HeyGears G1X Nears $10M Kickstarter for Hybrid 3D and UV Printer

The HeyGears G1X crossed $10 million on Kickstarter last week, and it is easy to see why. This is not just another resin printer or UV flatbed. It is three machines in one: a full-color 3D printer, a UV flatbed that prints on almost anything, and a texture relief system that raises images up to 5 millimeters off the surface.

The build volume reaches 420 by 320 by 130 millimeters. An Epson i3200-U1HD printhead lays down UV-curable ink in CMYK, with color accuracy measured in the millions of shades. Layer heights go down to 10 microns on the 3D side, which is resin-territory detail without the resin mess.

What makes the G1X different from other all-in-one machines is the ink system. HeyGears sells ink in bottles rather than locked cartridges. You can buy third-party UV ink if you want. The printer also supports water-based DTF ink for fabric printing, which opens up merchandise production without a separate machine.

Early bird pricing on Kickstarter started around $2,000. Post-campaign MSRP sits between $5,000 and $5,500. That puts it well above the eufyMake E1, which raised $40 million on Kickstarter at roughly half the price. But the eufyMake E1 does not 3D print. The G1X does both, and it does them in the same enclosure without swapping beds.

Competitors are coming. xTool's O1 Omni and WonderPress both combine UV with other processes. Morphy and eufyMake E1 offer UV-only alternatives at lower prices. None of them yet match the G1X on full-color 3D plus UV in one box.

The target buyer is not the weekend hobbyist. It is the creative studio, the merchandise startup, the toy designer, and the gaming creator who can justify a $4,500 investment. For that audience, the G1X promises to replace hand-painted miniatures, eliminate layer lines on colored models, and print directly onto coasters, phone cases, and wood without a separate UV rig.