MakerBeam Building Sets Now On Sale

Remember MakerBeam, the T-slot variant that began as a Kickstarter project?

MakerBeam is a Mini-T open-source building system. Mini-T is a miniature version of T-slot (a technology that is widely used for industrial automation, robotics and machine enclosures.) Not only is it small enough to work as a model building system, but it’s also precise and strong enough to build real machines and robots. It consists of square 10mm extruded aluminum beams, various connectors and the hardware necessary to build just about anything.

This stuff is very cool, and there is absolutely no end to what can be done with it. Motor mounts can bolt directly to the beams and with the use of our small angle brackets, you can mount servos as well. Because MakerBeam is open-source, you’re encouraged to develop and build your own pieces to interlink using the Mini-T standard, even further expanding the possibilities.

Well, the startup has finally begun to ship product, with a set available from Sparkfun. For $130 you get fifty beams in lengths ranging from 4 to 30cm, along with brackets and bolts.

5 Responses to MakerBeam Building Sets Now On Sale

Anonymous on April 19th, 2011 at 4:30 am said:

Love the concept, but MakerBeam seems to be dedicated to doing everything they can to decrease interest. Extremely long development time, a single kit option that has a price too high for adoption growth, no way to get the pieces you actually need…

C’mon guys, surely this isn’t the best you can do? Please tell me that you have plans to develop a store that allows purchase of particular parts? Or let SparkFun do it, whatever.

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Anthony Liekens on April 19th, 2011 at 8:23 am said:

After being interested in getting some T-slots myself, I love the development of these! All measures are in SI units and angles are measured in Tau (http://www.tauday.com), brilliant! I’m going to order a set right this minute and hope more kits, more parts and more information becomes available soon.

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Andrew James Pratt on October 14th, 2011 at 11:17 am said:

i like this product but it doesnt have all the brackets i want so what i will have to do is buy the kit a vernier caliper and a makerbot and tinker cad all the brackets i need for my project. As i say “i dream, i create, i see”

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AbsCoder on March 19th, 2012 at 12:06 am said:

A year later and ” Anonymous” is still pretty much spot on. There is a Nederland web-store for purchasing specific pieces, but the prices are too high esp after the shipping costs outside of Europe. I’m looking into extruding them in the States as a better alternative. Also since the pieces I’ve seen have a *horrible* finish, I want to have then bright anodized.

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