Nov 24, 2015 | By Benedict
German control panel and 3D printing specialist TekLab has launched an Indiegogo campaign for its TekBot portable 3D printer. The 3D printer can print in a wide range of materials, and the first 15 machines are available for a special price of $214.
With so many 3D printing startups and small businesses turning to crowdfunding platforms in order to finance initial production runs of their products, the sheer number of 3D printers on the market continues to widen. This is great for competition, which is in turn great for lowering the price of 3D printers. Crowdfunding also allows companies of virtually any size to have a fair crack at the market. German company TekLab is no startup, having produced control panels in Germany since 2005. However, the company is relatively new to the 3D printing game, having started development of its own 3D printing technologies in 2013. The firm is now ready to start selling its cheap and stylish 3D printers and supplies, and has turned to Indiegogo to safely secure finances for future production runs.
The TekBot 3D printer is being marketed as a low-cost, compact and portable machine which uses standard off-the-shelf components for hassle-free maintenance. Despite its portability, the TekBot 3D printer boasts a very reasonable build volume of 170x170x220mm. The machine is easy to assemble and disassemble, with an assembly time of 2-3 hours, making it a decent choice for nomadic makers. The FDM 3D printer can print at a layer resolution of 0.1-0.4mm, and it compatible with a wide range of filaments, including wood! The 3D printer itself measures 36x43x42cm, and weighs ~4kg. It also looks the business, with a cool blue and black color scheme offsetting a transparent build platform. Full technical specs can be found at the bottom of the page.
Even for an entry-level machine, the $214 price tag attached to the first 15 TekBot 3D printers is eye-catching. This early bird special comes without an LCD screen, but users can instead use a standard USB connection to select their prints on a computer. To get the LCD screen version of the 3D printer, backers must stump up an extra $21 and choose the “Early Bird Kit with LCD” model for $235—also a very reasonable price. These early bird specials are in limited supply, with just 15 units of each option available. Getting in quickly will also see backers receive their 3D printers much earlier than later customers, as the first batch has already been produced. This is why TekLab have set a “flexible goal” of $25,000 for their campaign: the first batch of printers have already been made, and early backers will receive their TekBot 3D printer whether that goal is reached or not.
Early bird printers will be shipped in time for Christmas 2015, with batch #1 shipping in January 2016, batch #2 in March 2016 and batch #3 in May 2016. The TekBot can be shipped anywhere in the world.
Posted in 3D Printer
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