Now on Kickstarter: Qubea and YouSu Introduce the Rever, a Kid-Friendly, Affordable 3D Printer

I was a creative child. I made sure my art supplies were well stocked at all times with crayons, markers, multiple types of paint, and, of course, Play-Doh and Sculpey. My family didn’t have a ton of money, but that was all right, because I was always more interested in making my own toys, jewelry, and “food” (yes, you can eat Play-Doh, but I don’t recommend it) than in buying things that were made by someone else. So I must say that I’m really jealous of today’s kids, because they have something that didn’t exist when I was a child. If it had, however, it would have been the top item on my Christmas list. It still may be, actually; I seriously want one of these.

What is it? Why, it’s a 3D printer, of course! 3D printing companies YouSu and Qubea have teamed up to create the Rever, which they are calling “the world’s first affordable 3D printer for kids.”  The Rever has a simple design that kids can easily use, but most importantly it has several safety features to make it ideal for children. A translucent safety door locks into place while printing is in process so that the children can watch, but the door cannot be opened until the heated and moving parts are securely locked away. The cartridges come with non-toxic PLA plastic that has the added bonus of being biodegradable.

Not only is it safe and simple to use, but the Rever also comes with some pretty cool technology. Qubea has designed an app for iPad and Android that allows the user to create their design and then send it, via cloud, to the Rever for printing. The app includes thousands of designs to choose from, as well as the option to draw your own design. Future updates will include the ability to print from uploaded photographs. The open-source software also allows children to print from PCs or services such as DreamFactory.

The Rever has been successfully developed, assembled and tested; however, Qubea is launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds needed to begin manufacturing them to scale. With a goal of $150,000, the company hopes to begin shipping its printers in June of 2016 – sadly, not in time for Christmas this year, but buy them early and you’ll be all set for Christmas 2016. The earlier the better, too – a special early bird price of $169 is being offered for the first 100 backers to pledge at least that amount. If you miss that cutoff, not to worry; you can still get your printer for the Kickstarter price of $219, with an estimated delivery date of August 2016. For $50 more, you can have the option of a red, blue, or yellow limited-edition Rever, and finally, pledge $299 or more and you will receive a special engraved version. All printers come with a 0.5 kg PLA cartridge and have a one-year warranty with an option to renew each year.

Qubea, founded in 2012, manufactures 3D printers with an emphasis on consumer-focused designs. They also place a lot of importance on education, and have worked with local schools to integrate 3D printing into the classroom. The launch of the Rever, if successful, could further those goals significantly.

“With its child-friendly safety features, simple plug-and-press set up and easy-to-use app,” the Qubea team told 3DPrint.com, “the Rever has the potential to revolutionize homes and schools around the world.”

Let us know if you will be backing this project on Kickstarter.  Discuss in the Rever forum thread on 3DPB.com.