Robo3D CEO Braydon Moreno
Robo3D is a company that raised close to $650,000 on Kickstarter about a year ago, for their “R1” 3D printer. The printer is currently available for only $599 fully assembled (for the PLA model) and $699 fully assembled for the PLA+ABS model.
Robo3D CEO Braydon Moreno, recently divulged a little bit of information about their future plans, to those on Reddit.
The company is currently working on their 2nd generation 3D printer, which is referred to as the “R2”.
“We are working on [the] “R2” currently, explained CEO Braydon Moreno. “It will be an upgraded machine, dual extrusion, bigger build volume, and more. It should be released summer time of this year.”
If all goes as planned we should see the R2 become available sometime in the next 5-6 months. However, it doesn’t appear as though Robo3D has any plans of stopping there. With several important patents expiring, which have been preventing many 3D printing companies from using some very efficient technology, Robo3D has plans to innovate even more.
Robo3D “R1” 3D Printer
“We are looking at the laser sintering patents expiring as a potential opportunity to jump into a space that could bring a new level of manufacturing and opportunities to our customers,” said Moreno. “Plenty of companies will be working on this technology as well.”
Laser Sintering a technology that allows printers to use lasers to melt a powdery substance which could be metal, glass, ceramic, or a plethora of other available materials. It is a far more advanced method than what most consumer level 3D printers use today. However, Moreno thinks that laser sintering might eventually be pushed aside as well.
“I still think there is further room to advance the technology past laser sintering to get some of the benefits of quality output with a more usable experience,” explained Moreno
It is safe to assume that the “R2” printer will not feature any laser sintering, but future Robo3D printers could. Moreno also announced that once the “R2” is released, we can expect the already low price of the “R1” to drop under the current $599 price tag.
“I want to lower the R1 price slightly to stay competitive,” said Moreno. “First things first, we have to lower our cost to produce.”
For those that already own the “R1”, there is some good news as well. Moreno said that they are currently working on a dual extruder upgrade for the “R1” model.
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