HeyGears G1 Claims Both UV Flatbed and Full-Color 3D Printing

HeyGears is launching the G1, a desktop machine that tries to do two jobs at once: UV flatbed printing on any material and full-color 3D printing. The company is currently funding it through Kickstarter, and early review units suggest the hardware mostly delivers on its claims.

The build volume reaches 420 mm by 320 mm by 130 mm, which is large enough for most desktop projects. The print head uses an Epson-brand ink delivery system and handles CMYK bottles, not cartridges. A full set of ink costs around $189 at MSRP, and HeyGears says you can refill with third-party bottles if you want.

For 3D printing, the G1 uses UV-cured resin instead of molten plastic. Layer heights go down to 10 microns, which is closer to SLA quality than FDM. The UV flatbed mode lets you print directly on phone cases, laptop lids, glass, and other non-flat surfaces. That opens up customization options a standard FDM printer cannot touch.

The early-bird Kickstarter price sits around $2,000, and the final retail price will likely be higher. That puts the G1 in the same range as a Bambu Lab X2D or a Prusa XL, but with capabilities neither of those machines offers. Whether that is worth it depends on how much you value color and material flexibility over raw print speed.

There are caveats. Kickstarter deliveries never arrive on time, and UV resin printers need ventilation and curing steps that filament machines do not. The G1 is interesting, but it is not a simple drop-in replacement for your current setup. If you have been waiting for a machine that can handle both custom figurines and personalized merch without swapping hardware, this is the closest thing yet.