Nov.4, 2014

GE FirstBuild has teamed up with Makerbot to launch a chilling challenge – a GE FirstBuild and MakerBotThingiverse Icebox Challenge that encouraged engineers and homeowners to "hack" their refrigerators to create 3D printed custom accessories.

While the primary role of the household refrigerator has always been to keep food and drinks cold, innovations such as 3D printing are making it possible to transform this appliance into a customized version that better meets the needs of the individual homeowner.

The desire to customize has sparked two companies to introduce the GE FirstBuild Thingiverse Icebox Challenge, aimed at designing solutions that can be placed inside of the refrigerator.

Ideas could range from purely 3D printed pieces to battery-operated electromechanical devices. FirstBuild's engineers have designed test prints that include a 3D printed pizza box holder, customizable to the size of the box and the refrigerator shelves, and a motorized 3D printed wine chiller.

To qualify, designs must be able to be printed on a MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer. Designs must be uploaded to firstbuild.com between November 3 and November 23, 2014, at 11:59 p.m. EST. 3D print testing, online community voting and judging will occur from November 27 to December 2, with the winner announced December 15.

What can you win?

  • The first-place winner will choose between a MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printer or a MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer, and his or her creation will be featured on Thingiverse and displayed in MakerBot Retail Stores.
  • The second-place winner will receive a MakerBot Replicator Mini Compact 3D Printer, and his or her creation will be featured on Thingiverse and displayed in the MakerBot Retail Stores.
  • The third-place winner will receive three spools of MakerBot Filament, a Thingiverse T-shirt and a FirstBuild T-shirt, and his or her creation will be featured on Thingiverse and displayed in MakerBot Retail Stores.

"Having the ability to 3D print custom accessories for your refrigerator is a really cool thing," noted Jenny Lawton, acting CEO of MakerBot. "A challenge like this is just the sort of activity that can really showcase how 3D printing and Real-Time Prototyping on a MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer can transform the traditional design process."

"We see the FirstBuild Thingiverse Icebox Challenge as a way to empower our customers to design accessories for their home appliances that fit their own lifestyle best," noted Natarajan Venkatakrishnan, director of GE FirstBuild.



Posted in 3D Printing Events

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