Apr 5, 2016 | By Benedict
Cypriot 3D printer manufacturer Ilios 3D has unveiled its new SLA 3D printer: the Ilios Beam. The company is withholding images of the foldable 3D printer, which is available to preorder for €1989, until nearer the shipping date.
Ilios 3D printers, the brainchild of Cypriot tech guru Demetris Zavorotnitsienko, has come a long way since a massively successful Indiegogo campaign of 2013 which helped launch the fledgling startup into the limelight. Back then, Zavorotnitsienko was putting together the Ilios HD SLA 3D printer, an open source kit comprised of aluminum components and hardened steel parts. That machine was capable of producing high-quality 3D printed plastic objects, but its 60 x 50 x 120cm kit size, when compared to its relatively modest 30 x 30 x 20cm build volume, proved an obstacle for some makers.
The Ilios Ray, the company’s next generation SLA 3D printer following the Ilios HD, packed new features and improved technical specifications, while cutting the machine down to a more manageable size. The Ilios Beam, a fully portable, foldable SLA 3D printer, continues down this practical path, while offering prints of a similarly high quality. The ultra-compact Ilios Beam measures just 30 x 38 x 15 cm when folded, while still providing an adequate build volume of 20 x 29 x 20 cm, and is very lightweight thanks to its aluminum construction.
According to its creator, the Ilios Beam uses highly complex software to simplify the physical components of the machine. “Since we now can control laser light in any way we need through our software and UI interface, it is much easier to create an affordable platform to utilize the result needed without reverting to complex parts and construction,” Zavorotnitsienko explained. “Although the final resolution of the build is not as high as Ilios Ray, it is still much higher than an FDM based system and even a projector based solution since the laser is still drawing at a very dense array.”
The Ilios Beam is equipped with a color touch screen interface, WiFi connectivity, ethernet, and more. To keep costs of the SLA 3D printer as low as possible, Ilios decided to exclude an automated material delivery system, meaning users of the Ilios Beam 3D printer must add the resin themselves. Given the simplicity of this process, Zavorotnitsienko believes that users will be happy to trade automation in order to pay less for the 3D printer.
Ilios Ray, predecessor to the Beam
The Ilios Beam comes assembled and ready to use, is packed with the Ilios 3D Suite software package, and is compatible with all Ilios 3D printing materials. Curiously, Ilios is withholding any images of the machine until nearer the time of shipment, which will begin on July 15 unless stock is exhausted sooner.
Posted in 3D Printer
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Looks great. How fast is it?