3D printing a luxury, but it's a passion

  Be aware that 3D printing is not quite like ribs a stack of paper on a fast laser printer.

A 3D printer quality consumer works slowly with a Zen-like, as the print head melts tiny filaments PLA or ABS plastic and arrange in layers in a model that you nurtured.

Take the owl figure I rushed with the 3D printer on the cube test. Initially very slow, the bar appeared. Then again later about a half hour, until a pair of green tender feet at the top of the pole, then the legs, body, and finally, 90 minutes later, a series of owl 7cm.

There was a similar table waits for the big towel Cube product and a bust of maverick Yoda from Star Wars.

Be warned though: if you have it, a 3D printer, a lot of support for layers pumps for the next dinner, have a few days to process.

Take the towel is not cheap. The Cube costs $ 1,799 and the cartridges that are feeding the print head coils PLA or ABS plastic $ 66 a pop and can be had in 16 colors.

Cubify told 15 models the size of a cell phone pocket offer cartridge, making it nearly five dollars per case only consumables.

Unlike other manufacturers of 3D printers, 3D Systems Cube Machine has taken a leaf out of the playbook of the printer ink industry is the feed-cartridge system owners filament. Detector checks whether the cartridge is not refillable filaments kosher, and you can not feed a cheap generic plastic coil not like other 3D printers.

The cartridge just fits into the philosophy of a cube, which is to be easy to use with Apple into the world of 3D printing.

The Cube looks the part with its own open-carved design compared with industrial boxes from other manufacturers. It is noisy, but that is something to keep in mind when leaving the gadget to grind through a print job 90 minutes or more.

It comes with a stock of print-ready models, including the owl, Yoda, the towel rail and others.

It also comes with software that lets you convert to open the fullness of the 3D object source files online in a format that can work with the Cube.

I have a few 3D files from MakerBot Thingiverse website rivals, including one case for iPhone 4, and after the conversion, you printed OK. Although easy to use conversion software lacks many hardcore desired by most 3D modelers settings.

Make the most of the cube contains a little more effort than operating a printer paper.

The print head needs to be aligned for the best results with the bed printing of glass, and the bed must be covered with a special adhesive glue formed on the bottom of each model.

Change cartridge lasts five to 10 minutes and most models are to be cleaned with a razor blade to look their best.

Cube is connected to a PC via USB cable can be connected to upgrade the firmware, but it is like to work in standalone mode most of the time.

It is driven by a small screen at the front of the apparatus. There are menus for calibration, cartridge loading and leveling the pressure bed and then when you are ready to 3D print files are rip can be loaded on a USB key that slots into a port on the side of the cube . Scroll through the available files, tap on the desired and away it goes.

Print head alignment is critical, because the spread of the same thin layer of glue on the print bed. Get this wrong and your creations will eventually smear plastic instead of recognizable objects.

I had an overheating problem with the print head. Once this happens, the cube stops and the model must be restarted. Cartridge replacement solved the problem.

Consumer 3D printing is here to stay and the efforts of the cube usability helps expand the market.

But almost two grand is a big commitment and I intend to use 3D printer to much cheaper, faster and easier to use before they become a very advanced device of the day.