To Celebrate, MakerBot Launches #MakerMilestones Social Media Contest, Reduces Flagship MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printer to $2,499 for a Limited Time

BROOKLYN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MakerBot, a global leader in the desktop 3D printing industry, today announced that it has sold more than 100,000 3D printers worldwide. By providing the most accessible and easy-to-use 3D printing experience, MakerBot is the first company in the 3D printing industry to reach this important milestone.

"Being the first company to have sold 100,000 3D printers is a major milestone for MakerBot and the entire industry," said Jonathan Jaglom, CEO at MakerBot. "MakerBot has made 3D printing more accessible and today is empowering businesses and educators to redefine whats possible. What was once a product used only by makers and hobbyists has matured significantly and become an indispensible tool that is changing the way students learn and businesses innovate."

MakerBot Milestones

MakerBot was one of the first companies to make 3D printing accessible and affordable. Since its founding in 2009, MakerBot has consistently pushed the boundaries of whats possible with 3D printing and has introduced many industry firsts. Thingiverse was the first platform where anyone could share 3D designs and launched even before MakerBot was founded. In 2009, MakerBot introduced its first 3D printer, the Cupcake CNC, at SXSW. In 2010, MakerBot became the first company to present a 3D printer at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Now, 3D printing is its own category at CES with a myriad of 3D printing companies from around the world in attendance each year.

After being acquired by Stratasys in 2013, MakerBot introduced its Fifth Generation 3D Printers in 2014, which were the first Wi-Fi connected desktop 3D printers with a swappable Smart Extruder. Today, out of the 100,000 3D Printers MakerBot has sold over 40,000 are Wi-Fi connected. Thingiverse also recently hit a major milestone when it announced one million uploads to its site in October 2015.

MakerBot customers have created a range of amazing designs over the years that have changed industries and lives. For example, a woodworker from Johannesburg, South Africa, and a theatrical prop designer from Seattle, Washington were able to work together across 10,000 miles to create a prosthetic hand that has been used to better the lives of hundreds of people across the globe. The Feinstein Institute is also using 3D printing to solve problems in the medical field by 3D printing tracheal replicas to perfect the construction of tissues they will use in their patients.

MakerBots commitment to educators also continues to grow through Thingiverse challenges like the MakerED and Thingiversity S.T.E.A.M challenges and through product offerings like MakerBot in the Classroom and the MakerBot Innovation Center. Following the openings of a number of MakerBot Innovation Centers across the United States at universities like Penn State University and the University of Maryland, its clear the 3D printing is a crucial part to educating students and preparing them for jobs of the future.

"3D printing has become a major focal point in our school with children as young as five using tools like MakerBot PrintShop™ to create their own designs," said Yolanda Valencia, chair of science and engineering at Gulliver Middle School in Miami, FL. "Because MakerBot 3D Printers are so easy to use, our middle school students can move on to more advanced projects. Right now they are working together to find sustainable solutions in urban planning and above all learning crucial skills that they will use for the rest of their lives like critical thinking, collaboration and product development."

Tell MakerBot Your #MakerMilestones

To celebrate and recognize those who aspire to innovate, MakerBot is reducing the MakerBot Replicator from $2,899 to $2,499 until June 15, 2016. MakerBot is also launching a social media contest to encourage customers to share their own #MakerMilestones for a chance to win one of three MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printers. Whether its building prosthetic hands for children, powering advancement in biotechnology or simply designing the loudest whistle possible for a Thingiverse Make it Loud Challenge, MakerBot wants to know what your #MakerMilestones have been over the years.

"Were challenging people across our social media platforms to share their #MakerMilestones," said Colby Dennison, Vice President of marketing at MakerBot. "Tell us the moment in which 3D printing inspired you, changed the way you work or led to a positive outcome for a student, colleague, or friend."

A panel of judges will select the best of the submitted stories from the 50 most popular posts across MakerBots social media platforms. The judges include Jonathan Jaglom, MakerBot CEO, Deanne Bell, Co-Host of CNBCs Make Me A Millionaire Inventor and Founder and CEO of Future Engineers, Jason Frasca, Entrepreneurship Instructor at Montclair State University, and Tom and Tracy Hazzard, CEO and COO of Hazz Design and Cohosts of the WTFFF?! 3D Printing Podcast. MakerBot will award three 3D printers with filament and MakerCare to the winners so they can continue to be inspired and inspire those around them. More details on the #MakerMilestones contest are available here.

About MakerBot

MakerBot believes there's an innovator in everyone, and sets the standard in reliability and ease of use. As a global leader in the desktop 3D printing industry, MakerBot offers a set of solutions that illuminate and guide every stage of the 3D printing process, making it easy to go from idea to end result. Founded in 2009, MakerBot has the largest install base in the industry with more than 100,000 MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers sold to date. MakerBot also runs Thingiverse, the largest 3D design community in the world. The company's industry-leading customers include designers, educators, engineers, and consumers. To learn more about MakerBot, visit makerbot.com