Openness: Mostly open (3.6 of 5)
Walled gardenOpen

IdeaFormer is a Chinese company in Zhuhai, founded in 2017 as a maker of 3D printer accessories, that has built belt printers since 2020. Its IR3 V2 prints onto an endless metal conveyor belt, so parts can be longer than the machine and batches run without anyone clearing the bed; it runs Klipper. It suits makers and small shops with long parts or repeat runs.

Founded: 2017 · Headquarters: Zhuhai, Guangdong, China · Website: www.ideaformer-3d.com

Klipper with a local web interface, OrcaSlicer support and a full parts list; the firmware comes as images rather than source, and documentation is thin.

Firmware and custom firmware
●●●●●		 The IR3 V2 runs Klipper, and IdeaFormer publishes full system images and USB update files (latest dated 30 September 2026), but we found no source repository. [4][2]
Local control and integrations
●●●●●		 The IR3 V2 runs Klipper and prints from a USB drive, the local network or the internet, with remote control and a camera from a phone or computer; IdeaFormer mentions no cloud service or account. Its pages do not name the web interface or say whether a documented API such as Moonraker is open to other software, so that part is unconfirmed. [3]
Third-party filament, slicers and parts
●●●●●		 Any filament; OrcaSlicer ships an IR3 V2 profile next to IdeaFormer's own OrcaSlicer-based slicer, and IdeaFormer sells brass and hardened steel nozzles from 0.4 to 1.0 mm. The belt, rollers and print head are IR3-specific parts. [7][3][5]
Repairs and spare parts
●●●●●		 IdeaFormer sells about 30 IR3 V2 parts, including the belt, mainboard, motors, rollers, sensors, camera and print head boards. It publishes no CAD files. [5]
Community and documentation
●●●●●		 IdeaFormer's wiki says it is still under construction; there is a forum and an IR3 Facebook user group, and no public source code. [6][1]
Pros
  • Prints parts longer than the machine and runs batches without anyone clearing the bed.
  • Klipper with the Fluidd web interface on your own network.
  • Full spare-parts list, from the belt to the mainboard.
  • Still getting firmware and slicer updates in 2026.
Cons
  • Belt printing needs its own slicing approach, and IdeaFormer's latest slicer release is an alpha.
  • No published firmware source, only system images.
  • Thin documentation: IdeaFormer's wiki says it is still under construction.
Track record
  • September 30, 2026: IdeaFormer posted new IR3 V2 system images, USB update files and an alpha slicer release (v2.1.4-alpha). [4]
  • 2020: IdeaFormer moved from accessories to complete printers with its first IR3 belt printer. [2]
Researched from 7 sources, last checked October 18, 2026. Show sources
  1. Welcome to IdeaFormer ideaformer-3d.com
  2. About us - IdeaFormer ideaformer-3d.com
  3. IdeaFormer IR3 V2 conveyor belt 3D printer ideaformer-3d.com
  4. Firmware Downloads - IdeaFormer ideaformer-3d.com
  5. IR3 V2 printer accessories - IdeaFormer ideaformer-3d.com
  6. Ideaformer Wiki wiki.ideaformer-3d.com
  7. OrcaSlicer IdeaFormer printer profile - GitHub github.com