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The Strooder
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Strooder
Omnidynamics launch their filament extruder on Kickstarter soon
UPDATE 28/05/14: The Strooder launched on Kickstarter at 6pm GMT and is already fully funded. Expect to see the stretch goals including automatic spooling achieved!
The 3D Systems acquired Bits from Bytes, CEL Robox and the RepRap project share a few things in common; they’re the only British based manufacturers/makers of desktop 3D printers; they all use the same extrusion-based technology for their printers; and interestingly, there’s only about 28 miles between the three companies in the South West of England in a route that echoes the flow of the River Avon into the Severn in Bristol.
Now, incredibly there’s a fourth company/organisation that can be added to that list and one that would have benefits for the users of those particular types of 3D printers.
OmniDynamics, based in Bristol (of course), are set to launch Strooder on Kickstarter in the coming hours. The Strooder is a rather nifty looking filament extruder that turns thermoplastic pellets into filament that can be used on your printer. OmniDynamics reckon that the saving accrued by buying pellets over filament is roughly 80%.
Last week, Sculptify announced their printer, which uses the very pellets as material as opposed to filament but without any further details of the device there are many sceptics on the various internet message boards about how well this will work.
The Strooder’s plentiful and transparent information on their Kickstarter page will come as a breath of fresh air to those who cried “Vaporware” at Sculptify. The Strooder differs from other filament extruders, like the Lyman one, in not just aesthetics – it undeniably looks the part – but it is also plug ‘n’ play coming preloaded with all the information you need in order to make your own filament at the touch of a button.
OmniDynamics are hoping to raise £20,000 via Kickstarter, which is just over 10% of the funding achieved by Filastruder when it launched on the crowdfunding platform a little over a year ago. The cheapest you can pick up a Strooder for is £149, at the Ultra Early Bird pledge level though with only ten of those available you’re more likely to have to stump up another £20.
