It's been a busy month for Brooklyn-based 3D printer manufacturer MakerBot. First, the company's Replicator 2 was added to Amazon's 3D printer store, and then a few days later, Israeli firm Stratasys acquired MakerBot for $403 million. This week, MakerBot announced that it was working with Microsoft to develop a 3D printing driver for Windows 8.1 that would deliver plug-n-play compatibility for its devices.
Microsoft made the announcement on Wednesday at its Build developers' conference in San Francisco. While the public release date for Windows 8.1 has not been announced yet, the company showed developers a working version of the overhauled OS with built-in support for 3D printing.
"Our goal to is to make the experience of 3D printing as easy as creating and printing a document using Microsoft Word," said Shanen Boettcher, general manager of Microsoft's Startup Business Group, in a press statement. "We're thrilled incredible companies like MakerBot are implementing Windows 8.1 support to make 3D printing a reality for the masses."
MakerBot has always maintained that one of its most important goals was to bring 3D printing into the mainstream and create products that would be obtainable for the average consumer. Although the Replicator 2, at more than $2,100, is still prohibitively expensive for most, the company continues to build strategic partnerships to make 3D printer technology more attainable.
"MakerBot is about creating the MakerBot 3D Ecosystem that makes 3D designing and printing more accessible. We want to empower more people to create and make things, and working with Microsoft helps our mission, "said Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. "Giving people the tools to innovate and invent just by hitting 'print' and sending it to your MakerBot Replicator 2 is an exciting part of fueling the Next Industrial Revolution. I am excited about the opportunities this combination will bring to our current and future customers."
In addition to collaborating on the 3D printing driver, Microsoft and MakerBot will also be retail partners. The Replicator 2 is already available through Microsoft's online store and a few brick-and-mortal locations even keep the printer in stock and offer demonstrations.
