3D printing is one of the coolest futuristic technologies we can live in our modern homes. Being able to download a digital file and, with some time and patience, turn it into her 3D object in the real world is truly amazing.Can print accessible controller mods (opens in new tab) Own fan to let more people play games or cool your PC (opens in new tab)or a straight upward Steam Deck shell (opens in new tab)In my mind’s eye, it’s a few steps away from Star Trek’s Replicator. Probably many, many steps. But one of the biggest steps to jumping over is the material you use.
Most 3D printing, especially at home, uses some kind of plastic filament. Many good initiatives have been taken to reduce waste, but it’s still a lot of plastic. However, we still often buy new resources to make stuff, have a fair amount of waste, and use printers that require very specific inputs.
Ceramic printers are one of the logical next steps for integrating more materials, but they are considerably less common than their filament brethren. The printing process is problematic due to air bubble build-up and is often quite niche and expensive. Matrix 3D Printer on Kickstarter (opens in new tab) caught my attention.
The Kickstarter page proudly states, “In addition to ceramic materials, Matrix prints with a variety of viscous fluids, especially environmental and ecological restorative materials, to help bring creative ideas to life.” It is This sounds very disturbing, but it means you can print with things you think you already have around your house. Paper pulp, ground egg shells, coffee grounds, etc. can be used to print new things.
Another big advantage that this Matrix printer boasts is increased build capacity. Printers are often quite limited in size, but this one can print objects up to 500 x 500 x 700 mm on the largest models. It also comes with cartridge sizes up to 20L, which can be replaced while printing. This allows for fairly large single prints, plus printing on ceramics or other malleable materials makes it easy to combine multiple prints or add your own flair by hand. It means to become
Of course, participating in Kickstarter means it’s good to use your wits when making decisions. Thankfully, the manufacturer has quite a track record with his Cerambot, in the past he’s built two ceramic printers on this platform, and Matrix is already fully supported. So hopefully this is a safer bet than some of the vaporware around.
There are still a few spots left in the early bird backing right now, and you can get the Matrix M500 for US$799, or 47% off RRP. Bigger options are also available at discounted prices, but they all seem pretty limited. .
