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Which 3D Printer Under $1,000 Works Best With Soluble Supports?
Comprehensive guide to 5 low-cost dual-material FFF printing technologies in 2021/2022This story was originally published on www.fabbaloo.com (see Part 1 and Part 2).
“I don’t care about multi-color, I just want soluble supports,” writes a 3D printer user in a forum on dual-material 3D printing.
Sure, a model of a four-colored amazon rainforest frog would look great in your 3D printed collection. But enough users would agree that the true potential of dual-head printers lies in their ability to print soluble supports rather than a palette of colors.
A quick search on Google reveals dozens of soluble support filaments on the market. Most of them are based on well-known water-soluble polymers PVA and BVOH. But there are also new contestants coming out such as VXL from Xioneer that provide superior performance to PVA.
But printing a support-material combination is not the same as printing two colors of the same filament. So, which dual extrusion 3D printer is up to the task?
In general, multi-material FFF technologies can be classified into five categories – each with its own pros and contras when it comes to printing soluble supports.
Depending on how often you print, what support material you use, and how much you are willing to invest, you might even find the perfect match for your needs.
The good news: you can get a decent 3D printer in any of these categories for under $ 1,000. So read on.
1. Mixer 3D Printers: Lowest Price-Tag But Probably Not the Best Choice for PVA
Mixer Hotend (Illustration by Xioneer)In 2014, the legendary 3D printer component manufacturer E3D came out with its “Cyclops” hot-end. The name says it all: It is a hot-end with two inlets, but only one outlet: the “eye.”
This mystical creature takes two filaments in, melts them inside, and extrudes a single strand of mixed material. It’s great for mixing colors and creating stunning color gradients in your parts using just two filaments.
But can it also print supports?
The mixer hot-end acts as a Y-splitter – letting you extrude either support or model material from a single nozzle – without mixing them together. So yes, it can print supports too.
3D printers with a mixer hot-end like the Geeetech A10M sell from USD 230. This price tag is really hard to beat when it comes to something as sophisticated as dual-material 3D printing.
Nozzle calibration on these machines is straightforward because they use only one nozzle. No need to fiddle with extruder offsets, which are notorious in systems with two separate nozzles. So with a device like A10M you could start churning your complex models with supports soon after unboxing.
But before you grab your credit card to order an A10M, you might want to keep learning about some of the drawbacks.
Mixer hot-ends require you to print a purge tower with every print job. It is a way to clean the nozzle before switching materials and avoid material bleed in your parts.
But getting the right amount to purge can be tricky. Purge too much and you needlessly waste precious filament. Purge too little, and the residues of support filament will contaminate your model affecting part stability and surface quality in the end.
But one way or another: mixer hot-ends will always produce waste.
Besides, using PVA with a mixer hot-end is a challenge on its own.
PVA and similar water-soluble materials are very sensitive to heat. If you leave them lingering for too long in a hot nozzle, they will degrade and turn into a crusty mess – clogging your extruder.
So, with mixer hot-ends, you want to keep PVA flowing through your nozzle as much as possible. This means shorten time window to print model materials. In practice, you will print only smaller models to avoid a clogged nozzle when using a mixer hot-end.
One trick is to use more temperature-stable support material such as VXL from Xioneer. But if you absolutely need to stick to PVA, the only remedy seems to use two separate nozzles – each with its own temperature control.
2. Traditional Dual-Extruders: Work With PVA But Are a Challenge to Calibrate
Traditional Dual Extruders (Illustration by Xioneer)What’s the benefit of using two nozzles (for model and support materials respectively) versus a single alá “Cyclops” nozzle?
Using two nozzles lets you cool PVA inside your support nozzle while you print your model material with another nozzle. This helps prevent PVA from overheating and eventually clogging your extruder.
But this requires some tweaking to get it right.
However, PVA will need at least a 20°C-50°C temperature drop to keep the material from degrading too quickly. This leads to long heat-up times for every layer, adding to hours of unproductive time throughout the entire print job.
