The idea behind
TechSmith’s professional development day called the “Hack-a-Thon” was to encourage their employees to collaborate and experiment together. The end result of one particular project has given them a cutting edge piece of technology that is already being requested to make appearances at open houses and trades shows.
“The MakerBot Thing-O-Matic is a 3D printer,” says TechSmith’s Global Public Relations Manager Natalie Ebig Scott. “It uses a 3D computer file
instead of a 2-D image like we’re accustomed to and prints using a special kind of plastic coiling into anything you create, design or download.”
Not only is this the first machine of its kind in the area to TechSmith’s knowledge, it was also built by the employees.
“The MakerBot arrived as a box of components,” Scott says, “so part of the fun of purchasing it is putting it together.”
That fun challenged five to 20 staff members for more than eight hours. The end result was a full-assembled MakerBot that could allow TechSmith to produce an array of unique projects - whether or not those projects are related to the company’s bottom line.
“Our chief evangelist, Betsy Weber, has also purchased a component that allows us to print in frosting,” Scott says. “So our possibilities are endless.”
While tech enthusiasts and user groups are already asking to see the MakerBot in action, Scott says the primary goal of the Hack-a-Thon was simply to inspire their employees to think creatively take on new challenges.
Source: Natalie Ebig Scott, TechSmith
Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor
Courtesy photo
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