MakerBot Thingiverse and GE FirstBuild teamed up and encouraged engineering and 3D printing enthusiasts to “hack” their refrigerator to come up with 3D printed design solutions that have the potential to become new accessories for the FirstBuild ChillHub, a first-of-its-kind GE refrigerator that is “as smart as you.” The contest, dubbed the Icebox Challenge, inspired ideas ranging from purely 3D printed pieces to battery-operated electromechanical devices. MakerBot and GE FirstBuild are excited to announce the winners and showcase the winning designs at the MakerBot booth at CES.

• First prize goes to the Odor Eating HotSpot by Kurt Hamel of Providence, Rhode Island, a marine mechanical engineer who created the winning entry with inspiration from his wife, who guided his original idea of combining power and data toward tackling a common issue: the use of a box of baking soda to keep the refrigerator smelling fresh.
• Second prize goes to the Rad Reindeer by Sebastian Kerner of Wismar, Germany, a mechanical engineer who is currently enrolled as an industrial design student. His Rad Reindeer bottle holder was inspired by his life as a student. His refrigerator was often filled with fast food and countless bottles and cans that would roll around.
• Third prize goes to the Butter Pig by Steve Weber of Indianapolis, Indiana, a software developer in the automotive industry. The inspiration for his design came when he was cooking dinner and kept needing another pat of butter. He would intermittently slice the butter, then put it back in the refrigerator, and then cut it again, each time dirtying a knife. His idea was to make a simple butter cutter with a guillotine on one end, but he needed a way to push the butter toward the cutting mechanism, so he came up with the corkscrew idea.

The first-prize winner receives a MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printer and has the potential to have his item featured as one of the accessories that GE offers the FirstBuild ChillHub smart refrigerator, also being launched at CES 2015. To learn more about the MakerBot Thingiverse and GE FirstBuild Icebox Challenge, visit Thingiverse.com.

MakerBot Digital Store

Martha Stewart for MakerBot Digital Store

The MakerBot Digital Store, which was created to sell original, fun and collectible digital content specifically designed for MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers, launched the Martha Stewart for MakerBot Digital Store Trellis Collection in November 2014. Since that time, the Martha Stewart Trellis Collection has become a popular collection to purchase, download and 3D print. At CES 2015, MakerBot and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia are showcasing how Martha Stewart designers use Real-Time Prototyping on MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers, and also providing a sneak peek at some future items to be included in the MakerBot Digital Store. Visit the MakerBot CES booth to see the items in person, and watch the MakerBot Digital Store in the coming months for these exciting collections. For more information, visit digitalstore.makerbot.com/martha-stewart.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20150106006094/en/