14 DAY TRIAL // The IFA trade show always hosts the latest technologies of the year, every year, so it's no surprise that 3D printers finally made an appearance there. Admittedly, there weren't many of them, but we did get to check out a few.
The one we're about to look at now is not only a 3D printer, but a printer that also possesses the ability to scan objects. Created by XYZPrinting, it is called the Da Vinci 1.0 AiO, which is an abbreviation for all-in-one.
The printer was actually revealed back in June, but while the company did unveil some information about it, it did not say exactly when sales would begin, or for what price.
The folks who brought the item to the Showstoppers convention at IFA 2014 in Berlin, Germany, did have some updates on that.
The details could still change of course, but it's likely that availability will ramp up next month, in October, and the price will be of around €600 / $775.
It's a fairly promising price if it pans out really. For one thing, this isn't purely a 3D printer (although the company will have one of those for sale too). Indeed, it also has an integrated scanner.
The highlights
The scanning rotating base is at the bottom. It takes around 5 minutes to make a full scan of someone. Meanwhile, the printing bed is secured on a vertically mobile system right above it.
It does mean that the build volume is a bit smaller than it otherwise would be, but 200 x 200 x 190 mm / 7.8 x 7.8 x 7.48 inches isn't that much less than 200 x 200 x 200 mm / 7.87 x 7.87 x 7.87.
Moreover, the printer uses a heated bed, so the object you're printing won't be in danger of tilting, sliding, or otherwise getting knocked loose mid-print, thus ruining everything.
Interesting to note is that the Da Vinci AiO is a closed-chamber 3D printer, not one of the open-design models. Meaning that the fumes won't flood every inch of the room/workshop during the hours it may take to complete a print. As for the material, filament cartridges are mounted near the top, right under a removable panel.
We looked at a few sample prints that the company brought to the show, some of which had actually been created on the site. They weren't perfectly smooth on the surface, but that's a problem with all FDM 3D printers.
The plastic layers produced by the filament extruder can only be so thin. The XYZPrinting Da Vinci 1.0 AiO might not be able to go below 100 microns, but its price range isn't expected to do that regardless. Indeed, it could have gotten away with just the upper thickness limit (200 microns), but the company made sure 100 was possible as well.
Of course, if it's speed you want, you can settle for 300 or even 400 microns instead (0.4 mm).
