Bambu Lab has patented an unusual extrusion arrangement that seems particularly good for printing soft materials like TPU in FFF systems.
printer
Flashforge Finally Ships the CJ270 With Millions of Colors
Flashforge finally shipped the elusive CJ270 full-colour 3D printer.
Shining 3D’s Patent Takes On The Resin Peel Problem
Shining 3D has been thinking about a new way of getting each cured layer to let go in resin 3D printing.
Atlant 3D Patent Proposes Atomic Scale Multi Fluid Printing
A printer head that dispenses three different fluids through the same tiny nozzle could bring atomic layer processing closer to a genuinely three-dimensional workflow.
Nanogrande Patent Combines Binder Jetting With Laser Precision
Why use one 3D printing process for an entire part when different areas need different levels of accuracy?
Unreleased QIDI 3D Printer Appears in FCC Filing
QIDI seems to have another machine on deck.
Creality Patent Proposes Induction Heating For FFF Nozzles
A Creality patent proposes heating an FFF nozzle with electromagnetic induction instead of relying only on a conventional heater.
Creality Reveals K3 3D Printer With Four-Nozzle KliTek Multicolor System
Creality has officially announced the K3 desktop 3D printer.
Mosaic Manufacturing Launches Orion 3D Printer for Custom Orthotics
Mosaic Manufacturing surprised everyone with a new 3D printer, one designed specifically for orthotics.
Miltenyi Patent Could Make Two-Color Volumetric Printing Much Larger
Here’s an interesting approach to volumetric 3D printing: instead of focusing light into a tiny point, stretch it into a thin sheet and sweep that sheet across the print.
Nissan Patent Uses Magnetic Pillars To Help Release Resin Prints
Here’s a rather strange idea from Nissan: put tiny magnetic pillars in the bottom of a resin 3D printer vat and wiggle them around to help release each layer.
Stratasys Launches F870 Large-Format Industrial 3D Printer
Stratasys announced a new 3D printer, the F870.
Ugee Funbox 3D Printer for Kids Goes on Sale
Remember the Funbox 3D printer? It’s now available for purchase.
IBM Patent Uses Seed Crystals To Control 3D Printing
Here’s an unusual idea from IBM: what if a 3D printer could decide exactly where crystals should begin growing inside a print?
Modix Generation 5 Adds INDX Toolchanging and Pellet Extrusion to Large-Format 3D Printers
Modix announced a key upgrade to their BIG series of large-format 3D printers.
Lawrence Livermore Patent Proposes Multimaterial Two-Photon 3D Printing
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory appear to have found an unusual way to 3D print multiple materials with a two-photon system: change the light instead of changing the resin.
UltiMaker Emphasizes NATO-Aligned Security as Competition Intensifies
Is UltiMaker going “secure”? I’ve watched the desktop 3D printing industry since it began more than 15 years ago, and in the years following, almost all of the original companies have disappeared. Some suddenly, while others gradually faded away. One that’s still around is UltiMaker. They have been quite successful in the past, developing robust… Continue reading UltiMaker Emphasizes NATO-Aligned Security as Competition Intensifies
Chinese Patent Proposes Swappable Hotends For Multimaterial FFF
Changing filament in a multimaterial FFF printer usually means pushing the new material through the old hotend until the previous material is gone. A Chinese patent proposes a different solution: leave the extruder in place and swap the hotend underneath it.
MAASS Developing Full-Color Six-Vat Resin 3D Printer
There’s a full-colour resin 3D printer in the works.
Carbon Patent Adds Laser Cleanup To Resin Printing
Resin 3D printing usually treats excess material as a post-processing problem. Carbon’s latest patent application proposes dealing with it while the part is still inside the printer.
3D Systems Patent Moves The Build Plane Through Liquid
3D Systems proposes a vat photopolymerization system that moves its build plane downward by pumping a dense transparent fluid away, while a projector follows the changing focus position.
Lightmake L4 Four-Tool IDEX 3D Printer Launches on Kickstarter
Lightmake’s four-tool IDEX 3D printer is now live on Kickstarter.
EOS Patent Shapes Laser Beams To Reduce Metal Cracks
A laser beam with a deliberately abrupt edge may help metal powder bed fusion produce fewer hot cracks.
Creality Reveals SPARKX i8 With Four-Filament QuarTeks Extrusion System
Creality has released some details on a very intriguing new desktop 3D printer, the SPARKX i8, a multicolor FFF system.
Lawrence Livermore Patent Uses Z-Pinch For Metal Droplet Printing
What if a metal printer could use the molten metal itself as both the printing material and the actuator?
SPELL3D Developing a Compact Pellet Extruder for Desktop FGF 3D Printing
A project is underway to develop an effective desktop FGF 3D printer.
HeyGears Looking at Automated Resin 3D Printing Production
HeyGears has filed a patent describing what looks like a highly automated resin 3D printing production system, including automatic part removal, resin drainage, recycling and job sorting.
AtomForm Patent Reveals Palette 300 Nozzle Carousel Details
Earlier this year we wrote about the unusual AtomForm Palette 300 and its 12-nozzle swapping system. Now a newly granted patent gives us a much better look at how part of that system works.
