New, Larger Space Helps MakerBot Advance Lean Manufacturing, Drive Total Quality and Prepare for Growth in the Desktop 3D Printing Market

BROOKLYN, N.Y., July 22, 2015  – MakerBot, a global leader in the desktop 3D printing industry, today announced the opening of a new and larger factory at Industry City in Brooklyn, N.Y. The opening of the new factory reinforces MakerBot’s commitment to manufacturing in Brooklyn and is an important step in preparing the company for growth in the 3D printing market. The new facility measures 170,000 square feet, which doubles production capacity compared to MakerBot’s previous Industry City factory. A new layout streamlines the production process to help MakerBot advance its lean manufacturing methods and dedicate an even larger space to product testing.

The new MakerBot factory was officially inaugurated this morning at 10 a.m. in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by MakerBot CEO Jonathan Jaglom, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Dean of the School of Science and Engineering at SUNY New Paltz Dan Freedman, Brooklyn Technical High School Principal Randy Asher and Tech Alumni Foundation Chief Education Officer Matt Mandery, as well as the Coolest founder Ryan Grepper.

“Since MakerBot was founded in 2009, we have been leading the desktop 3D printing revolution from Brooklyn and this has spearheaded a renaissance of manufacturing here. Brooklyn has defined what MakerBot is today and I couldn’t think of a better place for our new factory,” said Jonathan Jaglom, CEO of MakerBot. “The new MakerBot factory is a state-of-the-art facility with a focus on lean manufacturing and efficiency, making it one of the most advanced factories in New York City and in the global 3D printing industry. Close proximity to our R&D teams and corporate headquarters is a huge advantage as it allows us to adapt quickly to changes in the growing market of 3D printing.”

“The future has arrived, and its first stop is Brooklyn. We are witnessing the growth and evolution of 3D printing technology in our borough, a rapidly growing industry with infinite potential,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “MakerBot is bound to thrive in their new expanded factory at Industry City, innovating solutions to everyday real-world challenges in the marketplace while inspiring new opportunities for economic and technological development. I thank MakerBot and their development team for calling Brooklyn, the new Silicon Valley, their home.”

It was only six years ago that MakerBot started the desktop 3D printing revolution on Dean Street in Brooklyn. Since then, the company has grown significantly at three locations in Brooklyn and across three continents.  MakerBot’s rapid growth led to several factory expansions, resulting in a suboptimal manufacturing space. The new factory streamlines the manufacturing process by bringing crucial functions, such as materials, production, product testing, and shipping, closer to one another. This consolidation allows MakerBot to advance its lean manufacturing practices that emphasize waste reduction and efficiency. MakerBot applies kanban, for example, which aligns inventory levels with consumption, as well as 5S, a workplace organization method.

Canalys, an industry research firm, forecasts that total 3D printing industry revenue will grow to more than $20 billion by the end of 2019. The larger factory prepares MakerBot for market growth by doubling its manufacturing capacity. It includes more space for product testing as part of MakerBot’s effort to create the industry’s largest Quality Assurance operation. The space also has a larger machine shop and 3D printing capabilities for both manufacturing and R&D. MakerBot uses its own 3D printers to create custom jigs and fixtures for the factory to streamline the production process, create better products and save time and money. The MakerBot factory employs 140 staff, including production, shipping, receiving, manufacturing engineering, quality engineering, supply chain and planning.

MakerBot® Replicator® 3D Printers are used by educators, engineers and designers to enhance education and transform the design process through Real-Time Prototyping™. MakerBot provides the most comprehensive 3D ecosystem in the desktop 3D printing industry to make 3D printing more accessible. The MakerBot 3D Ecosystem includes MakerBot Desktop software for preparing prints, the MakerBot Mobile app with cloud platform to initiate and monitor prints remotely, and MakerBot Thingiverse, the world’s largest 3D design community. The MakerBot Replicator Smart Extruder is a groundbreaking innovation that minimizes printing downtime by enabling users to swap a worn extruder in minutes. The Smart Extruder also allows users to adapt quickly to new innovations in the evolving world of 3D printing. When MakerBot introduces new materials like MakerBot Composite PLA, customers will be able to purchase a Smart Extruder made to handle the new filament, instead of having to buy an entirely new printer.

