or this post could be titled …  “Open source intern tells all!”1

A review of the MakerBot Industries Cupcake CNC today from a former MakerBot intern discusses the MakerBot’s use as a tool.  Some of the comments bring to suggest its usage as an expensive toy.  I’ve used my MakerBot as a tool to print tools and as a tool to print toys.  I suppose at the point I’m using it to print up toys I’m really using as a toy.

I’m fairly confident my MakerBot will pay for itself.  That’s not a claim most people can make about their toys.  I have printed replacement parts for toys, broken parts around the house, and broken tools – thereby saving me those replacement costs.  This probably doesn’t amount to more than $20 or so.  That’s not a great return on an investment, but it is returning

1. The Lost Blog Posts
2. Plastruder! [Draft 12/25/2009]
3. UNTITLED [Draft 12/25/2009]
4. Preparing to print [Draft 12/27/2009]
5. More prints [Draft 01/04/2010]
6. Prototype Pricing [Draft 01/19/2010]
7. MakerBot tuning [Draft 01/20/2010]
8. Plastic Screw Anchor [Draft 02/02/2010]
9. Magic [Draft 02/03/2010]
10. How are you printing with PLA? [Draft 02/16/2010]
11. Rebuilding my extruder [Draft 02/16/2010]
12. MY robot [Draft 02/18/2010]
13. more things i learned [Draft 02/20/2010]
14. First commissioned piece! [Draft 02/22/2010]
15. MakerBot: Toy or Tool? [02/25/2010]
16. Idea for Skeinforge settings… [Draft 03/27/2010]
17. RepRap and MakerBot alternatives [Draft 04/05/2010]
18. RepRap Parts for Sale [Draft 04/07/2010]

1. …  ’cause, you know, it was all… open source. [↩]