Business

Co-founder of Makerbot, Bre Pettis acquires milling machine company Other Machine

Former CEO and co-founder of 3D printing company Makerbot, Bre Pettis has acquired a non 3D printing related business – the CNC milling machine company Other Machine.

Californian company, Other Machine operates from Berkeley and is the creator of the Othermill Pro desktop milling machine. Bre Pettis currently acts as CEO and founder of Bre & Co, established in 2016, the company creates bespoke 3D printed gifts and heirlooms.

The Othermill machines in a maker environment at New York University's ITP workshop. Photo via ITP.
The Othermill machines in a maker environment at New York University’s ITP workshop. Photo via ITP.

Othermill Pro

Other Machine launched its Othermill product line on Kickstarter with the original machine raising over $311,000 back in 2013. The latest machine, the Othermill Pro, currently retails for $3,199.

Using its 3-axis toolhead, the machine can mill circuit boards and carve 3D shapes. The main selling point of the device is its ability to be incorporated in an office setup. The Othermill Pro is small enough to fit on a desk, quiet enough to feature in a communal working environment and can speed up production processes by creating in-house rather than outsourcing.

In addition to hardware machinery, the Berkeley company has also developed its own Otherplan software for the CNC machines. Bre Pettis states he is “thrilled” to acquire Other Machine as,

The Othermill Pro is an amazing milling machine that is so accurate that electrical engineers can mill circuit boards with 6 mil traces and develop circuit boards faster than a circuit board service. I’m excited to be back in the arena supporting innovators.

An example of an Othermill Pro machined PCB board. Photo via Other Machine.
An example of an Othermill Pro machined PCB board. Photo via Other Machine.

Circuit boards and electronics

CEO of Other Machine, Dr. Danielle Applestone explains, “I look forward to building on our commitment of accessible prototyping machines for professional engineers and empowering a generation of students who use the Othermill Pro to learn and make their ideas a reality.”

Applestone also said she will continue in her role as CEO and is “thrilled to have Bre’s support.

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Featured image shows a lineup of three Othermill Pro machines. Photo via Other Machine.