Makerbot Cupcake CNC is up and running!

Last week, i3Detroit’s new Makerbot CupCake CNC Ultimate kit arrived. This is a 3d rapid prototyping tool, which extrudes tiny bits of plastic to build up an arbitrary shape, according to the CAD model you send it. Similar in capability to the RepRap, the Makerbot isn’t designed to build more copies of itself, but just to make any plastic part you need.

Assembly and testing started Thursday and continued through last night (this morning, technically), culminating in the successful printing of the adorable little failwhale pictured here.

This is just the latest addition to i3Detroit’s fabrication tools, which already include two welders, a large lathe and Bridgeport mill, an industrial sewing machine, and more. Watch this space for class announcements!