About MakerBot

MakerBot, a subsidiary of Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), is leading the next industrial revolution by setting the standards in reliable and affordable desktop 3D printing.  Founded in 2009, MakerBot sells desktop 3D printers to innovative and industry-leading customers worldwide, including engineers, architects, designers, educators and consumers.  The company has one of the largest installed bases and market shares of the desktop 3D printing industry, with more than 80,000 MakerBot desktop 3D printers. The robust MakerBot 3D ecosystem makes 3D printing easy and accessible for everyone. To learn more about MakerBot, visit: www.makerbot.com.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The statements in this press release relating to MakerBot’s expectations of the benefits that it will receive from the opening of a new and larger factory at Industry City in Brooklyn, N.Y., are forward-looking statements reflecting management’s current expectations and beliefs. These forward-looking statements are based on current information that is, by its nature, subject to rapid and even abrupt change. Due to risks and uncertainties associated with MakerBot’s business, actual results could differ materially from those projected or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to:  the risk that that anticipated future market growth necessary for to support the expansion and to utilize the new manufacturing capacity will not materialize; and other risk factors more fully explained under the caption “Risk Factors” in Stratasys’ most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 3, 2015. Stratasys is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by the rules and regulations of the SEC.

ORLANDO, FL — (Marketwired) — 07/14/15 — WPC, Booth MC 18, Microsoft Cloud Pavilion — Sphere 3D Corp. (NASDAQ: ANY)

– SnapCLOUD NAS Virtual Storage now available on Azure

– Enables fast, easy deployment of enterprise storage in the cloud or in a hybrid cloud environment

– Seamlessly integrates with current IT environments

Sphere 3D Corp. (NASDAQ: ANY), a virtualization and data management solutions provider, today announced that its SnapCLOUDTM virtual enterprise network attached storage (“NAS”) solution is now available on the Azure Marketplace. This solution brings organizations a fast, easy way to deploy a comprehensive hybrid cloud storage infrastructure with centralized management.

With more than 300,000 SnapServer® storage units shipped, enterprises around the world continue to trust the award winning Sphere 3D GuardianOS® operating system to protect and manage their critical information. This same GuardianOS is at the core of the SnapCLOUD virtual NAS solution available today on Azure.

IT organizations are looking to hybrid cloud solutions to address their requirement for flexible architectures that can scale at a moment’s notice to support unplanned storage resource needs including peak workloads, disaster recovery or “DevOps” requirements. With the introduction of SnapCLOUD, customers can quickly and easily deploy applications and data to users from the cloud or through a hybrid approach leveraging the on-premises addition of Sphere 3D’s SnapServer and SnapScale® appliances to their deployments.

“We utilized an enterprise hardened storage OS to power the next generation of storage from the cloud.” said Peter Tassiopoulos, president of Sphere 3D, “With the ability to centrally manage globally distributed deployments, a secure file sync and share capability across any device, and a seamless hybrid capability, we are set to deliver a value proposition to our customers that is unmatched in the industry.”

“As the world becomes more mobile and generates significantly more data, enterprises are seeking a mix of cloud and on-premises services that can help them quickly deploy applications and effectively manage all of this data,” said Nicole Herskowitz, Senior Director of Product Marketing, Microsoft Azure. “Sphere 3D’s solutions extend the capabilities of Azure enabling customers to seamlessly manage apps and data in a hybrid cloud environment.”

SnapCLOUD: Delivering Full-Featured Enterprise NAS Functionality in the Cloud
SnapCLOUD virtual storage is built on the same simple and expandable storage operating system used to store 100s of petabytes in data center deployments worldwide. SnapCLOUD is an enterprise-class virtual storage platform that allows customers to obtain unlimited storage in the cloud while maintaining full compatibility with their existing SnapServer and SnapScale enterprise storage deployments. This interoperability between on-premises and cloud deployments makes it possible for current SnapServer and SnapScale customers to have a SnapCLOUD instance integrated into their current infrastructure in minutes, enabling hybrid cloud models almost instantaneously.

SnapCLOUD Benefits

– Pay only for what you use. Build a high performance and resilient virtual environment with SnapCLOUD in minutes, using servers, storage and networking from Azure Marketplace.

– Get secure data access anywhere and on any device. Built-in sync and share functionality makes it possible to share data among users and devices directly from SnapCLOUD in conformance with business policies.

