Engineers and Homeowners Encouraged to “Hack” Their Refrigerators to Create 3D Printed Custom Accessories in the GE FirstBuild and MakerBot Thingiverse Icebox Challenge

BROOKLYN, N.Y. and LOUISVILLE, Ky. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — November 4, 2014 — MakerBot and GE FirstBuild™ are cooking up a chilling challenge – a GE FirstBuild and MakerBot® Thingiverse® Icebox Challenge! Some would say the refrigerator is the most important appliance in the kitchen. While the primary role of the household refrigerator has always been, and continues to be, to keep food and drinks cold, innovations such as 3D printing are making it possible to transform this appliance at the center of the kitchen into a customized version that better meets the needs of the individual homeowner.

The desire to customize has sparked GE FirstBuild, in collaboration with MakerBot, 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 already been inspired by this Icebox Challenge and 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. The possibilities are endless! FirstBuild and MakerBot are excited to see what innovative ideas the public comes up with.

To qualify, designs must be uploaded to firstbuild.com between November 3 and November 23, 2014, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Contestants are encouraged to upload their entries to thingiverse.com as well, using the tag #IceboxChallenge, for a chance to be featured on the Thingiverse site. 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.

Entry requirements and guidelines:

• Visit the FirstBuild Icebox Challenge site to find more details.
• Designs must be able to be printed on a MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer.
• Participants must submit design entries to the FirstBuild site.
• Entrants are encouraged to upload their designs to Thingiverse.com for a chance to be featured on the Thingiverse site.

“Having the ability to 3D print custom accessories for your refrigerator is a really cool thing,” noted Jenny Lawton, acting CEO of MakerBot. “We have a very talented and creative Thingiverse community, and 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. “To be able to open up our innovation process to the public and have them tell us what accessories they would like in their refrigerators is pretty exciting.”

The FirstBuild Thingiverse Icebox Challenge runs from November 3 through November 23. For additional information on MakerBot or Thingiverse, visit makerbot.com and/or thingiverse.com. For information on FirstBuild, visit firstbuild.com.

About MakerBot

MakerBot, a subsidiary of Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), is leading the Next Industrial Revolution by setting the standards in reliable and affordable desktop 3D printing. Founded in 2009, MakerBot has built the largest installed base of desktop 3D printers sold to innovative and industry-leading customers worldwide, including engineers, architects, designers, educators and consumers. To learn more about MakerBot, visit makerbot.com .