What is it with portable 3D printers this last week? On Tuesday we covered the Briefcase 3D Printer and last Thursday the FoldaRap 3D printer. And here we are again, with yet another one.
Ilan Moyer of MIT’s Little Devices lab and Nadya Peek of MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms have packed into an aluminum attaché case, a multi-purpose machine that allows the unit to act as a 3D printer, a CNC milling machine, a vinyl cutter and a programmable drawing tool. Just attach the proper toolhead, and its function changes. It’s called the ProFab, and the teaser video above shows it acting as a 3D printer.
The ProFab has already had its passport stamped several times, having traveled on airplanes as a carry-on item of luggage to Aspen, Colorado, Saudi Arabia and Germany. What is more exciting than international travel is the thought of it traveling from home to home in the hands of a do-it-all repairman, creating parts on the spot for your appliances and other items in your home that need replacement.
Hat trick: Gizmodo and Core77.
This has to be one of the coolest miniature CNC machines I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to see another video of what it can do.