New 3D Printer Raises $2 Million on Kickstarter

Ask any three knowledgeable people what they think about home additive manufacturing (AM) systems and you’ll probably get three different responses. Some, like Terry Wohlers of Wohlers Associates, will tell you people don’t want or need a 3D printer in the home. Others, such as Joshua Pearce from Michigan Technological University (MTU), believe a home 3D printer is already useful enough to be given a place as a household appliance.

In the end, it’s consumers who will decide the issue, and some of them recently backed another home 3D printer, The Micro, on Kickstarter. The product of startup M3D, the Micro is being touted as the first AM system designed with home consumers in mind. Kickstarter backers can get one for a mere $299 (if they hurry), and early backers got an even better deal at $199.

So what are people getting for their pledges? You heard the phrase you get what you pay for, and in the case of The Micro this is exactly the case. The new 3D printer is a material extrusion model (like a MakerBot), with a build envelope of 109 x 113 x 116mm (4.29 x 4.45 x 4.57 in.). That is a seriously small build area, even for a home AM system. Most people’s hands wouldn’t even fit inside.

It has a resolution that measures between 50-350 microns. On the one hand, 50 microns is pretty good for a home 3D printer, but on the other you have to consider just how long it will take to print out even a small object at that resolution. If I’m to assume the average resolution is somewhere close to 200 microns, you’ll probably want to stock up on acetone to smooth out the strata layers.

The Micro’s Kickstarter page goes on about how easy it is to use, including a USB port, Wi-Fi, plug-and-play support, custom software, etc., but I don’t see a lot of cautionary advice about exactly how finicky material extrusion printers can be, nor much about the need to calibrate the system.

Below you’ll find The Micro’s Kickstarter video.

Source: Kickstarter