The Kraken is a mythical creature rumored to live in the deepest depths of the ocean. It was said that the creature, described as resembling a giant squid, would come to the surface to feed on sailors. Some theories hold that the Kraken actually was and is a giant squid and may still be out there waiting and growing hungry.
The Krak3n, on the other hand, is a new 3D printer. Being a delta printer, an imaginative person might see a certain phenotypic resemblance between the dexterous arms of the printer and those of a squid-like creature. And the manufacturers of the Krak3n refer to their printer as “a building monster.”
The Krak3n rose when a group of four people perceived a flaw in the overall market of desktop printers. According to them, the marketplace has “too many ‘either-or’ attributes”. They wanted to make a printer with which users did not have to choose between features or accept trade-offs. They decided to make a printer that would be the solution to the “either-or” limitation.
The Krak3n is designed to allow the user more power in deciding the features of their printer, through the use of a modular design. The modular design allows users to upgrade their system with different interchangeable modules, ranging from a dual nozzle printhead to a chocolate extruder (in progress). Eventually, they plan to release documentation to assist users in developing their own modules.
All of the printers will come with a 3dDscanner module, to allow users to scan and print. As a result, people can begin to print even without extensive background design knowledge. Other user-friendly features are designed to increase print success. For instance, the Krak3n’s auto calibration checks the printbed surface and modifies the path accordingly to help avoid failed prints, reduce warping, and produce prints of a higher overall quality. There is also a “unique printguard” that monitors the printer’s feedstock and will pause in response to filament that breaks or runs out. Printing can then resume after the problem is fixed. And a real time monitoring feature allows the user to engage in an ocular assessment of a print’s progress.
In April or May the Kickstarter campaign will begin and the Krak3n will ultimately surface. Between now and then, we await the Krak3n, as more information is posted on the official website.
