Dec 9, 2014
3D Systems released in last June some of the first details about their new high-speed, continuous fab-grade printer, which could set a new bar for mass-customization product manufacturing.
According to 3D Systems, this "racetrack" 3D printer enables continuous printing of higher functionality polymers at speeds 50x faster than all existing jetting technology. Whereas 3D printers typically utilize a moving printhead on a stationary bed, this high-speed, continuous fab-grade printer puts the print bed in motion on speedy track system under a set of stationary printheads.
The result is a 3D printing assembly line: many products printing at once, all unique, all in full color and multi materials. Parts in varying phases of completion move in a continuous flow. When a part is done, it exits the track for post-processing and a new print bed takes its place. This is high-speed, custom, continuous, and fully automated manufacturing.
In a recent video released by 3D Systems, the company reveals more details about this high-speed, fab grade 3D printing platform.
"We invite you to conceptualize our Continuous, High-Speed, Fab-Grade 3D Printer, which takes supreme advantage of each minute to jet out four billion drops of precision-placed, color material. As compared to the speed of today's other jetted 3D printers, this revolutionary new machine is about 50 times faster." stated the company on their blog.
"This groundbreaking machine seamlessly brings all the benefits of full-color 3D printing onto the production floor, enabling consumer product creators, manufacturers, engineers and more to dream up new designs by the minute instead of by the week or month."
This new high-speed printer and its advanced materials (including conductive materials) will be used to print millions of module shells for Google's Project Ara, the initiative to create a modular smartphone that reflects each person's unique style as well as choice of functional modules. They need the capability to create thousands of unique module shells everyday.
As Jeff Blank, VP of Global Engineering at 3D Systems explained, this new high speed, mass-customized additive manufacturing platform can be easily integrated with traditional manufacturing processes (such as CNC machining, milling and coating), opening up countless new applications for 3D printing on factory floors.
"I am personally very excited about this new technology. I believe it's truly the Holy Grail of 3D printing," stated Blank. "It is able to bring customization, personalization, on-demand parts, complex geometry seamlessly into manfacturing operation...There is no limit to where this technology can go."
Posted in 3D Printers
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This is very promising, although Sachs et al presented a conceptually similar moving bed configuration about 14 years ago. See Figure 7 in http://utwired.engr.utexas.edu/lff/symposium/proceedingsArchive/pubs/Manuscripts/2000/2000-24-Sachs.pdf.
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