Feb 28, 2017 | By Benedict
Stacker, LLC, a 3D printer manufacturer whose debut printer was brought to life via Kickstarter in 2015, has returned with its second-generation 3D printer, the S2. The S2 is an industrial-grade FDM 3D printer with two print heads, and is available at an early bird price of $4,995.
It’s been a couple of years since Stacker, a partner of popular 3D printing filament supplier colorFabb, ran a successful Kickstarter campaign for the original Stacker 3D printer, which was followed in 2016 by the S4 3D printer. (No, the company isn’t working backwards; that machine had four print heads, while the brand new printer has just two.) In the interval since its last product launch, the company has had time to refine its technologies to produce the S2, a 3D printer specialized for “education, manufacturing, and design.”
Described as a “heavy duty, go anywhere, built-like-a-tank 3D printer that makes industrial quality affordable for everyone,” the Stacker S2 is available for pre-order at $7,495, though backers of the new printer’s Kickstarter campaign can get the machine for significantly less than that. When the campaign goes live later today, the first ten early bird backers will be able to secure an S2 3D printer for just $4,995. These (and all other) orders will ship with two rolls of colorFabb filament, and a user license for Simplify3D (worth $149).
Noting that the education, manufacturing, and design professional markets are currently served by consumer-level 3D printers that are often insufficient for users needs, Stacker set out to build an industrial-level additive manufacturing system that could supply those markets with the product they really need. “Most users want a printer with more reliability and less maintenance,” Stacker says. “They also just want more from their printer: bigger capacity, faster printing, and of course finer quality prints.”
Alongside other advantages, the dual print heads of the Stacker S2 allow users to perform various printing operations that would not be possible with a single print head. These include a specially developed Copy Mode which locks the X-axis for both heads, ideal for printing two identical objects at the same time, and a Dual Color/Material Mode in which the two heads are split for cleaner dual-color and dual-material prints. This mode can be used for printing soluble supports, in order to minimize post-processing time.
The Stacker team says its new 3D printer is compatible with a range of 3D printing materials, including semi-flexible filaments, copolyesters, PLA, and specialty composite filaments. With colorFabb working closely with Stacker, many of the former’s 3D printing materials will work with the latter’s hardware. Stacker also says it has used high-quality parts across the board, including branded linear motion components, a high-strength steel chassis, a quiet 1000-watt power supply, and USA-made stepper motors.
Estimated delivery for Kickstarter backers is May to June 2017, with shipping charges varying from country to country. “Launching a new product is a challenge for any company,” Stacker says. “With your help, we can make this new printer available sooner. We know that backing a company on Kickstarter can make a real difference—we are here because of our backers. We really appreciate your support and that is a big reason why we have returned to Kickstarter to launch the S2.”
Notable features of the Stacker S2 3D printer:
- Copy mode for printing two objects at once for 2x print speeds
- Dual print heads can be offset to prevent the idle head from dripping on the print
- “Level-Once” bed leveling
- Reduced gantry weight
- Fully supported Z rails
- Single suspended Z-axis lead screw design
- Direct-drive X and Y axis motors
- Large build volume: 395 mm x 325 mm x 525mm
- Built-in mobile base, essential for EDU and work groups
- 1.75mm filament
- Quick-change nozzles in a range of sizes from .25 mm to 1 mm
- Simplify3D license included
- Sheet of BuildTak print bed surface included
- Made in the USA
Posted in 3D Printer
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