David vs. Goliath: SLS Desktop Kickstarter Ends with Takeover

You could say that Micronic Project on Kickstarter is a stunning success, at least for two young engineers who dreamed of building a next-generation 3D printer in their student apartment. Their Kickstarter backers have a different take.

Henry Chan and Luke Boppart, 2023 graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, launched a Kickstarter campaign in June to create an inexpensive Selective Laser Sintering 3-D printer, dubbed the Micron. SLS uses a laser to melt thin layers of finely powdered material to create a 3-D print. The method doesn’t require support and can use stronger materials, such as nylon or aluminum. Until now, SLS has required industrial-grade machines that cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Chan and Boppart believed they could create a desktop SLS printer for under $5,000 and have a chance at being among the best 3D printers.

The short-lived project was fully funded by excited potential customers and showcased at Joel Telling’s 3D Printing Nerd YouTube Channel. Chan and Boppart then moved their project to Open the saucea creators festival and an unusual science fair for adults organized by YouTuber William Osman.

There they met Max Lobovsky, co-founder and CEO of Formlabs, and a deal was struck. The Micron project was abandoned, and Chan and Boppart were offered to join the Formlabs team. Formlabs produces industrial-grade 3D printers, including the popular Series 1 fuse SLS machines, which start at $29,000 each.

Micronics announced that all Kickstarter payments will be refunded and backers will receive $1,000 towards the purchase of a current or future Formlabs printer.

Boppart explained acquisition in a YouTube video“By joining forces, we can leverage Formlabs’ incredible scalability. They now have a ton of SLS machines in the wild, which gives us valuable insights into how to build reliable machines. Plus, they already have a solid customer support network. Formlabs, on the other hand, gets a fresh dose of our creativity and agile development process.”

Micronics

Luke Boppart, Co-Founder of Micronics (Photo source: Micronics)

Boppart also admitted that “two kids straight out of college” might have trouble scaling his first-generation Kickstarter printer into a reliable consumer machine. Chan said in video interview with Łobowski that he was frustrated by having to spend time marketing and packaging samples instead of being able to focus on design.

Lobovsky did not say whether Formlabs will pursue Micronic’s goal of a small, affordable SLS machine. Boppart will join Formlabs’ software division, and Chan will lead development of Formlabs’ next-generation printers. Chen said that while he will no longer work on Micron, he hopes to continue efforts to make SLS printing more affordable.

Micronics

(Photo source: Micronics)

Comments under Micronic’s announcement video show that Kickstarter backers have a different take on the acquisition, with most expressing disappointment with the project’s end and accusing Formlabs of buying out its competition.