14 DAY TRIAL // Quite a few SLA 3D printers (which “grow” things out of resin by bombarding it with light) and metal 3D printers have come out this year, but the type suited for everyone and their brother is still FDM (fused deposition modeling). Sharebot has just unveiled a particularly small FDM 3D printer.
Fused deposition modeling works by superheating plastic filament and layering it into place, drop by drop, by means of an extruder, or several in the case of multi-nozzle printers.
The 3D printer that Sharebot has just introduced measures, in total, 310 x 330 x 350 mm, which is the rough equivalent of 12.20 x 14 x 13.77 inches. A fairly small size, all told.
This, of course, means that the build volume is not that large either, but 100 x 140 x 100 mm / 3.93 x 5.51 x 3.93 inches should still make for some nice action figures. It will definitely be enough for modular 3D printed chairs, for example.
Speaking of modularity, the Sharebot Kiwi-3D Printer itself doesn't necessarily ship fully assembled. Indeed, you will save money if you order it in kit form, and assemble it yourself at home.
The fully assembled one costs €696, which corresponds to $946. Hopefully exchange rates will, once again, fail to reflect reality, and the price in the US will turn out to be closer to $696 instead.
On that note, the Kiwi-3D Printer kit has a tag of €570, or $570-$775, again depending on whether or not exchange rates factor in the conversion. It looks well and truly bare, dry and dull, especially the frame, which is almost the shape of a cube, but not quite.
In any event, the new 3D printer from the Italian company can print things out of 1.75 mm plastic filament in a layer of at least 0.1 mm. Add to that the adjustable build plate, and the quality of the final items should be pretty decent.
Moreover, you do not need to own a computer and connect it to the printer in order for the latter to work. You will be severely limited in your options, certainly, but you will still be able to initiate a printing process if you have a model stored on an SD card.
A card reader will examine the data, while an integrated LCD monitor will walk you through the process. Sharebot believes that the Kiwi-3D Printer is a good fit for not only people's homes, but schools, the offices and workshops of young professionals, etc.
