Micro 3D Printer Smashes Kickstarter Goal

Yesterday, the little 3D printer that could single-handedly reminded everyone how useful Kickstarter can be.

After its April 7th debut on the crowd-funding site, the Micro—called the "first truly consumer 3D printer" by its creators—surpassed a $50,000 fundraising goal in a single day. With 27 days left to reach that goal, the project has raked in $1.8 million and counting from over 6,000 backers.

What's so special about the Micro? For starters, it's much cheaper than other 3D printers on the market. At its current $299 list price, the Micro costs over $1,000 less than a comparable product from MakerBot.

M3D LLC, the creators of the Micro, claim that the Micro can be used "right out of the box... by beginners and experts alike." The Micro functions with PLA or ABS materials, as well as standard 1.75 mm filament spools. Due to its size, however, it can only print objects within a 7x7 inch sphere.

Consumer response to the Micro's price and easy-to-use aesthetic has been powerful, though many questions remain as to how or why Joe Everyman would use the Micro on a day-to-day basis. CNET's coverage on the Micro's success spawned a bevy of comments discussing the potential uses consumers might have for the Micro, with a split between commenters who see the Micro as only a desktop tool for an engineer or designer, and something consumers can use at home to replace hard-to-find car parts, miniatures, or even Legos.

Regardless of the application, the project is enjoying enormous support on Kickstarter. In the time it took to write this article, the pledge support rose by several thousand more dollars. The Micro is scheduled to enter the production phase during August and September of this year, with units shipping out to all backers by March 2015.