Some 3D printer manufacturers now sell filament, and we’re also seeing filament vendors sell 3D printers, too.
One such example is Pasadena-based ToyBuilder Labs, a long-term, highly reputable source for excellent 3D printer filament. But like every company, ToyBuilder Labs seeks additional sources of revenue, and as such they’ve been marketing a selection of personal 3D printers in addition to their filament business.
One recent addition to their slate of 3D printer offerings is the very interesting ideaPrinter series. There are two models, the F100 (shown at top) and F100L shown here.
The ideaPrinter series are not built by ToyBuilder Labs, who market them in North America. They are built by Shanghai Fusion Tech Co, an Asian manufacturer of 3D printers.
Nevertheless, the F100 presents some excellent characteristics for a low price, including:
- A very large build volume of 305 x 205 x 175mm
- LCD control panel for SD-card local operation
- USB connection for remote or cloud operation
- Layer resolution as small as 0.02mm
- One year warranty
Both the F100 and F100L feature a single reliable extruder and an unheated bed, so they are focused on printing PLA plastic, not ABS plastic.
Both machines are accompanied by custom software, ideaMaker, which provides basic slicing and operational features (Note: Windows only). But there’s a bit more with this software that you may not expect:
- Automated 3D model repair, removing need for additional fix-it software
- Large models are automatically chopped into bite-sized pieces for multi-section printing
- Assemblies are automatically parsed out into separate parts for printing
- Super-fast slicing
The price of the F100 is USD$1,199. But here’s the really interesting part: the F100L is a kind of “stretch” version of the F100. It has the same hardware characteristics and software, except that the Z-axis offers an amazing 575mm of build height.
This extra height means you can print some very large 3D models, such as this life-size owl held by Fabbaloo Business Manager Marney Stapley and Joseph Chiu of ToyBuilder Labs. Combine that with the multi-section printing feature of their ideaMaker software, and you can imagine the large items emerging from this device.
Priced at USD$1,999, the F100L is an inexpensive solution for large 3D prints. Most other tall-format 3D printers are priced much higher, such as MakerBot’s Z18, which retails for USD$6,499 and provides only 475mm height, 100mm less than the F100L.
If tall is your goal, you may want to look at the ideaPrinter F100L from ToyBuilder Labs.
Via ToyBuilder Labs
