As this Labor Day approacheth, what better appliance better to consider purchasing than a 3D printer, which saves you countless labor hours in constructing your own goods? A somewhat sloppy introduction it may be, but nonetheless a 3D printer can help you create goods, rather than purchase them, putting the labor into your own hands. And, coinciding with this Labor Day, the Origin 3D printer, from Zeni Kinetic, has hit Kickstarter, offering the KS community a versatile and pretty substantial machine to meet their 3D printing needs.
Beginning at an early bird price of $650, the Origin is an FFF 3D printer designed to work for all levels of 3D printing users, from n00bs up to experts. The original Origin is a single extruder machine with a 300mm x 300mm x 300mm (12 x 12 x 12 inches) build volume, capable of printing from a .35 mm nozzle, for fine details, or a .5 mm for quick prints. The Origin arrives fully-assembled and tested, with an enclosed build area and solid aluminum frame. Upgrade to the Origin Plus and you get dual extruders, a heated bed, a removable build plate made from tempered borosilicate glass, and dual filament bays, all of which can be purchased at an early bird price of $850. For $1,150, the Origin Ultimate has an upgraded controller with an LCD screen, SD card slot, and network connectivity, as well as automatic bed leveling with a calibration sensor and print speeds up to 200 mm/sec.
These various levels of upgradability, in addition to the open source design, make the Origin a flexible and affordable desktop 3D printer for a variety of users. The machine can be purchased in a range of colors – Dark Grey, Light Grey, Blue, Red, Aqua, and Raspberry – and has a pretty substantial build volume. Zeni Kinetic also believes that the printer is pretty future proof, saying on their KS campaign that “Our printer as been created with an unlimited future in mind: for the foodie—candy, pizza, and waffle printing is on the horizon; metal and ceramic options will be available for the builders and sculptors of society. The ability to print directly from pellets or ground plastic is currently being explored by one group and the number will surely grow. We want even the bio-printing sphere of the medical field to have options with the Origin.” At this point, it’s difficult to determine just how serious these future options are being considered or how much easier it is to adapt the Origin than other open source designs, but the fact that it’s on Zeni Kinetic’s mind suggests that they are forward thinking.
As with all Kickstarter campaigns, customers should distinguish between the marketing hype and the delivered machine. As Land has explored in many articles dedicated to the topic, not every campaign delivers what its customers expect, so make sure to watch the KS video below and visit the KS page with the same scrutiny you would any other 3D printer on Kickstarter.
And, remember, this Labor Day isn’t about saving yourself labor, but remembering the achievements of the labor movement, which has brought us such fundamental rights in our society as an 8-hour work day and overtime pay.
