like icing a cake or feeding your fish.
Makerarm could change the 3D printing world
If there’s something the Makerarm can’t do yet, you can purchase a hardware development kit that allows you to create custom tool heads. The Makerarm can manufacture or assemble items that are 30 inches in diameter and up to 10 inches high; yet the entire assembly has a small footprint and fits easily on your desktop.
You can pre-order a Makerarm and get the first machines as they come off the assembly line. For $999 you get the Makerarm, as well as Makerarm’s custom design software. You’ll also get a one year subscription for Autodesk Fusion 360, a CAD/CAM and tool path generation software that can help you bring your designs to life.
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