Cyrus vs RigidBot 3D printers

After doing my normal 3D printer research that I do daily I went to Kickstarter where I have been watching the progress of a few 3D printers that have caught my attention. While it is clear that some are better than others for the most part all the printers that receive funding are typically the best apart from one which I can’t wrap my head around as to why it hasn’t met its campaign goal. So I am going to compare two printers that are both ending in a few days where one takes on a modular design and the other goes for the consumer look. These two printers will be the Cyrus 3D printer and the Rigidbot 3D printer.

The Cyrus 3D Printer

So the Cyrus 3D printer is a standard filament based 3D printer with a very generous build volume of 1300 cubic/inch which is very generous when compared to the Makerbot replicator 2 with its build volume of 410 cubic/inches.  So though it has a large build volume can it print ABS? Yes it can which is quite impressive given its bed size. Oh and it can print at 100microns which is becoming the ‘standard’ high res print. The Cyrus uses all the latest and greatest coming from the open source community using a Qu-Bd extruder and the ReprapCentral LCD display making it fully independent from a computer. So the Cyrus typically has everything going for it, It even has an attractive enclosure to hide all the mechanics which does add to a professional look and I don’t think anyone would be embarrassed to have one placed on their desk.

     
   So to sum it up the Cyrus has

·         A build volume of 1300 cubic/inches.

·         A heated build platform(ABS compatible)

·         Can print at 100 microns.

·         Uses the latest Open Source electronics.

·         Has an attractive enclosure.

So after the brief description of the Cyrus lets take a look at the Rigidbot

The RigidBot 3D printer

The RigidBot has a completely different appearance to the Cyrus, the RigidBot has more ‘simplistic’ look. Rigidbot is a very modular design meaning that once you have one if you can find the belts and rods required for the heads movement then you can technically make it whatever size you like. A point to make is that the RigidBot campaign is offering two version of the RigidBot...Standard RigidBot and the RigidBot BIG which has a larger build volume. For this blog post I am going to focus on the standard Rigidbot. The RigidBot has also got a generous build Volume of 1000 cubic/inches which though less than the Cyrus is still allot more than most low cost 3D printers. The RigidBot does not have a heated build platform making ABS prints difficult due to warping though RigidBot does tell you this, (Honest) so it is optimised for PLA. RigidBot does also have an optional LCD display so the RigidBot can also be independent requiring only an SD card with stl files and a socket to plug in the power, and of course the RigidBot can print at 100microns. The RigidBot team also designed their own custom made hot-end which is quite unique I think.

    
   So now to sum up the RigidBot

·         A 1000 cubic/inch build volume.

·         A modular design for customisation.

·         A 100 micron layer resolution.

·         Custom Hot-end.

So to sum it up I personally believe that both these printers are rather equal in terms f what the designers are offering . Whereas I believe the Cyrus has a more consumer level look over the RigidBot and the RigidBot being more of a platform for customisation they both have relatively similar things going for them. Which would I go for? Personally I would go for the Cyrus simply because its more ABS friendly with its heated build platform though I do really like the fact that the Rigidbot can be heavily customised.

Why hasn’t Cyrus received its funding?

So with all of the above being said it brings me to why hasn’t the Cyrus being funded? It is a perfectly good looking machine and has a couple benefits over the RigidBot...I would have at least expected the Cyrus to have gained its funding yet the RigidBot has so far received over $750,000 in funding while the Cyrus has only just passed the 60% mark in its campaign. If you have any ideas as to why then leave a comment below .

 < Cyrus Yoda print.

<RigidBot Yoda print.

Please visit both the RigidBot and the Cyrus Kickstarter pages through the links below.

RigidBot

Cyrus

I would like to wish both the RigidBot team and the Cyrus team the best of luck with delivering 3D printers,future developments and the overall success in their contribution to the 3D printing community.