14 DAY TRIAL // One of the main limitations of 3D printers is that they can only create objects from one material at any given time, due to their using a single extruder. Even when they do have more than one, often they are limited to plastic, even if they do have multi-color support.
A company called MakerMex wanted to go above and beyond the norm though, even if it didn't quite manage to create a printer with full-color support.
Not that it was its goal in the first place. The company wanted, instead, to make a so-called modular 3D printer, though the term might not mean what you are used to it meaning.
The Modular MakerMex MM1 3D modular printer
The reason it's called “modular” is because the 3D printer has the ability to create objects from several different, unusual materials, thanks to a trait that allows it to swap body parts, so to speak.
The MM1 allows you to change components or add new ones depending on need. There's an acrylic enclosed wall set, for example, which allows you to turn the printer into a semi-transparent closed-chamber one.
There's a module for an extra extruder as well, enabling multi-material printing. There's even a module that adds Wi-Fi support to the device.
It means that you'll be able to print 3D models from not just the PC, but smartphones and tablets as well, so long as you have an app for it.
All in all, MakerMex claims that this “IKEA of 3D printing” is the only 3D printer you'll ever need. Kind of hard to swallow considering the lack of support for metals, but if you're not looking to build robots then maybe you really won't need another.
After all, the thing can create objects from not just PLA/ABS plastics, but clay, chocolate, and a host of other substances. The build volume is of 200 x 200 x 200 mm / 7.87 x 7.87 x 7.87 inches.
Speaking of which, the layer thickness is of 30 microns if you can believe it, while the print speed is of 300 mm/s.
Availability
The MakerMex MM1 should become available at some point in 2015 if the upcoming Kickstarter campaign makes enough money. The crowd-funding will begin on October 2, with a pledge of $999 / €999 as the minimum for one shipment. That means that the retail price will be one or two hundred dollars/euro more, later down the line.