I think we have established that 3D printers are awesome. From organs and houses to guns and drugs, 3D printers are the future. Of course, you now want a 3D printer of your very own, but you don’t know where to get one. If you have the cash and a free weekend, one group will show you how to build your own.
Starting on July 28, NextFab Studio will be hosting three weekend events in Philadelphia where people will be building their own MendelMax 1.5, the most advanced version of the RepRap 3D printer. How does that work? Well, the RepRap is a particularly awesome 3D printer because it’s made primarily out of plastic. That means that you can build a 3D printer with a 3D printer.
The weekend classes will cost you $2,000. That’s about the price of an assembled RepRap printer so you get the printer and the knowledge of how to make your own for such a low price. As an added bonus, they will even thrown in a free copy of MOI v2, 3D modeling software that will allow you to make your own models for printing.
So you’re already at the “Shut up and take my money” phase. What will you need to start building your new 3D printer? Surprisingly, not a lot.
The deadline for session one has already passed, but you can still jump on the registration for the next two sessions. For the August 11 session, you will have to sign up by July 28. For the August 25 session, you will have to sign up by August 11. You can buy your ticket to the event over at EventBrite.
Considering that you will be the envy of all your friends with a 3D printer, the price definitely seems worth it. Since you can bring up to two friends along for the ride, splitting the cost for the kit will be pretty easy.