We talk a lot about 3D printers, but most use plastic or resin materials. Rarely do we have the pleasure of seeing a ceramic 3D printer which uses honest-to-goodness earthen clay to print an object.
The Cerambot does exactly
The printer itself is a delta-style printer with three nozzles (diameters of 0.8, 1.2, and 1.5mm) which allow you to print different thicknesses. Coupled with an industrial linear guide rail capable of high speeds and a mechanical precision of 0.1mm, the Cerambot can supposedly print 20% faster than any other ceramic printer.
Two options are
The Cerambot Pro deserves special mention for its 57 stepper motor (
No matter the option you choose, the Cerambot off the shelf clay material to make the print-to-part process relatively painless. While we can imagine some issue, necessary work conditions, and required cleanup and maintenance of the extruder, they’ve designed a system that really couldn’t approach clay printing more simply.
The best part about the Cerambot (and really ceramic printers in general) is how the finished sculpture is still malleable even after printing. Just as shaping clay on a potter’s wheel, until the clay is heated in a furnace (sold separately), all the objects can be molded by hand, added to, or just mashed down and thrown back into the extruder for re-printing. This gives you a seemingly infinite number of tries… just as long as you use the same amount of material.
Whereas most ceramic printers cost over $1000 and upwards of $3,000, the most you’ll ever pay for a Cerambot is $300. With ten times the savings, it’s no wonder the Kickstarter project has already garnered over $277,000 of the initial $10,000 goal. Though there isn’t much more info on their webpage, you can find more of the Cerambot over on its Kickstarter page.
