A new 3D printer on Kickstarter is able to print metal filament.
The Kare S1 and S1 Plus 3D printers are produced by Kare 3D, a startup based in Istanbul.
The Kare S1 is a FFF device, but one that can reach very high temperatures. The hot end is able to reach 550°C, and the print surface can be heated to 150°C. This allows the enclosed system to 3D print an extremely wide range of engineering materials, including metal filaments.
Metal filaments are actually a combination of metal powder and a polymer binder. The usual process is to print objects with them and follow up with debinding and sintering steps to create fully metal objects — although a bit smaller after the polymer binder evaporates.
Note that you do not require a high-temperature 3D printer to print metal filaments: this can be done on almost any 3D printer with a hardened nozzle. The heat required for debinding and sintering is provided by a separate furnace. Here we have a 3D printer that can do three things:
- Print common 3D print materials like PLA, TPU, PETG, etc.
- Print high-temperature 3D print material such as PEEK
- Print metal filaments
The hot end temperature of 550°C is quite high, and normally that would carry over to the cool side of the toolhead. To counteract this effect, the Kare S1 includes a water-cooled toolhead that maintains temperature at 85°C or less, even if the hot end is at a scorching 550°C.
There are two models of the Kare S1: the standard version and the Plus version. They are essentially the same machine, but the Plus version is stretched tall. The standard build volume is 200 x 200 x 200 mm, while the Plus is 200 x 200 x 480 mm.
The launch price for the Kare S1 is £1400 (US$1864), and the Plus is priced at £1870 (US$2490). These are quite low prices for high-temperature equipment, which normally goes for five digits or much higher.
There’s one other priced option: the “Printing Kit”, which includes a sintering furnace and washing station that enable the full metal 3D printing workflow. This is set at 8000 (US$10650), but you will have to add a Kare S1 or Kare S1 Plus 3D printer. This is priced separately because some workshops already have a sintering furnace and need only a 3D printer.
The campaign also lists several metal and ceramic filament spools that can be used in the machines, if you have the sintering furnace.
As always, this is a Kickstarter campaign and there are risks. In the past, many startup companies have been unable to deliver orders or produce working equipment, and it is possible that may happen here.
There are multiple negative signals in this campaign, so I would be quite careful if proceeding. The company does not seem to have an active website, even though several online registries suggest “kare3d.com” is the URL. That domain doesn’t even seem to be registered.
Meanwhile, there are multiple spelling and other errors in the campaign page, and no specific evidence of the ability to achieve volume production of the S1. The transition from prototype to production is extremely challenging, and that’s something I always look for in a campaign.
Finally, there’s the fact that high-temperature 3D printing is quite difficult. I’ve spoken to several manufacturers of high-temperature equipment, and they always tell tales of tricky engineering steps they’ve had to perform in order to ensure proper quality output from their equipment. Has Kare 3D gone through those challenges and ended up with an operable machine? I don’t see any complex insulation or air circulation, for example. They don’t say anything about this in their campaign.
Via Kickstarter
