Affordable 3D printer The Buccaneer hits $100,000 Kickstarter goal in ten minutes

The design for The Buccaneer 3D printer, an affordable model built for domestic use (Pirates 3D)

New 3D printer ‘The Buccaneer’ has raised its Kickstarter goal of $100,000 in just ten minutes.

The Buccaneer aims to provide a high quality 3D printer for the low price of $347, making the new technology more accessible to the general public.

The market for domestic-use 3D printers has been rapidly growing, but most models remain expensive.

Cheaper models retail for around $1,000, while the latest version of the popular ‘Replicator’ 3D printer by MarketBot is priced $2,199.

Pirate3D Inc, the company behind the low-cost Buccanneer, claims that its printer provides a “full 3D printing solution for home consumers” and hopes the funding will “bring this technology to everyone at a price that is easily affordable”.

While the design of the new 3D printer is a step above the usual home-built look of most 3D printers, the actual build envelope (the size that the printer can print to) is smaller than most at 15 x 10 x 12 cm.

The success of The Buccaneer on Kickstarter is one of a number of 3D printers that has attracted funding on the site. The Form 1, a model designed by three MIT graduates, raised just under $3 million in late 2012, although its $2,000 price tag differs from what The Buccaneer hopes to achieve.