Till now companies that have manufactured desktop printers have focused on making printers that function by using the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technique. This technique acts like a hot glue gun; the melted plastic is put on layers to make the finished object. There have been other techniques as well other than FDM but those techniques are relatively expensive.
A Spanish company named LEÓN3D has announced a new SLA 3D printer called the LionCrewer 1.0. LEÓN3D collaborated with José Gemez Blend and equipment to make this 3D printer. This printer was first presented infront of everyone in the Madrid Mulafest Festival in Madrid. With the launch of this machine LEÓN3D has become the first company in the world to produce desktop printers using this technique.
The printer has a high resolution since it uses a laser photolithography based resin the finished product is of much better quality than other machines which use plastic and Cyanoacrylate for fixation. The machine would be using both Photolithic and biomechanic resins. The quality of the various parts that are produced by the printer is far superior to that which can be achieved by the usage of deposition printers’ plastic filament. Another feature of this printer is that it takes lesser time to complete the object since it does not gets involved with the process of feeding, heating and extrusion of plastic filaments. The printer has a maximum resolution of 0.03mm, optimal resolution of 0.05mm, and standard resolution of 0.1mm. It also features a size build volume of 80 x 80 x 80mm which is quite decent. SLA printers have a higher resolution as compared to the FDM printers and the work done by the SLA printers are very neat. They leave little evidence that the object has been 3D printed.
It would be quite interesting to see the demand of this printer in Spain and also around the world. The company at present is eager to let out its product in the Spanish market alone but in the near future if they plan to set foot in foreign soil like US, UK and other European countries, it would be very interesting to see the demand for these machines. In less than two thousand Euros the machine can be bought from the market. This machine is currently the best option available for obtaining a high quality three dimensional printing at a cheaper rate. So, the works that can be done by the printer, the design as well as the price all are highly competitive as compared to the other printers that are currently available in the market.
LionCrewer 1.0 is not the only printer that is a SLA 3D printer. Many companies have announced similar products recently that are affordable and also are targeted at the consumer level. This looks like a growing trend in the consumer 3D printing market. Some of the known printers that are going to offer stiff competition to LionCrewer 1.0 are the Sedgwick, the M-One, and the mUVE 1.
Image Credit: http://www.leon-3d.es/lion-crewer/
