The Cheetah 3.1 3D Printer
Over the course of the past several months, if you are an avid reader of 3DPrint.com, you would have read several stories concerning a South African man named Hans Fouche. Fouche is the creator of the Cheetah 3D printer, a 3D printer unlike anything else currently out there on the market. Using this 3D printer, he has printed several very unique products which typically would not even be considered feasible on other FFF-based machine. Some of Fouche’s incredible creations include his 3D printed working lawn mower, his 3D printed shoes, and even a 3D printed vacuum cleaner that doubles as a flower pot.
All of these creations were fabricated on Fouche’s unique Cheetah 3D printer, which is capable of printing extra large object in about a tenth of the time it would take to print a similar sized object on another FFF-based 3D printer. This is because the Cheetah 3D printer exchanges print resolution for speed. It prints in layers ten times the height of other machines, meaning it can build up large objects ten times faster. This isn’t the only benefit provided by the Cheetah, however. It is also capable of printing using raw plastic pellets as opposed to spools of filament like that which are required by most other FFF-based printers on the market today.
The Cheetah 3.1 3D printer is now available for purchase from Fouche 3D Printing for 100,000 South African Rand, plus shipping, which is approximately $8,634. Current lead times are 1 month, and Hans Fouche says he will ship his 3D printers internationally. As for the specifications of the machine, they are as follows:
- Flow Rate: 500 grams per hour using a 3mm nozzle
- Build Volume: 1m x 1m x 1m
- Building Materials: ABS granules, PLA granules and EVA granules
- Nozzle Size: 3mm standard, but can also work with 1mm, 2mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 7mm and 8mm nozzles
- Firmware: Marlin with modifications (comes standard with the Cheetah)
- Support: 1 day free training at Fouche 3D Printing headquarters, plus free phone support for one month and email support for 1 year.
As for who Fouche plans to sell these 3D printers to, he explains to 3DPrint.com:
“Not the normal hobby guys, but rather the SERIOUS hobby guys that would like to turn there hobby into a business! And then companies which are ready to explore the options of a new disruptive force in 3d printing”
Pellets being fed into the Cheetah
As for the plastic pellets used for printing, Fouche tells us that they typically can be purchased in large quantities of 25kg at wholesale plastic suppliers, but he will also be selling the material for those who wish to purchase it directly through him.
It should be interesting to see not only how many people purchase this incredibly unique 3D printer, but also what types of interesting 3D printed products they create using these large scale, rapid fabrication devices.
What do you think about the Cheetah 3D printer? Is it worth the price that Fouche is asking? What types of unique projects do you think people will come up with using these machines? Discuss in the Cheetah 3.1 3D Printer forum thread on 3DPB.com.
3D Printed Vacuum Cleaner