For about a year, former aerospace engineer Sam Cervantes served as the chief of operations for Makerbot, the Brooklyn-based 3D printer manufacturer. While the reasons for his departure hasn’t been made public, his subsequent activities have – he’s been developing another 3D printer, known as the Solidoodle. He recently unveiled the latest model, the Solidoodle 2, which comes fully-assembled for just under $500.
Like other home 3D printers, the Solidoodle creates actual objects based on computer files, by depositing layers of molten plastic on a platform. Different colors of finished products are achieved simply by using different colors of filament plastic stock.
The Solidoodle 2 is capable of building objects measuring up to 6 x 6 x 6 inches (15.24 cm), which is a step up from the original model’s 4-inch (10 cm) limit. The steel-framed Base model is Windows, Mac, and Linux compatible and includes everything needed to start printing, for US$499. Extras on the $549 Pro model include a heated build platform (to prevent bottom warping of objects), an upgraded power supply and interior lighting, while the $599 Expert model additionally features an outer cover and a front acrylic door.
By way of comparison, the higher-spec’d Makerbot Replicator sells for $1,749, while Cubify’s The Cube 3D printer goes for $1,299.
The Solidoodle 2 is currently available for preorder, and can be seen in action in the video below.
Source: Solidoodle via BetaBeat
I guess it would help to know the cost of the consumables - $1/cubic inch? $1000/cubic inch? Obviously the plastic much be purchased somewhere, no doubt from Makerbot.
*plastic is a little denser than water (it sinks) so two pounds would have a volume a little less than a quart a cubic ft equals 8 gal a gallon equals 12"x12"x1.5" = 216 cubic inches a quart = 54 cubic inches so my guesstimate is that a spool equals about 40 cubic inches.
source (PDF): http://www.sselec.com/data/ins specs/ABS Data sheet.pdf calculation: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=$38/(2lb/(1.04 grams/cm^3))