IT’S BEEN EASY to overlook some of the innovations coming out of the RepRap community as of late.Between regular MakerBot releases and announcements for new types of printers like the B9 Creator and Form 1， as well as a steady stream of big company announcements， the system that helped launch the home 3-D printer market has been a bit overshadowed. A couple new machines deserve attention though， offering unique features that the more mainstream devices don’t have.

One of those printers is the $699 Portabee （$480 unassembled）， based on the RepRap Wallace， which brings low cost and portability to the 3-D printing market.Overall， the specs are what you would expect in a low-cost machine. A 120x120x120 mm （4.75 inches） build volume makes it competitive with other printers in its price class， but is still less than half the volume of the new MakerBot Replicator 2. The heated build platform helps prevent model warping during print jobs， but the bare-bones case design also increases the chance of accidental burns and damage during transport. The Portabee uses 3 mm filament and a 0.5 mm extruder nozzle — both good specs， but moving toward obsolescence with higher-resolution 1.75 mm filament and 0.4 mm nozzles becoming more widespread.

While the Portabee might not lead the market in most categories， it is definitely among the most portable. Daniel Warner， one of the project creators， says， “Just a simple thing like taking it to your friends place to demonstrate an actual 3-D print is really convenient. During the engineering phase we did have the option of producing another big， lumbering 3-D printer， but we grew more attached to the concept of portability and minimalism as we progressed.” Their goal was achieved — not only does the machine weigh in at a paltry 6.2 pounds， it also folds down flat.

Another option for the budget- and space-constrained comes from PrintrBot. The $399 PrintrBot Jr is a kit-based system that has been stripped down to the bare minimum — it only prints PLA plastics and has a plywood build platform， but is an accessible option for children.The $1，499 PrintrBot Go has more impressive base specs — 200x185x150 mm build area （339 cubic inches compared to 410 cubic inches for the MakerBot Replicator 2）。 The base unit is limited to 3 mm PLA filament， but can print ABS with an upgrade to a Printrbot heated bed. What really sets this printer apart is its integrated “spy-worthy” attaché case.

Both solutions lack the polish of the FoldaRap， but stand apart from that machine by being available in kit or fully assembled form， not just a list of parts to be purchased.

If you’re looking for a lightweight way to get started with 3-D printing but don’t want to drop $2，000 on a Makerbot， these might be just what you need.

自動(dòng)翻譯僅供參考

成本不到500美元的便攜式和經(jīng)濟(jì)實(shí)惠型全新3D打印機(jī)

這是很容易忽視的一些創(chuàng)新從RePrAPP社區(qū)，因?yàn)樽罱?。在常?guī)MaKBOT發(fā)布和宣布新類型的打印機(jī)，如B9創(chuàng)建者和形式1，以及源源不斷的大公司公告，系統(tǒng)，幫助推出家用3D打印機(jī)市場(chǎng)有點(diǎn)黯然失色。然而，一些新的機(jī)器值得關(guān)注，提供更多主流設(shè)備所沒(méi)有的獨(dú)特特性。

其中一個(gè)打印機(jī)是699美元Portabee（480美元未組裝）的基礎(chǔ)上，華萊士的RepRap，帶來(lái)低成本和便攜性的3-D打印市場(chǎng)。總體而言，該規(guī)范是你希望在低成本的機(jī)器是什么。一個(gè)120x120x120毫米（4.75英寸）構(gòu)建的體積使得它在其價(jià)格類中的其他打印機(jī)具有競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力，但仍只有不到一半的新MakerBot Replicator的2的體積加熱構(gòu)建平臺(tái)有助于防止在打印作業(yè)模式翹曲，但裸-bones外殼設(shè)計(jì)也增加了運(yùn)輸過(guò)程中意外燒傷和損壞的幾率。所述Portabee使用3毫米長(zhǎng)絲和0.5mm的擠出機(jī)噴嘴 - 既有良好的規(guī)格，但移向過(guò)時(shí)與更高分辨率1.75毫米長(zhǎng)絲和0.4毫米噴嘴變得越來(lái)越普遍。

雖然Portabee可能不會(huì)導(dǎo)致市場(chǎng)在大多數(shù)類別，它絕對(duì)是其中最便于攜帶。丹尼爾·華納，該項(xiàng)目創(chuàng)建者之一，他表示，“就像把它給你的朋友的地方，展示實(shí)際的3-D打印一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的事情真的很方便。在工程設(shè)計(jì)階段，我們確實(shí)有制作另一個(gè)大，笨重的3-D打印機(jī)的選擇，但我們?cè)较朐竭B接到便攜性和極簡(jiǎn)主義的概念，因?yàn)槲覀兊倪M(jìn)展“他們的目標(biāo)已經(jīng)實(shí)現(xiàn) - 不僅在機(jī)器重量在一個(gè)微不足道的6.2磅，它也向下折疊平。

對(duì)于預(yù)算 - 和空間受限的另一個(gè)選擇來(lái)自PrintrBot。 399元PrintrBot Jr一家已經(jīng)剝離下來(lái)，以最低限度的試劑盒為基礎(chǔ)的系統(tǒng) - 它僅打印PLA塑料并具有膠合板構(gòu)造平臺(tái)，但是可訪問(wèn)的選項(xiàng)為兒童。該1499美元PrintrBot Go有更令人印象深刻的基礎(chǔ)功能 - 200x185x150毫米建設(shè)面積（相比于410立方英寸的MakerBot Replicator的2339立方英寸）。基座單元被限制到3毫米PLA長(zhǎng)絲，但可與升級(jí)到Printrbot加熱床打印的ABS。但真正該打印機(jī)與眾不同的是其集成的“間諜值得”公文包。

這兩種解決方案缺乏FoldaRap的打磨，但站在除了那臺(tái)機(jī)器由是藥盒或完全組裝的形式，部分不只是一個(gè)列表，購(gòu)買使用。如果你正在尋找一個(gè)輕量級(jí)的方式開(kāi)始使用3-D打印，但不想放棄$ 2，000一個(gè)Makerbot，這些可能正是你需要的。