Printrbot has released a new community iPhone app called MAKRZ , which, unsurprisingly, is aimed at makers for sharing open source files for 3D printing, laser cutting and machining. Through this app makers can access thousands of 3D models and 2D drawings to get started — or continue — your personal making journey, including 3D printed creations.
The plentiful features of MAKRZ include the ability to link your Dropbox account for downloading items that you wish to save for later and a sleek visual interface for browsing design files in high resolution. MAKRZ can render all Sketchup files automatically in the same quality format and the Download Queue and Download history will keep you up to date with your recent actions.
If you already have a 3D printer, you can cue up items with MAKRZ to be printed when you next use your computer linked to Dropbox. The gesture-based navigation is intuitive and keeps you informed about the frequently updated featured models and important notifications based on recent uploads.
The Printrbot team is already sharing the “coming soon” features, which will include user uploads and community tools for crowd-sourced tagging, photos of completed projects and vetting. Last but not least you can share your images in the future with the all-important social networks and other Dropbox users.
Smartphone apps can be a handy marketing tool for printer manufacturers to get customers accustomed to their brand and all of the latest offerings. We should expect several other companies to follow suit across the increasingly popular desktop 3D printer market.
