For Families
Build the printer. Then design for it.
The StarStack S1 arrives as a kit. Your kid puts it together and learns how every part works along the way — then learns to design their own creations in the same design software engineers use. Ages 9 and up.
The point
What your kid actually learns
Most 3D printers teach a kid one skill: download somebody else’s file and press print. That isn’t designing. It’s ordering.
StarStack teaches three things instead:
How the machine works.
They assemble it themselves, one system at a time, learning what a stepper motor does and why belt tension matters as they go.
How to design.
Real 3D modelling in Onshape — sketches, constraints, revolves, assemblies, tolerances. The same tool used in industry and by FIRST robotics teams.
How to solve a problem.
Every project ends with “now change it.” Make it bigger, add your name, make it fit something on your desk. That’s where the actual learning happens.
The kit
The build is the first course
The S1 isn’t a box of parts with an instruction sheet. It’s a guided course with twelve teaching modules built into the assembly — how a 3D printer works, trapped nuts, blind joints, linear rails, belt tension, power supplies, stepper motors, lead screws, the toolhead, Klipper firmware, the heated bed, and filament.
By the time it prints its first part, you understand how it works.
The lessons
Then the design course
Three units of self-paced lessons take them from their first sketch to functional multi-part assemblies. They’ll design a smiley face, a bag tag, a vase, a spinning top, a chess piece, a lightsaber hilt that telescopes, a storage box with a lid and a desk organizer built around their own stuff.
The package
What’s included
- StarStack S1 printer kit
- Guided assembly course, twelve modules
- Units 1 and 2 of the 3D Design and 3D Printing course
- Hardware for the coursework, one set of calipers, one spool of filament
- Lifetime access — no subscription
Additional units are available as they release.
Cost
Price
The S1 kit with the intro course will be $700. Kit alone $650. Assembled $750.
We’re finishing pre-production units now. Join the waitlist and we’ll tell you the moment they’re ready — no payment, no commitment.
Questions
FAQ
How old does my kid need to be?
Nine and up. At our summer camps the nine and ten year olds had the most fun and made the most of their own designs — the thing that predicts success isn’t age, it’s willingness to try and learn.
Do I need to know 3D design to help?
No. The lessons are written for the students.
How hard is the assembly?
It’s designed to be done by a kid with an adult nearby. Every step is guided, and each section explains what you’re building and why.
What if something breaks?
The S1 is open source and built from common, off-the-shelf parts. Replacements are cheap and easy to find, and you’ll already know how to fit them.