Plybot – so named because it was originally designed to be flat-packed and made of plywood – is a 3D printer with quite an unusual design. While the Z-axis is similar to most 3D printers, the X and Y are controlled by arms in a way that’s reminiscent of (but not the same as) delta printers.

Honestly, we don’t have any idea how this will perform. It’s unlike anything we’ve used and we’re excited to find out if this setup will prove to be good or not. The makers claim that the arms arrangement lets Plybot print bigger, faster, and more reliably. The first point looks valid – at least from the images we’ve seen, the ratio of print bed size to printer desk footprint looks better than most alternatives. Because the arms flex in the middle, they don’t need long run-outs.

The joints in the arms look like weak points. However, with two arms attached to the print head, that may mitigate this. And even if they are weak points, it doesn’t mean that they can’t be made strong enough by some thoughtful engineering choices.

We’d love to give some thoughtful analysis on how well we think this will work, but the truth is that we’re waiting to find out. It’s exciting to see people bringing new 3D printer concepts to market.

From $299 | kickstarter.com | Delivery from July 2021

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