Have you seen Wired
magazine’s recent cover story
on the 3D printer that could change the world?
Connector Products’ president
Nick Polidori read the article and heard the buzz surrounding the printer, so he knew he had to see the MakerBot Replicator 2 for
himself. He hoped that the printer—the first affordable 3D printer to hit the
market—could keep up with the fast pace of innovation at CPI. Nick and engineer
Jorye Gross often respond to requests from customers to design special products,
or tweak the original designs of older products. Having a 3D printer in the office would allow them to maintain closer creative control over the designs.
After doing research
on MakerBot’s website, Nick learned that the Makerbot store in NYC offers a course to
teach engineering-minded children to design their own product using Minecraft, so
he thought that his son Kai would love opportunity to tinker. On a Saturday
morning in early fall, Nick and Kai drove to the MakerBot store so that Kai
could participate in the class to celebrate his 9th birthday and
Nick could investigate the printers.
While Kai worked on a MacBook Pro to
design a pyramid in Minecraft, Nick talked to the store’s employees to find out
whether the printer could be a smart addition to CPI’s collection of high-tech
machines. As the class ended, Kai and Nick eagerly watched the
Makerbot’s spool of plastic heat up and, like a hot glue gun, eject cheerful red
plastic to build a small, layered pyramid. Nick realized that printing early
prototypes for redesigns and new products could take just hours with Makerbot,
and save CPI money.
Although the Polidoris went to New York to celebrate Kai’s
birthday, it was Nick who left the city with a shiny new toy.
Over the last few months, Nick and Jorye have used the
Makerbot to help design new products, including the Snoot Clamp, and redesign
the rail clamp and 2 core wedge tap.
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Sometimes, developing “better products by design” means
investing in the hottest new gadgets on the market.
For more information about Makerbot Replicator 2, click
here.
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