There’s been a rather exciting announcement from PP3DP: they’ve developed a new personal 3D printer, the UP BOX.
PP3DP (the 3D printing brand marketed by China-based Tiertime) was one of the first vendors to provide personal 3D printing gear with the venerable “Up!” printer. This machine proved highly reliable and popular, sold around the world. The machine’s descendants are also popular and reliable, so much so that they’re frequently rebranded and sold by others.
Now a new descendant machine emerges: the UP BOX, no doubt named after its key feature, a completely enclosed build chamber. Yes, it’s a box. The enclosure will ensure a consistent temperature during build operations, increasing print reliability.
But that’s not all. The UP BOX is quite a bit larger than its predecessors. The new machine has a large build volume of 255 x 205 x 205mm, far exceeding the 140 x 140 x 135mm of the previous UP Plus 2. The new BOX is also able to print at up to 0.1mm layer size, now matching most of the competition. Its print speed has increased by 30%, thus counteracting the one knock we’ve heard about the Up Plus: speed.
Another new feature we really appreciate is a completely automated bed leveling mechanism that “requires no human intervention”. The less we have to do, the better.
Our favorite feature on the UP BOX is a filtration system that contains any airborne particles generated during printing operations. In theory, this could make the machine safe for home use printing ABS plastic filament, something very few personal 3D printers can boast.
The machine’s MSRP is set at USD$1,899, somewhat more than the USD$1,649 of the UP PLUS 2. But for the extra USD$250 you’ll receive a much better machine.
We think this is an important announcement because PP3DP’s excellent reputation likely carries forward into the new UP BOX. We don’t doubt that the UP BOX will be hugely popular and be seen in many homes and offices for years to come.
And it looks really good, too!
