Pirate3D raises $1.85mon KckstarLer.comCrowd-funding driveover, start-uP turnsto manufacturingof its 3-D Printer

Hoe Pei Shan

such as kitchen utensils and toYs

from a sPool of Plastic'Priced at US$347, the Bucca-

neer is much cheaPer than com-

oeting models such as the RePIi-[ii"iz from MakerBot, whichcosts US$z,199'

The first batch of 200 Bucca-neers is slated for delivery in-De-

c.mbet, but with more than

3.500 units Pre-ordered through(i.krtutt.r, the firm is alreadYlooking to exPand'

"Wi't. hunting for new of-fice space and will be hiring addi-

tional engineers, Programmers'and marketing Personnel to Debased in SingaPore and San Fran-

cisco," said co-founder Brendan

Goh,26.The other two co-founders

are Mr Tsang You Jun, 26, andNational UniversitY of SingaPoreadfunct Professor Neo Kok Beng'

48.In the next month, Pirate3D

will decide on a locallY basgdmanufacturer, which will beuUf. t" Produce the Printer in fac-tories across Asia'

The firm is also working on a

collaboration with Harvard Uni-versitY's Professor Calestous Ju-ma, director of the college's -Sci-...., Technologl, and Globalisa-tion Project, to donate 3-D Print-ers to "ielected African institu-tions" next Year'

ivj peishanhoe@gmail'com

It took local start-uP Pirate3Diust 10 minutes to raise its target,jt uss too,ooo (s$ 1 29,ooo)'

BY the time its 30-daY tto*q-funding camPaign on Kickstart-Li..o-"*us over-last Saturday' -ith;d attracted US$1,438,7 65iisr.ss million) t9 nrodY;;what it claims is the worlcl'smost affordable 3-D Printer'

This is believed to be the first

ti-. tttut a SingaPore firm hasbroken the million-dollar marK;;ih. popular American crowd-funding Platform, Kickstarter'

"lt ietls PrettY darn aw.e-some," said Pirate3D co-tounoeri6*;; chang, 25, who set uP the.ofilputtY with three others iust11 months ago.- - iW.'r. ulto quite relievedthat the fund-raising bit is done

because we had round-the-clocktftitt for 30 daYs straight moni-toring the camPaign'''.

The comPanY's chic-lookingbrainchild is called the Bucca-neer. It aims to bring 3-D Print-ing, which creates Plastic obiectslaier bv laYer, into homes'--'Thi;

wiil allow PeoPle to de-sign and "Print" everYdaY items

ST PHOTO: NURIA LINC

The Pirate3D team (from left)-Prof Neo' Mr Tsang' Mr Goh and Mr

Chanq with their prototyp" of th9 eu.i'un""il-O-irrinter. With it, people

:;:i';'d;;;;;d'iii;ZJ"'vauv items from a spobl of plastic'