– Enable and centrally manage a distributed architecture. Centrally manage and monitor a globally distributed data center to enhance both your on-premises physical data center and your data in the cloud, allowing data management across the organization to be the same everywhere.

Availability
The new SnapCLOUD is available now in the Azure Marketplace. Customers can purchase up to 16TB of SnapCLOUD storage per virtual machine image by purchasing 1GB increments on a pay-for-use basis. For more information on the SnapCLOUD offering and how to purchase, visit here.

About Sphere 3D
Sphere 3D Corp. (NASDAQ: ANY) delivers virtualization technology and data management products coupled with a well-respected portfolio of workload-optimized solutions. These premier assets enable the integration of virtual applications, virtual desktops, and storage platforms. Our value proposition is simple and direct–we allow organizations to deploy a combination of public, private or hybrid cloud strategies that keep them moving and ahead of their competitors, all while backing them up with state of the art storage solutions at the most affordable price. Sphere 3D, along with its wholly-owned subsidiaries Overland Storage and Tandberg Data, has a strong portfolio of brands including Glassware 2.0TM, SnapCLOUDTM, SnapScale®, SnapServer®, V3, RDX®, and NEO®. For more information, visit www.sphere3d.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, unforeseen changes in the course of Sphere 3D’s business or the business of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, including, without limitation, Overland Storage and Tandberg Data; any increase in Sphere 3D’s cash needs or our inability to obtain additional debt or equity financing; market adoption and performance of our products; possible actions by customers, suppliers, competitors or regulatory authorities; and other risks detailed from time to time in Sphere 3D’s periodic reports contained in our Annual Information Form and other filings with Canadian securities regulators (www.sedar.com) and in prior periodic reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov), and risks detailed in the Form F-4/A relating to Sphere 3D’s merger with Overland Storage filed with the SEC. Sphere 3D undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.

Media Contact:
Sphere 3D:
Tina Brown
Tina.brown@sphere3D.com
1-408.283.4731

Investor Contact:
MKR Group, Inc.
Todd Kehrli or Jim Byers
any@mkr-group.com
323-468-2300

Source: Sphere 3D Corp.

Named Best in Show runner-up in the Testing category at Interop Tokyo, LinkSprinter is also a category winner and finalist for overall Product of the Year from Electrical Construction and Maintenance magazine subscribers

EVERETT, Wash. – July 6, 2015 – The LinkSprinter network tester from Fluke Networks has recently been named a finalist for two industry awards. In addition to being named Best in Show runner-up in the Testing category at Interop Tokyo, LinkSprinter has won the Voice, Data, and Video (V/D/V) Test and Measurement Equipment category for Electrical Construction and Maintenance (EC&M) Magazine’s 2015 Product of the Year Awards. As a category winner, the LinkSprinter is now eligible for the overall Product of the Year award, which EC&M will announce in August.

EC&M Magazine began its Product of the Year competition in 2000 to recognize excellence and innovation in product design, safety, and efficiency. A panel of electrical professionals from the engineering, contracting, and plant facilities and maintenance industries evaluated each of the entries submitted in 2015. The LinkSprinter 200 earned top honors in the V/D/V Test and Measurement Category for its speed in helping technicians test and validate network connectivity in less than ten seconds. It is one of 42 categories represented in this year’s awards, and EC&M subscribers will determine the Product of the Year Platinum, Gold and Silver Awards by voting in an online poll. EC&M will announce the winners in August 2015.

Interop’s Best of Show Award is highly competitive and aims to identify products, solutions, services and companies that best represent the theme of the event and key trends in the industry. The Interop Tokyo award recognizes those companies with products and solutions that meet the stringent technology advancement and product quality requirements of the Japanese market.

“Feedback from customers about the way they work and what they need in a connectivity tester played a huge role in the design process of the LinkSprinter,” said James Kahkoska, CTO of Portable Network Tools at Fluke Networks. “We set out to make this device small, affordable, rugged and easy to use, and our customers tell us we succeeded. To receive customer confirmation and industry validation of our approach to LinkSprinter is truly an honor. ”

The LinkSprinter 200 provides easy-to-understand network connectivity testing using a single button and five LED indicators to give troubleshooting information for Power over Ethernet (PoE), link to the switch, DHCP, Gateway and Internet connections. The LinkSprinter 200 has a built-in WiFi access point so users can instantly access additional details such as VLAN, switch name and port, via the browser on any smart device. The LinkSprinter line of products includes a lower-priced LinkSprinter 100 model without built-in Wi-Fi, and a LinkSprinter 300 model (introduced earlier this year that adds features such as cable length and status, as well as the ability to flash the hub port).

