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Dublin: 03.03.2015 12.43PM
The Micro 3D printer. Image via Kickstarter
A Kickstarter project aiming to bring a commercially available 3D printer costing US$200 to consumers broke its target tenfold after only one day on the crowdfunding website.
Known as The Micro, the small 3D printer had set a target of US$50,000 to raise within 30 days of going online but, at the time of writing, has attracted more than US$830,000.
In what could be the launchpad for the 3D printing future that many have predicted, the printer’s co-founders David Jones and Michael Armani of M3D see The Micro as a starting model to bigger things.
In terms of scale, The Micro is an apt name, given its cube shape of only 185mm on each side and weight of 1kg.
Given its size, the types of objects the team expects consumers to print are household items, such as cups, or a variety of shapes using software on a computer - as long as the 3D-printed objects measure 4.6 inches in height, maximum.
Up until now, most 3D printers have been costly and limited to labs. For example, one 3D printer highlighted as being able to print furniture, such as tables, cost thousands of dollars.
Usable across all operating systems, The Micro also promised to be able to print with ABS, PLA, nylon and more, according to its information.
Between August 2014 and March 2015, M3D aims to see The Micro roll off production lines for consumers and given its current rate of crowdsourcing, could have the funds to launch the product on a significant scale.