Although China has a population of over 1.3 billion people, they are lagging behind a bit when it comes to the development of 3D printers. With this said, things do seem to be about to change as companies, new and old, begin entering the market within the world’s second largest economy.
One such company is Shenzhen-based ATSmake, which we covered only a few months ago as they announced a new SLA 3D printer called ‘Make’. The company, which officially launched back in September 2011 as Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., and is currently China’s leading consumer 3D printer manufacturer, only recently (June of this year) re-branded themselves as ATSmake. Since that time they have been busy ramping up their plans to produce several key printers for the market, both in China and abroad. These plans have included a partnership with Norge, a UK company creating an affordable nylon selective laser sintering machine, as well as this week’s announcement of yet another new 3D printer called Mars. With these developments ATSmake hopes to aggressively expand their market reach, in an industry which is only now beginning to blossom.
The ATSmake Mars 3D printer uses an FFF process as opposed to their last machine, the Make, which relied on stereolithography technology. The printer has a very minimalistic look to it and has several valuable features built into its stainless steel shell. Below is a look at some of the specifications of this new machine:
- Printer Size: 33.5 x 38 x 43cm
- Build Envelope: 180 x 180 x 180mm
- Nozzle Diameter: 0.4mm
- Print Resolution: 0.05mm
- Layer Thickness: 0.05 mm (50 micron)
- Printing Speed: 40-120 mm/sec
- Print Temperature: 1-260 C
- Filament Size: 1.75mm
The Mars’ 2.8-inch touch screen interface makes managing prints a breeze, while WiFi connectivity allows for remote printing away from a main PC. The ball screw control and linear guidways used by the company in this new printer allow for high resolution prints at decent speeds. The company plans to have these printers available for the holiday season with an initial production capacity of 1,000 units per month. The price of the Mars 3D printer has not yet been announced.
Let us know if you have ever purchased a machine from ATSmake, as well as your thoughts on their new 3D printer in the ATSmake Mars Printer forum thread on 3DPB.com.