All LinkSprinter models connect to the Link-Live Cloud Service for test results management and storage where they can’t be lost or accidentally deleted. Link-Live offers two levels of service:

• Link-Live Essentials is a free service offering a standard set of capabilities and reporting
• Link-Live Job Pro is a subscription-based service that includes all Link-Live Essentials functionality and adds organizational tools such as job folders, the ability to attach sticky comments and photos to test results, and more customizable reporting

Link-Live consolidates test results from all LinkSprinter models and the LinkRunner AT Network Auto-Tester into a browser-based dashboard.

Since its introduction in early 2014, the LinkSprinter has garnered numerous industry awards for its portable design, ease of use and affordable pricing. For more information about the LinkSprinter network tester, visit the LinkSprinter home page.

About Fluke Networks
Fluke Networks is the world-leading provider of network performance monitoring and diagnostics solutions designed to streamline issue resolution and ensure an optimal end-user experience—even in today’s borderless enterprise. Leading organizations worldwide trust Fluke Networks to help solve their toughest issues and emerging challenges in WLAN security, SaaS, mobility, unified communications and data centers. Based in Everett, Wash., the company distributes products in more than 50 countries. For more information, visit www.FlukeNetworks.com.

For more information and updates, follow Fluke Networks on social media.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/flukenetent

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/flukenetworks

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/fluke-networks

MakerBot Replicator Among Winners Chosen Out of Almost 5,000 Entries for 2015 Red Dot Award for Product Design

BROOKLYN, N.Y., June 29, 2015 — MakerBot, a global leader in the desktop 3D printing industry, is proud to announce that the MakerBot® Replicator® Desktop 3D Printer (Fifth Generation Model) was awarded the prestigious Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015. MakerBot believes in clean, consolidated product design that maximizes user accessibility, and the sleek and high performance MakerBot Replicator represents the latest iteration of these goals. The fifth generation Replicator provides the easiest and most versatile way to get from 3D model to 3D print. It joins the ranks of other Red Dot winners such as the Apple iPhone (2008) and the BMW i8 (2014).

The MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printer was among the winners selected from nearly 5,000 entries by an international jury of the Red Dot Award. “This 3D printer features an inspiring, open design. Its clean aesthetics blend perfectly into professional and educational environments, as well as the home,” stated the Red Dot jury. MakerBot industrial designers Jackson Seidenberg and Vishnu Anantha and the engineering and product teams who they collaborate with are honored to receive this sought-after prize, which recognizes projects whosesuperior designs set them apart from comparable products. “To date, nobody has applied real design to 3D printers,” said MakerBot director of industrial design Mark Palmer. “Many companies focus simply on the mechanical and electrical components, and neglect the design considerations that build an emotional connection with the printer and a seamless user experience. The MakerBot Replicator, with its design recognition, stands out from other printers as being more than just a collection of components.”

When designing new products, MakerBot focuses on ease of use and how the product fits into peoples’ lives. “We wanted to create a desktop 3D printer that was friendly, accessible and invites individuals, whether a 5th grader or a professional engineer, to engage and quickly turn an idea into a physical object,” said Yuri Salnikoff, Chief Marketing Officer of MakerBot. “The MakerBot Replicator provides direct access in the work area and empowers educators, designer and engineers to unleash their creativity.” The MakerBot Replicator features a 3.5″ display for functions, print status, and advanced features, and a rotary knob as the selector. Palmer explained that there are “strong cues in the printer itself that tell you how to interact with it,” citing the knob as “the focal point.”

