AONIQ Unveils 888 3D Printer with Hopes to Disrupt the Industry, Democratize Manufacturing with PVC 3D Printing

3D printing, since its inception, has been synonymous with disruption—and revolution within world industry and manufacturing as we know it. So, it makes perfect sense that others would want to cause a disruption to 3D printing itself, especially as it has hit the mainstream and shown signs of growing quite comfortable there. That is exactly what Aussie company AONIQ has in mind with their new 3D printer, the 888.

Although many within the industry profess to be offering accessibility and affordability for makers worldwide, the AONIQ team is not happy with the options as they see them. Currently, one can invest in a high-end industrial 3D printer (mainly only afforded by ‘large or niche’ businesses) or a much less expensive desktop version that doesn’t allow for the power often needed in commercial ventures. AONIQ’s goal is to remind the world that everyone should be able to enjoy 3D printing.

“With this 3D printer we are giving the average person the ability to not only take on the large corporations but beat them,” said Michael Slavica, CEO of AONIQ.

The 888 is meant to offer ‘a whole new standard in 3D printing,’ as users will be able to make quality production parts. The 888 uses PVC, which AONIQ expects will offer substantial new benefits to users. Their company offers around the clock support, to include live interaction from customer service.

Slavica spoke to 3DPrint.com recently about the 888, sharing his views on the state of 3D printing and his hopes in what the future will hold.

“I got involved in 3D printing because I saw that this was another industrial revolution and that it was going to give greater manufacturing capability back to the people,” he told us. “I see this as a very positive outcome and that it will address many of the issues that consumers currently experience. It will reduce waste and tackle a lot of the inefficacy associated with mass manufacturing.”

He continued, referring to his other company Aussie3D, which offers a wide range of 3D printers—the largest variety in the southern hemisphere, in fact, he explained. That particular business has given Slavica great insight into the world of 3D printers, through hands-on experience with many different machines, where he sees that many problems have already been solved.

“However, nobody had created a printer that had all the solutions in one offering. The 888 does this,” Slavica told 3DPrint.com.

“It is an industrial printer. By that I mean that it has more in common with industrial CNC machines than it does a home user type 3D printer. Being a commercial machine it can be run 8 hours a day 5 days a week and deliver the same quality year after year. It can perform long print jobs over days without failing.”

Ultimately, the goal of Slavica and AONIQ is to bridge the obvious gap they see dividing 3D printers, and the subsequent results for users.

“Most hobbyist type 3D printers are not suited to industrial use and the commercial machines are expensive. The 888 bridges that divide. It will be the first of many machines that do that and will usher in the next stage of 3D printing,” Slavica explained to 3DPrint.com.

“The 888 has a unique and superior printing bed that delivers homogeneous surface temperature across the entire surface. It can print PVC. It provides support directly to the user via the screen. It includes a camera that monitors the print jobs to enable our support team to quickly identify any issues.”

AONIQ wants to see their customers front and center, enjoying the next phase of 3D printing—and equipped with all the tools required to do so. 3D printing with PVC is coming into focus lately as vinyl represents one of the most common materials used in manufacturing today; fellow Aussie company Chemson Pacific introduced 3D Vinyl, its 3D printable PVC material, last year and brought it to the US for the first time for last month’s RAPID + TCT.

“I hope to accelerate the democratisation of manufacturing with this machine,” Slavica told us.

“In this next stage of 3D printing it is time for most people already using 3D printers to decide if they want to continue to tinker on the sidelines or to actually join the latest industrial revolution,” said Slavica.

The 888 is priced starting at $10,4999 (USD) and is set to go on sale August 1. See here for more information on AONIQ and their products. Discuss in the AONIQ forum at 3DPB.com.