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Pay For The 3D Printer - NexD1 Kickstarter
This Kickstarter project is trying to bring a multi-material 3D printer to market.
(Pay for the Printer - NexD1 Kickstarter)
The six cartridge/six print head system (each sporting 200 tiny nozzles) is capable of printing up to six materials at once with a precision of up to 10 microns. That means different colors, different malleability and, perhaps most interesting of all, the ability to embed circuitry directly into a project. Among the various print materials the startup will provide is a copper-based solution for conduction that makes it possible to build circuits into a full printed piece.The NexD1 (pronounced “Next-one”) is a compelling proposition for prototypers and makers alike. The startup brought the machine by our office, fresh off a flight from Berlin. It’s large by consumer 3D printer standards, but still small enough to fit on a desktop — assuming, of course, that you clear off a lot of space. It sports a 20 cm x 20 cm build platform and operates surprisingly quietly — really not much more than a low hum in the demo I got.
Fans of Philip K. Dick know about the Biltong life forms from his 1956 short story Pay for the Printer. These strange creatures from the Centaurus system could effectively "print out" a duplicate of a reference object placed before them.
The Biltongs are perhaps the earliest example of the idea that it would be possible to make copies of three-dimensional objects made of many different materials directly, without manufacturing. Like cars or watches. Hopefully, the polymer used by the NexD1 will be more durable than the material used by the Biltong.
The works of the tiny Swiss watch were a fused, unformed mass of shiny steel. No separate wheels or jewels or springs, just a glitter of pudding...Charlotte took the puddinged watch back and restored it to her sweater pocket.
Via TechCrunch and NexD1.
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