Makerbot Digitizer: Desktop 3D scanner goes on sale

A desktop device that can quickly scan
objects so they can be replicated using a
3D printer has gone on sale.
The Makerbot Digitizer, which costs
$1,400 (£900), will be shipped to the
first buyers in October.
Demand for the machine appeared to
overload the company's store when it
went on sale on Thursday evening.
The Digitizer is the latest product looking
to bring 3D printing to mainstream
technology users - but experts are
sceptical.
The machine is designed to allow the
replication of objects without any need
for the user to learn any 3D modelling
software or have any other special
expertise.
It works by pointing several lasers at the
object and detecting contours in the
surface.
It also allows users to upload their 3D
designs directly to Thingiverse, a website
where 3D designs can be shared.
No hamburgers
The time it takes to scan an object
varies, but one demonstration involving a
small gnome was said to take around 12
minutes.
"The MakerBot Digitizer is for early
adopters, experimenters, and visionaries
who want to be pioneers in Desktop 3D
Scanning," the company says.
"This includes, but is not limited to,
architects, designers, creative hobbyists,
educators, and artists."
However, Makerbot has made it clear
that the scanner is not suitable for
intricate designs and that users should
not expect "too much" from the machine.
"Expectations should be realistic," the
machine's FAQ page reads. "You will not
be able to, for example, scan a
hamburger and then eat the digital
design."
It adds that objects that are shiny,
reflective, and fuzzy are not well suited to
scanning.
Despite the industry's hopes that 3D
printing will be hugely popular in the
near future, others have dismissed home
3D printing as something of a gimmick.
"Appearances have become completely
unhinged from reality when it comes to
the mania created in so-called '3D
Printing' stocks," warned influential
investment analysts Citron Research.