Polar3D has developed a curiously different personal 3D printer.
There are a great many inexpensive filament-based 3D printers available and all attempt to be different in some way or another. Polar3D’s difference is in the mechanics of how the extrusion takes place.
The build platform is circular, not rectangular. That’s because it rotates during printing operations. The extruder at the top merely moves up and down, while all “X-Y” movements are handled by the rotation and movement of the circular build plate. It rotates and slides forward and backward to provide the extruder with access to the entire printing area, as seen in our short video here:
The Polar3D offers a cylindrical print volume of 203mm diameter by 152mm height. Capable of printing layers as small as 0.05mm, this machine should produce output as good as most inexpensive filament-based 3D printers.
As you might imagine, this machine requires specialized software to produce the unusual polar movements not seen on other 3D printers. Their “Polar 3D Desktop” software indeed does this.
We’re always a bit suspicious of 3D printers that move the printed object around during printing, as this can generate a couple of issues:
- Weak objects, especially tall ones, tend to wobble when moved, potentially causing inaccurate printing
- Very large objects can be massive enough to cause braking problems when moved quickly, again resulting in potential accuracy problems
That said, it may be that the Polar3D works well anyway. You can find out yourself by getting one in late February for the low cost of USD$799.
Via Polar3D
