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MakerBot Software Upgrade Speeds Up 3D Printing

The latest software update from MakerBot allows users to 3D print their projects 30 percent faster, according to the company.

MakerBot Desktop 3.8 introduces a diamond infill pattern designed to optimize print speed while maintaining strong structural support. The pattern "allows the extruder to move faster during turns," and the infill is "extruded more consistently than other infill patterns, making it structurally stronger," the company said in a press release. In addition, the software's variable layer height feature (introduced in MakerBot Desktop 3.7) allows the infill be 3D printed at a thicker layer height than the outer layers, contributing to a faster overall print speed.

Other 3.8 improvements include a better algorithm for print time estimation, as well as a one-click feature that streamlines the print flow. Users no longer have to wait for slicing to complete before being prompted to start a print job; the print now starts immediately after the model is sliced.

The MakerBot Desktop 3.8 upgrade is available for the MakerBot Replicator, Replicator 2, MakerBot Replicator 2X or any Fifth Generation MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer, and can be downloaded for free at the MakerBot site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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