Low cost 3D printer seeks $50,000 on Kickstarter; raises $1,500,000 in two days

The Micro 3D printer has absolutely obliterated its Kickstarter campaign, having raised a whopping $1,500,000 within two days, way above its funding goal of $50,000. This low cost 3D printer seeks to invade your home and break down the barrier of entry by offering early supporters a relatively competent 3D printer for 200 bucks. It is one of the fastest growing crowd-funded campaigns ever, earning a total of 4175% of its goal within four days; the total capital is sitting at approximately $2,100,000 at time of this article.

 
So what exactly is this Micro? It’s an affordable 3D printer centering on “plug-and-play” accessibility created by M3D LLC. The Micro is soft and elegant, embodying something out of Jonathan Ive’s Apple industrial design. Designers Michael Armani and David Jones sought to address the growing hype surrounding 3D printing and the lack of consumer friendly products. “When we looked at 3D printers, we saw that the field was becoming hyped and that everyone was super curious about it,” Armani says. “They can't go to Brookstone and try something that's in the price range of a present or a college gift, or something to try out and risk a little money on – they're all $2,000 or more.”

It was never expected that the printer would fare as well as it did, says M3D, but thanks to all this backer support, the company will hire more staff to produce additional Micro units and continue to keep prices low. “We always planned to eventually go into high-volume production. The additional pledges help us meet our production goals,” it claims. So if you want to nab a Micro with its dirt-cheap, early supporter price range, you best act immediately; there’s a limited number of units in this first batch and each browser refresh yields an additional backer or two.

Low price
Now then, let’s have a quick look under the hood and see what all the fuss is. One of Micro’s most marketable traits is the low power consumption courtesy of its small frame. The printer is cube-shaped with a volume of 185 mm or 7.3 inches cubed. The print bay measures 109mm by 133mm (4.3 inch by 4.5 inch); just enough to print objects as tall as 116mm (4.6 inches).

Reducing the size and weight of the box correlates reduces power consumption by a factor of 10, thereby reducing the price of everything else a la cascading effect: smaller power supply, smaller wires, less protection circuitry, etc. By reducing just one of the printer’s dimensions by half, you’re virtually reducing the weight, material cost, and shipping by a factor of eight, says Armani.

Filaments
Micro uses ABS and PLA filament obtained from either a 1.75 mm or proprietarily-sized spool. The spool can be fed externally through the top of the printer or from a conveniently placed cut-out inside the print bay.

Target audience
Replace shower hook or build functional part replacement for things around your house – Micro is perfect for the beginner or the household DIYer. At $200 to $300 the barrier of entry is low enough to entice folks hovering on the boundary of curiosity, not willing to drop $500 or more for experimentation’s sake.

Technical Specifications
• Printer Dimensions: It's a cube, 7.3 in (185 mm) per side.
• It is lightweight, roughly 2.2 lb (1 kg).
• It can also be used with any Windows, Mac, or Linux based system.
• USB-Compatible connection.
• Supports many different materials: ABS, PLA, Nylon, and more.
• Filament: standard 1.75mm. Nearly 1/2 lb (225 g) rolls.
• Standard filament rolls also supported.
• Removable Print Bed.
• 50-350 micron layer resolution.
• 15 micron X and Y positioning accuracy.
• Dimensions: Print height: 116mm (4.6″). Base Print Area: 109mm x 113mm.  Print Area Above 74mm: 91mm x 84mm.
• M3D software for an effortless, plug-and-play experience. 
• Supports and uses open source software (for advanced users).

Via Kickstarter