The ByFlow Focus is a compact, foldable, lightweight and durable 3D printer that is easy to transport, space efficient and can also print in high quality. Even setting up the Focus is easy and done quickly.
You can print much more
With this printer the print quality is much better than most of the competition in the same category. We spent a lot of time making the most out of one machine. With our multi-material printer you can print much more than just plastic parts. You will be able to print with many different materials like ceramic, silicon and even edible materials like chocolate. In this way you can personalize your print or food with your own drawing. Furthermore, we work with high quality and strong materials so the printer is not broken after a year of use.
The unique aspects
…It’s with exchangeable extruders
Easily exchangeable and intelligent extruders allow for printing a lot more with a lot more materials. The different extruders will be a filament-, paste- and granulate extruder to make working with all kinds of materials easy and straight-forward. The filament extruder is included, the others can be ordered separately. The Focus uses magnets to aid an easy extruder switch.
The different extruder types make it possible to print with different materials like PLA, ABS, wood, bio-rubber, nylon, bronze, ceramic, silicon as well as edible materials such as chocolate. The various extruders (print heads) are recognized by the printer and the software adapts automatically. Also equipped with an extra end stop for accurate height adjustments. A unique piece of software has been especially developed with electronic extruder recognition capabilities. Moreover, featured updates will be possible without modifying your printer.
Software
You can work with slic3r, Cura, Repetier Host or with for example Doodle3D. With Doodle3D you can draw your own design.
See in the FAQ how to print with chocolate, explanation of the software you can use, the materials and many more.
…It’s lightweight and easy to transport
The Focus can be folded into a compact suitcase and can be taken anywhere. The suitcase only will be 7 kg, and helps protect against dust and other contaminants that can ruin your prints. After unfolding it’s easy to set up and doesn’t even need leveling or calibrating. It’s set up in 20 seconds and print-ready within 2 minutes. You can insert your SD card and use the display to start printing straight away or use a USB cable and control it from the computer. With the replaceable print- beds you can even start a new print right after one finishes.
… It’s with a high quality, stationary, heated and isolated print-bed Completely stationary, heated and with the bottom isolated print-bed, means no failed prints anymore. The stationary print-bed allows for more accuracy, especially with soft materials such as ceramics. The print-bed is also heated (up to 100°C) and isolated.
…It’s doesn’t need calibration
And no calibration means a completely fixed print platform.
…It’s durable and prints high quality products
Because of the durability and rigid design of the Focus, it is possible to print in a consistently high quality, even after folding and unfolding.
…It’s set up to fit later upgrades
The Focus is designed to facilitate the addition of upgrades.
Production
We have made 20 printers and field tested them with various interested parties for meaningful feedback, with which we made the last few changes before our Kickstarter.
We are confident that we have addressed every important aspect of the project and we have worked very hard to make sure we have everything under control before showcasing the Focus to the world. Technical risks are extremely unlikely at this stage since the hardware has been extensively tested and the software is almost complete.
We have chosen for the Focus to be produced and manufactured in The Netherlands, and we already have a manufacturer lined up who is ready and willing to build our printer as soon as our campaign ends. We will be present when the first products come off the assembly line, to make sure everything is perfect.
Where are we now?
At the moment we are past the developing phase and have a fully working 3D printer. We have even been able to assemble a few printers. Once the Kickstarter campaign is complete we can ramp up production, guaranteeing delivery worldwide, and will continue developing upgrades.
What’s in store for the future?
With this quality printer we offer a platform to enable you to easily 3D print with a lot of materials, we’ve even already been experimenting with chocolate and other types of food! At the moment we are working together with a Michelin-starred chef to combine high 3D printing quality with great tasting food. We have also already been asked to do 3D food printing demos and participate in food printing conferences both in The Netherlands and abroad.
This year, we willl produce a 2nd printer, an “MKB” printer (50x50x50cm) with modifications to facilitate use in healthcare – making prostheses – and a 3rd printer: a printer dedicated to printing chocolate for the world’s largest chocolate maker. We will also continue to innovate, look for new materials and develop the Focus.
Why we need you?
Tooling, production, and fulfillment are expensive. Funding all up front produces too high a risk for a small company like ours. We are ready to start production of the 3D By Flow Focus printer, we just need your support to ramp up production efforts so that we can deliver it to you as early as possible. The sooner you pledge, the sooner we reach our funding goal, and the sooner we will start production.
To reach our funding goal, we need as many backers as possible. Please help us spread the word by telling your friends and family, and by sharing this page on your social media.
Special thank you
Ward Hupperets, Johan Vrielink(Flevobike), Marcio Barradas , Mateo Blanch, Juan Medina, Peter Briër, Paul van Doremalen, Kees Hoeijmakers, Ruben Roumans, Bart Beckers, Mehmet Baksi and all the friends and family.
Special thank you to the chefs
Wouter van Laarhoven, Marijn Roovers, Peter van Rooij, Tim Raue and Bart Aussems