Crowdfunding has been one of 3D printing’s most important sparks. Through platforms such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, companies, which would never have had a shot at raising the necessary funding in order to succeed, have emerged on the scene, innovating and driving prices of the technology through the floor.
Over the last couple of years, we have seen dozens of new companies emerge by relying on everyday people like you and I to back their projects, and thus fund their startups. Some companies have gone as far as raising over $1 million within a couple of months by pre-selling their product to a hungry crowd of 3D printing enthusiasts. Whether it’s M3D’s The Micro 3D Printer which raised over $3.4 million back in May, FormLabs who launched a multi-million dollar company when they raised over $2.9 million back in October of 2012, or The Buccaneer 3D printer which was able to bring in over $1.4 million in June of last year, there is certainly a lot of money out there to fund innovative approaches to this new technology.
One new company which launched a Kickstarter campaign only a few weeks ago is FLUX Technology LLC. Not only have they brought an innovative new approach to the market, but they have already raised a staggering $1.1 million with 21 days remaining on their crowdfunding campaign.
Flux, which we covered earlier this month, uses a unique modular system, allowing numerous different toolheads to quickly and reliably be removed and attached. They were initially seeking to raise $100,000 with their Kickstarter campaign, a lofty goal for any startup. The ability to scan objects, turn the machine into a laser cutter/engraver, and the future addition of various other modules seems to have caught the community’s attention, as they have surpassed their goal by over 1100% with three weeks remaining. The company also has surpassed all of their stated stretch goals of $300,000, $700,000 and $1 million, surprising even the founders of the Flux.
“This is an incredibly inspiring moment. Our motivation since beginning is to develop great machines, realize great ideas and make a better world,” the company stated in an update to their backers, “Thanks to all of you, FLUX is now closer to the dream! We are really grateful to every backers and supporters. We’ll do our best to deliver the most awesome product.”
Now that they’ve reached all their pre-set milestones, the the Flux will now feature an 8GB SD card, rather than just 2GB. Additionally a new ‘Writer’ toolhead will be available, a gyroscope will be built into the machine, and WiFi capabilities are now an option.
It’s really incredible how much demand is out there for these new machines. After thousands upon thousands of 3D printers have been sold over the last year on Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms, new 3D printers like the Flux are still able to captivate the crowd enough to rake in seven digit figures.
Are you one of over 1,775 backers of the Flux? Let’s hear your thoughts on this machine. Discuss in the Flux forum thread on 3DPB.com.