The device, its engineering student creators say, will transform product prototyping in the same way that 3D printers have made things possible that previously seemed inconceivable.
Although very much like a 3D printer, the EX¹ has been designed to only print circuit boards. To achieve this is uses two inkjet cartridges and prints onto a substrate (base material) in the same way as a desktop printer. However, it’s not quite like your home printer. “Instead of ink the EX¹ lays down two chemicals that mix together and produce silver nano particles, leaving a silver image on the substrate. The EX¹ can print on both conventional circuit board materials and various types of plastic, glass, wood, ceramic, silicone and even fabric and paper. The ability to print flexible circuits on such a variety of different surfaces means that people can be more creative and experimental with electronics than ever before,” the company explained in a statement.
The printer itself is capable of printing an area around 17.5cm x 8cm and weighs around 6KG when loaded with cartridges. With just five ‘super early bird’ kits available at $899 and just 20 ‘early bird’ kits priced at $1,199 (both scheduled to arrive in July 2014), you’ll need to move fast if you want to get in on this one at the ground floor. The next tier, ‘Printer Kit’, is priced at $1,499 and is scheduled to arrive from September next year. ➤ Cartesian Co EX¹ [Kickstarter]
