Objet announces the Alaris 30 Desktop 3D Printer

It looks like the slow crawl towards a consumer 3D printer continues with Objet's newest outing, the Alaris 30. The relatively compact peripheral uses something called PolyJet Photopolymer Jetting to produce 600 x 600 dpi objects up to 11.5 x 7.7 x 5.9 inches in size (not too shabby when compared to the 5-inch cube of last year's Desktop Factory offering). Equally impressive is the printer's ability to manufacture small moving elements and elements as thin as 0.0011 inches. A generous build tray means that many small parts can be printed simultaneously, and the company promises up to 36 hours unattended printing from your 3D CAD files. Finished models leave the printer fully cured and hardened by UV light. There is no pricing or availability yet, but if you hit the read link below there are plenty more juicy details.

[Via TFTS]

[Ayman @ Oct 17th 2008 12:37AM]

So in a couple of years i might be able to download a CAR (piece by piece) or XBox or PS3 casings

[whiskey @ Oct 17th 2008 2:43AM]

News from the future:

...The TIAA (Toy Industry Association of America) sued Ayman for Toy piracy. Many like the guys at the NorthPole (grandsons of the PirateBay guys) say that toys should be free...

... PlasticCraft has now a new model for the classic Master Chief helmet ready for you to make and finish the fight, man I gave up my age...

... "Web 9.0 is said be all about the plastic parts printing, i blogged about it like 60 years ago" said Digital Joseph L. Flatley to Dvorak clone 9 in a recent interview at Revision 15 ...

[Peter Harris @ Oct 17th 2008 5:03AM]

Well if you havent seen these things before, then you should check out the 3D Systems and Z corp ranges also. Z Corp offer rapid prints in colour and that just cannot be beaten for some applications! On the other hand 3D Systems are launching a whole new family of printers called the projet. The machines manufacture products in different materials also accurate to within 0.001 inch. The fine detail on the models is incredible and lends itself to the likes of jewellers, architects and product designers. take a look at www.thinglab.co.uk they provide a wide range of 3D equipment including 3d printers & scanners - they are part of Inition ltd (www.inition.co.uk) they have all sorts of exciting 3D technology, well worth checking out!!! A very friendly bunch in London too.

[Graham @ Oct 17th 2008 12:38AM]

And on engadget 10 years in the future:
"woah dude, this large-scale molecular assembler totally reminds me of that old Alaris 30 I had back in the day, old school baby"

[jebus @ Oct 20th 2008 6:02PM]

lol. awesome post man.

[davy @ Oct 17th 2008 9:27AM]

:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgjwjaBJ5Do

[andy @ Oct 17th 2008 12:46AM]

theres been consumer 3d printers for quite awhile. They run about $600

[tha-don @ Oct 17th 2008 1:08AM]

where? i'd definitely buy one (yes, i do have a use for it)

[Mike C @ Oct 17th 2008 8:55AM]

Some kids at MIT developed a method of making your own using some old printer parts and 2 part epoxy. you get clear models and the DPI isn't fabulous, but I think the price range came in around 550.

http://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/MIT/863.07/11.05/fabaroni/

[davy @ Oct 17th 2008 9:25AM]

why the fuck was he ranked low?

a friday video snack for you

[whatsdamattau @ Oct 17th 2008 12:49AM]

These are the coolest things I've seen. I can't wait until they're sophisticated enough to give me "Earl Gray - hot."

[matt @ Oct 17th 2008 12:56AM]

1. Buy Printer
2. Print lots of wangs.
3. ...
4. Profit!!

[tjb @ Oct 17th 2008 1:03AM]

Huge Profit!!!

[John Sullivan @ Oct 17th 2008 1:31AM]

Don't forget your 3-part plan. The underpants are a natural home for all those wangs, plus it's a faster route to profit.

[Caleb @ Oct 17th 2008 3:30AM]

Lo Wang say....

[j_g_puff @ Oct 17th 2008 5:20AM]

Remember to pay your protection money. Wangling's a tough game.

[r3loaded @ Oct 17th 2008 6:47AM]

Private equity firms will like your business idea, it has huge growth potential.

[tha-don @ Oct 17th 2008 1:14AM]

did anyone see anything about what the minimum size feature is that it can do? (not to be confused with the precision which is 0.1mm - 0.2mm)

[Mark @ Oct 17th 2008 1:29AM]

600 dpi X and Y, 900 dpi in the Z axis.

[tha-don @ Oct 17th 2008 3:41AM]

wow, i went right to the read link without reading the engadget article which clearly states "Equally impressive is the printer's ability to manufacture small moving elements and elements as thin as 0.0011 inches."

d'oh!

[cstarbird @ Oct 17th 2008 2:10PM]

Dude, you pulled a Palin.

[KarlW @ Oct 17th 2008 1:17AM]

Figures there'd be some kind of cartridge. Why can't they just carve a readily-available material like wood chopped from your desk plant?

[John Sullivan @ Oct 17th 2008 1:27AM]

That sounds an awful like CNC. Overall cheaper for the same size build, better for making finished parts compared to non-sintering 3D printers (unless you need captive elements or internal detail), and way easier to home-build.

Problem: my office flora isn't big enough to provide useful raw materials. Damn bonzai!

[evplasmaman @ Oct 17th 2008 3:57AM]

Yeah I think I might hold off getting one of these things until they have those self refill kits for the cartridges, and we thought toner was expensive ;D

[Str1ker @ Oct 17th 2008 1:18AM]

These are nothing new...they've been around for ages.

