This has been a crazy week for 3D printers on Kickstarter. First we got the super affordable DIY QU-BD One Up and then yesterday came the professional grade Helix. The next 3D printer to hit Kickstarter sits comfortably in between both.

Plastic Scribbler, a company out of Georgia, took to Kickstarter a few weeks ago to fund Asterid – an open source 3D printer with an 8″ x 8″ x 8″ build volume. Unlike most 3D printers on Kickstarter, the Asterid comes in two flavors – the 1000S and the 1000HB. The former has a plate glass build platform whereas the latter has a heated borosilicate glass built platform.

The other aspect that sets the Asterid apart from other 3D printer Kickstarter projects is that every 3D printer is shipped to you fully assembled. There are no DIY kits here. The Asterid is open source, however, so you’ll be able to replace any part with any other part. It also supports any open source 3D design software.

So, how much is this going to cost you? The Asterid 1000S will set you back $489 whereas the 1000HB will cost $549. Plastic Scribbler hopes to raise $30,000, but has only managed to raise a little over $1,000 in the last 12 days. With 18 days left, it doesn’t look good, but a little visibility can go a long way in helping Plastic Scribbler bring a MakerBot quality printer to the masses at half the price.

[Image: Plastic Scribbler/Kickstarter]
[h/t: 3ders]