JourneyMaker Is an Improved Positron Portable 3D Printer

Most of us stick our 3D printers on workbenches and then leave them there for years, but there are enthusiasts that have worked over the years to develop more portable 3D printers. The goal is usually to build something compact, lightweight, and durable enough to bring along to events, like conferences and trade shows. A few years ago, we were wowed by Kralyn’s Positron design, which took advantage of several ingenious tricks to push the limits of portability. But it wasn’t without flaws. Now Voxolite has redesigned the Positron to address some of those and create the JourneyMaker.

If you haven’t seen it, you should go and take a look at the original Positron. It had a very unusual layout — including an upside-down build plate and folding Z axis — that gave it the ability to collapse down into a portable package small enough to fit into a standard filament box. But as innovative as that was, it required many unusual parts that were difficult and expensive to fabricate. Most of Voxolite’s work on the JourneyMaker went into making this design easier and more affordable to build.

This required an almost complete redesign with special consideration towards both part manufacturing and assembly. That redesign is what lets Voxolite offer a JourneyMaker kid (currently $296.96) that includes CNC-milled parts, 3D-printed parts, rails, the unique heated bed, and GT2 timing belts. Customers only need to source the electronic components and put the time in to assembly the 3D printer.

Voxolite paid particular attention to the needs of the Positron community, existing modifications, and potential for future modifications. As much as possible, the JourneyMaker is compatible with the Positron modifications popular within the community. That said, we expect to see something of a fork starting here that separates the mainline Positron community from the JourneyMaker community. Some compatibility issues are unavoidable and necessary for the improvements Voxolite made to the design.

If you want to give it a shot, JourneyMaker kits are currently in stock on the Voxolite website. There is even a custom limited edition carrying case available if you want something a little fancier than a cardboard filament box.