Sharebox3D Lets You Share 3D Printers With Friends, Family, Enemies

The folks behind Sharebot, a simple 3D printer, have taken to Indiegogo to introduce Sharebox3D, a system for sharing 3D printers with remote users. The app, which works on smartphones and tablets, allows you to choose a model and print it just as you would print a document on a 2D printer.

The app lets you store model files (STLs) and slice them on the fly, turning them into models that a 3D printer can then print. When connected to a compatible printer you can also activate prints and monitor them as they happen via webcam and notifications.

Thus far only Makerbot has done a good job of phone-based printer control which opens a wide avenue for apps like this one. Write the creators:

Sharebox3D has a full compatibility with every 3D printer that uses a Marlin firmware: this allows you to work with the majority of 3D printers on the market (like Ultimaker, Printrbot, Leapfrog, Prusa, Robo3D, Solidoodle, Witbox).
Sharebox3D can be used with a lot of different slicing softwares (both open source and professional) like Slic3r, Cura, Simplify3D and Replicator G.

20150117062518-incos_all
The team is looking for $60,000 in funding and has hit about $1,500 so far. It’s an interesting tool that could be worth a few bucks if you have a Marlin-style printer and the desire to control it while lounging on the beach. You could even share your printers with users nearby who can then use it to print endless deformed Yoda heads, the equivalent of a Print Shop “Happy Birthday” banner for the 3D age.