One solution is to use a temperature-stable support material such as VXL instead. The material does not degrade as quickly as PVA inside a hot-end saving you the need to cool down your support nozzles.
The two low-cost dual-printhead 3d printer models often found in reviews are the X-Pro from Qidi Technology and the Bibo Dual Extruder 3D Printer.
These printers seem to be popular due to their low prices of $482 and $650 respectively.
A decent 3D printer model comes from Prusa with its I3 MK3S+ together with the dual head upgrade. This kit would burden your wallet with around 890 euros. However, the reputation of Prusa and its supportive community, this investment may pay itself off quickly.
But despite their advantages over mixer hot-ends, dual-printhead models do not always sell well. I once asked one of our resellers why.
The problem wasn’t the higher price. It was the complexity of getting these systems calibrated. This reseller required its users to undergo rigorous mandatory training to learn how to use dual-head machines (probably to save hours of support calls later on).
Imagine holding two pens in your hand and trying to write something with both of them at the same time. One of them will always try to lift up, while the other will be pushing too hard against the paper. It’s really tricky.
The same problem happens when printing with two nozzles mounted on a single print-head.
If one is too low, it may kick your part off the build plate. If it is too far, the layers will not bond well.
So calibrating the height of two nozzles in a sub-millimeter range will take time and experience to get it right before every print job.
Actually, this problem was one of the reasons 3d printing companies came up with another solution: place both nozzles on separate print-heads: each with its own temperature and motion control.
3. IDEX: Most Likely Your Top Choice For Support Materials
IDEX Multi-material 3D printing (Illustration by Xioneer)IDEX stands for an independent extruder 3d printer. These systems use two extruders that alternate in the printing process.
So instead of trying to hold two pens in one hand, you take one pen in each hand – and write with each of them individually. Now, most of us aren’t ambidextrous (able to write with left and right hand equally well) – the machines do a great job printing with a pair of independent print-heads.
The first benefit of two independent nozzles: they are typically easier to calibrate than two nozzles mounted on a single print-head.
Another benefit of IDEX systems: they park unused nozzles outside of the build area, where they can leak material without oozing over your part.
Oozing is indeed a big issue not only in multicolor 3D printing but in printing model-support combinations. The smeared support may leave blemishes and holes inside your model undermining its aesthetics and surface finish.
So using IDEX 3D printers typically results in more reliable printing, prevents scraping of nozzles over the parts, and creates smoother surfaces. Such systems come very close to being the top choice for printing with support materials.
One of the lowest cost IDEX machines is the Tenlog Hands 2 Pro which retails at $430. The machine encompasses an impressive build volume of 235 x 235 x 250 mm. If you need to print larger parts, Tenlog offers its TL-D3 Pro with 310 x 310 x 350 mm build volume with a price tag of $ 560.
Another popular IDEX model appearing in 2021 reviews is the Creator Pro 2 from FlashForge. It is available for USD 700 and comes with a number of useful features such as an enclosed build-area to reduce the warping of parts. The Creator Pro 2 has a build space of 200 x 148 x 150 mm.
When it comes to printing support materials (VXL or PVA), machines with independent extruders offer the best price-performance ratio in my opinion.
4. Tool Changers: Smooth Parts But Comes With a High Price-Tag
Tool changer (Illustration by Xioneer)Tool changers are nothing new in the world of CNC machining. But in 3D printing, they are considered an exotic species. Although priced above a thousand dollars, it would be unfair to leave them out of this review.
In our pen and paper example, tool changing is the equivalent of picking a pen from a cup whenever you need it. When you are done writing with one pen, drop it back into a cup, and simply pick another one. In fact, this is what we (humans) naturally do when we want to use two pens.
For a machine, this approach has a few benefits.
A machine with a tool-changer only needs a single set of motors. So overall, these systems typically exhibit fewer moving masses, letting you reach smoother surfaces on your parts. This is clearly an advantage when printing intricate models with lots of supports.
