Oct 6, 2017 | By Benedict
Silicon Valley 3D printing startup Tytus3D has developed its first metal 3D printer. At under $300,000, the Tytus 3D printer can print with a minimum layer height of 20 microns. The company says its machine is easier to use than EOS and SLM Solutions 3D printers.
Claiming to offer a 3D printer that is both cheaper and more user-friendly than comparable machines from EOS, SLM Solutions, and TRUMPF, Silicon Valley newbie Tytus3D isn’t treading lightly.
And at “under $300,000,” the Californian company’s new metal 3D printer is certainly on the fairer end of the industrial price spectrum. But does the unproven contender have the specs to justify that six-figure sum?
“To provide the best machine operation experience, and to reduce the total cost of ownership, the Tytus3D attempts to design and materialize innovations including patents and patent-pending technologies,” says Tytus3D’s Hon S. Yi.
Let’s look at the basics. The Tytus3D printer uses a laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) deposition system, including a two-way re-coater mechanism. The 3D printer is compatible with Inconel and both reactive and non-reactive materials.
According to Tytus3D, the new 3D printer is also “easy to use for production,” and ready for “smart factory” use. These claims aren’t exactly verifiable from afar, but the company gets into more specific matters by also detailing the machine’s versatile GUI, remote monitoring capability, and other features.
The monitoring setup includes “innovative geometry sample production models with closed-loop-process monitoring” and “computer vision-based closed-loop monitoring systems,” both of which are awaiting patents.
There’s also pressure, temperature, and dust monitoring for safety and quality assurance, while an automated machine-preparation-procedure control is presumably one of the machine’s features that makes it so easy to operate.
Processing technology is another area that Tytus3D thinks its new metal 3D printer stands out from the crowd. The printer uses an airtight process chamber for “faster purging, less gas consumption, [and preventing] powder leakage,” while the aforementioned two-way re-coater and closed-loop feedback process work to ensure accurate prints.
Operation is also kept simple with auto, semi-auto, and manual modes, with the intuitive GUI allowing 3D preview animations. A patent-pending calibration system also speeds up print preparation.
In terms of numbers, the Tytus3D metal printer has a build volume of 250 x 250 x 350 mm, layer thicknesses of between 20 and 100 microns, a 500-watt laser, a 0.8bar ~ 1.1bar pressurized chamber, reposition scan speed of 7 m/s, and a build base heater capable of temperatures up to 200°C. The printer can purportedly achieve “99.98 density.”
Tytus3D says its “world-class” team consists of experts in metal 3D printing, aerospace, robotics, telecommunications, and consumer electronics. It’s too soon to tell how the company will fare, but we’ll be keeping an eye on this Silicon Valley David to see how it fares against the industrial additive manufacturing Goliaths.
Posted in 3D Printer
Maybe you also like:
- T-Bone Cape motion control board launches on Indiegogo
- New extruder could lower costs of 3D printing cellular structures for drug testing
- New Ninja Printer Plate for consumer 3D printing
- mUVe3D releases improved Marlin firmware for all 3D printers
- Zecotek plans HD 3D display for 3D printers
- Add a smart LCD controller to your Robo3D printer
- Maker Kase: a handy cabinet for 3D printers
- Heated bed for ABS printing with the Printrbot Simple XL
- Next gen all metal 3D printer extruder from Micron
- Pico all-metal hotend 100% funded in 48 hours, B3 announces Stretch Goal
- Create it REAL announces first 3D printing Real Time Processor
- A larger and more powerful 3D printer extruder on Kickstarter
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
