FFF (fused filament fabrication) 3D printing is kind of mature expertise at this level and really sensible, however it nonetheless has many limitations that may make it irritating for the uninitiated. Different 3D printing processes, like MSLA (Masked Stereolithography) resin printing, remedy a few of these issues, however then introduce their very own units of limitations. To squeeze as a lot flexibility out of the FFF course of as doable, Jón Schone of Correct Printing developed a brand new sort of 3D printer design that he refers to as TIME (True Unbiased A number of Extrusion).
IDEX (unbiased twin extruder) 3D printers exist already and overcome a few of the limitations of FFF 3D printing by utilizing two extruders that transfer considerably independently of one another. However the identify is a little bit of misnomer, as a result of they aren’t really unbiased. In a typical IDEX design, each extruders slide alongside the identical X axis rail. Which means they’re at all times constrained to the identical place within the Y and Z axes. Because the identify suggests, Schone’s TIME 3D printer design has no such constraints. Every extruder rides by itself gantry and may transfer independently in all three axes. The thing being printed by one extruder doesn’t have any affect on the motion of the opposite extruder.
In apply, this seems a bit like two 3D printers sharing a single mattress. And that raises the query: why not simply use two 3D printers?
The reply is: versatility. The TIME 3D printer’s extruders transfer independently, however they will additionally attain the identical areas. So one extruder can do work on the identical object as the opposite extruder. On this approach, it has benefits just like different dual-extruder designs. This allows each multi-color and multi-material printing. However as a result of the extruders aren’t constrained to the identical gantry, they will additionally do different issues.
Think about parallel printing two distinctive elements and every of them is 2 completely different supplies. The TIME printer can assign one extruder to every half, and an extruder can even take a second so as to add materials to its neighbor when mandatory. Or think about how a lot time might be saved printing one very massive half with the work break up between two extruders.
The TIME design opens up a number of very fascinating prospects. Solely time will inform if this catches on, however it definitely has potential. If you wish to see how Schone pulled this off, you’ll want to watch his detailed video on the development course of. All the things about that’s fascinating, all the way down to using a cooking griddle for the heated mattress.