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}}'''[[wikipedia:MakerBot|MakerBot Industries, LLC]]''' was an American technology company specializing in the design and manufacture of 3D printing peripherals and accessories. Originally on offshoot of the [[wikipedia:RepRap|RepRap]] project, MakerBot initially produced open-source kit printers and operated the public project repository: Thingiverse - which MakerBot's founders created in 2008. In 2012 with the launch of it's Replicator 2 3D printer, MakerBot fully pivoted to closed-source consumer and enterprise machines. It was acquired by [[Stratasys]] in June 2013.<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyclay/2013/06/19/3d-printing-company-makerbot-acquired-in-604-million-deal/#4f6d94091ef8</ref>
}}'''[[wikipedia:MakerBot|MakerBot Industries, LLC]]''' was an American technology company specializing in the design and manufacture of 3D printing peripherals and accessories. Originally on offshoot of the [[wikipedia:RepRap|RepRap]] project, MakerBot initially produced open-source kit printers and operated the public project repository: Thingiverse - which MakerBot's founders created in 2008. In 2012 with the launch of it's Replicator 2 3D printer, MakerBot fully pivoted to closed-source consumer and enterprise machines. It was acquired by [[Stratasys]] in June 2013.<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyclay/2013/06/19/3d-printing-company-makerbot-acquired-in-604-million-deal/#4f6d94091ef8</ref>


MakerBot was at one point, the market leader in desktop FDM 3D printers, but it's market dominance was steadily eroded by an explosion in popularity of less-expensive, open-source competitors.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20171027020235/https://fortune.com/2015/11/27/why-makerbot-and-3d-systems-are-losing-the-desktop-3d-market/</ref> Its closed-source machines and business practices proved to be unpopular with the largely DIY-focused maker community. Starting in 2015, MakerBot began to focus more on the enterprise and education markets, ultimately abandoning the consumer market by 2017. It also laid off hundreds of employees during this time.<ref>https://www.vice.com/en/article/makerbot-just-laid-off-20-percent-of-its-staff/</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20170702132043/https://fortune.com/2017/02/15/makerbot-3d-printing-layoffs/</ref>
MakerBot was at one point, the market leader in desktop FDM 3D printers, but its market dominance was steadily eroded by an explosion in popularity of less-expensive, open-source competitors.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20171027020235/https://fortune.com/2015/11/27/why-makerbot-and-3d-systems-are-losing-the-desktop-3d-market/</ref> Its closed-source machines and business practices proved to be unpopular with the largely DIY-focused maker community. Starting in 2015, MakerBot began to focus more on the enterprise and education markets, ultimately abandoning the consumer market by 2017. It also laid off hundreds of employees during this time.<ref>https://www.vice.com/en/article/makerbot-just-laid-off-20-percent-of-its-staff/</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20170702132043/https://fortune.com/2017/02/15/makerbot-3d-printing-layoffs/</ref>


On August 31, 2022, Stratasys finalized a merger between MakerBot and its long-time market competitor Ultimaker.<ref>https://investors.stratasys.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/793/stratasys-completes-merger-of-makerbot-with-ultimaker</ref> The merged company is known as Ultimaker, with the MakerBot branding only retained for its Sketch line of education-focused 3D printers.
On August 31, 2022, Stratasys finalized a merger between MakerBot and its long-time market competitor Ultimaker.<ref>https://investors.stratasys.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/793/stratasys-completes-merger-of-makerbot-with-ultimaker</ref> The merged company is known as Ultimaker, with the MakerBot branding only retained for its Sketch line of education-focused 3D printers.
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==Controversies==<!-- add a preamble here -->
==Controversies==<!-- add a preamble here -->
The company has been involved in a number of controversies dating as far back as 2012, spanning a variety of issues and subjects.
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===References:===
== References ==
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[[Category:3D printer companies]]
[[Category:3D printer companies]]

Revision as of 13:45, 30 January 2025

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MakerBot
Basic information
Founded 2009
Type Subsidiary
Industry Technology
Official website https://makerbot.com/

MakerBot Industries, LLC was an American technology company specializing in the design and manufacture of 3D printing peripherals and accessories. Originally on offshoot of the RepRap project, MakerBot initially produced open-source kit printers and operated the public project repository: Thingiverse - which MakerBot's founders created in 2008. In 2012 with the launch of it's Replicator 2 3D printer, MakerBot fully pivoted to closed-source consumer and enterprise machines. It was acquired by Stratasys in June 2013.[1]

MakerBot was at one point, the market leader in desktop FDM 3D printers, but its market dominance was steadily eroded by an explosion in popularity of less-expensive, open-source competitors.[2] Its closed-source machines and business practices proved to be unpopular with the largely DIY-focused maker community. Starting in 2015, MakerBot began to focus more on the enterprise and education markets, ultimately abandoning the consumer market by 2017. It also laid off hundreds of employees during this time.[3][4]

On August 31, 2022, Stratasys finalized a merger between MakerBot and its long-time market competitor Ultimaker.[5] The merged company is known as Ultimaker, with the MakerBot branding only retained for its Sketch line of education-focused 3D printers.

Controversies

The company has been involved in a number of controversies dating as far back as 2012, spanning a variety of issues and subjects.

Controversy Year Background Info Aftermath Related Article Related Video(s)
Switch to closed-source 2012 MakerBot abandoned its original open-source business practices in favor of developing closed-source machines with proprietary components and software.[6] The move was unpopular with consumers, and MakerBot began to lose its market share to less-expensive, open-source 3D printers over the course of the next decade.
Thingiverse terms of use 2012 MakerBot updated the Thingiverse terms of use, appearing to assert ownership over anything uploaded to the site, despite users being allowed to dictate their own usage terms under Creative Commons.[7] Ongoing, even after the absorption of MakerBot by Ultimaker in 2022.
Accusations of IP theft 2014 MakerBot was accused of stealing and patenting user-uploaded designs from its public design repository, Thingiverse.[8] MakerBot denied wrongdoing and showed its patents were filed before the contested designs were shared, but the accusation highlighted ongoing concerns with Thingiverse's terms of use.[9]
Smart Extruder unreliability 2015 Makerbot was hit with a class-action lawsuit, claiming the Smart Extruder for its fifth-generation printers was deliberately engineered to fail in order to boost sales for replacement components.[10] The suit was dismissed by the court, which decided that MakerBot did not mislead customers.[11] MakerBot would later release a more reliable, albeit more expensive Smart Extruder+.[12]

References