EZ3D is the latest Kickstarter project launched by the Colorado based Jake Wood and his partner, seeking funds for the production of a new 3D printer. The pair have focused heavily on trying to improve the user experience based on their own earlier experiences of currently available 3D printer models. Having set off to develop their own EZ3D printer, the aim is to make 3D printing more user friendly and incorporate new features in this model that aren’t currently available by other makers of desktop 3D printers.
A highlighted feature of the EZ3D is the lack of a screw mechanism to drive the Z-Axis. This printer operates a counterweight pulley solution that uses stepper motors to move the print head up and down. According to Jake Wood this increases the accuracy of builds, since some of the screw based mechanisms can introduce uneven finish in the edges.
Another highlighted improvement is the dual temperature monitoring, which cools down the filament before it reaches the extruder. This is to prevent the filament softening too early, which can cause bending and morphing before it is extruded as well as jamming the printer. The EZ3D also introduces the ability to queue individual parts when printing your design on a 3D printer of this type. This basically means that you can assign priorities to items in the queue to allow critical prints to complete first, and holding, cancelling and changing entries on the fly.
In line with their aim of improving user friendliness, the EZ3D permits real-time adjustments to the print parameters during the print cycle. For example if your X-Axis is running too high, you can simply adjust it – as well as control print speeds and temperatures as you work on it.
The printer is open source and the STL files will be made public following successful completion of the funding, which is set at $25,000 and the first EZ3D printers are expected to be available from June 2013 onwards. The price stands at $1475 + $100 handling fee and the team is raising the funds to produce a small production line to make more of their new 3D printer. You can see the Kickstarter video pitch below and check out the full specs via this link.
