Formlabs declares the Type 1: the first truly high-resolution, low-cost 3D printer device for style professionals
After a year in development, Formlabs has formally revealed the first "prosumer" pc 3D printer device. The Type 1 defines top drawer excellent at a cost individual developers and technicians can manage. This innovative technological advancement fills up the gap between low-end enthusiast devices with restricted excellent and high-end models that cost lots of money.
The company's founders - Maxim Lobovsky, David Cranor, and Natan Linder - met as graduate students at MIT in 2009. As researchers, they were inspired by the promise of 3D printing technology but frustrated by the price tag and complexity of truly high-quality machines. Currently, around 30,000 professional 3D printers are installed around the world, while around 10 million people actively use 3D CAD software. In 2011, the three founders decided to target that disparity by starting Formlabs, a company whose purpose is to design a simple, professional, end-to-end 3D printing package that individuals can afford. Formlabs has received initial seed investments from the likes of Mitch Kapor, Joi Ito, and Eric Schmidt's Innovation Endeavors.
The Type 1 uses stereolithography (SL) technological advancement to achieve excellent unusual in the low-cost 3D printer device market. The printer device types levels as slim as 25 microns (.001 inches) with information as small as 300 microns (.012 inches) in a build number of 125 x 125 x 165mm (4.9 x 4.9 x 6.5 inches). No longer restricted to low-end FDM devices, users can now print parts with the complicated geometries, wonderful information, and wonderful surface complete necessary for top drawer style and digital development. The easy-to-use Type application (compatible with any 3D CAD package), custom-formulated printer materials, and Type Finish post-processing kit supplement the magnificently simple printer device to make pc 3D printer as simple as forcing a option.
Formlabs is switching to the crowdfunding foundation Kickstarter to finance complete development. The Type 1 has been designed from the ground up to improve the creativeness of people, so it is only appropriate that early adopters are the key to releasing this innovative product. Formlabs is pre-selling the complete printer device, application, and components program at a discount on Kickstarter for as little as $2,299 for those who order first.