LONDON — The Scoovo C170 is a 3D printer developed by Open Cube Co. Ltd. for personal and domestic use that is due to go on sale July 29, 2013, at a price of about 180,000 yen (about US$1,800).

According to the company's website, the unit brings the creation of small piece parts and models within the realms of possibility of hobbyists, schools, and prototyping enthusiasts. It uses the biodegradable plastic polylactic acid as its feedstock for forming an object with a maximum size of 150 mm by 150 mm by 175 mm high. The minimum thickness of a layer of material is 0.1 mm.

Parts are designed using the provided Scoovo Studio software, which is compatible with the Windows operating system, Vista through Windows 8. Then the designs are transferred to the printer over a USB 2.0 cable. The printer's overall dimensions are 404 mm by 376 mm by 333 mm, and it weighs about 15 kg.