Professors Jamison Go and John Hart of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Mechanosynthesis Group have developed a groundbreaking new 3D printer.The new hardware utilizes fast fused filament fabrication (FastFFF) that allows the machine to print at unprecedented speeds, according to 3Ders.org.
3D printers are a relatively new technology that can create high-quality, complex objects based on a design created on a desktop. The biggest barrier that developers face when it comes to these printers are their lack of speed. They can only print one object at a time, thin layer by thin layer.
Speed is usually limited in 3D printers because of three factors: the amount of force that can be applied to the filament as it’s pushed through the nozzle, how quickly heat can be transferred to the filament to melt it, how fast the printhead can move around the build area, and the rate that the material solidifies after it’s extruded because it needs to support the next layer.
Most developers have figured out the solution to this last problem by blasting air at the material throughout the process. Go and Hart came up with their own innovative solutions to the other problems regarding force, heat transfer, and printer head movement.
In order to avoid putting too much or too little tension on the filament when it is run between the drive gear and the idler, the team threaded the filament and ran it through a threaded nut, creating a faster and more precise process.
The professors used lasers to address the heat transfer problem. They lined a quartz chamber with gold reflectors that bounce a laser around the space as the filament passes through. This preheats the filament before it goes through the traditional heating block.
They designed a servo-driven parallel gantry system to solve the last remaining problem of printer head movement. The system moves the printer head rapidly and precisely around the object without exhibiting the shaking or rippling movements that hinder accuracy when 3D printers print to fast.
This printer is about 7 to 10 times faster than its competitors, but isn’t likely to hit the market anytime soon. It costs about $15,000 right now and still will require a few changes involving retraction and pathing settings to improve quality.
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3D printing is one of the best inventions of this time. The entire procedure is quite exciting to go with. The concept of 3D printing is not only limited with the model printing but now has been spread to the metal printing as well.