It may not be the “world’s first portable 3D printer”, as the Indiegogo campaign claims, but Freaks3D’s portable 3D printer is a well-marketed one with a reasonable price. Developed by ElecFreaks, the startup behind the 3D printable ELF drone, the Freaks3D printer is definitely worth checking out.
The first feature one might notice about the Freaks3D printer, aside from its portability, is how that portability is achieved, with a cute, interchangeable 3D printed handle. From a practical standpoint, this is pretty useless, but it will definitely capture the attention someone wanting to craft their identity with their personal fabricator. More importantly, however, they should check out the printer’s actual specs.
Built with extruded aluminum beams and a V-slot slider system, The Freaks3D weighs only 2.945kg, or about 6 pounds. As with most portable 3D printers, the Freaks3D has no heated bed, but its all-metal hotend allows it to 3D print in PLA or TPU. Portability is achieved with the Freaks3D’s unique ability to be hooked up to a powerbank, at which point it can be controlled with its onboard LCD screen and prints pulled off of an SD card, USB, or your computer. And the company claims that there is no need to preheat the printer to get it started. The Freaks3D is capable of extruding 1.75 mm filament in layers as fine as 100 microns with its build volume of 5″ x 6″ x 4″. And a flexible bed makes for easier print removal.
With Freaks3D kits starting at $259 and assembled units starting at $349, there are surely many people that would be eager to try it out. One should always be careful with crowdfunding campaigns, but ElecFreaks is an established startup, founded in 2011, and they’ve already developed their ELF Drone, so there’s no reason to doubt to the quality of the Freaks3D printer, if you already trust the quality of their drones. ElecFreaks has 50 distributors worldwide, three factories, and a 4,800 square foot R&D facility. Knowing that the company has gone from 3D printing drones to building 3D printers, this is one company to keep your eye on. Check out the Indiegogo campaign here.
