If you’re going to own a 3D printer, you’re going to need a 3D scanner. It’s just impractical having to design everything you want from scratch when there are perfectly usable real-world items that you can copy to accomplish what you need. The Blacksmith Genesis is the first machine that does both, combining a 3D printer and a 3D scanner in a single rig.
That means, if you want to 3D print a broken part, you simply take the broken item, glue it up, and scan it on this machine. Wait the few minutes (or hours, depending on how big the object is) it takes for the scan to finish and you’ve got a full 3D model that you can either print directly on the same device or import into a CAD software for editing.
Apart from combining both printing and scanning in the same machine, the Blacksmith Genesis also uses an innovative build platform. Unlike other 3D printers, it doesn’t use a Cartesian platform, opting to employ a mechanical design that puts the object atop a spinning disk. This new system halves the distance that the extruder needs to travel, allowing the device to be more compact than 3D printers with print areas of a similar size. It measures 13.8 x 9.8 x 16.1 inches (l x w x h) and weighs 24 pounds.
It comes with an integrated display that lets users print directly on the device via SD card without having to hook up to a computer, as well as an integrated camera that monitors the build area for possible problems and automatically alerts the user. The same camera can also be used to monitor the build area from a smartphone, so you can see how a print job is going while having a beer at the corner bar.
The Blacksmith Genesis is currently raising funds for a production run from Indiegogo. Available pledges to reserve a unit starts at $1,395.