Bre interview with BBC
International CES and MakerBot have gone hand-in-hand throughout the years, the Las Vegas tradeshow has been a second home for the Bre Pettis’ Brooklyn-based 3D printers.
This year’s show will be MakerBot’s fifth year in attendance at the world’s biggest consumer-electronics show. At the 2010 show they were one of the only 3D printing companies present, now they’re rubbing shoulders with tens of other companies in a dedicated 3D Printing Techzone, which is incidentally sponsored by us here at TCT + Personalize.
In an interview with BBC’s technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, the MakerBot CEO dropped his biggest hint that MakerBot will once again make a significant announcement at CES. In 2012 they launched the first generation Replicator and last year it was the Replicator 2X. Can we expect a next-gen MakerBot in 2014?
The interview is one of the more interesting mainstream 3D printing interviews we’ve see, with Rory Cellan-Jones in fine fettle. Previously the BBC have lacked knowledge in reporting of the technology this time Rory was equipped wih all the requisite knowledge. After allowing Bre to hail how far the technology has come, saying that - “3D printing is now at the stage were everyone knows somebody who has one and soon it will become ubiquitous.” – Rory asked a rather prickly question pondering whether the technology will ever be able to print more than just plastic trinkets to which Bre responded with the Robohand project. Touché!
After talking at length about the undoubtedly excellent Robohand project Bre was asked about what the killer app would be that would bring 3D printing to the masses and responded with: “It’s like asking ‘is there a particular song that will really make music take-off?”
The interview is quite a fascinating watch as Bre more than holds his own against a clearly clued Cellan-Jones. Bre states that although he’s glad that the growth of the industry is reflected by the 3D printing zone he’d still like to be the only ones doing it.
He finishes the interview with an incredible tease, “This year will be a pivotal year at CES, what we’re going to see will define what will happen in the future of 3D printing,” and with a wry eye Bre Pettis concludes the interview with “there may or may not be something big at CES…”
Any news that comes out of the 3D Printing Techzone at CES 2014, TCT will be the first place to come!
