Cheaper 3D printer from Vienna University of Technology

A research team over at the Vienna University of Technology have managed to achieve what could very well usher in the age of cheap 3D printers in homes across America. This device is touted to reproducetiny, tailor-made 3D-objects at home, using nothing but blueprints that are downloaded from the Internet. The Vienna prototype will be different from current 3D printers, as this prototype is smaller than a carton of milk, tipping the scales at a mere 1.5kgs, and cost a relatively affordable 1,200 Euros to manufacture.

The printer’s developer even mentioned that they intend to reduce the size of the printer, which will also decrease the price as well if it happens to be produced in large quantities. Similar to other versions, the object that you want to see printed will be accomplised in a small tub that is filled with a synthetic resin that will harden exactly where it is illuminated using intense beams of light. Each time a layer is harderned, the next will then be attached to it until it is completed.

This allows the printer to generate complicated geometrical objects with an intricate inner structure, something that cannot be achieved using casting techniques. The printer’s resolution is also boasted to be excellent, where individual layers hardened by the light beams measure a mere twentieth of a millimetre thin.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Computers, Gadgets
Tags: 3D, 3d printer, 3D Printing, printer