In just 11 minutes, backers pledged enough to meet Hitry’s $10,000 goal for its upcoming Kirin 4K DSP Light Engine. At the time of writing, 94 backers have pledged more than $49,000 to be one of the first to own the novel light-source replacing projector for desktop resin 3D printers.
The Kirin features Hitry’s self-developed Digital Surface Projection (DSP) technology, which the company says brings the best of SLA, DLP, and LCD 3D printers together to result in “greater accuracy, higher printing speed, larger build volume, and a wider range of compatible resins than your original printer,” according to the product’s Kickstarter page.
As for specs, a 4K optical lens enables “easy” adjustment of projection, distance, and build volumes up to 268 x 168 mm, while generating a pixel size of 36 microns and reaching print speeds of up to 120 mm/hour – thanks in part to an optical output power of 110w/m².
Hitry says the Kirin is capable of both top-down and bottom-up printing, as well as Volumetric Additive Manufacturing (VAM) – a process in which 3D prints are created within a sealed volume of liquid photosensitive resin.
The device is also compatible with most LCD and DLP 3D printers after “minor modifications.” What exactly Hitry considers minor, we’ve yet to see. Judging by the campaign page, it involves gutting your 3D printer and perching it atop the Kirin. The company claims that other than the initial setup and leveling, the Kirin requires no further adjustments throughout its claimed 18,000-hour lifespan.
“Our goal with the Kirin DSP 4K Light Engine was to combine the best attributes of SLA, DLP and LCD technology into one so that users would have an affordable way to upgrade their current resin 3D printer,” Hitry CEO Sam Chen said in a press release.
At an MSRP of about $700, the Kirin seems a pricey upgrade for machines that typically cost much less than this. Shipping for early backers is estimated to start in July 2023.
Of course, as with any Kickstarter entry, all of the above should be taken with a grain of salt. The still very visible Kickstarter page for Hitry’s Rocket 1 3D printer – launched in 2021 – sees a regular ticker of dissatisfied backers waiting for orders or displeased with the delivered hardware.
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