As many of you out there know, starting a new business is an experience filled with excitement on the upside and fraught with challenges on the downside. No matter how good your product is, unless you are independently wealthy and ready to spend, raising capital is crucial.
Kickstarter has certainly infused new life into the world of inventors, however, as well as offering an expedient way to raise cash—mainly for those with a product that truly has something to offer the worldwide consumer base looking for the next exciting innovation—with a significant early bird discount.
It’s a great feeling getting in at the outset of one of these rare campaigns that set Kickstarter on fire almost immediately. These campaigns are fairly few and far between these days, but when one comes along, both the energy and escalating momentum are contagious. This often also indicates a superstar in the making, definitely for the product, and hopefully for the creator as well. You can make your mind up for yourself as to what the future might hold for Blue Eagle Labs.
The Metal Delta features an all-metal frame.
Headquartered in San Diego, this 3D printing manufacturer had previous success on Kickstarter (raising an impressive $266,337) with their Kossel Clear 3D printer in 2013, also an affordable, full size Delta machine.
Now, their second Kickstarter launch, with the Metal Delta 3D printer, features a machine offering improvements on their previous design.
Beginning at $499, you can back this campaign and receive a PLA Early Bird Kit. If you’d gotten in just a bit earlier (um, just a mere few days ago after the launch), you could have ordered the ABS Early Bird Kit—but they are all gone. Yes, really. There are numerous other options, however, featuring different upgrades and packages. This campaign, launched on August 4th, in hopes of raising only a humble $10,000 has already more than doubled that at $21,700 (as of the time of editing). It’s going to be exciting to see if the momentum keeps up in this fashion for the sequel to the Kossel Clear, offering:
- More durable steel parts
- Higher resolution
- Larger volume
- More upgrade offerings
- Design improvements from the open-source community
The Metal Delta has been tested and ‘iterated to perfection,’ and promises to offer you a high-quality 3D printer that will allow you to look forward to reliability and accuracy. With an all-metal frame, the Metal Delta offers the rigidity necessary for both accuracy and repeatability, according to Blue Eagle.
“The design incorporates strategic bends and cut patterns that make building a delta so much easier,” states the team on Kickstarter. “Slots have been designed to easily mount various parts, such as hotends and extrusions. Holes are pre-tapped so that various other parts can easily be bolted on precisely such as motors, endstops, and extruder mechanisms.”
With a build volume of 250mm diameter x 280mm height, the manufacturer believes you will find a better cost ration than virtually any other printer:
The Metal Delta allows for faster auto-calibration, more accurate prints, and an effector that is easy to swap. This is due to the use of specialized jigs and zero-backlash arms with a maximum of 50 microns variation in length within a set.
“Some of you may know Haydn Huntley from the delta bot forum,” states the team on Kickstarter. “We are offering his upgraded ball joints and arms, which are made of precision CNC delrin sockets, extremely light carbon fiber tubes, chromed ball studs and 1kg holding force magnets.”
Numerous upgrades are available too, including:
- Laser engraver – works with a variety of materials to include different woods, paper, and cardboard. Safety glasses, a UV shield, and a python script for generating code are included as well. See the Kickstarter page for more information on this particular module, as they are selling it separately, with a safety waiver.
- Dual extruder – allows for greater complexity and use of color. Blue Eagle is striving for dual filament output that eliminates oozing.
- GeckoTek build plate – this upgrade offers a more advanced print bed. Boasting a permanent coating, it allows for the best adhesion possible without warping.
- MKS Base 32 bit Controller w/ High Resolution Stepper Motors – purchasing this upgrade means that you have the ability to double the resolution of your Metal Delta.
Each printer comes with a free commercial subscription to Autodesk Fusion 360 for a limited time and with specific details (see Kickstarter). It’s important to keep in mind also that the Metal Delta is compatible with numerous slicing programs.
This printer kit is very easy to build out.
The unit was fully tested by a number of users who also provided the same service for the Kossel Clear before it was launched. The company also offer a helpful forum if you are interested in sharing or receiving input on Blue Eagle 3D printers.
“Since this is our second Kickstarter, the risks involved in backing this project are very low. We are fully confident that we can handle our supply chain very well,” states the team on the Kickstarter page. “Furthermore, a good amount of our part inventory is already in stock. Extrusions, electronics, motors have already been ordered before, and all we need to do is reorder.”
See below for further stats regarding this new printer, along with a video full of information and colorful visuals. Discuss further in the Metal Delta 3D Printer forum over at 3DPB.com.
- Movement speed: 320mm/s (20T); 150mm/s (15T)
- Movement resolution: 100 steps per mm, 200 steps per mm (upgraded); translates to approx 30 microns or 15 microns upgraded
- Build Plate: 250mm diameter
- Build Height: 280mm
- Print Surface: Borosilicate Glass or upgrade to GeckoTek Build Plates
- Auto calibration
