LokBuild, we just launched on Kickstarter

[Steelmans]

Hello all,

As a member of the 3D Hubs community I thought I would share our most recent project with you as some of you might find it useful.

I have been using LokBuild in prototype form for my Hub prints for a few months now and it has some great advantages over other solutions.

One of the biggest differences between LokBuild and some other similar products is how forgiving LokBuild is when setting the nozzle height. We found others can be very difficult to get it dialled in correctly and if you get it wrong it can be almost impossible to remove the model from the surface. This was one of the reasons we developed LokBuild. It is much better in this regard and much easier to remove models after printing. We believe it is the easiest surface to use.

You can see the full Kickstarter campaign by following this link…
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steelmans/lokbuild-3d-print-build-surface

Regards,
Simon - Steelmans Hub

[gabriela3d]

Nice project, Simon, thanks for sharing!

[wirlybird]

Interesting.

[3DMuse]

Good luck in your project!

[Bartkavelaars]

Looks neat, and looks a lot like the BuildTak sheets currently on the market.

Are there any differences between the BuildTak and your LokBuild?

Kind Regards.

[Steelmans]

@Bartkavelaars Good question Bart.

It is similar to “other” products in some ways but in other ways LokBuild is very different. LokBuild has many advantages but, as I said above, one of the biggest differences is how forgiving LokBuild is when setting the nozzle height. This was the main reason we decided to do LokBuild. It just took too long to get the nozzle height “just right” on some printers. If it isn’t spot on it doesn’t work well and if the nozzle is too close it is impossible to remove the finished print without damaging the finishing model or the build surface. This isn’t a problem with LokBuild and it just makes it very simple to use.

[Bartkavelaars]

Thanks for your reply, with my UM2+'s I don’t really have issues with the bed levelling but can imagine this can be a pain the *** when you just can’t get it right on a certain printer. Will definitely follow the development of your product!

[dhyre]

Looks very promising! 3 questions:

1) LokBuild makes prints stick the right amount regardless of temperature and nozzle height, it’s adhesion is much more independent of height than other print surfaces, right? I love the idea of minimizing that little “flare” (added edge) and incorrect height caused by the squishing required on other surfaces. However, this also means that if it sticks too much, it will ALWAYS stick too much. How do you remove prints, especially if they are stuck because of a high contact area? What if print has small contact area and needs additional adhesion - other surfaces can be increased with a lower nozzle height, but LokBuild is independent of height, so how is adhesion modulated?

2) Why does shipping add up linearly on your site, versus initial packaging charge plus a per-weight charge? I would expect adding 1 small size to 1 large size would add at most 1.00 to shipping, not 6.00. Kickstarter even shows no added shipping cost for additional pieces, and 5 pieces add only 4.00 above 1-piece shipping, akin to 5.00 fixed + 1.00@ (for small).

3) Delivery for current (Nov 2016) orders is still February 2017?

[Steelmans]

Thanks for the message. I’ll try to answer your questions.

1) LokBuild is affected by the temperature and nozzle height, just not affected as much as some of the others. The word we use is “forgiving” as the sweet spot does not require too much accuracy. For example, if you have a small contact area you can still lower the nozzle height for extra adhesion but you won’t need to lower it as much.

2) The website pre-orders are only temporary to fill the gap between Kickstarter and it being available in shops. Its not a full blown shop so doesn’t account for users wanting to order different sizes.

3) We are bringing the Kickstarter shipping forward and we hope it will now be in December. Other pre-orders will follow shortly afterwards.

Thanks,

Simon