Kickstarter Form 1 3D Printer Raises $800,000 in 24 Hours
Another 3D printer promises professional-grade models with a hobbyist-friendly price.
Over the years, we've seen a number of companies bring high-quality 3D printing mainstream with the creation of affordable 3D printers. At the forefront of the industry is Makerbot and its Replicator 3D printers. The company may have just recently came out with its new and improved Replicator 2, but it looks like it may already have some serious competition.
Dubbed the Form 1, this 3D printer promises to create models sufficient enough for most professional engineers. According to its creators, there are currently no low-cost 3D printers that meet the quality standards of the professional designer. As researchers of the MIT Media Lab, the bunch has very high standards when it comes to quality.
To put into perspective the exact level of quality the Form 1 offers, the printer can print layers as thin as 25 microns (0.001 in) with features as small as 300 microns (0.012 in) in a build volume of 4.9 x 4.9 x 6.5 in. Makerbot's Replicator 2 on the other hand is only capable of layers as small as 100 micron, though the build volume is quite a bit larger at 11.2 x 6.0 x 6.1 in.
Started Wednesday, the Form 1 3D printer has already reached over $1,000,000 in funding, more than 10x its goal of $100,000. Achieving $800,000 in its first 24 hours, the Form 1 has been selling like hotcakes. While the initial price tiers came in at $2,299 and $2,499, engineers and crafty hobbyists will now have to contribute $2,699 or more for their own Form 1. For more information on the project or to contribute yourself, head on over to its Kickstarter page here.
0.35mm (350 microns) nozzles are the standard and ones down to 0.15mm are available.
And people can go down to 0.01mm (10 micron) layers.
Check out this for RepRap print quality (admittedly one of the highest quality printed parts ever):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/prusajr/6048211970/in/photostream/
i can actually see myself getting this to create special design pc parts, like fan vents and much more. but how much does the actual plastic like subs-tense you build whit cost ?
cuss if the machine is pricey but the build material is low cost its not to much of a problem.
my experience with 3d printed parts is that they are extremely brittle and fragile.
They are nowhere near as strong or durable as injection molded parts... i.e. they are pretty much for prototyping and little else.
it would probably also be all the kick i need to really learn a 3d program, what with being able get a physical coppy of what i make and all.
people who routinely make/buy/paint mainatures.
could print your own custom game pieces,
could probably fabricate body parts for small cars just to make them look cooler
or could completely fabricate your own car body (rc)
you want an action figure, or something cool looking, well here you go
granted i would neve buy into this at ovr 2 grand, but if you got it down to about 2-500$ i could see buying it, but only if the material they use is cheap.
but the lcd because the standard of what we get tvs by, same with plasma
color lazer printers are also a multi function device
a 3d printer, im afraid will always be a specialty item, unless they get so good that you can print most if nto all the things you use.
It's not just sex toys that are going to be an interesting social/political/judicial problem, especially in conservative cultures, but also weapons.
It also makes it nearly impossible for a company to enforce their patents when anyone can easily download a file and make a replica with little investment.
i suspect that in a few years this will have a major impact on the service parts industry. Just think of all those consumer goods that get thrown in landfills because of a little plastic part breaking that costs a fortune from a service parts supplier. If you could access the design over the Internet and quickly (and cheaply) fabricate a replacement, the service parts industry won't be able to justify their 1000% mark-ups.
seriously, in a few decades, this will be the issue... unless these 3D printers follow the cutthroat inkjet printer ink pricing...
I read a couple of science fiction stories like that, a decade or two ago. And here it is.
In regards to the poor strength of the results: could they be used as prototypes, to make molds? you get the mold and then you can make as many as you want out of long-established materials.
isnt there a kind of pvc that is good for 1 accurate shot, but after that its worthless for accuracy?
imagine someone who wants to snipe a person.
if you just want the gun to shoot once and be done with it, you could print most of the parts and re enforce what just needs to be stronger.
its sad, but if we want to kill someone, as humans, than we will figure out a way to do it.
no, you still couldnt, unless you got a car sized printer that uses metal instead of plastic. ill take a guess that in my lifetime that will never be a consumer device.
i was thinking the exact same thing with the molds, except im wondering about quality and the how... id probably want the printer as a negative, wax as a positive, and than bronze as a positive too, because that will evaporate the wax.
You were Saying? http://www.tomshardware.com/news/wiki-weapon-3d-printer,19551.html