This blog is, in my opinion, just a shill. Makerbot has not "solved the reliability problem of their smart extruders", they still suck. They do offer "five packs" of them though so you can go through them like over priced ink cartridges. And 100 x 100 x 125 as a build volume is limited to really about 75 x 75 x 100, so great if you're making key chain fobs but not so great if you are making anything else.
Not to mention that the Makerbot Mini is nearly $1400 whereas a Printrbot Simple Metal is $700 (with a heated bed so you can print ABS plastic with it) does better prints and you can fix it with parts that cost way less than a single "smart" extruder at $175.
I loved the Makezine weekend projects with Bre Pettis (the guy in the video).
It's horrible to see what a fat greedy bastard he has become.
Taking from the OS community, giving nothing back and then even selling out to stratasys, a company that has actively fought DIY and OS 3D printers with its patents for decades.
I had a great time with Bre when he was in Vienna at metalab, witnessing him build one of the first 3d-printing-cocktail robots for roboexotica, way back when .. I had no idea things were going to go so far south with him and his dealings, alas. He was genuinely a nice guy, willing to help, and seemed to respect the ethos of the shared/open source community. It was indeed a pity to see him sell out to stratasys - seems he could've handled that situation better. But maybe that was one of the most valuable things he taught, in the end - that you can't always expect people to behave according to one groups ethics when money/fame/fortune is on the line. Alas I've seen it happen a few times around the metalab scene too; its not something that is exclusive to just a few kinds of people.
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[ 0.10 ms ] story [ 17.6 ms ] threadand i love how 3d printer sellers never mention the flaws of the material used for the filament. it's all perfect.
Not to mention that the Makerbot Mini is nearly $1400 whereas a Printrbot Simple Metal is $700 (with a heated bed so you can print ABS plastic with it) does better prints and you can fix it with parts that cost way less than a single "smart" extruder at $175.
It's horrible to see what a fat greedy bastard he has become.
Taking from the OS community, giving nothing back and then even selling out to stratasys, a company that has actively fought DIY and OS 3D printers with its patents for decades.