www.3ders.org

Dec 13, 2018 | By Cameron

The first deluge of distributed manufacturing came in the format of FDM (fused deposition modeling) 3D printing as the patent on that technology expired in 2009. The second wave that we’re currently riding consists of SLA (stereolithography) liquid resin 3D printers as the patents on their underlying technologies expired between 2013 and 2015. We just covered the $299 Paladin SLA 3D printer, and while the Phrozen Transform costs about four times more, its build volume is over 14 times larger. So, you do the math.

With a 13.3-inch 4K LCD screen and a build volume of 29.2 x 16.5 x 40cm, the Transform is the largest consumer-grade SLA 3D printer yet, which probably explains why the Kickstarter campaign met its funding goal of $30,000 in three minutes; it’s now breaching the quarter million dollar mark. The Transform has an extra-thick, CNC-milled aluminum alloy frame with dual Z rails and ball screws to maintain an XY resolution of 76 microns for all 400 millimeters of printable height.

What’s more, the 13.3-inch screen can be swapped out with two 5.5-inch screens that have an even higher XY resolution of 47 microns; both screens can print the same ultra-high resolution object simultaneously, a feature that could be quite useful to dentists and jewelers. It takes only 30 seconds to swap the screens out. Both sizes of screen allow for Z resolution of 10 microns and print speeds of 30 vertical millimeters per hour; that means a part that would occupy the entire build chamber would take only 13 hours to 3D print.

The LCD screens are powered by a ParaLED Matrix of 405nm UV-LEDs that provides more parallel light to the large screen, a necessary improvement to maintain consistent resolution. Though it’s compatible with third-party resins, several resins were developed specifically for the Transform, such as Stiff, Wax Pro Castable, Tough, Semi-Clear, and TR250, a hard material with low shrinkage and good heat resistance. The standard setup that comes with just the 13.3-inch screen can still be reserved for $1,299, which comes with five bottles of resin. The deluxe version that additionally comes with the dual 5.5-inch screens can be had for $1,549, also including the resin.

The Phrozen team has worked together for five years and has gone through six generations of SLA 3D printers, starting with the Phrozen Make that was successfully launched on Kickstarter in April of 2017. They have a lot of experience and motivation to bring the Transform to market. “Our users always asked us ‘Why there are few SLA 3D Printer that can print in large build volume?’ Many great designs were limited because of the low build volumes. When making large prints, the design has to be partitioned for printing and assembled afterward. Phrozen Transform will significantly improve a print’s strength and the efficiency of printing.” said Ray Wu, co-founder of Phrozen.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printer

 

 

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