Dual-Head Two-Color MakerBots Are Coming!

3D Printing & Imaging
Dual-Head Two-Color MakerBots Are Coming!

On the heels of the Arduino announcement, MakerBot Industries announced their new plastic extruder, the Stepstruder MK 7, the “highest number extruder ever.” It’s significant because it’s the first extruder designed from the ground up for 1.75 mm filament, and it’s much smaller than previous extruder designs.

The small size of the MK 7 means that you can even fit two heads in your ‘Bot. In that vein, MakerBot was also showing off an experimental version of their printers sporting dual Mark 7s and software for rendering 3D objects in two colors. The software is in “experimental public beta,” but with the software, two Mark 7s, and a few tweaks, and you can be a beta tester.

Announcement on the Stepstruder MK 7 here and more about the public beta of the dual-head version soon.

36 thoughts on “Dual-Head Two-Color MakerBots Are Coming!

  1. M. "Shadyman" Lange says:

    The Neighborhood. There goes it.

  2. M. "Shadyman" Lange says:

    The Neighborhood. There goes it.

  3. Aaron & Vicki Tunell says:

    I want to know more about dual extrusion NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  4. Christian Restifo says:

    As they say, two heads are better than one.

    I think it would be neat to not just print two colors but two different materials. Think cheap/ugly for the inside and expensive/nice for the outside. Kind of like gold plating on a cheap base metal. Or, print water soluble PVA on the inside, ABS on the outside, soak, and, ta-da, a hollow object. Or use the water soluble PVA for supports. Just about anything would then be printable as is.

  5. Christian Restifo says:

    As they say, two heads are better than one.

    I think it would be neat to not just print two colors but two different materials. Think cheap/ugly for the inside and expensive/nice for the outside. Kind of like gold plating on a cheap base metal. Or, print water soluble PVA on the inside, ABS on the outside, soak, and, ta-da, a hollow object. Or use the water soluble PVA for supports. Just about anything would then be printable as is.

  6. Christian Restifo says:

    As they say, two heads are better than one.

    I think it would be neat to not just print two colors but two different materials. Think cheap/ugly for the inside and expensive/nice for the outside. Kind of like gold plating on a cheap base metal. Or, print water soluble PVA on the inside, ABS on the outside, soak, and, ta-da, a hollow object. Or use the water soluble PVA for supports. Just about anything would then be printable as is.

  7. Christian Restifo says:

    As they say, two heads are better than one.

    I think it would be neat to not just print two colors but two different materials. Think cheap/ugly for the inside and expensive/nice for the outside. Kind of like gold plating on a cheap base metal. Or, print water soluble PVA on the inside, ABS on the outside, soak, and, ta-da, a hollow object. Or use the water soluble PVA for supports. Just about anything would then be printable as is.

  8. Christian Restifo says:

    As they say, two heads are better than one.

    I think it would be neat to not just print two colors but two different materials. Think cheap/ugly for the inside and expensive/nice for the outside. Kind of like gold plating on a cheap base metal. Or, print water soluble PVA on the inside, ABS on the outside, soak, and, ta-da, a hollow object. Or use the water soluble PVA for supports. Just about anything would then be printable as is.

  9. Christian Restifo says:

    As they say, two heads are better than one.

    I think it would be neat to not just print two colors but two different materials. Think cheap/ugly for the inside and expensive/nice for the outside. Kind of like gold plating on a cheap base metal. Or, print water soluble PVA on the inside, ABS on the outside, soak, and, ta-da, a hollow object. Or use the water soluble PVA for supports. Just about anything would then be printable as is.

  10. Christian Restifo says:

    As they say, two heads are better than one.

    I think it would be neat to not just print two colors but two different materials. Think cheap/ugly for the inside and expensive/nice for the outside. Kind of like gold plating on a cheap base metal. Or, print water soluble PVA on the inside, ABS on the outside, soak, and, ta-da, a hollow object. Or use the water soluble PVA for supports. Just about anything would then be printable as is.

  11. Christian Restifo says:

    As they say, two heads are better than one.

    I think it would be neat to not just print two colors but two different materials. Think cheap/ugly for the inside and expensive/nice for the outside. Kind of like gold plating on a cheap base metal. Or, print water soluble PVA on the inside, ABS on the outside, soak, and, ta-da, a hollow object. Or use the water soluble PVA for supports. Just about anything would then be printable as is.

  12. Christian Restifo says:

    As they say, two heads are better than one.

    I think it would be neat to not just print two colors but two different materials. Think cheap/ugly for the inside and expensive/nice for the outside. Kind of like gold plating on a cheap base metal. Or, print water soluble PVA on the inside, ABS on the outside, soak, and, ta-da, a hollow object. Or use the water soluble PVA for supports. Just about anything would then be printable as is.

  13. Christian Restifo says:

    As they say, two heads are better than one.

    I think it would be neat to not just print two colors but two different materials. Think cheap/ugly for the inside and expensive/nice for the outside. Kind of like gold plating on a cheap base metal. Or, print water soluble PVA on the inside, ABS on the outside, soak, and, ta-da, a hollow object. Or use the water soluble PVA for supports. Just about anything would then be printable as is.

  14. Christian Restifo says:

    As they say, two heads are better than one.

    I think it would be neat to not just print two colors but two different materials. Think cheap/ugly for the inside and expensive/nice for the outside. Kind of like gold plating on a cheap base metal. Or, print water soluble PVA on the inside, ABS on the outside, soak, and, ta-da, a hollow object. Or use the water soluble PVA for supports. Just about anything would then be printable as is.

  15. John Wood says:

    I’d rather see them come out with something edible.  Surely, we will be able to print candy soon.

    1. ali groves says:

      designer Rod Bamford from Sydney’s College of Fine Arts recently catered for the RED OBJECTS exhibition by printing icing onto biscuits.  One step closer to the ‘snozberries taste like snozberries’ dream!

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

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