Sharebot has been working on their latest project for some time, but their R&D department has been gotten caught up in the development, production, and launch of four potentially revolutionary 3D printing systems, including DLP and laser sintering devices. Nevertheless, the leading Italian desktop 3D printer manufacturer does not want to leave out any aspect of 3D printing and the Sharebox is their answer to the demands of the growing open source 3D printer segment.
This new device, which is being launched with an Indiegogo campaign on Monday, January 19th, will allow you to wirelessly connect any 3D printer to the web, in order to launch and monitor the progress of each print job, even from a remote location. It will, thus, be possible to work on an .stl file from any connected device, including a smartphone, tablet or laptop, and to send it directly to a 3D printer. The Sharebox itself will be able to generate the .stl file’s machine-readable gcode to then send to any 3D printer, without the need for cables or SD cards.
When connected to a webcam, Sharebox will let the user view the printing progress and, so, regulate parameters such as extrusion speed, plate temperature, and extrusion temperature. Furthermore, if the 3D print job is abruptly interrupted, the Sharebox will record the exact number of layers printed in order to pick the job up from where it was left off. And a dedicated web app will act as a one-spot 3D printing interface.
Needless to say, while some 3D printers already offer this feature, an easy way to remote 3D print on any machine is bound to radically change the way most of us use our systems. The Sharebox will do so by eliminating one of the most delicate moments in home 3D printing: that moment you return to a multi-hour print job, holding your breath to see what awaits you.
Constantly keeping track of a 3D print is bound to make the process somewhat more “uneventful”, but process monitoring is considered by many to be one of the keys to a wider adoption of 3D printing at an industrial level. The same is now bound to take place at a consumer/desktop level, where being able to exercise some degree of control over a 3D printer, especially while away, will increment the technology’s widespread adoption, by freeing up more time for users.
The Sharebox, due on the market before the end of 2015, promises to do this and more. The prototype is already complete and Sharebot is now aiming to raise €60.000 through the crowd-funding campaign primarily to activate the product’s industrial manufacturing. A dedicated website will also provide constant updates on the project’s development through articles, videos, and images. While it will not be the first such product on the market, it may be one of the more accessible ones, helping Sharebot consolidate its reputation as a producer of easy-to-use prosumer and professional grade 3D printers and accessories.
Editor’s Update 1/10/2015: The Sharebox is now live on Indiegogo! You can now fund the crowdfunding campaign, to purchase a Sharebox or simply pledge your support. The company has listed the rewards as follows:
$5 perk: every subscriber will have its name listed in the Sharebox3D website “Hall of Lenders” and will receive a Sharebot keychain stl file.- $20 perk: first 100 subscribers will receive an original Sharebox3D t-shirt.
- $99 perk: only 15 subscribers will have the possibility to receive the firsts Sharebox3D. They will be the firsts to take their 3D printing user experience to the next level.
- $149 perk: 100 subscribers will have Sharebox3D at a very special price to be able to improve thei user experience.
- $199 perk: this perk allow to receive the hardware ready to be installed. With the box the subscribers will have also a Sharebox3D t-shirt.
- $ 900 perk: it’a special perk for everyone. The subscribers will have a Sharebox3D and a Sharebot Kiwi-3D, the printer dedicated to the educational world thought to be the perfect tool the enter the 3D printing world.
For your viewing pleasure, watch the Sharebox crowdfunding promo below. Or just head over to the campaign or the company’s new Sharebox site to learn more.
