MakerBot is building an empire selling printers that make things—but have you ever wondered where the printers themselves are made? On June 7th, the company opened a huge new factory to accommodate the booming demand for Replicators, and we got a first-hand look inside.
At the 50,00-square-foot operation, which is located on the waterfront deep in south Brooklyn, a staff of one hundred MakerBot "productors" make each Replicator by hand. Each machine goes through two stages of assembly, and then receives an additional few stages of testing, before they're packaged up and shipped out. The facility also contains a dedicated section called the BotFarm for experimenting with printing new and interesting objects on the Replicator. And if your Replicator breaks down, they have a repair facility on site, too.
For 3D printing enthusiasts who think MakerBot's SoHo botique is the equivalent to an amusement park, start planning your trip—this place is Disneyland.