If you own a 3D printer, you've got hard plastics covered. But what if you want to make something soft or squishy, like grip pads or a gadget enclosure? You might want to check out the Saltgator, a desktop SoftGel injection molding machine.

This allows you to mold soft plastics (which you can buy from the company, also called Saltgator, or a hobby shop or fishing-lure supplier) and mold a piece up to 250mL (8.4 oz) in volume in about 15 minutes. And most of that time is simply waiting for the machine to heat up; the pieces cure in about 3 minutes.

You can use existing resin molds or 3D print your own. While there's no fixed build area, the size limitations are both the aforementioned 250mL volume and an overall length no greater than 276mm (10.9"). That's to do with the size of the built-in syringe that you use to fill the mold.

The $230 machine has been successfully Kickstarted, with 42 days left to pledge at press time. They expect to ship in September.

Here's how you use it:

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