German RepRap Neo
At Euromold there’s no end to the new 3D printers on display, from the mammoth to the minute, from the hardcore manufacturer to the hobbyist maker. One that fits firmly into that final bracket is certainly the brand-new German RepRap machine, NEO.
The NEO is a small and stylish unit that would not look out of place on the sleekest of desktops, the lead developer Thomas Wolf told us, “I am an industrial designer, I wanted this machine to look good. I wanted to follow an Ikea design style.”
The Ikea theme is certainly evident as the plug-and-play device looks like something one would pick up from the Swedish furniture store. However unlike Ikea there is no assembly required with this machine.
Due out in February the NEO costs just €799 ($1085, £660), the machines currently only prints in PLA and has a print volume of 150 x 150 x 150 mm, printing at 15mm³ / Sec with a resolution of 0.1mm.
“This printer is aimed at the hobbyist market” said Wolf, “it is safe, it will have the CE mark and prints with excellent quality. It has been in development for a year now and this printer (on show at Euromold) is the first prototype.”
As far as first prototypes go this is quite a special looking hobbyist 3D printer, Thomas said that the finished product would be even sleeker!
The NEO will also be futureproof to a certain extent, as Thomas said there will be an upgrade kit that includes a heated bed coming down the line.
