Fast, Affordable, Fully Assembled Desktop 3D Printing

Following the trend among 3D printer manufacturers to create smaller, faster and cheaper machines, United Kingdom-based Bits from Bytes (the same people who brought you the RepRap and RapMan printer kits; bitsfrombytes.com) have developed the BfB 3000.

Here’s a big difference between this unit and other products from Bits from Bytes: If you’re interested in the RepRap, it comes with this advisory:

“To build the Bits From Bytes Version 3 RepRap requires a basic level of mechanical and electrical skill, and it is assumed that the kit builder is able to use a multimeter, a soldering iron and general hand tools.”

That’s because it is a do-it-yourself kit. Not so with the BfB 3000. The machine comes in a box, not the pieces to make the machine.

It’s small and portable, weighing 31 kg; fast, with a maximum print speed of 15-mm3 per second; and inexpensive. Bits from Bytes claims the BfB 3000 to be “the world’s first fully assembled 3D desktop printer for less than £2,000” (£1,995 to be exact). Or about $2,650 U.S.

The BfB 3000 prints in a variety of thermoplastics across an area of 320 x 300 x 200 mm at a minimum layer thickness of 0.1 mm. It prints with up to three heads and features easy electrical configurations if you opt to start with one printing head and want to upgrade to more later. Another feature is its simplicity: To operate the machine, all you need is a power source to plug into and an SD card (with your uploaded design data) for insertion. No spanners, soldering irons, or other kit required.