3D "Peachy" Printer
Kickstarter Link
The printer (named the "Peachy Printer") runs on audio files transmitted from a computer to the printer. The audio controls mirrors, which directs a laser that solidifies the serum at the bottom of the printer. It runs on Blender, and the serum is supposed to be really cheap. The system sounds very achievable!
It's already raised over $300,000 in 4 days.
Here's a how it works video that explains it better:
[ame="
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80HsW4HmUes"]Peachy Printer - How it Works - YouTube[/ame]
The printer (named the "Peachy Printer") runs on audio files transmitted from a computer to the printer. The audio controls mirrors, which directs a laser that solidifies the serum at the bottom of the printer. It runs on Blender, and the serum is supposed to be really cheap. The system sounds very achievable!
It's already raised over $300,000 in 4 days.
Here's a how it works video that explains it better:
[ame="
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80HsW4HmUes"]Peachy Printer - How it Works - YouTube[/ame]
Replies
As opposed to all the people who have internal water cooling? Couldn't you just get headphone extensions?
I think this looks really awesome, but I would like to see some other models being made other than weird geometric shapes.
I think theres a big difference between a large open tank of liquid and a liquid cooler existing within a pair of tubes. Also you wont see such cooling in a notebook/mobile workstation either..and those make more sense for use in printing 3d objects.
That said, im not a big fan of liquid cooling either. Already lost one PC to a leak from a cooling system. There are better, safer methods in my opinion.
This is a neat concept, but you need to find the right balance between cheap and functional. The tubs of saltwater and a drip system is a bit too cheap.
I think it's easily solved by keeping the thing somewhere safe, there are cords long enough.
At first I was a bit worried by the different things, like using audio to control the printer, but now in the end I realize that they're pretty ingenious ways to keep the cost down, most likely making this the cheapest printer yet.
I get using the audio port on the PC to keep the price down. But are arduinos that expensive. Even a dedicated Raspberry Pi would only cost $20-30.
And yes afaik this laser method is much more precise than extruded plastic.
they can print a cube, and a cuboid with a twist in the middle.
that's useless to me. until i see far more complex shapes, i'm not sold on it at all.
On their FAQ on their website they say that they plan to include a USB sound card with the kit from memory.
This uses resin. Resin that is actually extremely toxic AND expensive. Although the printer itself may be cheap, a tub of resin can run you $500. Im not totally usre how much you can get out of that, but it's definitely way more expensive than the filament that you buy for the coil fed machines you can get. Plus, with how toxic the resin is, it's not that safe to be around, breathing in the fumes. And you cant just dump it down the sink, or toss in the trash. You need to dispose of it properly. Kind of a pain in the ass.
Home 3d printers can be extremely finicky. If you`re going to get one, I would suggest getting a Makerbot, as they`ve been building them for a while now, and have worked out some of the kinks and what not. Plus they use the filament, so its cheaper in the long run.
I'd love to own one it was so cool, but it handled overhanging areas very poorly. This sounds like it would do it very well
Seriously though, how the heck did these guys come up with the idea for this thing? It's like if Ford decided to start building cars by first flying to the moon on cotton candy fuel and then growing a banana farm.
I probably won't be contributing to the Kickstarter. Mainly because I won't have to, they've already raised almost ten times their original goal. (and still have 25 days more to go) I would definitely be willing to purchase one when they finally start shipping a commercial product. I look forward to seeing how their system handles more complex prints going forward.
There's also the fact that the hardware and software had developed significantly since the initial releases. I'd be wary about picking up first generation hardware. I mean for $100 I suppose it's cheap enough to grab one and see how it goes, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's rather less than robust in its first few iterations.
Very true. You always have to be wary about new hardware. Just look at the initial run of the XBox 360. And that was from a major company with teams of engineers and multiple years of development time. Nothing comes out perfect the first time.
At the same time, I can understand the backers' enthusiasm for a product like this. There is quite a bit of potential here, and the specific approach is encouraging. I won't be joining them, but then I am more interested in the final product they are able to produce at the end of the Kickstarter. I approached the Occulus Rift with the same trepidation. It's a lot easier when you already know their project is going to get funded.
What I like most about this Peachy printer is the almost complete lack of moving parts. For something like a 3D printer this strikes me as a particularly promising approach. Technology that does away with moving parts as much as possible usually tends to be much more stable. And for a product like this what I crave is stability and consistency. It's a form of manufacturing, after all.