MakerOS releases a free version of its software suite for designers, makers and entrepreneurs.
The engineers at MakerOS say that the digital fabrication industry is maturing—and maturing rapidly. The company announced this week that its MakerOS software platform is now free for engineers, designers and digital manufacturers.
When the MIT Technology Review reported on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it estimated that $3.7 trillion of value could be created in 2025 by digital manufacturing opportunities. The full MIT report noted three key ideas. First, the Internet of Things is acting as a data-driven vessel for this digital revolution to happen. Second, using data to make decisions yields many benefits to a business, its employees, and its customers. Third, challenges like gaining organizational buy-in and integrating new data systems with existing infrastructure will provide bigger rewards to companies that start slow and small.
By releasing a free version of its software platform, MakerOS hopes to “democratize product development,” according to Mike Moceri, the company’s CEO and founder. The targeted customers are in the additive manufacturing CNC machining, injection molding, post-processing, CAD engineering, and supply chain management industries.
MakerOS is split up into several sub functions.
Projects handles the project management and submission parts of business so that clients can upload their requests for quote electronically. The subsystem also acts as a depository for communications, files, quotes, invoices and project updates. The AutoQuoter accepts a client’s files and then asks for process, material and options like tolerance, quality or finish to output a price. Invoices and quotes can be built from the AutoQuoter and post-processing, machine time, and additional design services are available as add-on options. Custom Online Invoicing can help a client build invoices with the right markup, tax information and payment terms. On the business side, the software can track payments, and partnering with Stripe it can grant the ability to accept credit card and bank account payments with automatic deposit payments made every two business days. The Online Client Portal gives users their own branded space to interact with clients and build relationships. Portal access for a client’s customers does not expire. One benefit of MakerOS billing itself as a turnkey solution is the software’s integration with existing technology tools like Slack, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, and WordPress. One of the biggest draws for me is the Product Inventory Manager, which shows how much material you have on hand, what is on its way to you, and which customer requests are going to be used.
In the past I’ve used tools like the AutoQuoter, and as a customer it was always interesting to see how my parts might be built in small or large quantities using a variety of materials. It’s easy to see how any of the tools built into the platform could be useful for a manager, but to have them all talk back and forth to each other feels like a huge value. Accepting a job and then walking down to the lab to find out that you need to order material before a build can be completed is a huge blow to any schedule, and having inventory counts available on screen sounds just as beneficial as the ability to order more supplies with the click of a button. The MakerOS website is full of customer testimonials and articles, and there is even a space carved out exclusively for MakerOS on 3DPrint.com It’s worth noting that this free integrated software also has pay options for both business and enterprise companies that provide more functions.
