Capturing the ‘Moment’ – South Korean Firm Bursts onto the Scene with FFF 3D Printer

Moment debuted their 3D printer four months ago at the Asian Games 2014 in Incheon, South Korea, with a demonstration of printing custom items for athletes, and then went on to showing off their wares with a ‘Make Your Own Phone Case’ event at several SK Telecom phone stores around Seoul.

Moment also provided the Green Computer Art School in Seoul with a number of their printers, and as the GCAS is one of the most prominent computer schools in South Korea with some 20 campuses nationwide, that made a bit of a splash. GCAS teaches classes in computer languages, software, 3D modeling, app development, and web design, and the company showed off the device last week at the GCAS Gangnam campus in Seoul.

At a little over $1,800 USD (₩1,980,000), the FFF Moment 3D printer seems like a capable machine indeed. It features a desktop footprint of 380 x 390 x 350 mm and an SD card interface, and the company says it’s also capable of “bridging,” which they describe as spraying filament during the build process.

Constructed with ABS on an aluminum frame, the printer weighs in at 17.5kg, is rated for use with DC 24V 6.25A (150W) power, uses the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) process, has a build volume of 145 x 150 x 160 mm and uses 1.75mm filament. The company says it can print at a resolution in the 0.05 – 0.3mm range and has a proprietary bed leveling system. The build platform has a heated bed made of glass, includes a single extruder and a fan cooling system.

The company also includes their Moment Simplify3D software to drive the device, which is compatible with Windows and Mac OS. Moment says the printer handles G-code, .stl, .obj, and .amf file formats.

While the company has yet to complete an English language version of their website, they do say they have plans to expand their marketing efforts to a dozen countries: Australia, Russia, the Philippines, Brunei, Japan, China, Twain, India, France, England, Singapore, and Malaysia.

As part of the company’s launch, they’ve also built a 3D file sharing site, YourMoment, aimed at providing a platform for “3D file creation and sharing ideas.”

In yet another interesting development, Moment brought their products to the Smart e-Learning Busan 2014 exhibition in partnership with AceGaon, a Korean design firm specializing in safety products for youngsters. As AceGaon provides products to major retailers and companies like Samsung and Lotte Department Stores, it’s a notable move.

The company has also donated printers to Incheon Dangha Middle School and sponsored a number of educational workshops for teachers and students through their Moment Edu program. Moment donates a printer to a new school once a month, and the gift includes their Simplify 3D software, three rolls of PLA filament, and a free training workshop.

They’ve also published an interesting video of the Moment printing out a model of the Dabo Pagoda, a structure designated as a UNESCO World Heritage property and located in Bulguksa, Kyung-Ju, South Korea. Check it out below.

As Asian concerns begin to unveil and manufacture new lines of 3D printing devices, their marketing efforts will also expand into Western markets. Do you think Asian companies will be able to compete with their already entrenched Western counterparts? Let us know in the Moment 3D Printer forum thread on 3DPB.com.