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The Micro, a low-cost 3D printer that’s targeting a mainstream consumer user, has blasted past $1 million in crowdfunding pledges on Kickstarter a day after launching its campaign.[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]The Micro maker’s original fundraising target — of $50,000 — was pledged in just 11 minutes.[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]According to Statista, the Micro is the fifth fastest Kickstarter project to-date to reach $1 million, managing it in 25 hours, just ahead of Pebble’s 27 hours but lagging Ouya’s 8.22 hours.
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[FONT=open_sansregular]The small 7.3 in³ cube is being built by M3D, a team in Bethesda, MD. The printer has a print layer resolution of between 50 and 350 microns, and a print area of 4.6 x 4.2 x 4.4″.[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]M3D priced the first 250 pledges at $199, helping to drive early momentum to the campaign. The price has since risen to $299 but the pledges are still rolling in — and have taken the committed funds past the $1 million mark in the past few minutes.
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[FONT=open_sansregular]The Micro does not offer sophisticated functionality. Which is exactly the point. It’s cheap and cheerful, comprising a bare-bones box that can hide the spool of filament in use in its base.
Calibration and leveling is built into the printer head so the user doesn’t have to bother themselves with such details.
The companion software being developed for the Micro likewise focuses on hiding complexity, with a drag and drop interface that’s being designed for touchscreen use.
But clearly the sweet-spot here is the price. At $199 the printer was a steal — and at that price point, as my TC colleague John Biggs noted, it was likely a loss leader.
At $299 the Micro’s makers should be getting a margin — and consumers are clearly getting a 3D printer at a price they like.
Or they will be, if M3D can deliver. But with $1M and counting in their Kickstarter coffers — and a full 28 days left on their campaign to run — they’re looking well placed to make good on their own pledges (which, since passing the original Kickstarter funding goal, include expanding their own team to get the Micro out to backers as soon as possible).
“We’ll… be growing the M3D team and operations base to deliver The Micro to you as early as possible,” they note.
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