When buying 3D printers, you have two options – you can either buy a kit or a pre-assembled printer. If you don’t have much experience with building electronics, you might want to go with the pre-assembled unit. Unfortunately, pre-assembled units still cost a lot more than kits. That’s why the Kickstarter hopeful has designed a 3D printer kit that doesn’t require as much building knowhow.
Say hello to the Snap 3D printer – the latest printer seeking your consideration and funding on Kickstarter. Upon first seeing this printer, you may think it looks any of the other 3D printer kits, like the RepRap, currently out there. What sets the Snap apart, however, is that it has a completely modular design. What this means is that all the parts of the printer just snap together.
While the modular design makes it easy for novices to build, it also provides a number of benefits to advanced users as well. Professionals will be able to switch out any of the parts at any time with relative ease. For example, the Kickstarter page says that you could switch out the extruder with a dispenser for food printing. Heck you could even add a second extruder for dual-head 3D printing.
You can check out the pitch video below:
So, how much is one of these going to cost you? The basic kit costs $799 whereas the kit complete with LCD control panel and LED light will cost $899. If you want to forgo assembling the Snap, you can have them ship you a preassembled unit for $999.
The Kickstarter campaign is seeking $25,000 to make the Snap 3D printer a reality, and have thus far raised a little under $4,000 for the project. If you want to contribute, you have 28 days to do so. It’s a really novel concept and the 3D printer fanatics on Kickstarter will hopefully help make it a reality.
Image via TJIKO Labs/Kickstater