Today MakerBot Labs announced the new MakerBot Experimental Extruder, which brings a completely revamped experience to the 5th Generation and + Series of MakerBot 3D Printers.
You can print faster with draft nozzles (swap quickly between your reliable Smart Extruder+ or Tough PLA Extruder with the new Experimental Extruder) and explore new materials from third party providers, like Colorfabb and others (think: bronze, copper, cork, wood!)
- Range of New Material Options – Push the boundaries of MakerBot 3D printing with interchangeable nozzles, custom material print modes, and unlocked advanced print settings.
- Switch Nozzles Quickly and Easily – Quickly switch from the reliability of the Smart Extruder+ to the Experimental Extruder to test the limits of your ideas. You’ll still enjoy the same advanced jam detection, z-homing, and filament detection sensors as you have with the Smart Extruder+ and the Tough PLA Extruder.
- Faster Print Speeds – Print existing PLA materials with the included large diameter draft nozzles and dramatically reduce total print time.
- Hack Your MakerBot – With a modified thermal core and a more secure thermal barrier tube, the Experimental Extruder was redesigned to make changing nozzles easier. You can download and print the Experimental Jig to provide a more stable platform too.
It’s worth noting the Experimental Extruder is an experimental product and is not covered under warranty or MakerCare.
MakerBot also announced the new MakerBot Labs Community so you can get the most out of the new extruder. You can post questions to a community of creators and experimenters, find tips and tricks, and discover custom print modes as you push the limits of your Experimental Extruder.
We are really excited for this new development, and we know many of our customers are too. What’s even more exciting is you can get your hands on the new Experimental Extruder to test it out before the product starts shipping in November!
We’ve had to keep this fun tidbit under wraps for a few weeks but our upcoming 3D Printing with Experimental Materials Workshops will be focused on this new extruder. Join us complete a full lesson plan designing and printing a fun part using the new Experimental Extruder on our MakerBot Replicator+ 3D printers. Simply register here.
