Chinese 3D printing filament company eSUN has partnered up with open source 3D printing project RepRap to deliver a new 3D printing kit that will help children to get started with 3D printing.
Debuting today at the 3rd Chengdu World 3D Printing Technology Expo, the ‘Low Temperature 3D Printing Kit for Children’ is positioned as an educational tool which will help children get to grips with the basics of 3D printing.
The project was set up in collaboration with RepRap founder Dr Adrian Bowyer and the CEO of Shenzen eSUN Industrial Mr Yihu Yang. The kit which includes a RepRap 3D printer and eSUN filament has four key goals; safety, affordability, reusability and eco-friendly.
With safety as a key focus, the machine nozzle features an internal temperature between 80-100 degrees and a surface temperature of around 70 degrees. This is much lower than the regular printers in the market which typically use around a 200 degrees.
This kit also includes eSUN 4d-fila Filament, which is mainly prepared and modified from PCL. As a biodegradable material, PCL has been widely applied in the food and medical industries. This material is solid at normal temperature, but it becomes soft when the temperature is above 60 degrees which gives eSUN 4d-fila a repairing function where users can easily revise their work after finishing printing and even make use of waste material.
The printer aims to make 3D printing more accessible to the education market by providing a low cost, compact solution tailored to a young audience. The education market is a huge focus for desktop developers, in particular in Asia where the aim to provide every child with access to a 3D printer is a popular goal.