But this solution is generally the most expensive choice. This is bad news if you are looking for a 3d printer with a tool-changer under one thousand bucks: we didn’t find any as of this day.
The option that comes to mind is to build a tool-changing dual extruder 3D printer yourself. You can get a head-start with a $ 2,105 (excl. VAT) Tool Changer & Motion System Bundle from E3D that provides all the mechanics you need to create such a beast.
5. Filament Switchers: Great for PVA But Produce Waste
Filament Switcher (Illustration by Xioneer)The Canadian company Mosaic Manufacturing came up with a multi-material 3D printing solution that is truly out of the box.
Mosaic Palette 3 is a device that cuts different filaments and welds them together in a single multi-material filament strand. Depending on the amount of model and support material for each layer, the device will precisely chop the filaments in lengths as needed – and deliver a welded strand to your 3D printer.
The device is an add-on. This means a great deal if you already own a single-extruder 3d printer. No need to buy a new dual-extruder machine and calibrate its two nozzles. You can keep using your single-extruder 3D printer and fit the Palette post factum.
Agreed, a price tag of $599 is more than double what you pay for a Geeetech A10M, but the Palette 3 seems to offer a unique benefit when it comes to printing with support materials.
Switching filament before the melt-zone on Palette makes sure that PVA is delivered to the nozzle only when it is needed. So PVA does not have a chance to linger in a hot nozzle eventually clogging it. This should drastically improve printing reliability.
Another – less expensive option – is the Prusa’s MMU2S Upgrade that retails for USD 300, but it was designed specifically for upgrading Prusa printers in mind.
However, both products seem to have a major drawback: they produce lots of waste when switching from one material to another.
On the mosaic website, the manufacturer states: “In order to create clean, high-quality multi-color/material prints, Palette uses a Transition Tower. This allows your extruder to purge the filament in between transitions, creating precise breaks in your model. Without these towers, the quality of the print would be reduced due to filament bleed and other print issues.”
They recommend purging 130mm of filament for its transition tower on each layer. Now, for a 1000-layer object, this amounts to 130 meters of wasted material or about a half of a 750g spool! This may not seem like a big deal when using cheap PLA or ABS. But you may consider accounting for so much waste when using expensive support materials such as PVA and VXL.
Mosaic and Prusa do provide tips and tricks on how to reduce material waste. For example, printing multiple objects at once, or using your model infill as a purge/transition area. But clearly, the material waste remains one of the key issues of filament switchers.
SummaryPrinting model and support is no longer a luxury of high-end expensive FFF machines. You can get a decent dual-material system well under $1,000.
The table below gives a summary of the low-cost options available on the market today.
If you are aiming for the lowest price and plan to use VXL instead of PVA as your support material, then you may seriously consider getting the Geeetech A10M. The device comes with the added benefit of simpler calibration due to a single-nozzle setup.
But if you look for a more reliable printing experience with PVA and less material waste, you should be looking into an IDEX machine like the TenLog Hands 2 Pro or the Creator Pro 2 from FlashForge.
The nozzle calibration is a bit trickier than on A10M, but not as challenging as on traditional dual-nozzle machines.
For the highest reliability when printing with PVA, and if you don’t mind the notable material waste, you might find a filament switcher like the Mosaic Palette 3 or Prusa’s MMU2S as an attractive option. The system gives PVA the least chances to burn and clog in your nozzle. The device is an add-on you can fit onto an existing single-head 3d printer.
Summary: 5 dual-material technologies for printing soluble supports.3D Printing - Truths and Myths of 3D Printing with Support Material
Our knowledge of FDM additive manufacturing is mostly derived from the past 25+ years of industrial-style 3D printing. Over this time period, we’ve tended to print small (less than 8”x8”) parts and it’s become commonplace to create “dissolvable” support structures from a second extrusion head.
Before and after: HydroFill provides support for a wider range of materials, making it easy to 3D print parts with steep angles and overhangs.
