Pieter-Jan Vandendriessche, the founder of Tripodmaker, said, “For the release of our latest FDM printer, we wanted to do something remarkable. A quick research revealed that only NASA has conquered space so far with 3D printing. We wanted to change this.”
Tripod got its start in 2014, and mainly sells its products, like cloud-based Prisma slicer software platform and high-grade Spectra filament, in Belgium and the Netherlands.
“We always wanted to inspire people and make them think outside the box,” Vandendriessche told 3DPrint.com. “Very similar like Hergé with his comic books and his iconic rocket he designed back in year 1953. Seeing that rocket, now over 60 years old, in real space was somehow something that we thought people would blow their minds.”
Since the 3D printed TinTin rocket is not an actual working device, Tripodmaker attached it to a weather balloon, filled with over 2,000 liters of helium, and sent it up to an altitude of 30 km. The total payload was around 1.2 kg, and since helium is lighter than air, 1 liter of helium can lift 1 gram of payload, so the rocket-toting balloon had no trouble reaching its specified height.
“We found our space module in an open field and were quite lucky that is was not in a tree, on the road, or on a roof of a building. Finding it back was the most exciting part,” said Vandendriessche.
The TinTin rocket was obviously 3D printed on the company’s new Black Edition V2, which is an upgrade to its earlier Black Edition. Tripodmaker’s Black Edition series of 3D printers are robust, reliable, and easy to use.
The Black Edition V2, which costs €1499 including VAT, has a redesigned print head and new mechanics, which give the printed parts an even smoother surface finish. The printer comes with a new spool holder design, which takes both sizes of spools, and has an improved cooling system, which gives 3D printed parts more dramatic bridges and hangovers, and no stringing. Its improved blower fan pushes out ten times more air than standard fans.
The printer’s build platform is 20 cm in diameter, and it’s capable of 3D printing objects up to 42 cm high. It comes with dedicated Prisma slicing software, and also includes a full metal hot-end. The original Black Edition 3D printer had optional transparent doors, but the doors now come standard with the high-resolution Black Edition V2.
The Black Edition V2 is currently available for purchase on Tripodmaker’s website, and you can also request a free sample if you’re trying to compare printers. Discuss in the Tripodmaker forum at 3DPB.com.