Sculptify Kicks Off Their Kickstarter Campaign For ‘David’ Their Pellet 3D Printer

Back in June we first got word that startup, Sculptify, would be getting into the consumer desktop 3D printer market. As you would expect, with a seemingly endless supply of manufacturers turning to crowdfunding as of late, with many of them failing to reach their funding goals, in order to insure success, a unique innovative product is needed. This, Sculptify seemingly has, in a desktop 3D printer named ‘David’, which uses pellets instead of traditional strands of filament. Back in June, the company promised a crowdfunding campaign would soon for launched in order to raise the required funding for production, as well as pre-sell their new machines.

Today, that crowdfunding campaign has launched on the Kickstarter platform, and with it comes lots of new information regarding Sculptify’s David. For one, the price has finally been revealed. The retail price will be $3,195, putting it at the high end of the consumer market, while ‘early bird’ backers can pre-purchase the 3D printer for as low as $2,745.

Despite the price, the ability of David to utilize pellets of various materials, will save owners of the printer quite a lot of money in the long run. Think of David as the Tesla of the 3D printer market. It may be priced higher than most cars (printers), but the ability to use electricity (pellets) instead of gasoline (filament) will make up for that price difference, and more than likely even save you money in the long run. On top of this, you will likely be the envy of fellow car (3D printer) owners.

Sculptify will offer their own bags of pellets in nine different materials, four of which (PLA, ABS, TPU, EVA) are available from the start of production, while five other (HIPS, HDPE, Nylon, PC, Wood Composite) will be available once the company optimizes them for their machine. A typical bag of Sculptify branded PLA or ABS plastic will cost $18 per kg, which is about 50% less than the average spool of filament that one would purchase for other 3D printers. Sculptify will not lock their customers into using only their pellets, meaning that even more money could be saved down the road.

“There are certain grades, sizes, and shapes that are optimal for use with David, and there are some that simply won’t work with the system,” states Sculptify on there Kickstarter campaign. “Because of this, pellets will also be available through the Sculptify store to give those who do not want to experiment proven material options for everyday printing.”

The company is seeking a total of $100,000 via Kickstarter, of which $15,190 has already been raised within hours of the campaigns launch. The campaign will run until September 18th, at which point, if funded, the company will begin manufacturing the machine in Columbus, Ohio. The first shipments of David should begin in March of next year.

Have you backed Sculptify’s David 3D Printer? Does the money saved on filament justify spending a bit more for the machine? Let’s hear your thoughts in the Sculptify forum thread on 3DPB.com.  Check out the Kickstarter pitch video provided below: