Oct 1, 2015 | By Tess
For many of us, 3D printing is a technology we’ve heard of and continue to hear more about as it continues to expand its reach. Its growing role in fields such as design, art, medicine, and engineering is becoming difficult to ignore, but still many of us have never used a 3D printer for ourselves. Filamate, a Vienna based start up, is looking to change this reality by making products geared towards introducing 3D printing technology to beginners.
Yesterday, Filamate launched a Kickstarter campaign for their new product StarterMate, a comprehensive kit consisting of software, accessories and tools to equip the new 3D maker with everything he or she needs to get started.
The StarterMate comes in two editions: the Basic StarterMate, and the StarterMate Premium. The StarterMate Basic kit includes the following: 1 spool of PLA filament in a protection box, 6 months access to the Filamate 3D designing platform with tutorials and challenges, 4 acrylic paints, 2 brushes, 1 file, 1 sandpaper block, 3 sandpaper sheets, a paper ruler, gloves.
The StarterMate Premium, packaged in a plywood case, includes 2 spools of PLA filament in a protection box, 12 months access to their 3D designing platform with tutorials and challenges, 6 acrylic paints, 4 brushes, 2 files, 2 sandpaper blocks, 5 sandpaper sheets, a manual calliper, gloves, a craft knife, and a spatula.
Basic and premium boxes
The developers at Filamate have curated the kit to help the new maker go through the three main steps of 3D printing: designing, the 3D printing itself, and finishing the 3D printed product. The first step, designing, is for most people the most difficult and least accessible part of the 3D printing process, to account for this, the team behind the StarterMate have been developing an easy-to-use software which takes the inexperienced maker through the steps of designing a 3D printed model.
Filamate explain their software saying, “It is designed from scratch and adapted just for 3D printing, thus it offers you completely different experience compared to the complex 3D softwares available. You will be able to design the desire object guided by the integrated step-by-step tutorials, or retouch an object downloaded from the internet and adapt it just for your needs.”
Not only that, however, they will continue to update and enhance the software progressively, just as the maker’s abilities grow.
The 3D printer filament included in the StarterMate is also of note as it is Filamate’s own brand. It is a high-quality 3D printing filament made from PLA and is 100% biodegradable. Filamate also boast that their filament has a tolerance in diameter of max 0.05 mm and in ovality of max 0.02 mm. The plastic filament is packaged within a hydroscopic cardboard box equipped with a filter, which protects the material from dust, dirt and UV light, while simultaneously cleaning it as it is pulled into the 3D printer’s extruder. As the filament is meant to stay within its casing, there is a scale on the outside of the packaging to indicate how much PLA material is left. The filament fits any FDM 3D printer, and you can request your desired diameter for the filament (either 1.75mm or 2.85mm depending on the 3D printer).
The final components of the StarterMate are the finishing tools, which are listed above and are explained in the software’s step-by-step tutorial. They are conveniently packaged in the bottom drawer of the StarterMate box, allowing for easy access and storage.
The StarterMate’s Kickstarter goal is 20,000 euros and the campaign runs until November 9th, 2015. Rewards for backing the project include access to their design software, earlybird access to the StarterMate kits (which are going for upwards of 49 euros), school packs for the StarterMates, and for 3,500 euros you can even receive a week long professional 3D printing intensive with the Filamate team. If you, like many of us, are slightly intimated by the prospect of diving into the world of 3D making, perhaps the StarterMate is for you!
Posted in 3D Printer Accessories
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