Best 3D printing projects crowdfunded via Kickstarter

[Vtsst]

Hey guys!

Awesome news! 3D Hubs now has its own Kickstarter page. So what’s cool about this?

It’s a way for us to support ongoing (and successful) campaigns that involve the 3D Hubs community and beyond! We will use this page to curate the best crowdfunding projects out there.

Kickstarter is a platform to crowd-fund projects and tangible ideas (you need a functional prototype to launch, 3D printing is a great way to get there). Great companies got started this way, Formlabs and Zortrax anyone?

Did you use 3D printing to develop a prototype and launch your product on Kickstarter? Are you building a next-generation 3D printer or awesome tools for printer owners?

We want to know about it and help out! Jump in the conversation or simply start a new thread (be sure to add Kickstarter as a tag) and let us know about your project: What’s the vision behind it? Why should people back you?

Check the 3D Hubs crowdfunding page to discover the projects we added!

[Nikki]

Excited to see how everyone is using to launch & prototype their campaigns!

[Pot8oSH3D]

OK, so just let me get this straight in my head…

This is is a way for 3DHubs to promote itself to a receptive audience on the Kickstarter platform whilst simultaneously allowing Kickstarter to promote itself and campaigns on its platform on 3DHubs. Sounds cool. But, just before people get carried away with effusive enthusiasm…

I’ve backed several - mainly but not exclusively 3D printing-related campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo in recent years. All but one have run a very long way over their intended time-lines and the product of one was of disappointingly low quality when it finally did arrive. I’ve also found that Kickstarter are seldom very helpful in sorting out problems when they do occur. For instance, the iBox Nano printer campaign, where the campaign “Creator” steadfastly refused and still refuses to communicate in any meaningful way with the 1,600 backers who had given him nearly half a Million Dollars.

I point this out for two reasons. Firstly, to sound a word of warning to my fellow hubs. Kickstarter is not a shop. You should not expect to receive your “reward” on time or have any redress if the project goes wrong. You are backing a project and will receive a reward if all goes well and when they manage to produce it. You need only look at the iBox Nano campaign to see how a project can be mismanaged and how frustrating it can be for those concerned. Secondly, I’m concerned that 3DHubs could be tarnished by too close an association with Kickstarter. If a campaign does go sour and backers seek redress, they could easily seek it here, if it’s been over-enthusiastically promoted on 3DHubs.

There have been many high-profile success stories on Kickstarter but, as I see it, that’s because KS likes to accentuate the positive and ignore the negative. In many cases, the risk of delay is rarely stated adequately. I’ve learned, to my cost, that one should think long and hard AND do some research before shelling out your hard-earned “wedge” on a Kickstarter campaign. So! The next time you see people getting all enthusiastic about the next 3D printing widget campaign, just take a deep breath and think things through before you press the button.

Oh! And anyone here who has a pet project and they’re thinking of starting a crowd-funding campaign, I wish you the very best of luck in your endeavour. I’ll back you if it’s truly innovative and I see value in the product. But please be prepared for the bumpiest ride of your life!

Cheers,

AndyL

[Filemon]

As always good and fair points Andy. Please let us now at any time when you feel “we’re losing it” and you experience “promotion” over genuine enthusiasm. It helps us draw the line. Cheers!

[Vtsst]

Hey Andy! These are valuable concerns and an unfortunate experience with the iBox nano campaign. I think by discussing and sharing campaigns with the community here, we do have a chance to spot discrepancies and give valuable feedback to improve projects.

Thanks for the friendly reminder about risk and challenges when backing a campaign, I would only add this post (now a bit old) but still relevant to the matter: Kickstarter Is Not a Store — Kickstarter

[Lucika29]

Hey Andy, it is interesting what you say, I didn’t know that kind of issues happened in Kickstarter that frequently. In fact we are on campaign right now, and unless we encounter an unexpected wild horde of backers we are 99% sure we will be able to ship the rewards on time, that is why we set those delivery dates and no others. People should be awared of that when they set their times, at least to give some guarantees to the backers somehow or some compensations, in exchange for their money.

PS: Take a look at our project if you want, it is about making children’s drawings real: MOYUPI - Play with your imagination! (Canceled) by Juan Ángel Medina — Kickstarter

[DruckWege]

Dear community, our Kickstarter campaign on the ReCoat Kit is approaching its termination by wed 15th july. DruckWege ReCoat by A+F Engineering — Kickstarter Donating to this project is an opportunity to contribute to something really special. You can help bringing down cost for SLA printing through optimization in maintenance cost. First and foremost you are being given the chance to become part of something at its earliest stages. Also, you will be given the chance to purchase our small batch pieces before the public domain. In nutshell, again, we 'd like to break down the advantages of the ReCoat Kit (pouches and cartridges): - Set-up of small ReCoat batches for easy repairing (DIY) of your resin vats - Safe money by less cost and time - Better performances of the silicone layer (durability), also through using our special “glue” (primer) for better adhesion to the vat - Easy dosing - Enabling quick repair of resin vats, also as service provider or retailer for consumers using SLA printers (Reward: value pack!) Please mail us, if you require further information on the ReCoat Kit or browse for the other threads in the 3DH community forums.