The MakerBot Replicator is supported by the MakerBot 3D Ecosystem, a growing, synergetic ecosystem of products, materials, software, accessories, services, and content that integrate seamlessly with each other to make 3D printing more accessible for everyone. The MakerBot 3D Ecosystem includes MakerBot Desktop software for preparing prints, the MakerBot Mobile app with cloud platform to initiate and monitor prints remotely, and MakerBot Thingiverse, the world’s largest 3D design community. The MakerBot Replicator Smart Extruder is a groundbreaking innovation that minimizes printing downtime by enabling users to swap a worn extruder in minutes. The Smart Extruder also allows users to adapt quickly to new innovations in the evolving world of 3D printing. When MakerBot introduces new materials like MakerBot Composite PLA, customers will be able to purchase a Smart Extruder made to handle the new filament, instead of having to buy an entirely new printer.

The Red Dot Award was created in 1954 to recognize products with the highest quality of design. A panel of leading design experts convenes every year to evaluate products based on specific criteria: from physical characteristics such as durability, functionality, ergonomics, ecological compatibility, and formal quality to abstract traits such as innovation, symbolic and emotional content, product periphery, and self-explanatory quality. These latter criteria consider the way users interact with the product and the emotions they invoke. The international Red Dot jury bestows the sought-after seal of quality only to products that stand out thanks to their excellent design.

About MakerBot
MakerBot, a subsidiary of Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), is leading the Next Industrial Revolution by setting the standards in reliable and affordable desktop 3D printing. Founded in 2009, MakerBot sells desktop 3D printers to innovative and industry-leading customers worldwide, including engineers, architects, designers, educators and consumers. MakerBot has one of the largest installed bases and market shares of the desktop 3D printing industry, with more than 80,000 MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers in the world. The robust MakerBot 3D Ecosystem makes 3D printing easy and accessible for everyone. To learn more about MakerBot, visit makerbot.com.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this press release relating to Stratasys’ beliefs regarding the benefits consumers will experience from the MakerBot Replicator are forward-looking statements reflecting management’s current expectations and beliefs. These forward-looking statements are based on current information that is, by its nature, subject to rapid and even abrupt change. Due to risks and uncertainties associated with Stratasys’ business, actual results could differ materially from those projected or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk that consumers will not perceive the benefits of the MakerBot Replicator to be the same as Stratasys does and other risk factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in Stratasys’ most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 3, 2015. Stratasys is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by the rules and regulations of the SEC.

DTX sales decline as customers migrating to the more powerful Versiv DSX-5000 report significant cost savings, ease of use and productivity improvements over other tools

EVERETT, Wash., June 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — After 11 years of service and more than a billion links certified in 92 countries, Fluke Networks is ending production of the DTX-1800 CableAnalyzer™, the world’s most widely used copper and fiber cabling certification tool. Following the successful introduction of the Versiv™ Cabling Certification System and the DSX-5000 CableAnalyzer™ in 2013, most of the company’s customers have already begun migration from the DTX to the more powerful and cost-effective DSX model, which has been outselling the DTX by seven to one. Fluke Networks will stop taking orders for the older DTX on June 30, 2015 but will continue to provide parts, service and calibration support for at least three more years.

Since its launch, the Versiv DSX has already achieved high acceptance and acclaim, with customers citing its time- and cost-savings as key reasons for making the switch. “With Versiv, we spend more time getting the project done and less time setting up and troubleshooting,” said Dave Lawes, RCDD, Regional Sales Manager, System Tech, Inc. “We’ve seen a significant decrease in missing and incorrect test reports by loading the tester with the settings and cable IDs for multiple projects before heading to the jobsite. This all translates into faster job completion, higher profits, and happier customers.”

During its lifecycle, the DTX achieved many industry firsts such as: first field tester to offer Alien Crosstalk testing, the first laboratory-qualified test plug for Cat 6A permanent link testing, and the first fiber tester to be fully Encircled Flux compliant. The DSX builds on these strengths to offer even greater value:

Customers who upgrade to the DSX gain access to LinkWare™ Live, a cloud-based cable certification project management service. LinkWare Live streamlines workflow and provides cabling certification project status on any smart mobile device. With LinkWare Live, project managers gain more visibility and control on the job site, ensuring their cabling installation projects will be finished on time, leading to more satisfied and faster-paying customers.

“Our previous method of cable certification was slow and required a lot of manual coordination with jobsites and customers,” said Dustan Buckley, vice president at Extreme Packets, Inc. “LinkWare Live allows us to bypass many of these steps.”

