(From left to right) NTU mentor Prof Chua Chee Kai, Co-founder Alex Pui, and CEO Fang Kok Boon, with the Blacksmith Genesis 3D printer-cum-scanner.
Blacksmith Group, a start-up from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), has introduced the Genesis, a 3D printer capable of scanning objects into virtual models.
Fang Kok Boon and Alex Pui Tze Sian, the founders of Blacksmith Group, conceived this 3D printer/scanner, which is a compact system only slightly taller than a standard home printer. Professor Chua Chee Kai, who serves as the Director of the Additive Manufacturing Centre at NTU, is the mentor of the Blacksmith Group.
Mr Fang, CEO of Blacksmith Group, explained that 3D scanning capability in a 3D printer is incredibly useful, as most users lack the knowledge of how to design a 3D model from scratch.
The Blacksmith Genesis 3D printer allows average consumers, who have little familiarity with professional 3D software, to scan any item, edit the scanned virtual model on a computer, and print the model out in 3D.
The Blacksmith Group has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, which aims to raise $75,000 for the production of the new 3D printer/scanners.
Early backers of this campaign will get the chance to buy models from the first batch at a special reduced price.
While low-cost 3D printers are accessible to the public, they are still very hard to programme and assemble. Having an affordable, high-quality 3D printer that is easy to use is what the market is missing and this is where Blacksmith Group will bridge the gap.
Prof. Chua Chee Kai