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With a collapsible and portable design, the Positron might well be one of the quirkiest 3D printers we’ve come across. It’s open source, portable, collapsible, TSA-not-quite-approved… so many qualities, so little time. Fortunately, time is exactly what you can save as of this month. Thanks to Positron 3D’s partnership with LDO Motors – which is behind several community build-to-commercial pipelines in the 3D printing space – you can now buy it as a kit.

Once assembled, the Klipper-based Positron V3.2 boasts a 180 x 180 x 165 mm build volume that can be folded to fit in a “standard filament box” and then unfolded in “about a minute”. It weighs approximately 3 kg (5.5 kg with the included hard case).

Positron V3.2 (LDO) – At A Glance

Build volume: 180 x 180 x 165 mm
Build plate: Glass
Recommended slicer: SuperSlicer, OrcaSlicer
Temperatures: <260°C hot end, <80°C bed
Filament compatibility: PLA, PETG
Connectivity: USB, Ethernet
Dimensions: 200 x 200 x 270 mm (unfolded), 200 x 200 x 70 mm (f0lded)
Weight: 3 kg (Positron), 5.5 kg (in case)

The Positron boasts unusual kinematics that see it printing objects upside down. It’s also claimed that it can be successfully taken through airport security (in “major US airports”). Already, it gives off major Bond – or better, Q – vibes.

The Positron V3.2 kit by LDO (Source: Fabreeko)

However, the Positron aims to be more than a fashion statement. If the claims of its max speed of 400 mm/s and acceleration of 8,000 mm/s² hold true, it should be anything but a slouch in the performance department. What’s more, it only requires a power supply of 24 V and 200 W, making it suitable for the on-the-go use its near-pocketable form factor suggests.

A 3.5-inch touchscreen controller, a glass print bed, and other fairly standard features you’d find on other “normal” machines round out the build, which Positron 3D says should take around 10 hours to complete. The company does not seem to address how difficult that process might be, although with a printer this unique, we’d expect at least a bit of a challenge.

As of this writing, preorders for the upcoming batch of Positron kits are still available on Fabreeko for $699.99. They’re set to ship in late July. Most resellers (there’s a handful around the world) are sold out of their limited initial batches.

In the meantime, check out Positron 3D website for more on the project and the Positron GitHub for current developments and materials for sourcing your own.

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