Dremel, the company best known for its rotary power tool that's used for everything from routing and sanding to carving and engraving, has announced that it's taking a leap into the 21st century with its first consumer 3D printer – the Dremel 3D Idea Builder.
Company president John Kavanagh made the announcement on stage during a keynote at MakerCon in New York City. "Seeing a 3D printer work for the first time is something we wanted to show people," he said. "98 percent of people don't know what a 3D printer is or does."
Kavanagh said the Idea Builder was designed with both experienced makers and novice users in mind, and he also announced a partnership with Autodesk to help provide free print-ready 3D models and online design tools.
"This is just the beginning for us," said Kavanagh in a simultaneous company press release. "We'll be offering an increased number of customizers on our site that will further empower people to develop and personalize projects of their own. Long-term, the partnership with Autodesk will allow us to bring together hardware and software to better address the needs of our community."
Dremel's "Experts" program offers product support and mentorship for users, plus print-ready models, templates and other tools from the Autodesk partnership will be available on Dremel3D.com.
The printer itself is enclosed, has a color touchscreen and onboard printing software that allows it to run stand-alone or connected to a computer. It is capable of printing at a resolution of 100 microns and uses PLA filament in 10 available colors. The build area is 230 x 150 x 140 mm (9 x 5.9 x 5.5 in).
Dremel says that pre-orders for the 3D Idea Builder can be placed beginning September 18 through Amazon and Home Depot's websites. It will become available at Home Depot stores in the US starting in November for US$999, and will also be available at Canadian Tire stores.
There's more information in the video below.
Source: Dremel
