Wouldn’t life be great if you had your own private jet? You could whisk yourself off to exotic destinations on a moment’s notice, enjoying first-class comfort and maybe even an in-flight movie on the way. Of course, without a sizable inheritance or some hidden reserves of Texas tea in your backyard, you’d have a little difficulty turning your dream into a reality.
The same high prices that make your typical luxury items virtually unattainable have also made it hard for most folks to buy a printer that can print out 3D objects. For example, Z Corporation made news in late April for breaking the $40,000 barrier with its ZPrinter 450. However, back in September, upstart tech start-up Desktop Factory announced plans to take early reservations for a $4,995 3D printer dubbed the 125ci.
So how does this new model work? Instead of an ink cartridge or laser toner, you pour in a nylon-based compound and send over your design via CAD file from your computer after sketching it out with any popular 3D modeling software package. The Desktop Factory 125ci starts by drawing an image of the first layer onto a roller with a halogen lamp, much like a laser printer. The roller then lays out the nylon “toner” in the pre-assigned design on the printer’s internal platform. The printer repeats the process for each layer, stacking each cross-section on top of the previous one until you eventually get your solid model. The 125ci weighs under 90 lbs. and measures out to 25x20x20 inches. It takes about 3.5-4 hours to make a toy duck, matching even the most advanced 3D printers in terms of speed.
However, keep in mind that besides replacing the laser with a less expensive halogen lamp, the two biggest reasons for the sub-$5,000 price come from size limitations on your output and lack of color. The largest 3D model you can make measures out to 5x5x5 inches and when it comes out, you’ll need to paint it. On the other hand, unless you’re mass-producing your design, the limitations shouldn’t pose much of a problem. For larger projects, you can just print piece-by-piece, add your own custom colors, and put it all together at the end. Desktop Factory envisions consumers using the 125ci in a number of ways, including making custom toys, teaching students about design, and creating product prototypes.
Look for the final version of the Desktop Factory 125ci to hit the market sometime in early 2008. To learn more, check out the informational video from NextFest 2007.
