Maybe you thought – like me – that a 3D printer which could produce 3D models by printing layers of plastics cost ten thousands of dollars. Well, not neccessarily.

A group of enthusiasts invented an “open source” 3D printer which you can build yourself. And it will cost you a mere 750 USD in parts (or 2.500 USD as a complete assembled version if you are lazy enough to not do it yourself). They call it “MakerBot“. This miracle uses the same technology – layered drops of melted plastic – as the commercial 3D printers. MakerBot can use the plastic materials ABS, HDPE or PLA. The maximum size of a 3D object it can print is 10 × 10 × 12 cm with the resolution of 0.085 mm.

From the software side, it understands the STL file format so you can directly use 3D parts from Inventor or AutoCAD.

And now an obvious question – if MakerBot can produce (“print”) really any 3D model, with its internal structures, can it also produce a … MakerBot?

See the MakerBot video: