Kickstarter obsidian 3d printer


High Quality, Sleek, and Affordable. by Kodama, Inc. » FAQ — Kickstarter

Share this project

Done

For the 2nd year in a row, Kodama is raising the standard for 3D printers. Obsidian is plug & print and has it all. Starting at $99.

Created by

Kodama, Inc.

Kodama, Inc.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • BACKERKIT: Do I need to make a new account for Backerkit as well?

    Your Kickstarter profile will be available in Backerkit after you confirm your information through the link we send you.

    Last updated:

  • BACKERKIT: How do I manage my pledge details and address after the campaign?

    Pledge items, shipping address and purchasing additional add-ons will be done through the Backerkit platform 1-2 weeks after the campaign. We will send you a direct link via email or link to Backerkit from our Kickstarter page.

    Last updated:

  • BACKERKIT: Will you have worldwide shipping and more payment options available through Backerkit?

    Yes, we will open more shipping regions and more payment methods.

    Last updated:

  • BACKERKIT: I missed the campaign, can I still pre-order Obsidian?

    Yes, for a limited time we will offer our items in Backerkit for the same price as during KS campaign. You can pre-order Obsidian printers and add-ons.

    Last updated:

  • BACKERKIT: I am staying with my original pledge, how much Backer Kit credit do I have?

    Old backers get $10 for Early Bird, Basic and Plus. Obsidian Deluxe backers receive $20 of BK credit. If you are from US, Switzerland, Norway, and EU+UK you will get $20 for any Obsidian tier if you are staying with your old pledge.

    Last updated:

  • BACKERKIT: What happens with my BackerKit credit when I move to new set of pledges?

    BK credit is only for old backers and they have the choice to remain with their pledges and use credit for add-ons after the campaign or jump to new pledge for a shipping cost reduction.

    Last updated:

  • BACKERKIT: How do I use my Backer Kit credit after the campaign?

    We will have offer new filament, Obsidian accessories, heated bed spool holder and other items through BK after the campaign. The way you pick and use your credit will be straightforward.

    Last updated:

  • New Backers: I am a new backer coming from a non US/EU country, do I get BackerKit credit?

    Yes, if you are a backer from a country other than EU/US and the new shipping prices do not affect you. Then we've got you covered with $10 BK credit for Basic and Plus, and $20 for the Deluxe version.

    Last updated:

  • ASSEMBLY: Do I need to assemble the Obsidian?

    No - Obsidian comes fully assembled; plug & print out of the box. The print bed will be factory pre-calibrated/leveled.

    Last updated:

  • ASSEMBLY: If I order add-ons with my Obsidian Basic, do I need to assemble these components?

    Obsidian Plus and Pro versions are already assembled units with their add-ons installed. If you pledge for Obsidian Basic but later upgrade, you will get the fully assembled package you ordered.

    Last updated:

  • SOFTWARE: Can I use Octoprint with Obsidian?

    Yes, but we recommend to go for the app and smart LCD which offer very similar functions and are supported by Kodama

    Last updated:

  • SOFTWARE: Will Obsidian work with any slicing software?

    Yes, Obsidian is compatible with most available Slicer (gcode). We recommend/use Simplyfy3D and Cura.

    Last updated:

  • SPECS: Which filament size Obsidian works with?

    1.75mm

    Last updated:

  • SPECS: Do I have to exclusively use Polymaker or Obsidian filament with the Obsidian 3D Printer?

    We tested and are still testing all of the filament brands available on the market. You are free to use any filament brand on the market. Obsidian is equipped with a high-quality extruder that can handle a wide range of filaments.

    Last updated:

  • SPECS: Can I use any spool size on my Obsidian?

    Currently you can use any PolyMaker and Kodama spool up to 750g, but Via Backerkit we will offer soon also a separate bearing spool holder for $10 which will allow you to use any spool, also 1kg spools etc.

    Last updated:

  • HARDWARE: What type of power cable will I receive?

    Everyone will receive a power cable based on their country. We provide US, EU, UK and Australia type plugs. Hong Kong backers will receive U.K. plugs. Japanese backers will receive US plugs, etc.

    Last updated:

  • HARDWARE: Can I use USB drive or SD card with Obsidian Plus and Obsidian Deluxe versions?

    Yes Plus and Deluxe versions are supporting USB flash drives and SD cards.

    Last updated:

Don't see the answer to your question? Ask the project creator directly.

Ask a question

The company that is bringing the obsidian 3d printer to the world is now retroactively going back on their word to the earliest 300 backers.

In short, they just stiffed their early backers and have become liars in the process. stay away from their company if you want to be treated fair & honestly. : kickstarter

TL;DR kodama lies, I and others call them out on it, they say we should be happy they provided us with such a wonderful deal but we aren’t keeping our word and are going back on it, I prove how they lied, fanboys say we should just be happy about the incredible deal we got so stop complaining they aren’t honoring their word, and then I again spell it out for them that they lied and are are a bunch of liars.

BeCause 2 minutes ago Daniel, your post was kinda rambly, but the general impression I got from reading it, was mainly that you were lamenting that people were complaining, and that we are getting a good deal. I'm sorry if you feel that I may have misconstrued, but that is how it seemed. Both of us agree that people should get what they are promised. The contention is that based on the updates and the text within, it was clear that there were certain things that we would recieve. Kodama is going back on them, and that is why we are upset.

Kodama_Daniel Collaborator 4 minutes ago @Kickstarter Noob Multicolor printing is great! The only bad thing would be that wastes more filament (extrudes some after changing the color to not color contamination). I am experimenting with the Pallet, which is an expensive option but a great one. Later I am sure there will be more printers with several colors but now is kinda expensive, I think is the next step for FDM printers actually. To print in the full spectrum of color and to be affordable. Now we have to paint the prints by hand. or print by parts, but who knows? a couple of years an Obsidian like a printer at $99 was unthinkable, laughable (I mean, I included).

Kickstarter Noob 11 minutes ago @Kodama_Daniel Thank you for answering and also... I put printing more then one filament on my survey for a very specific reason. I hate the argument of printing more then one color. I think of the versatility of printing multiple materials. Multi-Material printing for very specific and possably complex reasons. Multi color can be nice. I just wish people would think teaching their children of Multi-Material and about strong patent law, as important as printing multiple pretty colors for themselves. But what do I know?

Kodama_Daniel Collaborator 18 minutes ago @Kickstarter Noob

  1. Yes, you will be able to switch them easily. You will get the normal bed also, in addition to the heated bed. The HBP only needs something over it to protect it, normally it is a buildtak (One it is included with it), it does not need the normal bed over it. No, it will not wear out that easily since it is not mechanically attached to it, it uses magnets. HBPs are really sturdy, so it is most likely that will not fail.

  2. It is like a sticker, it was adhesive and comes separated of the HBP. You can take it out some times before it loses its adhesive properties, I did so far 3 times and it is good. Just need to be careful not bending it and to have a dust free environment.

  3. It does not have copper, just the color. There are conductive materials of course. Never thought about it, but if the filament is conductive enough and can harvest enough electromagnetic waves, it should be possible to print a Faraday cage like structure to create a shield. Very interesting thought/doubt you got me there, thanks.

  4. Not sure about this, will check the density of the filaments we have and later give this to you. But most of it is PLA with additives and will have similar density. The Obsidian may have different since it has really Obsidian dust in it.

  5. Frankly, never used a flexible bed but know people that love them. As with Buildtak (One of the best surfaces that exist for printing beds), The flexible bed will have good quality, sorry for not being able to give you more info but do not want to lie to you. I am sure it will have its advantages and disadvantages. But until I get one in my hands, glass and tape are my number one options for the bed personally. @BeCause That is exactly what I said the last phrase, I wanted to say it once. Later to concentrate to help people normally :) Missing avatar Kickstarter Noob 21 minutes ago I support Kodama. I may even leave a tip. Keep up the good work. Thank you. This is just one more thing to dislike social media for.

BeCause 25 minutes ago Daniel, The EB and EE backers are not asking for anything that was not promised in print on this website. All we want, is for you to honor your agreements, nothing else. Words mean things, do what you say you will do and I will stop having a reason to complain. If you keep digging yourself deeper into this hole, we will have every right to continue complaining. In fact, we will have more reason.

Kodama_Daniel Collaborator 36 minutes ago @All First, I try to be as neutral as possible because I am part of Kodama. I even try to be neutral with people asking us what to buy, add-ons or even other printers. And my answer always was, buy what you feel you going to use and do not spend more because you think you use it. At the end, we care more about you being happy with the printer than we earn more and more money. Please take this post as my own opinion and of course, I am risking it, but I care and I also want to say some stuff. Last, If I made a mistake please please point it to me, and will rectify what I said. Let me try to clear this up, maybe an insight of why the discount happened and later the EE was added may help. Story short: The CEO really appreciates you guys. First, we all agree that the Obsidian has a very low price compared with how much good stuff it has, correct? Do not want to sound cocky but, compared with other printers in the market. How many printers that you may get have a better Price/Quality? I remember the last year looking for a long time for a printer to buy since I was coming to Germany to study and was short on cash but wanted a reliable machine. I am in the 3D business since 5 years and I am very picky with printers, too much my friends say. But when I saw the TRINUS did not even think about it, I paid 450uds right away. Was so happy to get a really cool printer for such a low price. Later when the updates came, that it was being improved I was super excited. Yes, times change, printers are more common now and have a lower price. But please remember this is a high-quality product too, check the reviews if you haven't, please. Now let's remember when the CEO said that there may not be stretch goals because the printer it is super low prince and making one will affect the campaign a lot. (e.g. The Basic model cost $99 to produce, no profit there, etc). Almost daily there were people that were expecting and some requiring for a stretch goal to be done, cause it is usual in KS campaigns, correct? Usual means a requirement? When the Campaign started, we expected that some people would be surprised on how high the shipping was compared with the printer. But this is the actual cost, really. CEO was not happy either even knowing that it was not possible to make the shipping go down. This is because the printer does not damp its price in our case (most of the product as part of the shipping included in the price). But he decided and somehow made it possible to give you some credit, as thanks for reaching 500k. But what happened? remember being close to 1million. People again started to request for a strech goal? Please do not get me wrong, but why? why ask for more? This is when the CEO decided to open the E.Eagle spots, frankly, was someone of you expecting that? Same history with the shipping, we got a lot of bad feedback cause the shipping was high. People that did not even buy the printer was telling in social media that we tried to scam you? People, relly you think that? Resume

  • 500k credit.

  • Early Eagle.

  • Shipping reduction. The majority of the pledges are DELUXE. And as you may know, a few days ago was announced that the auto leveling tool that many of you asked to be included it is a reality now, a surprise for most of us and free for the majority of the backers. After all this, do you think Kodama tries to steal from you? Now, some are calling us liars. A liar will tell you something and leave it as it is. What happened in our case? We are here. Remember we had some trolls and people that were calling us names. Some of you asked even to block them or ignore them but that is not the point. But have we ever said something about that? Never that I recall was disrespectful, never wanted and frankly, I feel I do not get anything for being. It is sad that is not reciprocal but it is what it is, right? The beauty of free speech and I like we have that right. Not sure if you get the point. Kodama is listening to you, but sadly it is not possible to fulfill all the request because at the end it is a project to found a product, a business after all. And makes me sad that the community of Makers looks like this :( Some of you may remember we were 24/7 responding comments and trying to answer most of them individually. This caused us to commit some mistakes, same that we rectified. I apologized personally because I did some, and at some point overlook some details due being tired and too fast. Now if you noticed, we take more time to respond and respond in large messages. Now do me a favor and go to your pledge amount, check how much you are paying and then list what are you getting for it, it is a good price or not? The end. Will go back to respond your doubts, if there are changes in the Credit we will share it, until that happens. It is what it is, sorry. This is not directed for all of you people, but feel free to express your opinion. Not sure if others But I care. Have a nice evening all you people.

Kickstarter Noob 39 minutes ago I had some questions I sent in on the backerkit contact and not sure if you were going to even answer or wait for Monday. I wanted to get the info before I finish my survey. 1: I am getting the Deluxe with the heated bed. If I order a spare build plate will I be able to switch it out or am I required to have the heated plate to switch out? I don't care if it will not be heated when I switch out, but would also like to know if the heated plate uses the regular build plate on top? If applicable, does it ware to switch out the heated bed for a regular build plate? Will it cause the heated beds to never function again on the obsidian if you switch it out for the regular plate? 2: How does the buildtak sheet work with heat bed or build plate? Is it one time put on then it is ruined when taken off? Is it adhesion or screw or ??? 3: Is the Kodama Premium PLA in copper conductive of electricity? Are they real metals and can they be used to shield radio waves? 4:Are the Kodama Premium PLAs heavier then normal PLAs, and by about what %? What is the heaviest Kodama Premium PLA? 5: Are the print beds flexible? Not sure how good an option that is due to durability and performance. I am not sure if they are good, bad or what my opinion is on flexible print beds. Thank you

Kuthedk 1 minute ago @Kodama please tell me exactly where in the first update it mentions that this was intended as a shipping relief? " Some good news - We visited Backerkit today in San Francisco to finalize our cooperation for this campaign. As a thank you for your great support and helping us reaching that amount in such short time we decided to give every backer cash credit towards their future backerkit purchases as follow: Obsidian - $10 Obsidian Plus - $10 Obsidian Deluxe - $20 This credit can be used towards add ons, filament and accessories before pledge rewards are sent out. This is NOT a credit card refund. Q: What is Backerkit and what do you mean by add ons? Check out the LINK and if you have more questions, just ask. :-) Many people asked for stretch goals, we don’t aim to have stretch goals in that sense but we will listen to you and will try to fulfill your wishes; one for example is the heated bed as an add on, so yes the heated bed will be available after the campaign via Backerkit for $40. We will also offer 1kg stand alone spool holder, similar to the one seen in our materials GIF, for $10. But yes, if you want to call our free credit towards Backerkit a stretch goal, feel free to do so. :-) Thanks guys - stay tuned, we have more cool updates and news for you soon. Team Kodama " at no point did that update mention it was intended for shipping relief, and it was presented to us as a reward for quickly reaching $500K raised. and then you even went as far to create a very handy chart to show off the credits each tier would receive if they backed at different levels: https://drive.google.com/open… so yeah, I would say you guys are being sneaky, liars, and down right shady. Missing avatar Jack 2 minutes ago If I ordered a roll of filament from BK will I have a chance of getting the same color of filament with my printer?

Johnny denut 4 minutes ago Indeed Kodama Lukas, you are not entitled to give us any BK credit, but still did, and that's great, if others need to complain about something they got as an extra that you guys didn't even need to give us just let them do that, i'm very happy with what you are offering us and this at a very good price, the extra BK credit is nice to have but wasn't necessary in my opinion. If you guys didn't give credit i still would have backed this project, and i think 99% of us backers would have done that. I not a EB or EE but a regular backer and yes the 70$ is steap but it covers all taxes and transport so no hassle with customs upon delivery. I never even thought about changing my pledge. So you guys continue making and delivering this great product.

Kodama_Lukas Collaborator 19 minutes ago @Cepparian: Sorry, but your assumption is simply not accurate. The BK credit we offered after intensive internal discussions and calculations about whether our shipping rates are too conservative (or "too high"). And as we couldn't adjust shipping rates directly anymore, we decide to offer BK credit to ease it up. Only later we decided that it would be also more sustainable to limit shipping countries to a certain set of countries (not including "rest of the world" at $150 shipping costs, but in the case of several countries even that often doesn't cover it). Let's see what other backers say to this. We always have an open ear for you. But again, we are dealing with pledges here from 6000+ people, so need to keep things sustainable. - otherwise it would actually be unfair for the 5700 people who did not get an EB or EE. And again, nobody gets a worse deal than what they pledged for originally. The BK credit was offered in addition.

BeCause 21 minutes ago Lucas, I'm an EE backer, and I'm pissed off because you lied to us, and you refuse to make it right.

  1. The initial credit was clearly identified as a reward for hitting 500k. It was not associated with shipping at all, as shipping was addressed seperately in other paragraphs in that update.

  2. It was clearly stated that Deluxe backers would get $20 credit in that update. EB backers who pay the $150 difference are Deluxe backers. Giving them $10 mean that you are either purposefully charging them additional shipping or reducing the discount that was a condition of thier pledge. Both are dick moves.

  3. The BK credit was a part of the deal for a week at the time of the EE pledges becoming available. Meaning that the credit at the time of pledge, was a condition of backing at that level. This means that you are taking away a feature that was part of the EE pledge at the time of pledging. This is also a dick move. You guys are approaching this from the perspective that we are getting a good deal, and that it likely true. However, we are approaching this from the perspective that YOU LIED TO US, and you are REFUSING TO FULFIL PROMISES. It is the principle of the thing. Good companies fulfil promises, bad ones don't.

The Cepparian Superbacker 33 minutes ago For God Sake Kodama, you set a 500k stretch goal where you give a credit to backers, IT IS NOT ABOUT THE DISCOUNT FOR THE SHIPPING, it came later when you discovered that you could lower the shipping rates, so I don't understand why you decline such stretch goal for EE backers too, WHY? During the KS a lot asked about these things and it was pretty clear, now you change the rules suddenly and yes, sneaky: you are LIERS, LIERS and LIERS, I don't care if you were unsure and made mistakes, you had time to fix it DURING the KS, not now during the backerkit so take your responsibilities and fix this mess or you will be simply a company of LIERS!

Private Equity about 1 hour ago So basically, they're being jerks to their 300 earliest backers over $10x300 = $3,000 on a project that pulled in $1. 6mm. Basically they just retroactively RAISED the early bird price. Sneaky.

Wheelliam about 1 hour ago It s not a matter of law talking, its simply about informations to make a decision. It wasnt unclear for me, if i was the only one i could wonder about it but obviously i m not. And so the 1% should have interpreted while the 99% just have to read, fair or unfair here ? Imagine this : based on them, i planned xxx$ to get a PLUS delivered at my door step, now pushed to the extrem , i put this amount because i knew i can do it on this super deal but not even 1$ more. But 1 month later i m asked to put 10 more ..... but i know that i cannot do it (and wont be able to) before the end of the BK. What will happen ?

Chris Barrett about 2 hours ago @Kodama_Lukas Or at a minimum, contact the EB backers directly and explain that an error was made by Kodama and clarify the reasons why EB backers are paying more than everyone else for shipping. Not everyone has been following every comment made on here, and the FAQ changed a fair bit throughout the campaign. Most of us have been referring to the update emails for clarification.

Chris Barrett about 2 hours ago @Kodama_Lukas I don't feel that the Early Bird discount was unfair, far from it. You created 200 loss leader rewards to garner interest in your new project, and for each you budgeted a $50 discount on the "normal" reward tiers. What does feel a touch unfair is that later on, with the huge success of your campaign, you offered reduced shipping rates. Your reasoning behind this was you expected to be able to negotiate better shipping rates with your shipping partners. Were the original EB backers not part of this success? You released an update stating that shipping would be reduced for all pledges, and that we should leave our pledges unchanged, so that we could receive the balanced shipping reduction via BK credit. The $10 credit for surpassing $500k was a lovely gesture, don't get me wrong, however you specifically stated that the shipping reduction would be passed on to everyone. More recently, and only via these comments, have Kodama decided that EB backers should only effectively receive a $30 discount because you decided we should pay the higher shipping charge. Can you not see why a small percentage of us would be upset by that? I mean, what's the difference between shipping an EB and a normal reward? By your logic, the normal non-EB backers who pledged prior to the shipping change should also be paying the non-reduced rate, but they're not? Can you not apply the same reduction for everyone, as you originally stated you would in Update #3? If you really have been able to negotiate better shipping rates, then your original $50 EB discount will still cost you the $50 you originally budgeted.

Kodama_Lukas Collaborator about 2 hours ago Daniel and I got confused at some point. We cleared this up in the FAQs and also I comments later. I think this would become an endless discussion, and might get annoying for the other 5700+ backers here. We will keep working on making the Obsidian happen as planned - even including BK credit given, with the leveling system upgrade for deluxe backers etc. Thank you for supporting the project. I hope you're happy with the deal you got. Missing avatar PLPeeters about 2 hours ago I totally get the part about being responsible with the funds and am definitely grateful for the significant price reduction we early birds got. However, as I said before, this is about fairness across the board, nothing else. All pledge levels paid the same shipping initially, which is normal since everyone is getting a similarly sized package shipped to them. You then found a way to reduce shipping by $20, which is awesome. Everyone in the affected countries assumed they were getting $20 credit, and there are at least 5 instances in these comments where both you and Daniel explicitly told EB backers that they are getting $20. I didn't find any instance of anyone from Kodama saying otherwise. Then, all of a sudden, after the Backerkit was published you backtracked... I honestly don't care about the money, as it's only $10. What I care about is what your word is worth, to be totally honest here. ..

Kodama_Lukas Collaborator about 2 hours ago @William: Yes, we did not use "lawyer speech" on all our updates, talking endless about any kinds of possibilities. We also didn't do political speech saying a lot of things but actually saying anything. Apologies for this if it was unclear for you that EBs and EEs (300 out of 6000 backers...with a super special deal already) would be treated a bit differently, with 0-10$ credit instead of 0-20$ for other pledges. But I do strongly believe that 99% of backers understand our intentions and interpreted updates, FAQs and comments in the right way. I hope you can relate to this now.

Kodama_Lukas Collaborator about 2 hours ago Sorry. I meant to say "to keep shipping at 50$/70$ (US/EU)".

Wheelliam about 2 hours ago HI as i said in my previous message : From FAQ "(...) If you are from US, Switzerland, Norway, and EU+UK you will get $20 for any Obsidian tier if you are staying with your old pledge." 3 Conditions (from one of these regions, ANY obsidian tier, staying with old pledge), it seems i and many others fulfill them, understood them the same way, did the same maths, and finally get the same result. it s not a matter of fair or unfair offer, if i tell you to bring 50 because you can get 20 then the day to pay the 70 i ask you 60 because finally you get 10, what could be your reaction ?

Kodama_Lukas Collaborator about 2 hours ago @PL: Maybe because you're basically 10$ on disadvantage now to "reduced shipping" EU pledges, but are 50$ in advanced on unit costs. So still 40$ on advantage overall. And again: our original planning was to keep shipping always at 30$/50$ (US/EU). Basically the deal you were "happy" about, or at least ok with - otherwise you would not have pledge for the Obsidian at all, right? Only later we decided to take further risk max out any buffer that we may have had on shipping: focusing on major markets instead of air freight countries and reducing EU/US shipping further, and offering BK credit. I hope this is understandable. We do really need to stay responsible with our backer funds, to make this project happen as planned. Missing avatar PLPeeters about 2 hours ago @Kodama_Lukas: The added $10 is great. However, if we forget about those, how is it fair for EB's to pay $70 shipping in the EU when everyone else pays $50?

Kodama_Lukas Collaborator about 2 hours ago @Luca: You bought your early bird at 49$ and with 50$ (US) or 70$ (EU) shipping costs, right? So you thought that this was a fair offer. A few days later we found the possibility to even offer 10$ on top of this. So how is this now unfair? :/

Luca Donadel about 2 hours ago @Kodama_Lukas Thanks for your prompt response. The FAQ "BACKERKIT: I am staying with my original pledge, how much Backer Kit credit do I have?" was Last updated: Fri, July 28 2017 1:27 PM CEST Many of the comments suggesting that EB would get $20 backerkit credit were written days after that, like with Tim on July 29. I honestly don't understand the reasoning behind this. You have created the EB knowing you would make a loss on it, then later realised you could get better shipping rates. How does giving EB backers the same reduced shipping rates as everyone else affect the original $50 discount? I'm not asking for that to change, I'm asking to pay the same shipping as the other 5800+ non EB backers.

Kodama_Lukas Collaborator about 3 hours ago @Luca: I do admit that also within Kodama we were sometimes unsure about the credit situation, or probably even responded too fast to a high influx of comments here. But Daniel shortly referred back to these comments and cleared up the confusion. - In accordance to our FAQs. Thank you for your support

Luca Donadel about 3 hours ago Kodama i strongly support your project, but it seems to me that you're contradicting yourself with the debate on EB and EE backerkit credit. Zunino on July 27 "Hi guys, I'm just completly lost with all the last uptade, especially with the shiping cost reduction & co. I've got the Early Bird (Obsidian), si I've pledged 119$ and I'm living in France. How much credit I have for getting the heated bed and some polymaker? Thank you"

Kodama_Daniel on July 27 "You have $20 in credit (Paid $70 for shipping)." Tim on July 29 "I am an early bird backer at $49 with i think $50 shipping and the $20 credit. So would it be $35 or $15? Sorry for my confusion." Kodama_Lukas on July 29 "@Tim: In your case just don't add any shipping. You can cover it with your backerkit credit (20$)" The 20$ are not a "free gift" but a money back for the shipping relief that new US/EU backers got (70 to 50$), without it EB are overpaying the shipping now. Also Early Birds are lost leaders that are designed to lose money for the sake of media coverage, and telling us that a printer cost 99$ to produce is not an argument.

Kodama_Lukas Collaborator about 3 hours ago @Derek: We will book a container from China to Canada and then distribute locally. With Trinus we used Canada Post from Toronto, so I think we will do that again with Obsidian. And next year we do expect to move most of the add ons (plus additional spare parts) to our ecommerce store at us.kodama3d.com - sure. Missing avatar Derek McPhee about 3 hours ago A couple questions: What shipping company will you be using to ship to Canada? Where I get it shipped depends on the shipping company. Will all the add-ons on the backerkit be available for purchase at a later date? Specifically the shield, the nozzle kit, or the leveling sensor.

Kodama_Lukas Collaborator about 4 hours ago ...while backers from countries to where we send by air freight even saved 120$, or even up to 150$ on shipping if they managed to grab an EE.

Kodama_Lukas Collaborator about 4 hours ago @Cepparian: Could you tell me why you think we are doing "sneaky things"? The BK credit was meant as a shipping relief as we reached a milestone. The EE offer came after that. And EE's did not pay shipping. Further, even if you're from the US or HK you save at least 30$ compared to everyone else.

The Cepparian Superbacker about 5 hours ago @Johnny It's a matter of be transparent and trustworthy, we didn't ask for such credit, it was a kodama choice, but once you grant a benefit you can't delete it AFTER you have collect money, this is one of the worst thing a company can do. I understand you don't care because you and others maybe are happy to see the EB and EE backers struggle for this, but at least an official answer to why this happen should be done and with a solution. Never ever thought Kodama could do such sneaky things...

Kodama_Lukas Collaborator about 5 hours ago @Tiff: Sorry for the confusion. This was meant as: Early birds (all tiers), basic and plus printers get 10$, and (non-EB) deluxe will get 20$. But I can see where you're coming from...

Johnny denut about 5 hours ago Common guys, stop shitting around about the credit, just be happy you got any credit at all , Kodama didn't have to give us credit at all in the first place, so what if it's 10$ less than they said, we still will get an awesome printer with allot of great features that weren't included in the first place, but still they managed to meet us in the middle and incorporated some nice features... so be happy with what we got! Some of us have EB and EE pledges, some of us took the reduced shipping and others didn't. I just want to say thank you Kodama and i can't wait to get 3d printer in the near future. Thes are my two cents. Missing avatar RainingSaladz about 8 hours ago Thanks to kodama for eating my 10$ Backerkit Credit too. Than i will not invest more money on a company that changes their words. Missing avatar PLPeeters about 8 hours ago @trshurts1: From the update: "The survey will remain open for a few weeks, and we will let you know before it will be locked." Missing avatar trshurts1 about 8 hours ago can you guys send out a email the day before you lock down backerkit please? Missing avatar Midu about 9 hours ago I'd like to know the width of wheel of 400g obsidian filament and width of original spool holder. Thanks.

Wheelliam about 12 hours ago Hello Kodama Team, From FAQ "BACKERKIT: I am staying with my original pledge, how much Backer Kit credit do I have? Old backers get $10 for Early Bird, Basic and Plus. Obsidian Deluxe backers receive $20 of BK credit. If you are from US, Switzerland, Norway, and EU+UK you will get $20 for any Obsidian tier if you are staying with your old pledge." I m from EU (France), and i stick with my pledge level (EB 49$) since the first seconds of the campaign (backer #Two), i upgraded it by 100$ during the campaign to cover shipping n the PLUS upgrade, according FAQ and all the messages posted here. Let me explain how i did process : It was clear reading the above point of the FAQ, AND the replies in the comments :

  • FIRST, Early birds get 10$ in BK : understood this, i will get 10$

  • THEN as shipping costs change for some regions people from these region will get 20$ whatever the pledge if they stay with their old pledge : understood this too, i will get 20$ and/as my shipping costs will not change as i keep my initial pledge.

  • GREAT so i pledged 49$, time to go with 50$ more for the PLUS and 50$ more for the shipping as i will get 20$ in BK, 50$ in KS + 20$ in BK = 70$ (old shipping to EU), easy maths. English is not my native language for sure, but your sentences and specially the last one were simple without any grammar points that could change the sense of it. And now, surprise BK is 10$ so it lacks 10$ to complete the bundle EB (49$) + PLUS upgrade (50$) + Shipping to EU (70$, old rate) Ok for some people it could be "only" (definitely not my point of view) 10$ but in any kind of business a change leading to an increase of 7% is not negligible. Regards

The Cepparian Superbacker about 14 hours ago KODAMA, WHERE IS THE EE CREDIT??? YOU CAN'T SET BACK FROM WHAT YOU PROMISED, IT IS NOT HOW A TRUSTWORTHY COMPANY ACT!!! This was posted by Kodama_Daniel on July 10th in this comment section "@Dave Wallingham These are two different things, one was the update 1 credit (500k) and the second one is the 3rd update (Shipping). EE will not get any from the shipping reduction for obvious reasons but will keep the 1st update credit.".

how Obsidian's 3D printer turned into Yan and put on the Wanhao logo

News

California startup Kodama is going through hard times: the company's fate depends on the sales of the ultra-budget Obsidian 3D printer, but it already has two twins! While passions are running high, we are talking about an amazing metamorphosis, reminiscent of the Santa Barbara episode.

Last summer, the Californian company Kodama went on Kickstarter with a project of a budget 3D printer Obsidian - a nice device that is unusually similar to the notorious Godzilla, that is, the BQ Witbox Go. The crowdfunding campaign not just took off, but soared - a quarter of a million dollars in seven minutes, and this despite the fact that the basic option was offered for only $99. Few people were confused by the price, because before that Kodama managed to launch an inexpensive Trinius MFP machine and earned a good reputation.

