On November 5 and 6, Barnes & Noble will host the second annual Mini Maker Faire at all 650 locations in the United States. After an enthusiastic turnout at the first event in 2015, the bookseller and partner Make: decided to do it again. For the Mini Maker Faire event, children and adults are invited to stop by their local Barnes & Noble store for demonstrations, workshops, talks from prominent makers, and other activities centered around 3D printing, robotics, coding, virtual reality, and other tech- and craft-related areas.
Visitors to the Mini Maker Faire will be able to see a live demo of XYZprinting’s recently released da Vinci Jr. 1.0w. The “w” stands for wireless, and the printer itself is an upgrade on the popular da Vinci Jr. 1.0, a compact desktop 3D printer designed to be easy to use for both kids and adults. Despite its lightweight design, the da Vinci Jr. 1.0w, like its predecessor, has a sizable build area of 5.9 x 5.9 x 5.9 inches and a sturdy frame with a fully enclosed print bed. With its new wireless capabilities, the 1.0w is even more user-friendly, allowing users to send files to their printers directly from their computers or tablets.
The da Vinci Jr. 1.0w also features a second-generation auto-calibration system. The original 1.0 already made calibration easy, with a pre-leveled print bed that only required Z offset calibration, but the 1.0w’s system makes it even easier and more hands-off thanks to an intuitive nine-point calibration detector that automatically determines the distance between the extruder and the print bed, enabling users to be confident that they’ll be getting the best possible prints.
All of the features that have made the da Vinci Jr. 1.0 so appealing are still present in the wireless version, including a plug-and-play, no-assembly-required setup and environmentally-friendly printing with XYZprinting’s nontoxic PLA filament. Users of the Jr. 1.0w will also have access to free online resources including the XYZ 3D Gallery, which contains over 5,000 free 3D printable models, as well as the beginner-friendly XYZmaker design software.
The da Vinci Jr. 1.0w is inexpensively priced with an MSRP of $399.95, and is now on display at all 650 Barnes & Noble stores, just in time for the influx of makers and 3D printing enthusiasts who will be flooding the stores for the Mini Maker Faire on November 5 and 6. To celebrate the event, XYZprinting is giving away three da Vinci 3D Pens, which were introduced over the summer. To enter, all you need to do is go to your local Barnes & Noble store on the 5th or 6th and take a picture of yourself with the Jr. 1.0w printer. Upload the photo to Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags #XYZprinting, #BNMake2016 and #B&N, then send XYZprinting a message via Facebook so that they can confirm your submission. Winners will be notified by mid-November.
XYZprinting has recently developed a strong focus on education with the release of the classroom-oriented da Vinci miniMaker and the development of the XYZprinting STEAM program, an online curriculum exchange program designed to help educators in science, technology, engineering, art and math to incorporate 3D printing into their classrooms. The program offers several downloadable 3D printing projects as well as STL files, videos, and images.
This holiday season, XYZprinting will be offering a $49.95 STEAM Gift Card for three specialized 3D printing projects, along with curriculum and instructions. If you’re having trouble finding a gift for the educator in your life – particularly if that educator already has a 3D printer – why not help them with their lesson plans? XYZprinting will also be announcing their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales in a few weeks (is it seriously that time already?!) so stay tuned! Discuss in the Mini Maker Faire forum at 3DPB.com.
