Most 3D printers are priced as luxury items—the PCMag Editors' Choice Ultimaker 2, for example, lists at $2,899—but some recent models are arriving at much more consumer-friendly prices. Taiwanese firm XYZPrinting launched its $500 Da Vinci 3D printer to much fanfare at CES. New Matter's MOD-t 3D printer, which is completing a successful funding campaign will—if all goes according to plan—be available in the spring for just $250, a price at which even skeptical consumers might be tempted to spring for it.
I recently had a chance to meet with Steve Schell, New Matter's founder, president, and chief technology officer, who showed me the MOD-t 3D in action. As important as its price is the promise of easy operation. "I want to emphasize that this is a product that's designed to work in one's life," Schell told me. "It's for everyone, not just 3D printing enthusiasts."
New Matter is wrapping up an Indiegogo campaign. It met its $375,000 funding goal within 31 hours of launching in late May, and now stands at over $600,000. (It ends July 2 at midnight, Pacific time.) Contributors will still have to wait for the better part of a year to get a MOD-t; the first units are expected to ship next March, with most printers shipping in April and May 2015.
The MOD-t will measure 15 by 11 by 14.5 inches and weigh 11 pounds. It will have a modest build volume (6 by 4 by 5 inches). Finest resolution is currently at 200 microns, but Schell is hoping to improve that to 100 microns by the time the MOD-d is released, a typical value for the 3D printers we've reviewed. It will use standard, non-proprietary 1.75mm PLA plastic filament. Connectivity will be via USB and Wi-Fi. It will be compatible with Windows, with plans to expand that to OS X, iOS, and Android.
A Store for 3D Models
New Matter teamed with the renowned Frog Design to give the MOD-t a simple yet elegant look. According to Schell, the design work is nearly complete. Contract manufacturers still need to be chosen, and certification and compliance testing completed. They are still working on the software development as well. Schell described the New Matter online store as "a little like the App Store, for 3D models."
Some objects in the store will be free, and others sold for a price, depending on the designers, who will get a share of the revenue. Print settings will be set by the designers, so users won't have to worry about layer height and the like. Users will print the objects directly from the store, rather than downloading the files, which protects the designers' intellectual property. Schell believes that this business model will help lure good designers who avoid uploading their files to free sites where their content can be downloaded and modified with impunity. And for users who want to print their own 3D files, the MOD-t can also print standard STL files.
I asked Schell how he intends to keep costs down to the point that that such a relatively low-priced 3D printer could be profitable. He cited a unique system of controlling the motion of the build platform along the two horizontal axes that he says reduces the number of parts by a factor of three; the use of servo motors instead of stepper motors; and the use of high-volume manufacturing. On the last point, he thinks big, to the tune of over a hundred thousand units a year.
I couldn't help but come away impressed by what I had seen at this demo. A lot can happen between now and when the MOD-t comes to market, but I felt that it is a viable, consumer-friendly (in price and ease of use) 3D printer that could help usher in the age of household 3D printing. But here at PC Labs, the proof is in the testing. We look forward to putting this potentially ground-breaking product through its paces.