The DSX offers multiple benefits to organizations, including:

1. Faster Set Up – the DSX uses Versiv’s ProjX™ management system to make set up easy. It includes the ability to set up testers remotely and manage test results via the LinkWare™ Live cloud service.
2. Faster Testing – while the DTX set records with its testing speed, the DSX is twice as fast for Cat 6A and four times as fast for fiber loss testing.
3. Fewer Callbacks – A profitable job depends on doing it right the first time. The DSX eliminates mistakes with simple set up, monitoring, tracking, and a system that helps techs through the testing process.
4. Faster Reporting – the DSX uses the same LinkWare software as the DTX, eliminating a learning curve. Using it with the LinkWare Live cloud service means instant results, real-time reporting and unlimited storage.
5. Future Ready – as a member of the Versiv Cabling Certification System, the DSX already supports future measurements such as TCL and resistance unbalance, and can certify coax, standard or industrial Ethernet patch cords in both directions. The DSX’s modular design means customers can add new capabilities without buying a new tester.

For customers still using the DTX, Fluke Networks is running trade-in promotions in various markets to help them make the switch to the DSX. Customers should contact their local distributor for more information.

For more information about the retirement and a head-to-head comparison of DSX to DTX, please visit: www.flukenetworks.com/dtx-retirement.

About Fluke Networks
Fluke Networks is the world-leading provider of network performance monitoring and diagnostics solutions designed to streamline issue resolution and ensure an optimal end-user experience—even in today’s borderless enterprise. Leading organizations worldwide trust Fluke Networks to help solve their toughest issues and emerging challenges in WLAN security, SaaS, mobility, unified communications and data centers. Based in Everett, Wash., the company distributes products in more than 50 countries. For more information, visit www.FlukeNetworks.com.

For additional information and updates, follow Fluke Networks on social media.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/flukenetdci
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/flukenetworks
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/fluke-networks

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/success-of-fluke-networks-versiv-platform-accelerates-end-of-production-of-dtx-cableanalyzer-the-worlds-most-widely-used-copper-and-fiber-certification-tool-300103533.html

SOURCE: Fluke Networks

New MakerBot Handbook Helps Educators and Students Get Started with Lesson Plans and Hand-on 3D Design Projects

BROOKLYN, N.Y., June 16, 2015  – Thousands of educators throughout the U.S. are embracing 3D printing as a new way to teach 21st century skills and prepare students for the jobs of the future[1]. Taking the first steps to introduce students to 3D printing, however, can be challenging. MakerBot, a global leader in the desktop 3D printing industry, conducted in-depth research this spring to better understand how to help educators incorporate 3D printing in classrooms[2]. The research shows that acquiring 3D design skills is a major hurdle for educators and there is no single resource to address this need.

To fill that gap, MakerBot today published a handbook designed to provide educators with a wide variety of ideas, activities and projects to get started with 3D printing. Titled MakerBot in the Classroom: An Introduction to 3D Printing and Design, the handbook includes an introduction to 3D printing and a range of hands-on 3D design lesson plans. MakerBot in the Classroom is available as a free digital download for registered MakerBot customers and a sample project chapter is available free to anyone who registers on MakerBot.com. Additionally, MakerBot launched a new MakerBot Education Resource Center with further ideas and resources to support the integration of 3D printing in the classroom, such as real-world MakerBot stories, videos, challenges for teachers and students, and more.

“3D printing is a powerful tool in the classroom and provides engaging experiences that motivate students to excel. 3D printing can help teach many of the 21st century skills that employers are looking for, such as STEAM[3] literacy, collaboration, problem-solving and applying knowledge to the real world,” said Jonathan Jaglom, CEO of MakerBot. “We’re excited to launch MakerBot in the Classroom to help even more educators and students discover the power of 3D printing to create original designs. This handbook is part of our broader MakerBot Education initiative, which aims to provide teachers, professors, librarians, and students with access to the resources and tools they need to embrace 3D printing. We will continue to work together with educators to build out the leading MakerBot 3D Ecosystem to address their specific needs.”

A recent survey of teachers commissioned by MakerBot showed that 83 percent of teachers using MakerBot 3D Printers empowered their students to design their own objects as opposed to having them print existing designs[4]. This requires educators to teach 3D design and introduce students to the software that enables them to take an idea and turn it into a 3D printable design. Lesson plans and project ideas were among the most frequent requested resources to help educators get started, and MakerBot in the Classroom fills those needs.

