"$150 SLA printer? Too good to be true?" Topic

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Kickstarter priced at $145 USD, $159 USD for some extra resin and tools. Dang this one tempts me. While I am happy with my Prusa layering printer I am curious to check out the difference. And this price is hard to beat. (I've had bigger bar tabs back in the day)

Any opinions from the collective hive mind?

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. I would be skeptical of something this inexpensive. My biggest concern is the quality and mechanical reliability of the machine at this price point. What kind of software is available for it? The resin that it uses makes SLA printers a lot costlier than FDM machines. When you cast something in Resin it needs to be cured properly in order to get the model to hold up. How easy is cleanup? This is interesting but I would definitely wait until it is actually in the marketplace and there was some definitive consumer feedback on something like this. 3d printing is definitely progressing with machines like this being made. Even if it works very well there is certain to be a steep learning curve to get the best results.

The wanhao resin printer is $400 USD-500, so I guess it's possible. Not sure I'd ever back a 3-D printer kickstarter though- I can't think of a single one where the backers were happy at the end of it.

I agree with Bashy. No way they can manufacture the device for that price, let alone cover startup costs. My advice – let the eternal optimists/dreamers fund the Kickstarter, and if it ever reaches production, buy one at retail. I'd wager good money that the Kickstarter is never fulfilled.

Also, the build area on that is tiny! 4"x2.2"X5". If it ever becomes a real product it MIGHT be good for 28mm human sized miniatures. Terrain, equipment, large fantasy monsters – no way.

How come every 3d printer I have ever seen being pitched highlights the Eiffel Tower and some type of ball???

Regards
Russ Dunaway

I think I'd walk away from this Kickstarter. Sounds way too good to be true. I know it's only $150 USD but that would still buy a lot of minis.

Here's a thought:
It's (allegedly) only $249 USD at full retail. Given the risks (and overall poor track record) of 3-D crowdfunded printers why not wait until it's commercially available?

Also, the expected delivery date of December seems overly optimistic (unless it's NOT being produced in China, which seems unlikely given the price point).

Yeah. Right now I am just going to watch and see if they actually come through to market with it.

Backed many a Kickstarter project. This is one I definitely would not touch.

Resin tank not offered as an add-on – that doesn't seem right. Not sure if special resin is required (probably) so there is a risk that even if it works, but company goes out of business, you will have a $160 USD paper weight. I don't think it's too good to be true but perhaps more risks than it seems

X,Y resolution is 100um, not that great

Although the print area seems small, that is a limitation of SLA printers. Larger area is going to get very expensive in terms of light source and lcd

Certainly shows what can be done with 3D printers. If we look at 5 years on (less than the size of my lead mountain), then high res 3D printers will be very affordable.

John

The Wanhao will print 20mm with the right resin. Tank size is important as it takes the same time to print many figures as one.

Use of any 3d printer is a health risk. Resin requires extra care.
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I had previously seen this kickstarter and backed it but pulled out. It is as 'optional field' said above, at a prospective retail of $249 USD (more in the UK admittedly) I will just wait for the (hopefully) proven version to hit the market and for user reports on it before dropping any money on it.

Also, with asthma in the house we definitely would not use it or any other SLA printer at home.

Unlike backing a miniatures project, the additional risks technology projects have are the transition from a working prototype to a production copy, obsolescence upon release (especially if the project is delayed), and competition for a similar product. When you choose to back a miniatures or game KS, you are typically backing a product that, when released, will be unique enough that no other product will, in your opinion, be different from it. That is, when I backed ForgePrint's AdventureScapes tavern game tiles set today (you see what I did there (: I backed it because I thought, by the time the set was released, I would still have a need for the tiles, even if other similar tiles were available on the market (can't have enough game tiles!).