MOTA 3D Printer Hits Kickstarter, Starting at an Incredible $99

How low can we go? I feel like I’ve been watching a great Limbo competition these past few months, with new 3D printer manufacturers trying to see how low they can possibly get the costs of their machines. All this must be accomplished while providing a quality product, and allowing for a decent profit margin.  It’s a challenge, but one that plenty of companies are willing to take on.

It all started on one April morning, when a company called M3D LLC decided to launch their Micro 3D Printer on Kickstarter for only $299. Early backers had the opportunity to grab one at only $199, but they sold out within minutes. Then came along several other low priced 3D printers such as the MOD-t, which cost $249, with early backer units that were available for only $149.

Today there comes yet another! The MOTA 3D Printer, has now launched their official Kickstarter campaign, for a printer that is priced at $499. However, they had offered the 3D printer to the first 50 backers, at only $99. Of course these units sold out in a matter of minutes though. There are still some MOTA 3D printers available at highly discounted prices though. MOTA is letting 100 of these go for only $299. At the time this article was written, there were still 40 available at this price.

The MOTA 3D printer will ship with a 30 day manufacturer’s warranty and includes many nice features, as seen in the specifications below:

• Maximum Print Size: 6.5 x 6.1 x 6.1 inches
• Printable Materials: ABS and PLA
• Technology Used: FDM
• Print Speed – Up to 120mm/sec
• Positioning Pecision (X, Y, Z): X&Y 11; Z 2.5 microns
• Layer Thickness (Z): 0.1mm – 0.3mm
• Wall Thickness: 0.4mm
• Print Head: 0.4mm
• Layer Resolution: 100 microns
• Weight: 40 lbs.
• Input Format: STL

The MOTA 3D also comes with an optional filament cartridge system that will hold up to 2 spools at once, and allow for switching of colors mid-print. The printer includes a steel chasis, as well as an enclosed build platform, that the company says will reduce noise, and keep kids’ fingers out of harm’s way.

As for backer levels, the company has, like mentioned above, sold out of the $99 versions of the 3D Printer. There are, however, still limited edition MOTA 3D Printers available for $299 (shipped within the US for free). Also for $499, you can grab one of the limited-edition colored MOTA 3D Printers, and choose from black, red, blue or white. If you really want to get your 3D printer quickly, you can fork over $799 for one of the Alpha versions of the printer. These are expected to be delivered in August (next month!).

“We set out to bring the expertise we’ve gained from 15 years designing and manufacturing consumer electronic devices to recreate the 3D printing industry,” says the company. “We built ours from the ground up to offer high resolution and high precision at an affordable price.”

This is yet another extremely affordable 3D printer. With 50 people able to grab one at $99, 100 people at $299, and the remaining at a still affordable $499, there should be a lot of happy new 3D printer owners out there very soon, if this campaign is fully funded. The final retail price has not yet been announced as of yet, but you can probably expect it to hover around the $500 mark.

What do you think? Have you backed the MOTA 3D? Discuss in the MOTA 3D Printer Forum thread on 3DPB.com.  Be sure to check out the campaign video below: