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Twist in the tale: MOTA Cancels Kickstarter Campaign

“I wish there were a way to offer truly high quality, highly precise 3D printers at incredibly low prices. That would bring about the mass market adoption that this technology so needs. The reality is, like any technology, it is expensive to develop and manufacture. At MOTA, our vision is to always bring you the best of what technology offers at the absolute minimum price possible. We don’t want to promise something that cannot be delivered, or whose quality is anywhere below outstanding, and the fact of the matter is that delivering this high standard of quality would cost a premium.” These were the lines written by the co owner of the firm, Kevin Faro to the Kickstarter community.

With this message the dream of many who wishes to own 3D printers at cheap rates comes to a halt. So now the question is exactly why did MOTA turn off the deal after distributing 3D printers at rates which were shocking and making statements like, ‘3D printing is expensive- It doesn’t have to be!’The problem that many Kickstarters have faced is that in the process of offering the cheapest early bird prices for 3D printers and in the process of tempting people to support the campaign they have set the goal amount not as high as they should have. Since the goals are not realistic, it does not enable the companies to successfully manufacture the product and supply the finished good to the people who have signed up for the early bird offers.

It looks like MOTA stumbled upon the same stone and hence could not make up for the loss. MOTA is a well established brand so we can expect it to revive their Kickstarter campaign but this time with more realistic early bird offers and also a realistic goal.

Image Credits: Anathea Utley (flickr handle: Anathea)

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Learning Center

MOTA 3D Printer : Promising & Affordable

3D printers are becoming cheaper by the day and the MOTA team must have felt they should plays a part in the same. So they went out and created a MOTA 3D printer that is low on price and can deliver high performance. The price is as low as anyone can own it and the quality of the print is also quite good.

MOTA is basically an electronics company that previously made smart watches and various mobile accessories. The company wanted to make something more complex and sophisticated than watches and mobiles so it launched a Kickstarter campaign aiming to raise $100, 000 to produce the MOTA 3D printer with a few units priced at $99!

The MOTA 3D printer has a print head of 0.4mm and has a speed of 120mm/second with a layer resolution of 100 microns. The capacity of the printer is similar to that of the MakerBot Replicator 2 which is priced at $1999.

Technical specification of MOTA 3D Printer

  • Layer Thickness: 0.12 inches
  • Print Speed: 60- 120 mm/sec
  • Maximum Print Size: 6.5 x 6.1 x 6.1 inches
  • Printer Dimension: 13.38 x 13.38 x 14.96 inches
  • Printer Weight: 39.68 lbs
  • Build Plate: Cold/ heated (optional)
  • USB compatible
  • Positioning Precision (XYZ): X&Y: 11µm; Z: 2.5 µm
  • Model Support: Auto generated support
  • Input Format: STL
  • Printable Materials: ABS and PLA
  • Technology Used: FDM

The printer comes with an optional filament cartridge system that is capable of holding up to two spools at once and also allows the user to switch between colors during the printing process. The printer does not make much noise as compared to its counter parts, the reduction in the noise in due to a steel chassis and an enclosed build platform. The company has already sold out its $99 version of MOTA 3D printers however there are still a few printers that are available for $299 and $499. The MOTA 3D printer comes in a variety of colors from black, red, blue or white. The Alpha version of these printers is available for $799.

“Our vision is to make 3D printing ubiquitous, empowering as many people as possible to make real what they imagine,” said Kevin Faro, MOTA co-founder. “But that can’t happen until the cost of a printer is low enough and the functionality high enough to reach a tipping point. The MOTA 3D Printer represents this, a fully featured high-performance printer that’s production-ready. We’re utilizing Kickstarter to raise the funds needed for high-volume manufacturing. In return for people’s support we’re offering them a MOTA 3D Printer at a price can’t be beat.”

The company is firm on its decision to have open source software in the printer so that the library of the printer has predesigned figurines for the convenience of the users, which otherwise the user will have to make from the scratch.

While the price of the printer is low and draws quite many of the techie buyers but if you are after a 3D printer that is simple plug and play then this might not be the best bet.

Image Credit: mota.com