Earlier the entire process of 3D printing was distorted and disoriented. The various equipments that were needed to 3D print an object were to be purchased separately but now the picture is about to change drastically with the introduction of Zeus!
Zeus is perhaps the first and also the only device that allows users to 3D Scan, Print, Copy, and Fax objects with a touch of a button. Believe it or not, that’s right; it’s the first 3D all-in-one! Zeus which is the product of AIO Robotics which is a Los Angeles tech firm seeks to bridge the gap between 3D scanning and printing for the customers of the 21st century who are keen users of integrated technology. The process is rather simple. The object that you want to replicate is placed inside Zeus, the machine scans it and then a copy is created. Personal 3D files can also be uploaded for printing. All this is controlled by a touch screen interface which is of 7- inches. With the help of the 7 inch interface any object which is less than 9 inches in diameter and 5 inches tall can be placed on the machines turntable, where it is scanned using a technology which the AIO calls as the “swiping laser triangulation”. The resultant data is stored wither in an 8GB on board memory or onto a MicroSD card. It runs on Exynos-based quad-core 1.7 Ghz system. The machine has a fax function which allow for the sending of designs from one Zeus printer to another. The printer uses PLA material for printing. The most amazing part of the whole thing is that the finished product can either be printed or it can be faxed via an internet connection to be printed elsewhere on the planet. It is the next-gen replicator with abilities of teleportation.
Apart from all these amazing properties, one caution by makers of Zeus is that the scanning process can be a bit slow, and might take up to 30 minutes. Also, it might not perform so well with dark, reflective or fuzzy surfaces. The target audience of this product is people who are working in offices and schools. The machine is designed to fit these environments as well.
All this and much more come for a whopping $2,500 which is affordable once all the features are taken into consideration. These days 3D printers come as cheap as $200 and 3D scanners are somewhat of the same price. But the main challenge is that of putting them together and getting them to work properly in a synchronized manner. For people who do not have the engineering skills it would be gigantesque task to get a 3D printed object. For such people the ideal machine would be Zeus.
The company plans to roll out these printers among the consumer by the summer of 2014. AIO plans to ship these products only in the United States in the beginning. The international 3D geeks will have to wait for the company to launch the product internationally.
Image Source: aiorobotics.com