The Zeni Kinetic Origin series of 3D printers are Designed for the future. A future where the 3D printer becomes a common appliance in homes and offices. With the Origin series, the Zeni Kinetic is bringing out well-designed and good looking 3D printers at a price range that is much more affordable to most of its competitors’ products.
Designed by Zeni Kinetic, a Salt Lake City, Utah-based firm, the Origin series of 3D printers comes in 3 configurations named as Origin Prime, Plus, and Ultimate and runs on open source framework.
Priced at $999, $1,249 and $1,599, the three models in the Origin Series bring a considerable amount of power for the cost and are much cheaper than similar Makerbot replacements such as those from Ultimaker, Type A Machines and other similar-sized models. Another advantage with the Origin Series 3D printers is that they are future proof to an extent. Zeni Kinetic explains that as technology advances, the printers can constantly be added to and adapted, as the user sees fit.
Features of the sub-$1,000 Origin Prime model include:
- Build Envelope: 300mm x 300mm x 250mm (12 x 12 x 10 inches)
- Extruder: Single, .25mm, .35mm or .5mm nozzle size options
- Filament Compatibility: PLA and anything with a melting point of under 230C
- Printer Speed: 150mm/s
- Layer Height: 75 micron – Max layer height = .8 x your nozzle size. ie .5mm
Along with the above mentioned features, the second model – the Origin Plus ($1,249) – has dual extruders, a heated bed, two spool bays, and an extruder capable of reaching 250C, enabling the printing of ABS, PVA, HIPS and other filament types, in addition to PLA.
The top level model in the Origin family – the Origin Ultimate ($1,599) – builds upon the Plus model and features automatic bed leveling and calibration, faster print speeds, up to 200 mm/s, an SD card slot, network connection port, LCD controller, and an upgraded controller in the NXP LPC 1768/9 32-bit Cortex-M3 MCU.
As desktop additive manufacturing technology evolves (and subsequently, becomes cheaper), products like the Zeni Kinetic Origin printers are the next step in popularizing the technology in and taking it to homes and small businesses. The accuracy and affordability of these machines would be of immense interests for designers, small studios and craft and DIY enthusiasts. With quality design and manufacturing the origin series is a practical and stylish addition for productive environments. It’s a shame they failed their Kickstarter attempt, however the company is working around the clock to still deliver their lineup.
To find out more, head over to Zeni Kinetic.
