The first fully assembled 3D printer to be put on the market for less than £2,000 has proved a hit at the Austech 2010, a major trade show in Sydney, Australia.
The BFB 3000 is a desktop printer that has been developed by Bits from Bytes at its factory in Clevedon, near Bristol, UK. It was exhibited by Bensons Machines, who are the exclusive distributors for the Australian and New Zealand territories for the product.
Bensons Machines also displayed RapMan 3.1, the 3D printer developed by Bits from Bytes following research work by Bath University.
Australian educationalists and schools expressed an interest in the machine as an ideal way for design and technology students to print 3D models they have designed using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software.
The BFB 3000 prints quick and affordable prototypes and models from CAD files and can be used by designers, architects, and manufacturing firms. With the BFB 3000’s low price, the machine has also been attracting hobbyists and artists, who use the technology to produce models and craft items.
The BFB 3000 creates objects from converted STL files on an SD card. It can be used as a rapid prototyper or a rapid manufacturer and has the option of a second head that can be used to print support material.