The support structures are designed to hold up “overhangs” so that the part does not collapse as it is being layered. Afterward, the support material is dissolved, usually in a caustic sodium-hydroxide mixture in a circulating heated tank, leaving the main material forming the desired part.
Today, we are tending to print larger parts (up to 12”x12”x 22.75” in the case of the EVO) for not only prototyping purposes, but also for applications such as jigs and fixtures. In other words, these parts must not only look good, they should also be large and functional. As large prints can take significantly more time, machine reliability and print repeatability is coming into sharp focus in the next cycle of additive manufacturing.
While we still use support structures for overhanging model geometry, support generation has matured significantly. It is now possible to use one material for both print and support material. Today’s same-material supports, such as those generated in Apex software, are easily removable from the main part and leave little to clean up after the print.
This tends to play a significant role in the generation of larger models where fine details (less than .5mm) are not as critical as overall appearance, print time, and functionality
Dissolvable support has also matured with the advent of materials such as Hydrofill. This type of support dissolves in warm water rather than by using chemicals. As with traditional additive manufacturing, these dissolvable supports are extruded from a secondary nozzle. The advantage over less user-friendly support materials of the past is that Hydrofill is safe to work with, environmentally friendly, and compatible with most printers.
When and Where to Use Soluble Support MaterialCases where soluble support material like Hydrofill really shine are with prints that feature internal geometry or extremely delicate features. Since single-head support material must be taken out by hand (usually using a set of pliers, etc.), there may be internal features that are completely inaccessible with a hand tool, and thus unsuitable for single-head support.
Conversely, as long as there is an entry point for water, soluble support may be dissolved out, without the use of hand tools. For delicate models (ie characters, architectural, etc), you may have features — such as fingers — that are extremely gentle and can be easily broken if too much force is used with a hand tool. Models that are suspended within each other, have internal threading, and moving models can also be more easily printed with a soluble support structure, and some models can only be printed this way.
With the introduction of this water-soluble support material, the process of creating soluble support has become easier than ever before. The cost of the extra equipment needed to dissolve the material is eliminated, and the safety is no longer a factor as these materials (like Hydrofill), are usually completely non-toxic and safe for the environment.
However, keep in mind that soluble support is usually more costly than printing with a single material. The cost of dedicated support materials is usually 1-2 times that of the main printed material (i.e., ABS). Those of us familiar with 3D printing understand that models are frequently iterated at least 2-3 times and as such, consideration must be given to the cost of using this more expensive material in your workflow, at least during the initial stages. Accordingly, it is wise to make sure your print will benefit from using soluble support material.
Ease of UseWhile a few desktop 3D printers, such as the EVO and Axiom, utilize soluble support material well, adding a second material of any type to a 3D printer introduces another layer of complexity to the print. With more complexity comes more possibility of error. Specifically, two heads now have to work together to build the part correctly (vs. a single-head print). If either head jams, it can cause the entire print to fail.
Failures in dual-head prints are frequently more costly than single-head failures because of the added cost of the secondary support material. In addition, by using two heads most of the time, a prime or wipe tower will be used to create a purge for one head when the other is printing. Creating the prime tower adds complexity and significant time to the print.
A job that may take only 3 hours in single-head printing mode, may take twice as long using primary and secondary extruders. In addition to adding prime towers as set forth above, soluble support material is generally more delicate than conventional materials and therefore tends to be printed at a slower speed. Also, it will frequently be printed at thicker infill rates requiring further time. Build time will also increase because the dual print heads will need to switch for most every layer, such switching including prime cycles for both nozzles. Conversely, harder and more easily workable base materials such as ABS can usually be printed with single-head support quickly because the settings for Airwolf printers are optimized to print ABS as fast as possible in a reliable fashion.
If the objective is a final prototype for a presentation to potential investors or upper management, soluble support may be beneficial, at least for the final iteration, as you will have a cleaner surface where the primary material is mated with the support structures. However, when using materials such as ABS, a bit of light support sanding could make nearly as nice of a part in far less time. Further, it must be remembered that the dual-head print will still need at least a small bit of post-processing to optimize the clean mating surfaces.
