Personal Fabricator FABtotum Combines Scanner, 3D Printer, and CNC in One

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is incredible technology. But milling and CNC, or subtractive manufacturing, are also very useful tools in prototyping and production. And 3D scanning is becoming both more accessible and more in demand for digital replication of physical objects.

So how many machines do I need in my lab? FABtotum thinks you need just one.

FABtotum is a multi-purpose tool, calling itself the world’s first low-cost desktop personal fabrication device. You can scan, cut, mill, and 3D print, all with one machine.

“It’s like having a fab lab in a box,” said Marco Rizzuto, co-founder of the Italian startup that has created the FABtotum. His team is currently in the business incubator at Politecnico di Milano University, Milan.

Related: Read our Fab Lab series.

Rizzuto explained that the FABtotum is intended for designers, makers, and professionals alike.

“The FABtotum personal fabricator can appeal to everyone that dreamed about making things and exploit his creativity but never had the tools or the knowledge to do so,” said Rizzuto. “Common 3D printers allows only one direction: from digital to physical, with FABtotum not only you can go from digital to physical and back,but you can do so in many materials.”

Leading on Price

There are over 1,000 3D printers available on the market today. Some of the most popular devices, such as the MakerBot Replicator series and the Ultimaker, cost over $2,000.

The FABtotum is pricing a fully-assembled personal fabricator at $1,099 on crowdfunding site Indiegogo.

We asked the FABtotum team how they are able to price an all-in-one device at half that of the market’s leading 3D printer. They explained, “We have spent much time working with manufactures to get the the lowest price possible. FABtotum will, however, be facing fixed costs during production such as rent, machinery and personnel. Maintaining this low pricing policy depends on how those costs will compare with sales, which is looking very optimistic!”

Related: Peachy 3D Printing to Sell for $100 on Kickstarter

Closing in on $400,000 Crowdfunding

Like many other companies in this space, FABtotum has turned to crowdfunding to overcome the hurdle of initial production. With an initial target of $50,000, the campaign is now close to reaching $400,000 with 5 days left.

What exciting things can the team do with these extra funds?

“For each stretch goal that has been achieved, FABtotum is adding more and more cool features,” said a FABtotum spokesperson. They have added more colors, additive sub-systems, i/o capabilities such as USB, SD, and Wi-Fi, and a CMOS sensor.

Watch the video below to learn more about FABtotum and visit their Indiegogo campaign to pledge.