In the world of product development, most products these days have both software and hardware components. Software developers have broadly adopted agile development strategies that have helped them reduce development time, but hardware developers often have a difficult time keeping up due to lack of the right tools. It’s that challenge that MakerBot is looking to address with its new Method 3D printer (see orginal release here), which the company states bridges the gap between desktop and industrial 3D printers currently on the market. We spoke with Forrest Leighton, Vice President of Marketing, and Shawn Miely, Senior Manager of Segment Marketing, to learn more about this new product, its impact on the 3D market, and its potential as a revenue generator for commercial printing firms looking to provide a broader range of services to customers.

WhatTheyThink:  Forrest and Shawn, thanks for taking time to speak with us about this exciting announcement. Forrest, can you start by reminding us about MakerBot’s mission and history?

Forrest Leighton:  Sure. As we have discussed before, MakerBot, established in 2009 and now a subsidiary of Stratasys, has two primary missions: to help with innovation in STEM education in order to better prepare kids for the future, and to help companies bring product to market faster. We created a breakthrough in desktop 3D printing with the introduction of our Cupcake printer in 2009, the first desktop 3D printer. And now we are introducing a brand-new 3D printing category for the professional market that we are calling Performance 3D printing.