StorageSoluble support material such as Hydrofill, usually dissolves by soaking the part in hot water for several hours. Agitation and heat will generally speed up the process. Since these materials are developed to work this way, they are susceptible to moisture from the surrounding air and can degrade if not properly re-packaged after use. This can be a costly mistake with a $100+ roll of material. Proper handling and storage techniques are needed when using these materials.
However, with single-head printing, no extra material is needed. This eliminates the issues that can arise during storage, the cost of storing filament correctly, and the space it takes up in the workplace. Generally with either material, if it kept inside an enclosed printer like the EVO, the filament will tend to stay dry as the chamber is heated.
While dual-head prints have reached a level of quality that is accepted in the industry, a single-head print, using intelligent single-head support structures, such as those generated in Apex, can also achieve very high quality. Things like chamber temperature and bed temperature can be optimized for that one material, rather than possibly compromised for two different types of materials. Any time a second head is introduced, it is usually using a different material and will need different, or slightly different settings to work properly. This complexity can lead to poor quality prints if settings are not correct.
Many machines have complex dual-head systems that tilt or close up an inactive nozzle to prevent it from dripping filament. While these methods try to prevent the two print heads from contaminating each other, they also add more complexity to the hardware, and in most cases can cause reliability issues. The best way to prevent material contamination within a dual print is to work with the correct settings, especially if the manufacturer provides software with presets for their machine (Airwolf 3D has many dual-head presets written into APEX).
Single-Head Support StructuresAs a general rule, single-head support structures come with more benefits than drawbacks. Our experience is that most users who purchase a dual-head printer don’t often use the second head for support. However, dual-head printers are very useful for optimizing workflow by printing with different settings for primary and secondary nozzles. For example, with the EVO and Axiom Dual Direct, users can place different size nozzles on different print heads and use optimized settings for each.
Apex allows users to select nozzle sizes and thus allows one printer to print a part in two completely different ways from primary and secondary heads (i.e., fast with a 1.0mm nozzle on one head, and slower and more precise with a .35mm nozzle on the other).
Single-head support structures have also greatly improved over the past few years, mostly due to software development. For these supports to be broken off easily, but also have the ability to leave somewhat clean surfaces, the software has to be able to not only create the support where needed but also set the spacing correctly for it to be broken off with little effort. When printing large models, single material support tends to work well as most imperfections arising from support material tend to be overshadowed by overall part appearance.
Having the ability to use different support patterns is also becoming common practice. In this case, for example, the single-head support structures utilized in APEX printing software use the “line” pattern.
This only lays support structures down in one direction — enabling the user to more easily remove the structure. For soluble printing, the “Grid” pattern is used in order to provide more support for the print (since it will not be removed by hand).
The ability to use a secondary head for creating soluble support structures remains a powerful tool in the belt of the creator. Featuring the ability to support inaccessible part geometry and to minimize post-processing time, dual soluble support will continue to be a staple of FDM additive manufacturing. However, single-head support needs to be factored into more purchasing, design, and manufacturing considerations. When it comes to repetitive iteration, experimentation, and large part making, the cost and time efficiencies associated with same-material support are worthy of consideration.
Download our white paper "Support Material, Truths and Myths"This white paper discusses the options and process involved in the use of support material in FDM additive manufacturing.
Read this white paper to learn:
- When and where to use soluble support material
- The pros and cons of same material support
- The pros and cons of soluble support
Reading time: 15 minutes
Related Video: HydroFill Water Soluble Filament
Related Equipment: EVO 22 PRINTER
Related Materials: HYDROFILL SOLUBLE SUPPORT
Original Article: 3D PRINTING WITH SUPPORT MATERIAL
Large Format Raise3D RMF500 for 3D Printing with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Materials
Last autumn, the well-known Chinese manufacturer of 3D printers, Raise3D, announced the creation of a new 3D printer for small-scale production in the industrial sector - RMF500 . The unique feature of the novelty is the combination of the ability to print with carbon fiber reinforced material (colloquially carbon fiber), wide format and affordability .
