We recently encountered an object that had been apparently 3D printed on a Solido 3D printer. Wait, haven’t they been out of business for years?
Indeed, we wrote several times on the fascinating Solido 3D printer, which used a form of lamination to accomplish 3D printing. Thin sheets of plastic were cut and glued together, layer by layer, to form complete objects. It’s very similar to MCOR’s 3D paper printing technology, except with plastic sheets.
The problem with Solido was that these sheets were available only from the manufacturer, unlike MCOR’s material, which available anywhere: the world is awash in paper. Solido users were required to ship the scraps back to the manufacturer for recycling. It seemed to us as just too much bother for most users, and many began using other, more convenient forms of 3D printing.
As a result, Solido seems to have shut down some time in 2011, quite a while ago.
Meanwhile, we now notice you can apparently still purchase a Solido SD300 3D printer! Reseller SolidModel USA appears to have stock and the critical supplies for the “zombie” SD300 machine. You can purchas material kits, glue and blades, which should keep you going.
The SD300, however, goes for the hefty price of USD$9,995, which is really a price level from years ago. Today for that price you can buy some very interesting and powerful 3D printers that may have characteristics beyond the SD300. We can’t recommend buying a SD300 unit at this time.
But if you still own one, you may be pleased to know there are supplies available.
Via SolidModel USA