Obsidian didn't go smoothly at all. A year later, customers still have not received their devices, although by the standards of Kickstarter this is not such a big delay. Something else is interesting: the other day, a senior researcher at 3Dtoday Ski drew the attention of the department to a very similar device from Wanhao - Duplicator 10. More interestingly, the new "duplicator" has a twin - Yan from the Australian company Furling Tech. How did it happen? Let's figure it out. nine0003

To begin with, Kodama has hired a contractor to develop the hardware. When the work was almost completed, the engineer allegedly escaped from Kodama and dragged the design with him, spitting on the contract and non-disclosure agreement. Some time later, Obsidian, in a slightly modified form and with a new name, surfaced already under the brand of the contractor, that is, the Australian-Chinese-Swiss company Furling Tech. A little later, the production license was bought by Wanhao, and bought from Furling, and not from Kodama. Kodama founder Michael Hasmann laments that because of this incident, the company lost four key suppliers responsible for the production of boards, tables, displays and other components. The production chain had to be rebuilt, hence the delays in deliveries. Apparently, this explanation suited the customers, so Kodama continues to enjoy the support of its fans. nine0003

But this is the Kodama version. What does Furling say? At first, the Australian startup decided to push its product on crowdfunding sites in the same way. The Kickstarter attempt turned out to be a complete failure: due to pressure from Kodama and its support group, the site administration blocked the project. Then Furling tried her luck on Indiegogo, but even there she scored only three percent of the required amount. After that, one of the founders by the name of Yun Kai Wang (the same "fugitive engineer") could not stand it and burst into a long tirade, the essence of which boils down to the following: he did not run anywhere, did not violate any contracts, and in general his company did not receive from cooperation not a cent with Kodama, although, in fact, it did the lion's share of the work. And in general, Furling has patents, so if Kodama doesn’t like something, let him go to court. But Kodama is in no hurry to sue. Hasmann argues that this is practically useless, since the American court cannot put pressure on the Chinese, and he simply does not believe in the honesty and efficiency of the Chinese courts. In other words, a waste of time and money. nine0003

What is the result? Apart from the soap opera, we have two versions of the same 3D printer waiting to be released under three different brands, of which Wanhao, ironically, is the best, having all the necessary capacities and financial means to manufacture and sell long-suffering devices under the already obtained license. At least now we know what's in Ski's cryptic title illustration. What's missing from this story are accusations of plagiarism by the Spanish BQ. Who knows, maybe next Friday? nine0003

Do you have interesting news? Share your developments with us, and we will tell the whole world about them! We are waiting for your ideas at [email protected].

Follow author

Follow

Don't want

11

Kodama launches Obsidian Kickstarter worth

Views: 1380
Rating: ( 1 HELIX3_COUNT_RATING )

Kodama, the makers of Trinus, are launching the new Obsidian 3D printer, the highly successful Kickstarter 2016 3D printer and laser engraver. It will be the first 3D printer built for professional applications under $100. It's not the first time companies that have launched a professional-grade system at this price point have failed miserably on Kickstarter as low-cost projects. nine0003

This time, Kodama seems to have thought of everything and they have previous experience in production, so it's time to give Obsidian a chance. Most part production machines in this price range are not aesthetically designed and are not designed for precision printing. Many consumers are unable to upgrade their skill set because there is no affordable 3D printer that boasts high quality printing.

“We wanted to create a 3D printer that challenges what's on the market. Sleek design, high quality and customizable printing starting at $100,” says Michael Husmann, former Apple employee and founder of Kodama Inc.null

Obsidian is raising the bar in the sub-$500 3D printer market by empowering individuals, small businesses, educational institutions, and startups, especially those actively involved in design, to advance to advanced 3D printing.

Obsidian Destined to Deliver:

For $99, consumers can experience 3D printing functionality that was once out of reach. Obsidian's design and features are more common in devices that cost at least $1,000. nine0003

Obsidian prints 3D models exactly as intended. With a layer thickness of 50-350 microns, Obsidian has proven that it can print with impressive accuracy.

The

Obsidian was built to outlive existing sub-$500 3D printers on the market. Its housing ensures consistent printing while customizable internals reduce the need for frequent maintenance and recalibration.

Some of Obsidian's features include:

Obsidian comes fully assembled, making it easy to start printing in minutes. Its user interface has been custom-designed for Kodama by automotive UX designers to welcome first-timers while packing all the controls a user needs.

The Pro System Display runs on Android, allowing you to create many new features. You can remotely control and adjust your print settings and be prompted when a print is complete or if something needs your attention.


Learn more