A robotic arm can 3D print, etch, solder, and carve from a desktop

Usually, 3D printers available for the average consumer come in a box. But Core 77 reports that entrepreneur Zaib Husain and engineer Azam Shahani have come up with a prototype called Makerarm that goes against the boxed expectation.

Their device has an arm with a 180-degree sweep and 10 inches of Z-travel, cantilevered on a column that mounts to a work surface. The arm can reach up to 16 inches.

But calling the device a desktop 3D printer will be an understatement. In the project’s Kickstarter video, we learn that Makerarm can solder, level, carve, etch, cut sheets, engrave plastic and leather, carve wood, and even feed your fish, to name a few. Perhaps the icing on the cake is Makerarm’s ability to, well, put icing on cake.

The plethora of activities is thanks to changeable tool heads that can be fastened to the arm, such as a screw fastening head, laser engraving head, 3D printing head, and foam cutting head.

The creators argue that Makerarm can be a solution to creators that don’t have a lot of access to every tool, machine, or material that is too expensive, and instead have them all in one desktop robotic arm.

So far, the project has raised $197,229 of its $349,750 goal with the help of 181 backers, and it has 22 days to go.