In order to increase the reach of 3D printers, companies have been working towards reducing the cost at which they sell the printers to the public. In the pursuit of price reduction, there have been a couple of failures as well. There were some companies in the recent past that withdrew from the Kickstarter campaign not because they could not achieve the set goals but because the prices that they were offering for the product was not sustainable for the company.
The recent buzz in the 3DP market is about a printer from China which is all set to bring the price war back on track. Rapide- 3D a China based company has recently announced a 3D printer named Rapide Lite.
The printer would hit the market in three different sizes 200mm, 300mm and 500mm. The bodies of the machine would be made of anodized aircraft grade aluminum. The print resolution that these printers have is quite high when compared to the price. The founder of the company, Ethan Hunt said, “We have designed a new X Wing Axis which has allowed us to mount the stepper motor in the center, behind the machine. This gives much more precise movement and stability, allowing us to achieve up to 50 (genuine) microns.”
Further explaining the capability of producing these printers Hunt explained, “Production of Rapide Lite is set to 5000 units per month at this stage, with the capacity to increase this to 15,000 per month over the next 6 months depending on demand.”
The company plans to put this product in the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign on 15th September and the early bird backers can get the machine for $400.
