MakerBot unveils Manhattan store, new Replicator 2 3D printer (pictures)

Around the corner from its Brooklyn headquarters, MakerBot and its CEO, Bre Pettis, made four announcements today: two new 3D printers, revamped 3D printing software, and a Manhattan-based retail store.

The Replicator 2 Desktop 3D printer was on-hand for photos. It only prints in one color, and at $2,199 it's more expensive than the original two-color Replicator, but the new model also has a larger build space and can print objects at a higher resolution.

Pettis touted the Replicator 2 and its high-resolution models as a perfect fit for architects, product designers, engineers, and other professionals.

MakerBot says the Replicator 2 boasts a maximum build size that's 37 percent larger than that of the original Replicator, but without increasing the printer's footprint.

The Replicator 2 prints in just one color, but a $2,799 Replicator 2X will offer two-color printing and other features when it launches in the first quarter of 2013.

MakerBot had a handful of high-quality 3D-printed objects at the event.

You can still feel the printed layers on objects printed with the Replicator 2, but they're not as rough as those from the older MakerBot printer.

MakerBot also soft-launched its Manhattan store this afternoon.

Inside, MakerBot will sell 3D printers, spools of plastic printing feedstock, as well as 3D-printed novelty objects.

The plastic feedstock on sale at the MakerBot Store.

MakerBot has multiple Replicator 2 printers operating at the store. The original Replicator was not on the floor, but a MakerBot rep told me that it would be on sale there as well.

Buy a $5 token and you can buy a small 3D-printed object from this row of vending machines.

MakerBot has an assortment of standalone objects for sale as well.

The watches cost $60.

The hearts start at around $50.