About this project
Orbit1 is an electroplater that allows you to plate just about everything. Look at the trumpet we 3D printed and plated with Orbit1! You can even make your own musical instrument at home. Using Orbit1, you can coat your works in metal, even gold, in three simple steps. First, clean and polish your object, next spray the conductive paint, then click start. Orbit1 will metallize your design, empowering you with the Midas touch from your tabletop. Orbit1 is a step forward in the 3D printing world.
Add value to 3D prints and bring your ideas to the commercial market
Makers, jewellers, engineers, designers, scientists, tinkerers, and artists have all been longing for a simple way to refine their 3D printed objects. Here comes the smart and speedy solution. Applicable to jewellery design, industrial design, rapid prototyping, mechanical parts, specialty electrical parts, molding/casting kits, and more. Make your own PCB right at home; create presentable jewellery models. With just one touch.
Your most affordable metallization solution for consumer 3D printing:
- Low-cost – $0.5/g ($2/g -w/o auto-maintenance)
- Easy-to-use – one-click smart setting & auto-maintenance
- Speedy – 0.1mm~0.2mm metal coating finished in 2 hours
- Metal coating on almost any material
- Max. plating size - 200mm (7.8 inch) high and 150mm (5.9 inch) in diameter
- Protected mode after plating
Update
Orbit1 at MakerCon. Thanks Make Magazine!
- STEP 1 - Clean/Polish
Clean the to-be-plated object and polish the surface if needed.
- STEP 2 - Spray the conductive paint
Spray the conductive paint on the surface evenly and heat dry at 50-60 °C for minutes.
- STEP 3 - Click start
Hook up the to-be-plated object to Orbit1 and set up the App. Click start and plate right away!
Overwhelming turnaroundStunning transformation right before your eyes.
PLATE AWAY IN AN ECO-FRIENDLY WAY
We provide recycling services to make sure that electroplating is environmentally friendly. PLEASE NOTE: NEVER use your own plating solutions unless you have a holistic recycling method. In other words, NEVER dispose any plating solutions in a way that may harm the environment, i.e. go down the drain, near any soil, or cause any possible pollution to the environment. To protect the environment, we resort to every way possible to reduce and prevent any pollution. For copper coating, for example, we adopt copper sulfate, which is non-restricted chemical substance, as opposed to hazardous culpric cyanide. Again, we can't overemphasize the importance of the environment. It is everyone's duty to help save the environment. Please join us in protecting the earth as you electroplate away.
A complicated process made easy
Orbit1 is as beautiful as it is functional. Right on your tabletop, Orbit1 scans the object and configures automatically. Click start and let it work for you. As it coats your objects with metal, you can monitor the process via the App. No worries for the changing concentration of plating solution. Orbit1 takes care of that itself. Advanced users, you can always adjust all the parameters by yourself with the App's Expert Mode. For Orbit1, everything is plateable.
Turn plain ABS prints into glossy, ready-to-shine works. Orbit1 is your Midas touch to further beautify or strengthen any object. If 3D printing alone still leaves your needs unmet, or if metal 3D printing is too much a waste of budget and time, here comes the smart and speedy solution. Makers and Jewellers, no need to go to plating factories anymore. Orbit1 allows you to create delicate works and adjust their details right at your desk.
Found a need, Fill a need.
As 3D printing has become nothing new, we found that some makers' needs still remain unmet. That is, instant metal fine finish. We decided to combine our enthusiasm and expertise in the field and teamed up to create a smart and speedy solution to bridge the gap between 3D printers and makers. Our goal is to make electroplating easy and available to everyone in need.
Research, Skills, Software, Design, Integration.
We've been working to integrate all the resources we can find to provide a solution not only effective but also eco-friendly. Not satisfied with a coating machine alone, we developed a mobile App to make Orbit1 ever more user-friendly. Of course, we put forth efforts to make sure Orbit1 is as stylish as it is useful so that it can even serve as a plus to your home or studio decor. Last year, we have showcased our ideas and prototypes in World Maker Faire New York and caught media attention. Now, we're ready to shout out to the world through Kickstarter to turn Orbit1 into reality.
Metal coating for everyone!
We, Monolith Studio, are a team with 10+ years experience in semiconductors. Coming from diverse backgrounds, including mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering, industrial design, and marketing, we team up to make tabletop electroplating readily easy for everyone! Meanwhile, we aim to make this metal coating solution environmentally friendly.
Electroplating can be a key to next-generation digital making.
Please help us make Orbit1, our answer to the 3D printing world, possible and available to more and more people, to open up a world of endless possibilities.
Media Coverage
Inplus / 3DPRINT / PUNNODE / Gadgetify / 3dprintingindustry / Microfabricator / 大人物 / I-MAKER / I-DARTS / 3D Printers Online Store
Risks and challenges
We've been working on Orbit1 for a long time. We believe the entire team is well-positioned to tackle the challenges this project will present. Below are a couple of the main challenges we will tackle.
SHIPPING AND SAFETY OF CHEMICALS (PLATING SOLUTION)
For areas outside the US, China, and Taiwan, we might not be able to guarantee that the chemicals pass your country's custom regulations. Please check and send us an inquiry should you have any concern. Also, please be careful and handle the chemicals with care when using.
RECYCLING PLATING SOLUTION
Currently we provide solution recycling services in the US. Please note, we ONLY accept our own formula plating solutions for recycling. PLEASE NOTE: NEVER use your own plating solutions unless you have a holistic recycling method. In other words, NEVER dispose any plating solutions in a way that may harm the environment, i.e. go down the drain, near any soil, or cause any possible pollution to the environment. To protect the environment, we resort to every way possible to reduce and prevent any pollution. For copper coating, for example, we adopt copper sulfate, which is non-restricted chemical substance, as opposed to hazardous culpric cyanide. Again, we can't overemphasize the importance of the environment. It is everyone's duty to help save the environment. Please join us in protecting the earth as you electroplate away.
SAFETY OF THE SENSING LASER BEAM
The low power laser can cause an eye injury if the beam, whether direct or reflected, enters the eye. Please prevent eye exposure when the laser sensing is working.
We are very transparent about our processes and we plan to share with you what is happening every step of the way. Please go back to the top of the page and pledge now to support Orbit1!
Thanks!
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