In 2012, Formlabs broke all kinds of Kickstarter records when its Form 1 SLA 3D printer brought in almost $3 million. They key to its success lied in Formlabs’ ability to offer an SLA 3D printer, which normally costs thousands of dollars, for only $2,299. Now another SLA 3D printer is testing its luck on Kickstarter and its even cheaper than the Form 1.
Full Spectrum Laser unveiled its Pegasus Touch Laser 3D printer on Kickstarter today to an incredible reception. The company was only asking for $100,000 to help fund the development of its new SLA 3D printer, and backers have already met and exceeded that goal with over $106,000 already raised. The central reason behind its success is that it’s fairly inexpensive with the first 10 backers being able to get a machine for only $1,750. The next 25 got one for $2,000, and now they’re on track to sell out of the models priced at $2,249.
Like the Form 1 before it, the Pegasus Touch Laser 3D printer promises high resolution 3D prints through a process known as stereolithography. Here’s a simple explanation of the process via Wikipedia:
Stereolithography is an additive manufacturing process which employs a vat of liquid ultraviolet curable photopolymer “resin” and an ultraviolet laser to build parts’ layers one at a time. For each layer, the laser beam traces a cross-section of the part pattern on the surface of the liquid resin. Exposure to the ultraviolet laser light cures and solidifies the pattern traced on the resin and joins it to the layer below.
The technology has been available since the 80s, but it’s only just now beginning to become affordable enough for desktop 3D printers. The Form 1 has already proven that people want high resolution 3D printers at an affordable cost, and the Pegasus Touch Laser 3D printers gives those same consumers another option when looking for such a machine.
Here are the full hardware specs for those who want to compare it to other 3D printers on the market:
If the Pegasus Touch Laser 3D printers sounds like something you’d be interested in, you can get it now for $2,249. You will also have a chance to see the printer in action at CES next week.
Image via Full Spectrum Laser/Kickstarter