The Trinus Full-Metal, 2-in-1 3D Printer/Engraver Will Start at $199

$199 can get you a lot these days–smartphones, single-board computers, robots, a latte. Getting a 3D printer for that price usually entails assembling it yourself and is, more often than not, limited in the area of print quality. Kodama wants to change those limitations with the Trinus 3D printer, set to hit Kickstarter March 30th (9AM PST) with an early bird price of $199.

The Trinus features a build area of 120mm x 125mm x 125mm (4.72″ x 4.92″ x 4.92″), has a print speed of 70mm/sec, move speed of 150mm/sec and can use both ABS and PLA filament. The printer has a 100% metal, modular design, with all parts easily removed or replaced, including a 3D print head and laser engraver head that can be quickly switched out. “Our 3D Printer is a solid, well manufactured machine, using a lean manufacturing approach to create a new category of printer,” says Bojan Smiljanic, creator of the Trinus. “Positioning ourselves in between ‘3D Printer assembly Kits’ and ‘fully-assembled 3D Printers’. Trinus is modular, the 4 main parts are nearly identical with easy and quick assembly (<1hr). This is also beneficial for the future reverse logistics process and obviously helps us with our competitive pricing as we can now easily achieve a higher order quantity than regular 3D Printers.” In order to keep costs on the low-end, Bojan designed the hardware such as a single-axis slide that’s used to actuate the print head. “The single-axis slide (or single-axis robot) is commonly used for high-precision machine tool components or automation devices in the industry, however it has been rarely used in desktop-3D printers because of the high price point. We designed a very low-cost, single-axis slider with a very high precision. It has flexible system architecture, unusual stable performance and easy maintenance with replaceable components.”

The Trinus 2-in-1 3D printer/engraver is planned to go live on Kickstarter Wednesday, March 30th, for $199 with an option that includes the 500mW engraving laser head. Regular price will be $299. Kodama also plans to release other heads later this year, which may include a CNC or Paste extruder head, however these are still in development. Keep an eye on their website for details.

A 2-in-1 3D printer that starts at $199? For 3D Printers that’s a bargain buy.

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