Printing directly from a smartphone has become an everyday reality. Now, you can also use your smartphone to control your 3D printers!
The revolution has begun…
Available for iOS since last summer, the MakerBot app for controlling and managing a 3D printer from your smartphone was sorely missed by the (many) users of the Android system. This is now a thing of the past as MakerBot released the app this week, to the delight of 3D printing enthusiasts who’ve been eagerly awaiting such a moment! Those working frequently in fab labs will be particularly happy!
3D printed robotics platforms, such as the R0 robot arm, are becoming increasingly common and some can even be controlled using a smartphone, like the DARwin-Mini Programmable Humanoid Robot, the latest addition to the Robotis family.
Features and design
The MakerBot app for Android will certainly live up to your expectations. Below we have listed its most important features:
- A simple and intuitive interface for getting started ultra-rapidly
- Ability to select and resize a 3D model from within Thingiverse, the MakerBot community library, where you’ll find just about everything you can imagine (application also available on Android since 20 January)
- Ability to import your own models
- Not only can you launch 3D printing from your smartphone, but you can also pause it and resume it later
- Ability to monitor printing progress in real time (via the webcam integrated into the 3D printer)
- WiFi communication between the smartphone and printer
Compatible printers
The MakerBot application is compatible with the following 3D printers:
- Replicator
- Replicator Mini
- Replicator Z18
The manufacturer plans to gradually expand its list of app-compatible devices to allow more people to use it. The MakerBot Replicator and Replicator Mini printers are available from our website.
For the record, our HumaRobotics R&D engineers use our 3D Replicator printer regularly to make the custom parts they need for their electronic and robotics projects.
We’ve even published one of their latest designs online: a motorised helmet designed for fixing a Kinect camera to the head of the Baxter collaborative robot, to take its interaction with humans a step further!