Anker, a company most known for its charging products, is getting into the 3D-printing business. The company has just announced AnkerMake, its new 3D printing brand, and its first model called AnkerMake M5. Anker claims that the M5 solves the most critical issues that have prevented 3D printers from going mainstream, including their typically slow print speeds.
The AnkerMake M5 has a basic print speed of 250 mm/s that's meant to be used if you're working on more detailed projects that need a smooth finish. However, the printer also has a much speedier mode that gives it the power to print up to 2,500 mm/s². The end result is rougher and less detailed, and the mode is mostly suitable for prototypes and perhaps random toys, but Anker says it enables the M5 to reduce average print times by up to 70 percent compared to other printers.
In addition to being speedy, the M5 was designed to be easy to set up: It will apparently only take 15 minutes to get it ready to start printing. To address another pain point — the need for constant supervision — Anker gave the M5 the capability to monitor print jobs with a built-in AI-powered camera. If it detects issues like nozzle plugging, it can send an alert to your phone. You can also view live feeds of your print jobs through the Anker mobile app wherever you are.
Whether the M5 can deliver on all those promises remains to be seen. At the moment, it's a Kickstarter project, which means it could take a while for Anker to start shipping the product, and that's if the campaign reaches its goal. If you want to back the project and don't mind waiting, you can get the the AnkerMake M5 for its super early bird price of $429. After that, you'll have to pledge at least $499 to secure a unit.