Kickstarter is the place to fund 3D printing related projects. It’s been proven time and time again. And the thing about it is: it happens fast. The Kossel Clear Delta 3D Printer is a case in point.
With 28 days left to go on its Kickstarter campaign, the Kossel Clear achieved 391% of its requested funding of $10,000. So what does it have to offer that could earn such quick and abundant funding? The first thing you might notice is the price, as the rewards to sell out were the $500-$650 backings, full kits for building Kossel Clears for printing PLA and/or ABS. $500 is pretty affordable for a desktop 3D printer kit because it uses an off-the-shelf part. Then, the Kickstarter pitch boasts the Kossel Clear to be simple to build, promising a series of instructional videos on the assembly process and clearly labelled parts, which is a lot more than some kits offer. Finally, the printer is a delta, which I have seen comparably few of on the crowdfunding site. Delta 3D printers, with print heads that move in the X, Y, and Z coordinates, are supposed to be fast and precise, so, at such a low price, the Kossel Clear might seem unique among the other, boxier 3D printer kits that have sought funding on Kickstarter.
The Kossel Clear is actually a pretty unique printer, in some ways, and the team behind it seems to have thought a lot of things out. Blue Eagle Labs, a group of friends in San Diego, California, have optional upgrades like an LED monitor with SD card reader, so that your printer can operate without your computer, and the Kossel Clear has a built in filament spool holder, which seems like a lifesaver when compared to my Bukobot, for which I printed out a pretty substandard spool holder. Blue Eagle Labs has also laid out, on its Kickstarter page, a good sales pitch, including a chart that compares the Kossel Clear with the Replicator 2 and a chart that measures price in terms of cubic inches, portraying the Kossel Clear as a better value 3D printer than even the Buccaneer.
While the printer’s specs are unique, it is also “just another” 3D printer funded on Kickstarter. What I think it demonstrates, more than its intrinsic value – not to de-emphasize the very probable quality of the Kossel Clear – is the demand for affordable, high-caliber 3D printers. People like, want and are ready for good 3D printers. If the project looks legitimate, they’ll fund it. What the Kossel Clear indicates is that home 3D printing is almost really here.
Source: Kickstarter
