Oct 26, 2015 | By Alec

The market for desktop 3D printers seems to be ever expanding, but most new additions seem to add very little in terms of functionality or affordability. Fortunately, new gems are still appearing, which stand out by addressing very specific audiences through specific functionalities, and a new 3D printer hailing from Denmark seems to fit that bill too. Called the Sculto 3D printer made by a young team of entrepreneurs led by Simon Breum Fisker, this is a remarkably compact and accessible, yet good quality 3D printer that is perfect for families. And that they have found their audience is evident in their crowdfunding campaign, as they have already raised more than $17,000 through a Kickstarter campaign within just a few days.

This interesting 3D printer has been under development for only a year or so, but it has progressed remarkably well with the leadership of Simon Breum Fisker and Jacob Lindeberg. ‘I discovered that I had a flair for entrepreneurship when I won the Young Entrepreneurship Award 2014. Since then I have participated in several competitions with great success. For the past year I have been working closely with my co-founder and business partner Jacob Lindeberg to develop the Sculpto Concept,’ says Simon. ‘The project really took off after entering the finals at the Danish Championship in Entrepreneurship 2015.’

Gathering a team of ambitious young specialists around them, they have created a remarkable 3D printer that looks to deserve this Kickstarter success it is generating. In essence, it’s a family machine. ‘Sculpto creates a gathering point for the entire family. Every member of the family can join the process of creating their own toys and gadgets for the home. Whether you want to be the person designing or choosing what to print or you want to be the person who assembles and builds the pieces or even if you just want to join the fun when the creations are ready to use, there will be space for everyone,’ the team writes on their Kickstarter campaign.

That obviously requires a 3D printer that doesn’t have too much unnecessary extras or is bulky and intimidating, and that’s exactly what they’ve created. Featuring a stripped down bipolar system, it looks cool and inviting. ‘Fewer parts means a more compact design. Using a bipolar cylindrical coordinate system means that no space is wasted. Less space consumptions means more room for a functional minimalistic design – which is the hallmark of Danish design,’ they say. ‘Besides creating a fascinatingly hypnotizing 3D printing experience, when the build plate and arm move synchronously, using bipolar cylindrical coordinates solves a number of issues compared with most other 3D printers.’ It also means being easier to use and cheaper to manufacture – perfect for a family friendly design.

But more importantly, the Danish team have made their 3D printer accessible. Usable through an application (now only for iOS, other options forthcoming), they have automated the difficult and intimidating processes preceding a print and combined this with a library of models. ‘We have made all the processes of 3D printing that used to be difficult and made everything work automatically, so that all you have to do is press "print" and choose what quality you want your print to have,’ they say. ‘3D printing used to be quite complicated and involve a lot of different software. It still does, however the only difference is that Sculpto is doing it for you, so the only thing you need to do is choose between our many exiting toys and gadgets and then press print.’

At the same time, however, it still offers enough options for more experiences users. You can still design your own 3D models and easily import them into Sculpto and print them with the same single click system. The print surface of 21 cm by 16 cm is decent for a small machine like this, while its fine layer resolution is a good 0.15 mm (normal being 0.25 mm). That means it’s quite a bit finer than most budget options out there. It only 3D prints in PLA, but that brings enough (environmentally friendly) options to the table for family 3D printing.

In short, the Sculpto 3D printer has all the elements it needs to be a very accessible and successful 3D printer for your family, or even in schools. What’s more, its price tag shouldn’t scare anyone off either. Costing just 2,600 Danish krone (or about $380 USD) – as the early birds are already gone – its hardly surprising that they’re such a huge hit. With weeks still to go, the Danish team is racing towards their 150,000 Danish krone goal (or $22,000 USD), so check them out on Kickstarter before all the good deals are taken. The only downside to the Sculpto seems to be that it isn’t completely finished (a few small things such as incorporating wires in the design and the app are still WIP), but it will be April 2016 (shipping) before you know it.

 

 

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