After a gang of thieves raided the Polar 3D HQ last August, the company is using the robbery as a springboard for a smart marketing campaign.

One Saturday night last August, a pack of thieves raided the Cincinnati, Ohio headquarters of the Polar 3D desktop printing company.

As can be seen in the security camera footage below, three masked men smashed down the door to their offices, and walked off with a large quantity of hardware stuffed into what appear to be laundry baskets. Altogether, 22 Polar 3D printers were stolen.

One curious detail about the whole affair; the offices had two varieties of 3D printer. There were Polar 3D’s own branded machines, plus a bank of MakerBot Replicators. In what seemed to be a coordinated attack, the thieves ignored the more expensive MakerBots completely. They took only the Polar 3D printers.

Another curious detail; Polar 3D are using this unfortunate event as the basis for their brilliant new marketing campaign. Describing the prowlers as “smart thieves” who were simply “good at math,” Polar 3D is presenting the robbery as tangible proof of the desirability of their printers.

Polar 3D Launches MakerBot Extruder Trade-In Program

Polar 3D desktop printers are so good, runs the logic, your typical thieving scumbag would rather snatch those over the costlier and fancier 3D printers made by MakerBot. Why? Because the Polar 3D Printer is well-regarded machine that’s lightweight, affordable, and has four times the build volume of a MakerBot.

Taking this as a cue, Polar 3D is running a special offer until December 31, 2015. Specifically targeting MakerBot owners, customers are invited to turn in their MakerBot extruders and receive a coupon for $100 off a Polar 3D printer, bringing the cost down from $799 to $699.

For educational organizations, teachers and students, additional printers can be purchased at $499. Furthermore, says a Polar 3D spokesman: “If you followed the MakerBot’s purchase instructions and bought 3 backup smart extruders, no worries. Trade all three of them in and you’ll receive three $100 coupons.”

It’s hard to say which is more impressive about Polar 3D; this awesome deal to attract new customers, or their incredibly forward-thinking marketing campaign. Bruised but unbowed by their brush with the criminal underworld, the company has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.