The Kraken is a legendary sea monster reputed to be enormous and to dwell off the coasts of Norway and Greenland. The squid-like creature was said to have a “fearsome appearance” and to have terrorized Icelandic sailors navigating the Greenland Sea. Now a group of developers in Budapest, Hungary say their Krak3n 3D is a high-speed 3D printer which features a fast printing process and a unique structure which completely eliminates linear carriages, and they refer to it as The Building Monster.
The company says they plan to release the Krak3n 3D on Kickstarter in April, and with a second prototype, the developers say their desktop printer will include advanced features like automatic printbed calibration, a feature they call Printguard to monitor materials and printing progress, and 3D scanning capability.
They say the Krak3n 3D is modular in design and includes single extruder, dual extruder, and a laser engraving module. The company says there are plans in the works to develop a paste extruder, a chocolate extruder, and a CNC engraver.
When it’s complete, the Krak3n 3D will not require assembly and it will feature plug-and-play operation via a single button.
The Krak3n 3D printer will include a 3D scanner, module design, and personalized, user-friendly software (WIP) — and they add that it can also operate with a number of other software packages as well.
Once complete, the designers say the automatic calibration feature will check the print surface and modify the printing paths using the collected information, and that this functionality will help the printer eliminate warping, achieve better print quality, and avoid failed prints. Printguard will monitor the continuous filament feed, pause the print if the filament runs out or breaks, and allow printing to be resumed once any issues are fixed.
A built-in HD webcam will be included as well to allow users to monitor the printing process remotely.
Krak3n 3D says now that the second prototype is ready and in testing, they’ve benchmarked the maximum movement speed of the printhead at 300mm per second.
“The build surface is a steel plate, and it has an open frame, so it’s easier to access and modify, but that does not affect the functionality,” say Krak3n of the prototype. “The module is not attached yet, but we plan to do so this week. The 3D scanner will also be tested this week. The software is mostly debugged, and ready to roll. The GUI is still under development – but it will be amazing.”
While no pricing information or technical details are available at this stage of the development process, you can expect considerably more information once the printer is launched on Kickstarter. Stay tuned.
What do you think of the early design of the Krak3n 3D Printer? Do you plan to support the project on Kickstarter? Let us know in the Beware the Krak3n 3D Printer forum thread on 3DPB.com.
