Hong Kong-based Mayc Creation has launched another desktop 3D printer, the D2K Insight.
The company is no stranger to desktop 3D printers, having successfully executed two successful Kickstarter campaigns in the past. This bodes well for this venture, as some other product launches are done by startups with literally zero successful track record.
Their previous devices, the D2K Illuminate and the D2K Plus were both DLP-powered resin 3D printers. Thatās not the case with the new D2K Insight, which is powered by a custom-made LCD panel.
The LCD panel is mounted at the bottom of the unit, and simultaneously illuminates all pixels of each layer as it builds an object. The LCD panel is also apparently designed to emit 450nm light, the optimism frequency for solidifying the resins used in this machine.
The company goes to some lengths in their pitch to explain some mechanical features that would make the prints of higher quality, but it seems to me that these features are well known in the 3D print industry at this time. Nevertheless, the D2K Insight does provide some excellent resolution on its prints.
The company says the Insight can resolve 10 micron layers, 17 microns on the X axis and 50 microns on the Y axis. That is indeed very good and comparable to the resolution achieved by higher priced machines. Their sample prints look excellent as well.
D2K Insight: The Most Advanced Consumer Grade 3D Printer
SH IP is raising funds for D2K Insight: The Most Advanced Consumer Grade 3D Printer on Kickstarter! The D2K Insight is a high performance, personal(DLP-SLA)LCD based 3D printer. It’s an affordable way to produce high quality 3D objects
The Insight is not one of those high speed resin 3D printers that have take up much of the 3D printing news lately, as it does not include a sophisticated tank release system. At 4 seconds per layer exposure, the company says it can print up to 25mm per hour. But that is when using 50 micron layers; if using 10 micron layers, the print time will be 5X longer, so 5mm per hour. Not fast, but good resolution.
There are not many bells and whistles on this machine, but one of them is a fancy color touch screen that graphically shows machine status and allows operational control. In fact, they also offer a smartphone app from which you can issue basic commands to the machine and monitor status.
The Insight appears to be a good quality, high resolution desktop 3D printer whose key feature is price. In their launch the machine is priced at only USD$599, a low price indeed. Other competing high resolution resin 3D printers are substantially higher in price, by three, four or even five times as much.
But while those competitors may be selling hundreds or thousands of their units, the Mayc Creation venture is a bit more modest. Their Kickstarter projectās target is only about USD$28K, suggesting they are hoping to build at least 40-50 machines. This is a small-scale operation, at least for now.
What might be concerning is if the company receives a very large number of orders, which may compromise their manufacturing strategy. As it is now, they are listing February 2018 as their ship date, which to me seems very achievable. Will this remain if they receive 10,000 orders? Perhaps not.
On the other hand, the pricing is sufficiently low that you just might take a risk on this venture.
Via Kickstarter and Mayc Creation
