facebook rss twitter

The $100 3D Peachy Printer blasts past Kickstarter funding targets

by Mark Tyson on 23 September 2013, 11:00

Tags: Kickstarter

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qab3bj

Add to My Vault: x

A Canadian startup company is the latest to create a tidal wave of ‘investor’ interest via Kickstarter by offering a new kind of affordable 3D printer. The Peachy Printer combines a photolithographic process to mould resin and a rising water platform to add depth to make “the world’s cheapest 3D printer”. This $100 device comes in kit form, to keep costs down. Rinnovated Design has, at the time of writing, raised $175k in 3 days, shooting well over its original funding target of $50k.

What makes the Peachy Printer special? “Unlike most other low-cost 3D printers, I didn’t focus on using cheaper components within the same design. Instead I re-invented how the 3D printer works,” said Rylan Grayston of Rinnovated Design. In the video below Grayston explains the 3D printer design and goals of the Kickstarter project. He says that funding is required for improving the software and making high volume parts orders.

As you can see in the video above, the Peachy 3D Printer system can cut costs as the depth axis transport design is simplified thanks to its floating resin system. “The peachy moves a laser beam along the X and Y axes to create the shape of the object, while using a drip system to control the level of the resin on the Z axis which determines the height of the object”.

3D scanning too

The Peachy Printer can work with an existing video camera, web cam or DSLR to act as a 3D scanner. To do this scan the Peachy emits a “back and forth laser pattern that simulates a line laser”. Your camera picks up this image and some custom software written for Blender creates a mesh of points describing the object in 3D space. The developers say that they are also working on a feature to create a “texture map from the footage and apply it to the 3D models mesh automatically”.

It’s great to see a new approach to 3D printing that is affordable and has a lot of potential for refinement. The printer is estimated to ship in July/August 2014. (all prices quoted are in Canadian Dollars).



HEXUS Forums :: 4 Comments

Login with Forum Account

Don't have an account? Register today!
I'm impressed they've managed to get a half-decent output from ghetto galvanometers and sound card output, but what's REALLY impressive is the saline float system. Not only does it eliminate a complex and expensive fluid-immersed z-axis (and is self-leveling!), but it drastically reduces the quantity of resin needed for a build. Photosensitive resin is THE big cost for photolithographic machines, so even without their ‘cheap’ resin mix (I'll believe it when I see it) that alone is a huge innovation. I'm tempted to skip the laser setup, and use the ‘classic’ photolithographic setup of a DLP projector with a short focus lens to get better resolution and repeatability and swap out the moving bed for the drip system, but I should really finish the pile of bits intended to be a MendelMax first…
I'd be interested in this although I have to say the photo's of the printouts do make the results look a little lumpy.
DemonHighwayman
I'd be interested in this although I have to say the photo's of the printouts do make the results look a little lumpy.

I'm yet to see an affordable 3D printer that doesn't create those strata. You could always buff them out with a fine sanding tool though.

I still think it's a mistake to have popularised the term “3D printing”. The original term was obviously unwieldy, but really “rapid prototyping” was always a much better phrase to explain the nature and function of the products.
But 3D printers are able to create items that are an end product, so rapid prototyping is an entirely useless name. Rapid prototyping is only a use of the machines, not their name.

There's not really much wrong with the 3D printing term from an engineering standpoint. The only other name for them is additive manufacturing.