An interesting Indiegogo campaign was posted to 3DPI’s facebook page the other day. The campaign made no subtle allusions to the fact that the product would have a similar revolutionary effect as the Macintosh did in the 80s. The product is called the SpaceOne and its creators, an organization called 3D-Zero, believe that it will give 3D printer users and all sorts of makers the ability to convert their tools — 3D printers, CNC machines, robotic arms — into all purpose devices.
From what I can tell, the SpaceOne is an adapter to change the head on your machine in order to suit a new purpose. Potentially, you have, say, an FDM 3D printer extruder on one SpaceOne adapter and a motor spindle for CNC milling on another and switch them depending on the project you’re working on. The futuristic donut would allow users to perform any of the following tasks, according to the campaign:
- Switch multiple materials, colours, thickness and densities, requiring separate nozzles to work.
- Provide backup nozzles, already loaded with the material and, in case of failure, the machine will automatically switch the device, without compromising the job.
- Switch between totally different technologies, without requiring any modification to the printer, nor a special setup. Actually, the printer will automatically unload the dismissed tool and will load the required one, updating the software setup, and checking the functionality of the system. Ready for a new job. From FDM ABS to Ceramic Printing in a matter of seconds.
- Do jobs that would be almost impossible to do with existing technologies alone.
- Save a considerable amount of Money and Space. By equipping a single machine with the SpaceOne ATS-1 system, you’ll have all the benefit of multiple machines in the footprint of a single one.
But the Indiegogo page seems to imply that the SpaceOne is more than a toolhead adapter, as though there is software connected to the SpaceOne device: “You don’t have to be concerned about different tool heights. The SpaceOne ATS-1 system managing software will allow you to calibrate each tool and to store the calibration data in the software memory. Calibrate one, use them all together at your will, no more headaches.” It’s possible that this software is available on the DVD provided with the campaign, which includes “all instructions, a copy of the ‘Enhancing your Workshop – Goes 3D’ eBook, several ready to build projects, accurate 2D drawings and 3D Models, and more.” Or it may be a hypothetical software that will be funded, along with the mass production of the tool, by the campaign.
Without the software, the SpaceOne might serve as a way to interchange toolheads and take advantage of a 3D printer’s XYZ motion for other tasks. Whether or not it’s worth the $495 for the basic kit, I’m not sure. Either way, by purchasing “the ‘standard’ interchangeable flange and a full set of accessories”, you would be contributing to a worthy cause. The SpaceOne is also a part of a project called Laboratoire pour l’Afrique. After going to Mali and witnessing the extreme poverty there, the project’s creators hope to donate two deltabot 3D printers to local universities in the country’s capital of Bamako. In fact, that’s what’s inspired the SpaceOne in the first place. 3D-Zero realized that the people of Mali would need more than a 3D printer if they wanted to manufacture goods and the toolhead adapter would make it possible to convert the 3D printers being donated for other uses.
Upon supporting the SpaceOne campaign, you begin supporting a larger project to help the people of Mali. The deltabots and SpaceOne are only part of the first phase of 3D-Zero’s efforts to provide access to technology in the region. Phase Two is the design and construction of open source hybrid vehicles, to compensate for the aged, unreliable cars that produce pollution in Mali. Phase Three, though sparse in detail at the moment, seems to involve the construction of hi-tech schools described as “a network of independent, autonomous and self-sufficient structures.”
If you believe in the merit of the SpaceOne toolhead adapter, you can purchase a variety of kits to outfit your machine, while contributing to a pretty far reaching vision to industrialize a third world nation. If you’re more interested in the cause itself, you can purchase other rewards, such as a t-shirt or a DVD outlining 3D-Zero’s various phases. They’ll also be publishing a book of photos outlining their project and detailing the beauty of Mali. For more information, visit the Indiegogo page.
