CEL, which has developed the highly regarded Robox range of 3D printers, has just begun a new Kickstarter campaign to help further develop the Robox as a platform for distributed manufacturing.
Thus the Robox will gain three new additions, which were previously demonstrated at the TCT show last September. This includes a remote control device, Root, which allows users to share, control and monitor multiple prints via a wired or wireless network. There’s also a reasonably compact solution for stacking several Robox printers together without requiring a large footprint, called Tree. Finally, there’s the Mote, which is a simple, dedicated, low cost, touchscreen interface for Root. With Mote attached to a Robox Tree, the integrated system becomes a stand-alone print farm shared by an entire office.
These three items can all be used to link multiple Robox printers together to produce multiple items together. This approach can be more cost-effective than buying a larger printer, and gives a level of redundancy if one machine fails.
Chris Elsworthy, CEO of CEL and creator of the Robox said: “Although a typical user will have just one Robox, Root is a really exciting addition to the system. Users can remotely start and stop prints even when the printer is in another room. If they choose to open the system to the web, they can access it from anywhere. The system can alert users when a job is complete or of any problems, filament running out or becoming tangled or jammed so they can resolve the problem and resume the print.”
CEL has partnered with RS Components to provide the hardware and Polymaker for its PolySmooth materials. But CEL is partnering with local makers and services globally to produce and distribute Root, Tree and Mote, reducing transportation costs and making distributed manufacturing possible via the Robox.
Elsworthy added: “None of the development carried out so far on the Robox project would have been possible without the support from our Kickstarter backers; they have become a crucial part of our community and we’re appealing to existing and new 3D printing enthusiasts to help make this next phase a success.”
You can find further details of the Kickstarter campaign here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/robox/root-tree-and-mote-for-robox-micro-manufacturing-p
The Robox itself benefited from a Kickstarter campaign three years ago that raised over £280,000. So far the company has sold some 10,000 of these worldwide.
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