We all know that high technology is becoming more accessible every day, and the RMF500 is a prime example of this.
There have been systems on the 3D printing market for several years that print carbon fiber composites of similar quality, but, unfortunately, they are not available to all companies due to the very high cost and supply problems. For example, such professional 3D printers are produced by the American company Stratasys - Fortus 450mc, but they are equipped with less technological features and are much more expensive.
Let's take a closer look at what the RMF500 is and how it differs from other 3D printers.
The RMF500 is specifically designed for printing complex parts with high durability. It will enable 3D printing companies to expand their product portfolio with carbon fiber and fiberglass end parts. Both materials specially developed by Raise3D, such as PA12 CF, and materials from other manufacturers approved by Raise3D under the Open Filament Program (OFP) will work. Parts made of carbon and fiberglass are more rigid, durable, resistant to heat and shock than parts made of other plastics.
For carbon and fiberglass printing, the RMF500 uses silicon carbide nozzles with a hardness of more than 60 HRC.
PA12 CF filament is the result of long-term development by Raise3D engineers. This is a carbon fiber reinforced filament with increased stiffness and reduced shrinkage and does not require a thermostatic print chamber. The parts obtained from it are light and extremely durable, sometimes they can even be used instead of metal. In addition, the company has developed the PPA GF glass-filled filament specifically for the RMF500 and plans to release PET-CF, ASA-GF, PPSU-GF and PP plastics for medical use. Raise3D promises that all fiber reinforced plastics will be competitively priced.
The RMF500 has a huge building area 500x500x500 mm. The size of the build area matters in the production of large parts and small-scale production. For comparison, the print area of the Fortus 450mc is 406x355x406mm.
In the photo: printing a large model with carbon fiber in the RMF500 3D printer from Raise3D.
Repeatability and print speed are very important for low volume production. The maximum print speed of the RMF500, according to the manufacturer, can reach 300 mm/s. Positioning accuracy along the XY axis - 1 micron, along the Z axis - 0.09765 microns.
Synchronous feedback control with 1 µm accuracy reduces speed fluctuations as motor load changes, further improving accuracy. Stability and repeatability of printing has long been a hallmark of Raise3D printers. The FFF technology on which this 3D printer is based allows the production of parts with a high degree of repeatability, high positioning accuracy and uniform extrusion. The RMF500 can quickly print large batches of identical parts.
Pictured: production of lots from a large number of parts on the RMF500.
The printer has a printing system with two independent IDEX extruders. It allows you to print with one or two extruders at once. The RMF500 can run two jobs at the same time, further increasing productivity and task speed.
The extruders are manufactured using high temperature alloys and industrial ceramic composite materials. These characteristics provide stable and high extrusion speed up to 500 g/h.
The RMF500 has a strong design . The one-piece frame is made of hardened steel. Stainless steel linear guides have a design load of approx. 100 kg. The bearing of the linear guides has minimal backlash and does not require frequent maintenance.
An important detail - Raise3D has developed special support material for printing with reinforced plastic PA12 CF, which can be easily detached.
Pictured: Parts printed on the RMF500 with PA12 CF filament with special proprietary support.
The RMF500 is equipped with four large compartments for plastic spools. Switching between the main and auxiliary compartments occurs automatically. This feature reduces the amount of time spent threading the filament. The humidity control system keeps the relative humidity in the chamber below 5%, preventing humid air from entering from outside.
What else is there in the RMF500 from nice additional options. The front of the printer has a large 13.3-inch touch screen. Supports connection, management and printing via Wi-Fi and LAN. There is a reliable auto-calibration system from Raise3D.
