TripodMaker is Belgium’s First 3D Printer

Additive manufacturing (AM) has taken root worldwide, with manufacturers cropping up in most developed countries. Not every 3D printer manufacturer will go on to be the next Stratasys, but each new addition to the industry brings its own vision of AM, and just like Lego, each new vision builds on the last to form the future of 3D printing.

This week the newest printer on the block comes from Belgium and a company named TripodMaker. The company’s first product, also called TripodMaker, looks a bit different from the standard material extrusion printer, but offers some solid specs. The AM system recently won a €25,000 award from the Bizidee competition, which will help the new company continue forward.

The TripodMaker may have an unusual appearance, but it offers a surprisingly large build envelope for a desktop AM system.

The TripodMaker comes with a heated print bed, and uses open source software meant to operate on multiple systems. As a material extrusion printer, the new system can build with the usual materials suspects such as PLA and ABS with 1.75mm filament. Other usable materials include Laywood and Layfill.

As far as technical specs go, the TripodMaker has a build envelope of 30cm (11.8 in.) in diameter and 42cm (16.5 in.) in height. It offers a layer resolution of 75µ and has a 0.4mm nozzle. The system is called a “delta design,” meaning it tends to move up and down rather than from side-to-side like traditional 3D and 2D printers.

By looking at the picture you’d never guess this system could produce a 30 x 42 cm object, but, obvious or not, that is a solid build envelope that is large enough for a number of different applications. The layer resolution is also good enough for most objects that you’d still consider using a material extrusion printer to build.

Pricing for the TripodMaker begins at €1,400 ($1,905) for a kit minus the heated print bed, and runs up to €2,000 ($2,722) for a fully constructed system including the heated print bed. That pricing seems right in the middle of the pack for the capabilities offered by the TripodMaker, and may lure in customers that are looking for an alternative to a MakerBot system.

Below you’ll find a video overview of the TripodMaker.

Source: TripodMaker