Buying a 3D printer doesn’t mean you can build every plastic toy you fancy for free. Instead, it means you can build every plastic toy you fancy provided you can manage to design it in CAD, as well as pay for all the 3D filaments you’ll need to produce the actual object. And filaments ain’t cheap. With test prints and misprints being a regular part of the game, it’s not improbable that you can burn through a hundred bucks’ worth of filament in a short time. The Strooder is a device that lets you make your 3D-printing filaments at home.
Rather than buy pre-made filaments, you can get plastic pellets at a fraction of the cost, then put them into the device to create your own. Same filament quality at homemade price (they claim about five times cheaper) means even more 3D printing materials to burn. You might finally be able to afford building your own 3D printed kayak.
Created by UK-based OmniDynamics, the Strooder is a desktop-sized filament extruder that can spit out both ABS and PLA plastic. Three nozzle options (1.75mm, 2.85mm, and 3mm) are available, so you can choose which will be compatible with the 3D printer you’re using at home. It comes with a full color display that shows various available settings for easy operation. To use, simply put plastic pellets into the hopper (it can hold up to 1 liter), turn on the machine, and let it do the rest. The pellets will be forced along a feed screw mechanism, where they will be melted and pushed out through a die, coming out as cooled and well-formed solid filament that’s ready to use with a 3D printer.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for Strooder. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at £199.