14 DAY TRIAL // Most consumer 3D printers in the world use fused deposition modeling to create three-dimensional objects, because this method, which melts plastic filament or pellets and builds items from the resulting fluid, is the cheapest to implement.
SLA 3D printing technology has been getting affordable too, though. A technology which uses UV light to cure resin, seemingly pulling items upwards out of resin tanks.
You'd think that it's impossible to combine technologies that are so different, but Cedar Park, Texas-based mechanical and materials engineer Steven Middleton begs to differ.
It's kind of like what CreoPop did when it released the eponymous 3D printing pen, which uses light-sensitive ink instead of plastic to draw items in mid-air. Middleton's invention is a lot more awesome though. That's our opinion at least.
The foldable, pocketable 3D printer
As astonishing as it sounds, this is exactly what the man succeeded to create. It kind of makes those “amazing” pocket photo printers seem like nothing in comparison.
The way it works is like this: when it's deployed, the printer forces photosensitive resin through the extruder, which it hardens immediately via a UV LED placed at the tip of the printing arm.
In addition to ensuring a decent 3D print quality (SLA is inherently better at this than FDM), it also means you don't need to wait for the printer to cool off before stuffing it in your back pocket or packing it up in your bag.
When closed, the whole thing measures 1 x 8 x 9 inches / 24.5 x 203 x 228 mm, just a bit larger than the bigger smartphones out there.
When deployed, the build volume is of 8 x 8 x 7 inches / 203 x 203 x 177 mm or 6 x 6 x 5 inches / 152 x 152 x 127 inches.
A rechargeable battery powers the device, while prints can be sent via Bluetooth from your smartphone. A single button press should start it up by the way.
Availability and pricing
Steven Middleton isn't selling it yet ,exactly, but he has posted a crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo. The Pocket3DPrinter needs $25,000 / €19,745 to get off the ground, but you only need to pledge $299 / €236 - €299 to get one delivered home (unassembled, unless you're willing to pay $50 / €40 extra).
Two refillable printing cartridges, a rechargable battery pack (3 hours of life) and pre-loaded software are included. There is a larger one too, for $499 / €394 - €499.