Nice to see some becoming targeted towards consumers.

[John Sullivan @ Oct 17th 2008 1:19AM]

Wonder how this one is going to price out... we recently bought a competitor's offering because the Alaris 30 was still in vaporware territory a year ago, and we couldn't wait that long.

Relevant ramble: the main contenders for this size/quality class seem to be Objet and Dimension (a StrataSys subdivision). Objet tends to have higher resolution output and generally smoother parts, but a higher entry point and consumable cost for a comparable build chamber size. Want to make action figures or something that is more likely to be used as a finished part? Go for the Objet, since you'll need the detail. Want a general representation of your part for less money? Dimension or similar can probably cut the mustard.

I hope the desktop units (the Alaris 30 is not going to price into Desktop Factory's $5k range) start to sell like hotcakes, because you'll finally be able to find them on eBay for much less than retail. Let's face it, too many people think that you can build a car (sorry, Ayman) without understanding the mock-up/prototype nature of a 3D printer. So please, folks with more money than sense: buy one soon and grow tired of it even more quickly than you grew tired of your Chumby. I'm waiting for your cast-off toys!

[ssrat_ @ Oct 17th 2008 1:31AM]

This actually MIGHT help revive the dying sci-fi, specialized model business.

Walk into a hobby store, ask for a certain model, and since all the dimensions are already loaded (and licensed/paid for) the parts
are printed out/sold.

Retail space is cleared up for the more "popular" stuff, yet whatever is in the catalog is still available.

I mean who TRULY bought the Kazon torpedo from Voyager?
Revell sunk so much money into Licensing that they had to put out SOMETHING, but by the time the Prometheus came out
a GOOD ship they did not what to touch anything from Voyager

[frankXchange @ Oct 17th 2008 2:18AM]

Yeah, think big. It could completely transform manufacturing as we know it, and we'll start with specialized sci-fi models. So say we all. Frak yeah! (And really, what total nerd bought the Kazon Torpedo from Voyager - or anything from Voyager). Am I right? Are you with me?

That was fun. I love what you've done with your parents' basement, btw.

Okay, okay. Just playing. Seriously, what I'd look forward to are all the original designs done by people, and, as a 3D modeler myself, I would love to start printing some of my own work.

Eventually these machines will start looking and acting like all-in-one scanner/printer machines. Place the object on top, scan it, then print it out below. The immediate question is materials - how strong is the plastic used? Could I print out my own operational Turing machine? (How's that for nerdy?)

[Bob @ Oct 17th 2008 1:38AM]

No Blu-Ray, no sale.

[derdante @ Oct 17th 2008 3:02AM]

1. Buy printer
2. PRINT printers.
3. ???
4. PROFIT!

[Knives_Out @ Oct 17th 2008 3:06AM]

mmm ... exponential growth

[Caleb @ Oct 17th 2008 3:42AM]

Lawn clippings and the dirt from your vacume cleaner. Great add on if you have a Roomba is the software to have it auto empty itself into the 3D printer. Same for your lawn mower. Polymers can be made from the starch in the clippings. Some of the rair earth elements in the dirt for IC's, sand for wafer substrate. Probably needs a metals 'suplement' cartrage to fill out any missing elements or chemicals needed to manufacture whatever your wanting to print & some sort of binder probably polymer based. (All TM and Copyright 10/16/2008 by me)

[Caleb @ Oct 17th 2008 3:45AM]

This was in reply to KarlW farther up who commented on having it run on clippings from your desk plant.. This reply system rairly works. Engadget should try fixing it! Constantly anoying! 3 other posts I made today never showed up at all and one was quite lengthy about the G1 phone!

[gweilo8888 @ Oct 17th 2008 3:51AM]

Venturebeat reckons pricing will be in the region of US$40,000 - so you can quit dreaming folks.

http://venturebeat.com/2008/10/15/3-d-prototype-printing-moves-to-your-desktop/

[absinthe party @ Oct 17th 2008 7:53AM]

Don't you tell me to quit dreaming, you buzz-killing bastard.

[Maurice @ Oct 17th 2008 10:38AM]

hmm $40,000k i bet some of my wargaming mates have spen that on lead over there time in teh hoby

[-Tj- @ Oct 17th 2008 11:28PM]

The $40,000 price tag is enough to make me stop dreaming about that new car I've wanted for so long. That $5000 printer is looking pretty good right now...

[Boarderwoot @ Oct 17th 2008 8:31AM]

"Hey Timmy! Our final project is due in less than 36 hours! The prof is gonna freak when he finds out you spent all that time at the bar!"
"No worries, I just set my new Alaris to print and in 36 hours I'll have my model complete. I'll have a beer for ya."

mmm this is an architect student's wet dream.

[stereobot @ Oct 17th 2008 10:17AM]

I saw a marketing video about these printers over 6 months ago. It is incredible.

[Dan Fruzzetti @ Oct 17th 2008 10:39AM]

How tough are the printed materials? Could they hold up to enormous shear forces or, if I printed a tube for my air conditioner (for example), could it hold up to the pressure? Can I print flexible things on it? Is there a selection of raw materials available?

[Nippero @ Oct 17th 2008 8:05PM]

3D printers are meant to make prototype representations of something before it is actually put on the production line.

Theyre not meant to make final products.

[Andrew @ Oct 18th 2008 7:11AM]

http://www.zcorpsolutions.com/3dprinters.php

A little bigger, but also 5X faster and full colour.