Those directly involved with RepRaps and other low-cost 3D printers are probably well familiar with E3D, the makers of the second all-metal hotend to hit the low-cost 3D printing community. And those involved in the Maker scene in general may be familiar with the LittleBox, which made a splash on Kickstarter for the MicroSlice laser-diode laser-cutter and engraver. Both companies have continue to expand and improve upon their products, with E3D working on their multi-nozzle extruders and LittleBox eventually releasing the MicroSlice 2.0. Seeing success on either end, the two companies have begun working together, launching each respective partners’ first 3D printer line, BigBox3D, now on Kickstarter.
BixBox3D is a joint company formed by The LittleBox Company’s Greg Holloway and E3D’s David Lamb, Josh Rowley and Sanjay Mortimer. Together, they’re putting out a series of different 3D printers: the Lite, Pro, Dual, and Factory Assembled. From the chart below, you’ll see that all but the Factory Assembled BigBox are 3D printer kits, but they’ve all got a relatively substantial build volume of 300mm x 200mm x ~280mm (12″ x 8″ x ~12″), auto-leveling, and are capable of layer thicknesses as fine as 50 microns. The Lite lacks a heated bed and uses a mostly metal version of the E3D-v6 extruder, while the rest have heated beds and standard E3D-v6s and the Dual has a dual printhead. The Factory Assembled version also has OctoPrint installed. All of the printers are available at very reasonable prices, ranging from £475 to £875.
The motion system of the BigBox 3D printers has been designed by LittleBox to have a claimed “combination of mechanical reduction, and higher resolution motors to achieve twice the standard positional resolution” and low drag motion. Due to bearings on every corner, the company also suggests that vibration is eliminated. The large print volume, 18 litres in total, is meant to both print big and in big numbers for mass production. And the all-metal hotends designed by E3D ensure the ability to use a wide range of materials, while an upgrade to the Volcano can increase output speed. To drive the BigBox series, the partners rely on the open source RUMBA controller.
The BigBox series features an LCD display with SD card reader for untethered printing, but with the option of adding a Raspberry Pi with OctoPrint, they can all be operated remotely from the web. And, because the BigBox printers are open source, any of this can be tried at home, without the purchase of a BixBox machine.
The Kickstarter is currently live, so head over to the campaign page and check it out. Though the desktop 3D printing market is well underway, given the track record of both of these companies, this may be one line of printers to keep an eye on. Especially if the industry’s second movers are the ones to rise to the top.
