MakerBot is an affordable, open source 3D printer rapid prototyping machine developed by Bre Pettis, Zach Hoeken, and Adam Mayer. Build your own MakerBot and it makes things for you, functioning like a personal factory. Digital designs for the MakerBot can be shared on Thingiverse.com, a web-based community initiated by MakerBot Industries, where users post files, document designs, and collaborate on open source hardware.