Meet Flux, a modular 3D printer that went from Taiwan’s college dorms to Kickstarter’s front page

For most Taiwanese college students, December is a time to celebrate the end of classes and prepare for an onslaught of exams. But Simon Ko, Jim Yu, Shawn Lin, and Yen Feng are preparing for a different type of slog. The team just raised more than US$1 million in a Kickstarter project, and starting next year, they’ll have to follow through on a promise made to 2,707 backers.

The product they’ll be building is called Flux, a 3D printer that functions much like other 3D printers. As it works its magic, a nozzle will spurt out filament that gradually takes the form of a recognizable shape.

But Flux differs from most other 3D printers in a few small ways. For one thing, it comes with a built-in 3D scanner, which helps users kill two birds with one machine. Second, the team is developing the printer to feature a modular design, enabling one to swap out the goo-spurting nozzle with, for example, a laser engraver, or a ceramics extruder, or a DIY nozzle that a maker-type designed himself. Third, Flux’s founders are building out complementary software that lets users turn digital models into reality, from smartphone to printer.

“We think that this shouldn’t just be a 3D printer, it should be more. It’s just like a robotic arm. So we want this to have interchangeable modules and we have an open interface for developers to make their own modules,” explains Ko.

The vision for Flux might indeed be grander than your average goo-spouter. Imagine a community of Flux owners, each with their own module hacks and shared designs. Perhaps Flux could evolve into something like Littlebits, the DIY electronics kit.

But there’s likely another reason why Flux has received so much attention – it looks cooler than other 3D printers. Most 3D printers look like a scary machine you’d find at the dentist’s office. Flux, with its hourglass structure and jet-black exterior, looks like something a hipster maker would be proud to own.

“A lot of users of 3D printers will be designers, and designers care a lot about appearance. I think that this is one of the reasons that our Kickstarter was so successful,” says Ko.

Flux’s US$1 million campaign has modest origins. Ko and co-founder Jim Yu met as roommates their in freshman year at National Taiwan University. Ko was studying computer science, while Yu chose engineering. In March 2014, Yu bought a Rostock 3D printer kit. Ko was intrigued, and asked Yu to buy one for him. After nights of tinkering, Ko and Yu decided they could together build a better printer.

“I got really excited when I finally printed something [for the first time]. It’s very exciting technology. But after a while I realized that there were a lot of places where the design wasn’t up to par. For example, the software side requires a lot of adjustments [for the hardware side]. Every machine is different and you need to know how to set certain parameters like temperature control or printing speed.”

Moving in Flux

Yu and Ko spent the summer building prototypes and gathering partners, including one co-founder to handle operations and another to manage all things design. The team set their sights on Kickstarter as the initial source for fundraising early on and started preparing for their campaign in August. They also participated in a pitch session held by SVT Angels, a network of California-based Taiwanese entrepreneurs who made their fortunes in the chipset era. SVT Angels later selected Flux to join them on an educational three-month trip to California, where the team continued to work on Flux while also participating in tours and local pitch sessions.

The Flux team only returned back to Taiwan in mid-December, hot off their success on Kickstarter. In February, Ko will take a leave of absence from NTU in order to devote himself to Flux full-time. As an only child, rules that dictate Taiwan’s compulsory military service for men are more flexible than those his teammates face. But Ko says that even with one more year of school ahead of them, Flux’s completion will remain a priority.

“They basically just need to go back and take a few classes, they don’t need many more credits. [If they took a leave of absence] they would be forced to go into military service. This is a problem Taiwan student startups will face.”

Simon Ko beside Flux at National Taiwan University

Ko and his colleagues aim to ship their first batch of Kickstarter-supported orders by July 2015. The team is now working to perfect its vision of the product. When I visited their office space, I was told that the model I was shown wasn’t suitable for showing a demo. Ko and his colleagues have also yet to perfect the scanning technology.

Flux’s Kickstarter windfall will undoubtedly put pressure on the team to deliver. When a group of people suddenly have US$1 million in the bank, dorm rooms turn into offices with responsibilities to customers. Flux’s founders might indeed have a geographic advantage when it comes to sourcing, but first-time entrepreneurs will inevitably hit roadbumps. Moreover, building a differentiated 3D printing product looks to be a difficult, high-stakes game. Other printers on the market also come with built-in scanners. Completing the noob-friendly software and setting the stage for DIY modules adds additional layers of complexity. And at US$499 a pop, pledgers will keep their eyes on the calendar to make sure their investment doesn’t go to waste.

Even so, it’s not every day that a group of Taiwanese college students end up touring Silicon Valley thanks to their dorm room project. If Flux’s founders can manage their US$1 million with the same savvy they exerted while raising it, the world might move one step closer to the ever-elusive 3D printing boom.

This post Meet Flux, a modular 3D printer that went from Taiwan’s college dorms to Kickstarter’s front page appeared first on Tech in Asia.

Meet Flux, a modular 3D printer that went from Taiwan’s college dorms to Kickstarter’s front page