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Kickstarting Consumer 3D Printing

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Will 3D printing technology truly reach the mass market? M3D believes so as it reveals the Micro, a device it describes as "the most affordable 3D printer that can be used right out of the box."

Micro 3D printerThe Micro is a compact (it weighs 1kg) cube-shaped device promising reliable and low-power 3D printing. It prints objects using PLA and ABS plastics, as well as M3D filament spools, and reportedly prints out a teacup in all of an hour.

Print layer resolution is 50-350 microns, while print area clocks at a maximum of 116 x 109 x 113mm. In other words printed objects are not too large, the printer allows for cheap and cheerful plastic trinkets. M3D also promises user-friendly software allowing users to easily search for, organise and print objects.

More advanced users get access to "expert" settings and other software such as open-source slicers.

However the main draw is pricing-- the Micro appeared on Kickstarter with preorders at $200-300, and customers appear to want a low-cost 3D printer so much the company smashed its $50000 Kickstarter campaign goal in all of 11 minutes.

So, is Kickstarter success an indication the technology is ready for market prime time? We will know once the Micro reaches finished product status, which should happen on March 2015.

Go The Micro

Go The Micro Kickstarter