Makerbot stops making its own 3D printers

Well, that didn't go as planned.

Makerbot's efforts to ride the wave of global consumer 3D printer demand crashed unceremoniously on the shores of Brooklyn and, somehow, washed up in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The once-hot startup announced on Monday that it would cease production of its own 3D printers, instead outsourcing to electronics manufacturing partner, Florida-based Jabil.

It's been a rocky few years for the 3D printer company. First it was swallowed up by the business-focused 3D printer company Stratasys in 2013. Then in 2014, it lost its maverick CEO Brett Pettis, soon after it shut down much of it retail presence in 2014 and then shuffled through a couple of CEOs until the appointment of Jonathan Jaglom in 2015. In addition, the company hasn't produced a new hardware line since 2014. Read more...