Makerbot held the grand opening of its new factory in the industrial neighborhood of Sunset Park Brooklyn Friday. The company, which produces desktop 3D printers, moved from its other Brooklyn location in order to increase production and hiring. See the new digs yourself in the slideshow below.
-
1 / 13Makerbot outsideMakerbot christened its new Brooklyn factory Friday, located in the industrially zoned neighborhood of Sunset Park. -
2 / 13Makerbot way signThe new space is 50,000 square feet. Referencing the old space, Makerbot founder Bre Pettis said, "We fit 50,000 square feet of stuff into 5,000 square feet." -
3 / 13Makerbot employeeMakerbot houses everything from sub-assembly to final inspections on one floor. Shipments leave from the floor below. -
4 / 13MakerbotThough Makerbot won't disclose the number of 3D printers it produces or how long it takes to produce them, they did say that they're growing and can't keep up with demand. -
5 / 13Makerbot "I can make anything"One of the reasons Makerbot founder Bre Pettis gave for continuing production in Brooklyn, as opposed to overseas, was the ability to draw on good labor in Brooklyn, which he called "just the best place in the world." -
6 / 13Makerbot workerA worker "tinkers" in the sub-assembly portion of the factory. -
7 / 13Makerbot Replicator 2The newest model, the Replicator 2X, costs $2,800 and, according to Pettis, is easier to assemble than earlier models. -
8 / 13Makerbot prototypeWorkers produce desktop printers that can create small plastic prototypes. -
9 / 13Makerbot founder Bre PettisMakerbot founder Bre Pettis considers 3D printing "the beginning of the next industrial revolution." -
10 / 13Makerbot employeesCurrently 140 people work at the Makerbot facilities. They hope to bring that number to 250 this year. -
11 / 13MakerbotPettis calls the new location "a factory that makes small factories." All of the work is done by hand. -
12 / 13Makerbot with Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot and founder Bre PettisNew York Cities Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, where she called 3D printing "the future of manufacturing and the future of New York City." -
13 / 13MakerbotRows of Makerbot 3D printers are boxed and await shipment.

{"source":"https:\/\/gigaom.com\/2013\/06\/07\/makerbots-new-factory-keeps-3d-printer-manufacturing-in-brooklyn-slideshow\/wijax\/49e8740702c6da9341d50357217fb629","varname":"wijax_e3709554dfcc2d03ee52545508f2ef2e","title_element":"header","title_class":"widget-title","title_before":"%3Cheader%20class%3D%22widget-title%22%3E","title_after":"%3C%2Fheader%3E"}