Fulton, Md.-based M3D more than doubled its $100,000 goal on Kickstarter just hours after launching the campaign for its new M3D Pro 3D printer. Though it's not quite the same as recreating the company's crowdfunding magic that brought in more than $1 million 24 hours in 2014, the close to 450 backers so far clearly have faith in what the new printer will offer, and there's still 44 days to go in the campaign.
"You’re not just pushing out a product when you use Kickstarter—instead, you’re working directly with a community that cares about the project," M3D CEO and co-founder Michael Armani told DC Inno in an interview. "We know that the Kickstarter community values innovation and this is why we are returning to this platform to launch our latest product. Returning to our roots on Kickstarter also allows us to gain the initial volume we need to launch a new product line at a globally competitive price."
M3D pitched the Micro as a small, relatively cheap alternative to the industrial-sized 3D printers common then. The idea was to offer something that would appeal to people more casually interested in 3D printing or who didn't want to spend several thousand dollars for a machine that would fill a room. Several thousand sales later, and Armani is happy to call it a success.
The original Micro is going strong and serves as the bread-and-butter for M3D," Armani said. "It’s been well-received as a 3D printer delivering exactly on what it was intended to do— be an entry-level printer solution designed to give curious consumers an opportunity to test out an exciting technology that’s making its way into the home."
For the new project, Armani said the team had to account for the proliferation of consumer-level 3D printers. The collapse of some 3D printer makers and the increasing focus on the consumer market by those that remain add pressure to M3D, hence the interest in using Kickstarter to speed up early production. With the rapid success of the campaign, there won't be any lack of capital issues at least.
"The industry needs a leader now more than ever and this is the perfect timing for M3D to introduce a printer with the right applications and features to make the technology further appealing for consumers," Armani said. "Once the Kickstarter campaign is over we’ll be doubling down on developing the M3D Pro to deliver it to our backers. We’ll be making some changes to our product line-up, as well, and introducing slightly modified versions to fit the individual needs of our customers."