MakerBot in the Classroom is divided into three sections: The first section covers how MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers work and the technology behind them, the second section shows how to download, scan and design models to print on a 3D printer, and the third and most comprehensive chapter features multiple projects for teachers and students to 3D design and 3D print. Each section provides background knowledge, learning objectives, terminology, sample activities, and discussion materials. The project ideas in the handbook are provided as a starting point to help educators integrate 3D printing into their own lesson plans and classrooms. They invite educators and students to investigate a subject matter, explore a variety of 3D modeling tools, and create and print original designs. Each project introduces a different type of free 3D design software, including Tinkercad, OpenSCAD, Sculptris and 123D Design. Each project also has a section that offers guidance on tying the project further into curriculum.

For example, Make Your Own Country is a project that casts students as explorers of a new world. Students design and 3D print tiles representing water, forest, mountains, and other landscapes, which can be assembled into a new and uncharted territory. Students then form groups that develop settlements by surveying the land and discovering its natural resources. During this project, students learn 21st century skills, such as 3D design, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration.

MakerBot in the Classroom is the first offering as part of MakerBot’s long-term commitment to working with educators to provide better support for 3D printing in classrooms and on campus. Additional tools and resources for educators are now available on the new MakerBot Education Resource Center, such as real-world MakerBot stories, videos, and challenges for teachers and students. For example, MakerBot recently launched five Thingiversity Summer STEAM Challenges on MakerBot Thingiverse, the world’s largest 3D design community, to encourage students, teachers and librarians to try 3D modeling at home over the summer. The leading MakerBot 3D Ecosystem also includes hardware, materials, learning, software, and apps like MakerBot PrintShop for iPad, which allows students to turn 2D drawings and sketches into physical objects.

Additionally, MakerBot offers custom product solutions for educational institutions such as the MakerBot Starter Lab, a scalable, reliable 3D printing solution that is easy to implement; and the MakerBot Innovation Center, a large-scale 3D printing hub.

MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers are used in more than 5,000 schools throughout the U.S. The Whitby School, in Greenwich, CT, uses MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers in the school’s Design Technology classroom to spark an interest in 3D printing and teach problem solving and design thinking. At the State University of New York at New Paltz, a MakerBot Innovation Center has had a profound impact on students, faculty, and the community in its first year. The university quickly forged public-private partnerships with industry leaders to create a vibrant cross-departmental learning commons and innovation hub that serves both students and the local business community in unprecedented ways.

About MakerBot

MakerBot, a subsidiary of Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), is leading the Next Industrial Revolution by setting the standards in reliable and affordable desktop 3D printing. Founded in 2009, MakerBot sells desktop 3D printers to innovative and industry-leading customers worldwide, including engineers, architects, designers, educators and consumers. MakerBot has one of the largest installed bases and market shares of the desktop 3D printing industry, with more than 80,000 MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers in the world. The robust MakerBot 3D Ecosystem makes 3D printing easy and accessible for everyone. To learn more about MakerBot, visit makerbot.com.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The statements in this press release relating to Stratasys’ beliefs regarding the benefits consumers will experience from the MakerBot in the Classroom initiative, are forward-looking statements reflecting management’s current expectations and beliefs. These forward-looking statements are based on current information that is, by its nature, subject to rapid and even abrupt change. Due to risks and uncertainties associated with Stratasys’ business, actual results could differ materially from those projected or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk that consumers will not perceive the benefits of the MakerBot in the Classroom initiative to be the same as Stratasys does and other risk factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in Stratasys’ most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 3, 2015. Stratasys is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by the rules and regulations of the SEC.

[1] MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers are already in 5000+ schools around the country.

[2] Online surveys and telephone interviews were conducted over a period of four months with 1300+ respondents using MakerBot 3D printers in an educational institution.

[3] Science, technology, engineering, art and math.

[4] Online survey commissioned by MakerBot in April 2015 with 1300+ respondents using MakerBot 3D printers in an educational institution.

Johan-Till Broer
Public Relations Manager
MakerBot®
johan.broer@makerbot.com
http://www.makerbot.com
@makerbot
o: 347 238 2409
m:312 282 9368