14 DAY TRIAL // After seeing so many fused deposition modeling 3D printers sell for five hundred bucks or less, the new one from KTech might seem a bit expensive at €2,200 / $2,791, but it's not like the company was aiming to be cheap.
Instead, KTech wanted to produce a 3D printer that was smooth and solid, as well as easy to wipe the dust off, not to mention capable of keeping you safe from harmful fumes.
Cheap 3D printers seldom ever have a closed build chamber, and even those don't always have a fume filter or venting mechanism.
The new KTech Genesis 3D Printer, however, features a built-in HEPA filter that captures harmful fumes. Knowing how much smoke ABS plastic gives off when it's melted, that's no small matter.
Especially since the newcomer has a heated build chamber (lets you print things without having to coat the build plate in adhesive, in most cases anyway).
The specifications of the KTech Genesis 3D Printer
The newcomer has a build volume of 200 x 200 x 194 mm / 7.87 x 7.87 x 7.63 inches, which corresponds to 7760 cubic centimeters / 473.54 cubic inches.
The layer resolution, or layer thickness, is of 100 microns. Not that amazing actually, but still more than decent, especially for something with a pixel precision of 15.9 microns on the XY axes, and 1 micron on the Z axis.
STL and Gcode files are compatible with the device by the way. You can download models from Shapeways, Thingiverse and a host of other sources. Or make some yourself if you know your way around Autodesk or other CAD programs.
Moreover, the KTech Genesis 3D printer supports PLA in addition to ABS plastic and can receive files via Ethernet, USB or Wi-Fi connectivity technologies. All in all, the newcomer is fairly balanced and well rounded.
Availability
The KTech Genesis 3D printer can already be ordered for the price we mentioned before. Next week, the company will bring it to the MakerFaire Rome show.
We're not sure how well the thing will sell. All-aluminum construction is great and all, especially since it means that the newcomer is long-lived in addition to being good looking (colored black or dark grey). But the build volume and quality aren't that high compared to that of other consumer FDM models. It’s average in terms of layer resolution actually.
Then again, most of those will make you wheeze and choke on smoke, so there definitely are advantages to the newcomer. We guess it hinges on how well you keep your workshop ventilated.