Carbon fiber printed parts are strong enough to be used in the automotive and aerospace industries. Of course, they will not replace functional parts that have a special load, but their scope can be very wide. Raise3D has already presented the results of the first RMF500 printing and its application.
Pictured: Functional parts, accessory tools and fixtures, car décor printed on the RMF500.
Pictured: Functional parts, accessories and aerospace prototype printed on the RMF500.
In the photo: on the left is a prototype of the hinged window mechanism (details are printed with metal filament and carbon), on the right is a carbon fixture. Carbon parts printed on RMF500, metal parts printed on Metalfuse.
Printing with fiber-filled plastics does not require a heated chamber, peak power consumption is less than 3 kW. The average power consumption per unit of print area of the RMF500 is 60% lower than the competition.
| Opestic temperature of the extruder | to 330 ℃ | to 300 mm/s 900 mm/s 900 mm/s 900 mm/s 900 mm/s 900 mm/s. -filter | yes |
| Build Tak pad surface | yes |
| Positioner | Rockchip ARM Cortex-M4 |
| Operating systems | Linux, Windows, iOS |
| Maintained file formats | STL/ Obj/ OLTP |
ETERARNETS, WIRELESS 802. 1 | |
| Ports | USB 2.0 × 1 |
| Electrician | 30 A @ 380 volts AC |
| Energy consumement | 24 V, 350 WATT; 12V, 75W |
| Memory | 1 GB, built-in flash memory 8 GB |
| Sizes (without packaging) | 1340 × 2370 mm |
Large format 3D printing with Colossus 9 3D printer0001
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Bigger isn't always better, but sometimes a large format 3D printer is just not enough, and we have the right equipment. We are talking about Colossus, a huge additive system capable of printing plastic and composite products almost three meters long.
Colossus
This huge 3D printer was not invented by us, since our company is primarily engaged in the development and production of consumables. But we print on it when our customers require large-sized polymer or composite parts. The system comes from Belgium and is designed by the company of the same name - Colossus. The name is appropriate, because together with the auxiliary equipment, this 3D printer occupies a seven-meter shipping container.
The size of the construction area of this machine reaches no less than 2.7x1.25x1.5 meters. The choice of consumables is also great: the equipment “digests” any polymers with an extrusion temperature up to 280°C, including ABS, PLA, PETG, Flex elastomers and many others.
Pure polymers are not limited, as Colossus is able to work with high-strength glass and carbon-filled composite materials from various pellet manufacturers, including proprietary materials from REC - X-Line and Clotho.
Even better, this 3D printer can recycle recyclable materials, including plastic waste.
Extruder
Printing products in the meter range using conventional filaments for 3D printers is impractical, so Colossus works directly with granular materials. The granulate is dried with special equipment, and then fed into a screw extruder with a 7 mm nozzle. The material is then melted and applied layer by layer until the whole product is "grown". This scheme allows to achieve much higher productivity, reaching 15 kg / h. In practice, everything depends on the material used and the settings, so the average productivity is about three to five kilograms per hour, which in itself is a lot and orders of magnitude higher than the performance of 3D printers working with filaments.
Drying and granulate supply unit (left) and heated vacuum platform (right)
All polymers are subject to heat shrinkage to some extent, in some cases quite significant.
The larger the dimensions, the stronger it manifests itself, and the higher the risk of deformation or even separation of the product from the platform during 3D printing. To combat this unpleasant phenomenon, three solutions are provided at once. Firstly, printing is carried out in a closed volume, which helps to stabilize the background temperature. Secondly, a vacuum platform is used, which has a positive effect on the adhesion of the material to the working surface. Thirdly, the platform itself is heated, again helping to combat premature and uneven shrinkage.
Composite 3D printing
Sounds good, you say, but what about examples?
With pleasure! The illustration below shows a chair "freshly printed" with our new glass-filled rPETG composite. The new composite is now undergoing final tests.
Pro self composite
This material combines good weather resistance with the inherent ease of 3D printing of PETG and high strength due to the presence of a reinforcing filler.
