Retouch3D Launches to Make Cleaning up Your Prints Easier

For those of you that hate cleaning up your 3D printed objects, there is now some hope. Retouch3D has just launched a kickstarter campaign for a new device that will make cleaning up 3D prints much easier. Whether it is support material removal, fixing blemishes, or cutting off unwanted parts, the heated tool is just the solution. The Retouch3D is priced starting at $149 and it seems as though it works pretty well. Read and see more on this at http://3dprint.com/54395/retouch3d-kickstarter/

http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...retouch3d5.jpg

Well it's a good idea - but the price is just ridiculous.

It's a bloody soldering iron for pity's sake.
Okay it's a fancy soldering iron with variable temperature and some dentist tools stuck on the end. But at the end of the day - it is just a fancy soldering iron.

What's the bet that a chinese soldering iron manuifacturer will look at that and say: 'hey chen, we can make these for $15 and sell them to the 3d printer people for $50, what the hell are we waiting for ?'

Oh yeah - And I too don't print stuff that needs supports :-)
Well why would you ? If you don't have to :-)

Hi there ... thanks for your comment; let us give you a bit of constructive feedback on what we learnt ... soldering irons only heat at the tip and don't disperse heat evenly ... likewise you need constant heat monitoring to maintain the desired heat setting i.e. when contacting cold plastic the heat load drops ... likewise the geometry of the tips is very important and we've done a lot of work to develop our knowledge here ... there's more data on our blog ... kind regards Team Retouch3D

I "came up" with this years ago: an old and blunt soldering iron.

Since when do soldering irons only heat at the tip? I mean the tip is made from a copper rod and that will heat evenly throughout.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make...oldering-iron/



Everything is in the knife tip, get some thick one.... real thick and not some thin that barely does anything. It's just like casserole thickness when you cook... takes eternity to heat up, but when it is hot that's the real deal.
That being said a 40W+ iron soldering tip do the job for the heavy duty removal.... When it comes to finishing, sanding is my way to go.

Help me understand what it is you want to sell me. A tool to heat up and smooth irregularities of a 3d print. I have several simular interchangable tools that I bought at the local hobby store for wood burning. I added a small potentiometer that I bought at the hardware store and add it to the cord so I could regulate the heat. I payed about $25 for the whole deal. And you want almost $200 for this? This kind of item isn't rocket science, Take the time to set the right amount of heat for what you're doing and you get good results. I don't need a $200 toy. But nice Idea, I'm with the other guys. . .not needed.

Interesting, they are selling 30$ at Canadian Tire

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/tools-...l?utm_campaign

Home depot sell them for about 22$
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded...25WB/204712975

I backed the Doodler 2.0 3D pen, in part to use it as a PLA glue gun to join separately-printed parts, but also for the smoothing tool nozzle that I plan to use for exactly what this Retouch3D tool is aimed at.

Nice design of the Retouch3D though! Looks like a Star Trek phasor!

this seems just as good
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dental-Lab-E...item234de2da2f

Quote:

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Originally Posted by adamfilip

this seems just as good
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dental-Lab-E...item234de2da2f

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200°C max temp is a little low. That's fine for PLA (if it really reaches 200°C), but not for higher-temp materials.

The Retouch3D was launched via a Kickstarter campaign to build “the world's first heated tool to finish 3D prints with variable heat and interchangeable heads designed for specific 3D retouching tasks.” The campaign was a smashing success and 394 backers pledged $56,398 to help bring the product to life. The Retouch3D features 5 interchangeable heads which allow for simple touching up of 3D printed objects, and the makers say the device can be used to cut through support material “like butter,” refine layer imperfections or to blend and smooth rough areas. In the coming weeks, the development team will finalize the internal layout of the device's electronics, begin mocking up prototype circuit boards, testing the prototype tips, and 3D printing a product casing. You can read the whole story here: http://3dprint.com/93284/retouch3d-finalizing-design/
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...retouch3d5.jpg

So... still nothing to show but a lot to tell ? :-)