$100K For a Better 3D Printer!

The Foresight institute has announced their version of the X-Prize, the Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize. The idea is to award a hardworking team who can develop a drastically improved RepRap 3D printer design. There will be an interim award of USD$20,000 on December 31st, 2012 and a grand prize of USD$80,000 on December 31st, 2015. The interim award requires teams to meet the following startling characteristics:

• Print at least three different materials, including one that is usefully electrically conductive.
• The ability to print electronic circuit boards.
• Print beds must be of a material which may be reused with minimal refurbishment for at least 20 print cycles.
• Maintain a total materials and parts cost under $200 and that 90% of the volume of the printer parts be printed.
• Demonstrate a build volume of the printer above 300x300x100mm in order to insure that items daily utility can be printed.
• The capacity to print a full set of parts for a complete replica of itself within 10 days unattended save for clearing no more than one printer head jam.
• The ability to print autonomously without a PC attached.
• Uses no more than 60 watts of electrical power.

If that weren’t enough, the grand prize characteristics are even more amazing:

• That the cost of the material used for printing does not exceed $4/kilogram.
• The capacity to print a full set of parts for a complete replica of itself within 7 days, including the time for reloading, and clearing of printer head jams.
• Maintain a total materials and parts cost under $200 and that 90% of the volume of the printer parts be printed.

If these lofty goals can be achieved, it will be a momentous change, as many commercial barriers will have been broken. They’re clearly trying to drive the technology to a point where commercial ventures will strongly take hold. Thank you, Foresight Institute!

Good luck to all teams!

Via Foresight Institute and Make