In our efforts to keep you apprised of the latest crowdfunding campaigns for 3D printers, 3D printed objects, 3D software, and various other 3D printing products, today we’re giving you a heads-up on two upcoming Kickstarter 3D printer campaigns. The first is from the team at 3Devised, a company of makers that developed what it calls the smallest top-down DLP 3D printer – the PLUTO.
The website reads, “It was at this point when we needed a better solution: We met the concept of stereolithography. These kind of printers and their operating costs were prohibitively expensive for our budget, so we had to find an another way.
After countless hours of browsing and research, we decided to build our first machines based on SLA technology, back in 2013. Since then we gained a lot of experience in this field, and we built numerous prototypes through the years.
In 2015 we felt confident enough to set our goal to develop a market-ready, reliable, precise, but still affordable machine.
The journey of Pluto has begun.”
PLUTO uses DLP technology and high-end IGUS components to achieve precise, high quality 3D printed products. Stereolithography 3D printers are either in the bottom-up machine category, or the top-down; PLUTO is in the latter.
The printer works like this:
- The part’s first layer is projected onto the surface to harden the resin; the layer reaches the platform and attaches to it.
- The platform moves down by one layer to expose uncured resin on top of the first layer.
- The part’s next layer is projected onto the surface to harden the resin and attach it to the layer below.
- Lather, rinse, repeat the process until you have a completed part.
3Devised explains that by making PLUTO a top-down printer, they “reduced the chance of printing failures while making PLUTO simpler and more efficient as well.”
The Kickstarter campaign for the SLA/DLP PLUTO printer, available starting at $749, will begin on November 14th.
At the end of this month, Italian 3D printing and prototyping company 3DRap will launch a crowdfunding campaign for its own desktop 3D printer on Kickstarter – the eco-friendly, multi-tool Poly. The printer, which had a recent premiere at a tattoo bar on Linux Day in Avellino last month, is designed for students, makers, and amateur 3D printing enthusiasts; as 3DRap puts it, the Poly was “made to exploit the creativity of adults and children.”
“If we had to summarize the whole team story in one word, that would be ‘Poly.’ The origins of this tiny 3D-printer date back to the baby steps taken by 3DRap in the vast and shining territory of industry fairs,” 3DRap explained. “The team, at its first public appearances, was immediately confronted with a doubt: how could they create an immediate bond of trust with visitors and potential customers, and give them the impression of being fully capable of moving into the 3D printing world, despite their young age?
And so came the idea of bringing a 3D-printer prototype with them, which was also perfectly working, so that the whole process could be shown, and not just talked about. ‘Show, do not tell,’ is the basic rule of every story, and so the 3DRap narrative took the shape of the ‘Littlemaker,’ suitable for a desk printer driven with the micro-stepper motor of an old DVD player.”
Poly at Linux Day event
The desktop Poly is completely biodegradable – it was actually designed from an upcycling project, and the entire structure of the machine was 3D printed itself out of PLA. It’s powered by a DVD player motor, and its battery power system and magnetic plug and play mechanism make the wireless printer very easy to use. The 6 x 6 x 6 cm Poly utilizes open source firmware and software, has an integrated Bluetooth sensor, and features a laser engraving kit, an extruder nozzle, and a chocolate extruding kit.
According to the 3DRap team, “Poly is for everyone, it fits everyone, and it is within just everyone’s reach. It is a wonderful and educational toy for curious children, a magic tool for home cooks and foodies, and a precious ally for designers, artisans, and anyone who needs to prototype their ideas. From professional to educational, from didactic to recreational, from home cooking to crafts at large, Poly is a jewel destined for everyone who decides to believe in it.”
What do you think of these two new 3D printers? Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.