HeyGears opens Kickstarter for G1 desktop printer that prints colour and UV graphics

HeyGears started a Kickstarter campaign on 23 July for the G1 Series, a modular desktop system that combines full-colour 3D printing with UV printing of textures and flat graphics. Super Early Bird pricing begins at $1,999. The company targets creators, customisation shops and small production studios who want coloured parts without hand painting.

Context Piezo inkjet printing jets tiny droplets of UV-curable material from a printhead, which are hardened by light straight after deposition, so colour can be applied per droplet.

What does the G1 Series do?

HeyGears describes the G1 Series as a modular platform with three uses: coloured 3D models built layer by layer, raised textures added to graphics, and flat UV printing onto compatible flat or cylindrical objects. Named applications include collectibles, gifts, phone cases, signage, packaging prototypes and promotional items. The company says more than 400 base materials are supported.

The G1X variant jets UV-cured material through a piezo printhead. HeyGears says it can reproduce millions of colours, combine transparent and coloured materials in one print and use water-soluble support to ease cleaning of complex or internal shapes.

Hardware and software

The G1X uses an Epson i3200 printhead with 3,200 nozzles, eight ink channels and 3.9-picoliter droplets, with resolution up to 1440 x 2400 DPI. White-ink circulation, printhead heating, automatic cleaning and moisturising are meant to keep output consistent. Object recognition helps align designs and set up batches.

The printer works with HeyGears' HeyVerse and Blueprint Studio software. Users can pick library assets, generate 3D models from text or images, create textures, lay out prints and estimate material use before printing.

Campaign terms

The campaign went live on 23 July at 9:00 PDT. Super Early Bird rewards start at $1,999, with limited quantities. Backers in the first 48 hours get a white ink or resin set and an entry into a draw for a full refund of their reward. HeyGears notes that the final product may differ slightly from the images shown.

What it means

For small European manufacturers, this is a crowdfunding offer for a consumer and studio class machine, not an industrial qualification route. It may suit short runs of coloured prototypes, packaging mock-ups or personalised items where hand painting is the main cost. Output quality, material safety data, per-part ink cost and service support in the EU are not yet documented. Buyers should wait for independent tests and real delivery dates before planning around it.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the HeyGears G1 Series cost?

Super Early Bird pricing on Kickstarter starts at $1,999, with limited quantities. Other reward tiers were not detailed in the announcement.

What printhead does the G1X use?

It uses an Epson i3200 printhead with 3,200 nozzles, eight ink channels and 3.9-picoliter droplets, at up to 1440 x 2400 DPI.

When did the campaign start?

The Kickstarter campaign launched on 23 July at 9:00 AM PDT.

This summary was written with the help of AI from the linked reports, under the editorial responsibility of Svetozar Kolesar.