The Cheapest Printer, So Far... Update!

I had no idea when I posted "The Cheapest 3D Printer (So Far...)" on Saturday that I would have to provide an update on Tuesday!!  Kickstarter seems to be the place where the majority of the battle to be the first cheap 3D printer is going to be fought (and won?).

The Peachy Printer Project on Kickstarter just reset the bar by offering a 3D printer for less than $100 dollars.  Here is their pitch (check out the video below):

"You know how everyone and their Grandmother has a paper printer? Well, wouldn't it be cool if everyone and their Grandmother had a 3D printer? It definitely would, but this isn't a reality for 2 reasons:

- 3D Printers still quite expensive.

- They aren't very simple. Good luck teaching your Grandma how to use one!

The Cheapest 3D Printer (So Far...)

Ding, ding, ding...  In fight to be the lowest has a new contender.  MakiBox starting shipping it's A6 LT model in the beginning of August with its first 5 units.  Check out the details below.

The MakiBox A6 LT has been designed to be the best of both worlds, affordable and dependable. It comes with a frosted acrylic printing bed that is suitable for PLA and similar lower temperature plastics. All MakiBox kits come partially assembled. They have been designed to be more simple with less parts and very little configuration.

Specs:

Outside Dimensions: 290mm wide x 235mm deep x 235mm tall
Printing Output: 150mm wide x 110mm deep x 90mm tall
Positional Resolution: 0.04mm (full step resolution) in XYZ, output resolution depends on output speed and nozzle size.
Movement System: Drive Screws (8mm movement per rotation) and Stepper Motors
Nozzle: 0.4mm Default, 0.3mm and 0.5mm available
Drive Electronics: Printrboard Rev B with MakiBox Firmware

Kit contains:

1 MakiBox A6 Frame
4 Stepper Motors with Drive Shafts
1 Controller Board
1 60W or higher power supply (100V-220V AC)
1 Hot End with 0.4mm diameter output
1 Acrylic Print Bed
1 Clear Acrylic Casing
0.5kg of PLA 1.75mm Filament, Assorted Color
Assembly Instruction Manual

Now get ready for this...  The price is only $200!!!!  The next closest 3D printer is The Buccaneer at $347 which is currently a Kickstarter project that (to my knowledge) is not yet in production.

To my knowledge this is the lowest priced 3D printer in production.

Who will be the next contender?

Stay tuned....

So You Want to Buy a 3D Printer?

So you think you are in the market for a new shiny 3D printer?  Well It looks like there are a lot of companies out there that would love to sell you one.  In fact, it looks like some of the top manufacturers are buying up advertizing from top sites like Google.  When I searched for "3D Printers" I got the results below.

Stratasys and Solidoodle are familiar names in the 3D printer arena, but I've never heard of Zeepro.  After further investigation, it look like it is a Kick Starter project.  According to their website, "Zim is the first personal 3D printer to feature a dual extruders printing head with Ethernet & WiFi connectivity, an onboard micro-camera, smartphone and tablet control, and an exclusive refillable cartridge system. With Zim, 3D printing is about to go mainstream, as everyone from hobbyists to children will now be able to print high quality 3D objects quickly and safely using various materials and colors, at an affordable price."

It almost seems like there is a new, "cheap" 3D printer on the market every week.  This is a trend I will keep a close eye on.