The iBox Nano Home 3D Printer Is Small, Quiet, and Affordable

iBox Printers has created the world's smallest, most affordable 3D resin printer, and the Melbourne, Florida-based company is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to bring its pint-sized powerhouse to market. Created with the home user in mind, the iBox Nano is everything most 3D printers are not – portable, inexpensive, easy to use, and quiet. According to iBox Printers founder Trent Carter, they didn't set out to improve 3D printing but to remove the barriers and get 3D printers into the hands of everyone. He and his team have gone to great lengths to design a completely user-friendly 3D printing experience.

Built to produce high-resolution prints with the touch of a button, the iBox Nano comes without wires or software, so users can spend less time setting up and more time printing. Most 3D printers support just a couple of operating systems and need to be tethered to a computer. By contrast, the iBox Nano lets you print from any browser, whether it's on your smartphone, tablet, or desktop. There is no software to install. If your device has a browser, you can print to the iBox Nano. Moreover, the printer works over Wi-Fi, so you can print from another room. An optional battery pack lets you 3D print on the go.

The iBox Nano uses UV LEDs instead of DLP projector bulbs, which are expensive and need to be replaced every 2,000-8,000 hours of use. LEDs, on the other hand, last over 50,000 hours. In addition, the iBox Nano uses very little power and generates almost no heat, so it doesn't require any noisy cooling fans. The iBox Nano weighs only 3 pounds and is constructed from precision laser-cut extruded acrylic or PMMA, which is lighter and 17 times stronger than glass.

Early supporters of the iBox Nano can get their own 3D printer starting at $269.