Plastic Scribbler Announces Asterid 2100 & 2200 3D Printers

The open source movement within the 3D printing industry has allowed for some of the quickest percentage price decreases we have seen within any industry for quite a long time. FDM-based desktop 3D printers are dropping in price significantly as the technology behind them continues to improve dramatically. The open source knowledge and technology behind these machines has allowed for companies to quickly, and relatively easily set up shop as 3D printer manufacturers. This is why, over the last few years, the number of machines on the market have snowballed.

One such company, which is taking advantage of all the open source technology within the market, is Plastic Scribbler. The company, based in Cumming, GA, was born during a 2012 Mini Maker Faire in Atlanta, when a mechanical engineer with 15 years of industrial automation and robotics experience, named Tim Manasterski, thought of the idea.

They have prided themselves on being able to offer high quality 3D printers, with decent build volumes at affordable prices, and this they have achieved with their $499 Asterid 1100 and 1000S models. This wasn’t enough for Manasterski and his company, as they wanted to continue to refine their printers, improving upon some of the more important areas such as speed and build volume. The company has recently announced the availability of two additional Asterid 3D printer models, the 2100 and 2200.

“There are larger and stronger X and Y axis carriage assemblies, explained Manasterski to 3DPrint.com, in regards to the two new additions to the Plastic Scribbler lineup. “The X-axis assembly went from 6mm rods and bearings to larger 8mm rods and bearing. The Y-axis assembly was redesigned to be both more stable and allow for faster print speeds. The new series has a larger build volume of 8″ x 8″ x 9.5″ inches. We’ve also doubled all our print speeds and redesigned our extruder to be, both more simple to use and work on, and also more reliable.”

Both the Asterid 2100 and 2200 are nearly identical in terms of specs. The main differences are the prices and some of the added ‘bells and whistles’ such as the LCD Smart Controller and SD card reader for computer-free 3D printer control found on the 2200 printer. Below are the general specifications found within both new 3D printers:

• Printer Technology: Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)
• Printer Size: 18.625″ x 18.625″ x 18.625″ (L x W x H)
• Build Envelope: 204mm x 204mm x 241.3mm (8″ x 8″ x 9.5″)
• Layer Heights: .2994mm, .1996mm, and .0998mm
• Extruder/Nozzle: Direct drive easy-load extruder with .4mm nozzle for faster print speeds
• Filament Type: ABS filament recommended, PLA or other thermoplastics is possible. 1.75mm
• File Support: .STL (stereo-lithography) .OBJ (Wavefront Technologies) and .AMF (Additive Manufacturing File Format)

The Asterid 2100 is priced at just $569, while the Asterid 2200 is priced at $689. Both printers have a shipment lead time of approximately 2-3 weeks. Are you considering purchasing either of these new machines, or are you an owner of one of Plastic Scribbler’s other 3D printers? Discuss in the Asterid 2100 & 2200 forum thread on 3DPB.com.