Remember that the first 3D-printer you came across was the magical, vastly expensive machine sequestered in the bowels of your school’s computer lab and marked off for “research” purposes only? Times have changed. This week alone (thank CES 2012!) has seen the release of two affordable 3-D Printers, each of which is priced at under $2000. The first is the Cube, which, as its name implies, is comprised of a cube-like frame with a 5.5″ by 5.5″ bed and a printing palette of ten different colors. The makers of the little machine, which retails for $1,299, call it the first to be designed for the home, advertising that its compact size and plug and play interface “enables everybody in the family to express their creativity like never before.” Purchasing a Cube will connect you to a community of 3D designers where you can browse for designs or share your own and even put them up for sale on the Cubify marketplace.

The second printer, The Replicator, is a bit more expensive, with a price tag coming in at $1749, but it’s Developed by MakerBot, which introduced its first affordable printer (the “Thing-O-Matic“) in 2009, The Replicator can print much larger objects than its predecessor with a bed area of 9″ by 6″ by 6″. A slightly pricier model ($1999) comes equipped with two extrusion heads, allowing for two color printing. Each printer also has a built-in LCD screen that displays printing progress stats, while a gaming-like controller packaged with each machine will let the user load and print 3D models without a computer. We know of an architecture firm which could use a couple of these…

by Samuel Medina

posted in Uncategorized

tagged 3d printing, cheap, product, toy printing

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