MakeBlock Constructor I – The 400-Piece DIY 3D Printer Kit

The do-it-yourself (DIY) movement, has many intersections with that of the 3D printing space. A large portion of those who own desktop 3D printers are obviously interested in DIY projects. After all, when you 3D print anything, you are involved in some sort of DIY project, whether you realize it or not.

Makeblock, based in Shenzhen, China is a 30 person team which caters to the DIY community by offering a vast array of mechanical parts and electronic modules to help turn ideas into successful projects. From plates, to beams, to motors, sensors, brackets, controllers, and drivers, MakeBlock offers it all. All the parts on their platform are able to easily interconnect with one another, providing a seamless method of construction. The company has been offering a variety of interesting kits for anything from robotics to electric motors.

Recently, however, the company has entered the 3D printing space, with the launch of a DIY kit for their Makeblock Constructor I 3D Printer. Many of you may be used to putting together 3D printers from kit form, but this is no simple kit. The purpose of this printer being sold this way, is not simply to save money on assembly costs, but to provide DIY’ers an awesome educational project. The kit for the Makeblock Constructor I 3D Printer includes approximately 400 parts in total, making this an incredibly interesting project to tackle for those who enjoy the sense of accomplished, after making something practically from scratch.

The actual printer, once assembled, is quite a powerful machine, featuring an anodized aluminum frame, and decent print resolutions. Below you will find some of the general specifications of the MakeBlock Constructor I.

• Printer Size: 324mm X 312mm X400mm
• Print Materials: 1.75mm PLA
• Build Envelope (WxDxH): 125mm x 165mm x 120mm
• Speed: 40mm/s, max 100mm/s
• XY Resolution: 0.1mm
• Layer Resolution: 0.1-0.3mm
• Extruder: All metal, temperatures up to 250 degrees Celcius
• Software: Slic3r+Printrun, Cura, kisslicer, MatterControl, Skeinforge
• Firmware: Marlin
• File Type: STL

For those interested in taking on this project, the entire kit can be pre-ordered right away for $699.99. MakeBlock hopes to begin shipping the kits out before October 10 of this year. For customers who pre-order the kit, Makeblock will throw in an additional spool of PLA filament, as well as a $50 coupon for their next purchase.  It is recommended that you download and read the complete instructions prior to dishing out the $699.99 for the kit, as it may be more complicated than you initially thought.

Let us know if you plan on purchasing the kit, and how the assembly goes. Feel free to post a diary of your assembly within the Makeblock Constructor I forum thread on 3DPB.com.  Check out the full list of all 400 parts of this printer which need to be put together, followed by a video of the completely assembled Constructor I 3D Printer below.