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"MakerBot arguably put 3D printing on the map, but it could be New Matter that ultimately puts it average people\u2019s hands.\nBacked by Idealab, the startup launched a Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign on Wednesday and hopes to deliver an end-to-end 3D printing solution for less than $200 by early 2015. Aside from DIY 3D printer kits, it\u2019s an unheard of price point for 3D printing technology and it comes with quite a pedigree.\nSee also: Micro 3D Printer Blasts Through $1 Million on Kickstarter in a Day\nNew Matter is working with and backed by Frog Design, the legendary design firm that has worked with everyone from Apple and Microsoft to GE and Sony, and the result is MOD-t, an austere and attractive 16-inch by 12-inch by 15-inch tall 3D printer encased in a translucent, removable cover. The company is also helping New Matter build a suite of companion apps.\n\u201CWhen we started working on this project, we gave ourselves this provocation: What if you could send a 3D print to someone like you send them a text message?\u201D says Frog Designer Christin Todorovich in the launch video.\nStephen Schell, who cofounded New Matter along with Idea Labs CEO Bill Gross, has been working in the 3D printing space for a decade, and originally started by building sub $2,000 3D printers for small businesses. Now, with this new venture, the New Matter president and CTO is targeting consumers, and Schell believes he knows the ingredients necessary for consumer 3D printing success.\n\nThe cost has to be something consumers can bear. \u201CIf you charge $500-to-several thousand dollars, you only get people who are really enthusiastic and passionate about 3D printing.\u201D\nThe software must be simple and easy to use. \u201CConsumers don\u2019t want to understand and set temperature set points on an extruder.\u201D\nOffer access to great 3D designs.\n\nWith Frog Design\u2019s help, they\u2019ve created an online store and application that allows consumers to download and share 3D creations, and because New Matter\u2019s MOD-t 3D Printer is Wi-Fi enabled, the 3D designs can go straight from the site or app to the printer.\nThe Hardware\n\nThe MOD-t is a good-looking device, a rarity for a 3D printer, but at a $149 introductory price (it will eventually be $199 and include a spool of print material), it\u2019s not really designed to compete with, for instance, MarkerBot's $2,000 Replicator 2. Speed wise, Schell estimates the MOD-t, which prints at 80mm per seconds, is in the middle of the pack. Print times can take anywhere from a half an hour to six hours depending on object size (up to 150 mm x 100 mm x 125 mm) Beyond that, though, MOD-t stacks up fairly well against the competition. Like MakerBot\u2019s $1,375 Replicator Mini and 3D System\u2019s Cube, New Matter\u2019s MOD-t prints from a spool of biodegradable PLA, with a minimum layer height of 200 microns. This is essentially a measure of print resolution: the higher the number here, the greater the smoothness of printed objects.\nIn addition to software and overall design, the MOD-t may stand apart in another way: its print plate. According to Schell, the MOD-t\u2019s build plate, which moves while the print head only moves up and down, uses a patent-pending design. Its rack and pinion mechanism lowers both the number of components and overall cost of the printer.\nWhy would I?\nEven with a sexy Frog design and \u201Cmagical\u201D price point, why would consumers want a 3D printer? Schell says he\u2019d tell consumers that 3D printers let you \u201Ccustomize the world around you.\u201D He contends that when we shop for decorations or even toys for our children, we\u2019re often constrained by what\u2019s on the shelf. 3D printers let you design and print out your ideas.\nOf course, most consumers are not designers so they\u2019ll still rely on the template designs offered on New Matter\u2019s apps and web site. According to the campaign video, though, they\u2019ll be able to easily modify the designs. It shows people manipulating the virtual 3D models on their iPad via touch, including previewing how different color PLA might look, and then sharing the prints via the app so that someone else with a New Matter MOD-t can print out the same 3D object.\nIt\u2019s \u201C3D printing for the rest of us,\u201D said Schell.\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.\nBONUS: How Does 3D Printing Work?\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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