Estonian Designer Creates the Trint 3D Printer out of Plywood for Just $200

When it comes to desktop 3D printers, there are a lot of machines on the market today that are built from cheap, flimsy plastics. These machines, although they may look relatively nice from afar, usually end up having issues when it comes to actually printing objects. A flimsy machine is one which doesn’t provide support for the components within, and printed objects usually suffer because of this. On the other hand, sheet metal and other metal parts can be very expensive to source, so there remains a dilemma for companies and individuals looking to build new 3D printers.

For one Estonian designer, named Kalle Lüütsepp, he had previous experience building CNC machines, and in doing so learned that he could utilize simple plywood to make machines that are extremely sturdy yet also quite affordable.

“The idea to build a 3D printer started a long time ago,” Kalle tells 3DPrint.com. “I designed it almost half a year [ago]. Previously, I have built and designed three CNC machines out of plywood. There will always be a lot of plywood available, so to exploit [this fact] I came up with the idea to design and build a 3D printer.”

The 3D printer, which Kalle calls the “Trint,” like his CNC machines, is built using 21mm plywood. The individual pieces of wood are mostly CNC-machined. The Trint 3D printer also features over a dozen 3D printed parts, as well as other common electronics.

Kalle primarily used SketchUp to design his machine, after having reviewed other 3D printers in depth. In his design, he tried his best to hide most of the components and cables, while also ensuring that the printer was extremely strong, unlike some of the cheaper plastic built printers we see on the market today. He tells us that his machine is very easy to assemble, and cost him just around €180 (approximately $200) to build.

As for the specifications of the Trint 3D printer, they are as follows:

• Build volume: 140 x 140 x 80 mm
• Print speed: 60mm/s
• Layer Height: 0.1mm
• Filament diameter: 1.75mm
• Print Bed: plywood or glass
• External dimensions: 250 x 320 x 300 mm
• Power supply: 12V
• Brain: 1.4 RAMPS

Kalle doesn’t have any plans to mass manufacture his 3D printer, but he’s always open to helping others build their own. He has made the 3D printable files available to download on Thingiverse.

What do you think about this unique 3D printer? Would you consider building one like it yourself? Discuss in the Trint 3D Printer forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out the video of the printer in action below.