14 DAY TRIAL // All those super-cheap 3D printers we've been writing about recently must have spoiled us, because the “normal” price of 3D printers suddenly seems really, really high. Something that won't do any favors to companies like Trimaker.
Trimaker is a Latin-American 3D printer maker in the process of expanding its horizons, as it were. It hasn't managed to infiltrate the US, so to speak, or Europe or Asia, or even Africa or Australia, but it has a pretty strong presence in South America.
Case in point, its latest 3D printer, Element (T-Element) has been put up for order in Argentina, specifically the Staples stores in the nation. The thing will even be incorporated in the copy center run by Staples in Buenos Aires.
The size of the printer is 500 x 470 x 400 mm / 19.65 x 18.50 x 15.76 inches, while the build volume is of 200 x 200 x 180 mm / 7.87 x 7.87 x 7.08 inches.
The extruder temperature is of 300 °C, or 572 °F, while the filament size is of 3 mm in thickness. Speaking of which, the Trimaker Element 3D printer can produce items from ABS, PLA, HIPS, Laybrick, Laywood, Nylon, PETG (Polyethylene terephthalate glycol), POM (Polyoxymethylene), PS (Polystyrene), PVA, TPE (Thermoplastic rubbers).
Quite the extensive list, though it doesn't contain anything too amazing. No paper, no metals, no bioplastics, etc. Then again, it's not as though it's meant for the fields where those things are required. As for the print speed, it is of 30 to 50 mm a second.
As for the print resolution, it is of 0.3 mm at minimum and 0.05 mm at maximum. All for the price of $3,000 / 3,000, or the equivalent in ARS$, which is 24,499.
In addition to the 3D printer itself, you'll receive an entire kit to allow you to 3D print stuff at home, including a 1 kg spool of printer filament (plastic) and a computer, if you can imagine. So we suppose that the actual 3D printer is a fair bit less costly than it seems. You even get software and access to many online video tutorials.
Below you'll see a video of the Trimaker Element FDM 3D printer (fused deposition modeling) in action. As far as open 3D printers go, it looks pretty good. Definitely not choppy or otherwise rough around the edges, meaning that it won't make your living room or bedroom look like you tried to drag your garage workshop inside but failed.