Report: Bambu Lab Starts Development of a Consumer UV Printer
Could Bambu Lab launch a UV printer?
3D Systems Patent Describes Faster Sloped Resin Printing
3D Systems has patented an unusual resin 3D printing method that could point toward a larger high speed photopolymer architecture.
NanoVoxel Patent Turns Micro 3D Prints Into Metal Parts
NanoVoxel has patented a clever method for producing highly detailed metal microcomponents using polymer micro 3D printing as a temporary mold.
AxiLoop Teases MC8 3D Printer With Eight-Color, Low-Waste Printing
A new multilateral 3D printer has been — sort of — announced, the MC8 from AxiLoop.
Anycubic Patent Explores Full Color Resin 3D Printing
Anycubic has patented an unusual way to produce multicolor resin prints without painting them afterwards.
CEAD Patent Targets Nonstop Continuous Extrusion Toolpaths
CEAD has patented an unusual slicing strategy designed for 3D printing materials that cannot easily stop flowing.
Chocola3D Food 3D Printer Handles More Than 26 Ingredients
There are a few chocolate 3D printers on the market, and we found another one: the Chocola3D.
IBM Patents “5D Printing”
IBM has patented a way to make robotic “5D printing” compensate automatically when the workpiece moves during fabrication.
Bambu Lab Patent Reveals Multi-Printhead Toolchanger Concept Beyond Vortek
Bambu Lab has a new patent that seems to describe something beyond their advanced Vortek technology.
Prusa Refreshes XL and CORE One Line With Across-the-Board Hardware Upgrades
Prusa Research has refreshed its XL and CORE One 3D printers with a long list of hardware changes
California 3D Printer Bill AB 2047 Clears Key Senate Appropriations Vote
The California 3D printer law has progressed forward in a significant way.
Thermwood Patent Adds Internal Bracing to Cut Layer Tooling
Thermwood has patented an interesting way to strengthen large hollow tooling made from stacked, machined layers.
Hybrid Manufacturing Patent Automates Additive Tool Docking
Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies has published a European patent application describing a way to make toolheads work like CNC tools.
Chinese Startup Dewu Develops Metal 3D Printing Process With Lower Post-Processing Costs
A Chinese company has figured out a way to lower the cost of 3D printing metal parts.
Slice Engineering Patent Separates Hotend Structure From Heatbreak
Slice Engineering has secured a European patent covering an FFF hotend design that simplifies the heatbreak.
University Of Bath Patent Automates 3D Printing Setup
The University of Bath has filed a patent for automated material calibration on FFF systems.
New Startup Targets Military Market With Secure, US-Made 3D Printers
There’s a brand-new US-based 3D printer manufacturer.
NIOSH Publishes Safety Labels to Promote Safer 3D Printing
The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has issued some important information about 3D printing.
EOS Pursues AM Software Patent In China
EOS is pursuing Chinese patent protection for additive manufacturing preflight software
BigRep’s ONE.5X Industrial 3D Printer
Today we’re taking a look at the upcoming BigRep ONE.5X industrial 3D printer.
Bambu Lab Patents a Method for Faster 3D Printer Assembly
A newly patent application from Shenzhen Tuozhu Technology, the company behind Bambu Lab, focuses on assembling the machine itself.
New Stratasys Patents Target Both FFF And Resin
Stratasys has surfaced in two recent patents that work on very different problems: keeping heat inside an industrial FFF machine, and making resin parts last longer after printing.
Sovol M1D Campaign Confirms Shift Away from Filament Swapping 3D Printers
The 3D print community has spoken: Sovol’s M1D Kickstarter campaign has raised an incredible amount of money.
ELEGOO Patent Targets Lighter Multi Nozzle FFF Switching
A new Chinese patent application suggests ELEGOO is exploring a lighter way to switch multiple FFF toolheads.
Hands On With the Kobra 4 Combo 3D Printer, Part 3
We conclude our look at the Kobra 4 Combo 3D printer with print results and final thoughts. This is part three of a three-part series. Please read parts one and two. Kobra 4 Combo Print Results We grouped several of our standard test prints together into one large print job – cylindricity test, knurling nut… Continue reading Hands On With the Kobra 4 Combo 3D Printer, Part 3
Hands On With the Kobra 4 Combo 3D Printer, Part 2
We continue our review of the Kobra 4 Combo 3D printer with setup, calibration, operations and software.
Hands On With the Kobra 4 Combo 3D Printer, Part 1
We’re testing the Anycubic Kobra 4 desktop FFF 3D printer this week.
Researchers Test Light Guided Responsive 3D Printing
A research team has demonstrated an extrusion 3D printing workflow that changes its growth direction in response to live light sensing.
Stick Tech’s Patents Point Toward A Printer
Stick Tech Oy has patented another odd little piece of the 3D printing workflow, and now the pattern is getting harder to ignore.
Flashforge Patents Swappable FFF Toolheads
Flashforge appears to be thinking about a different way to handle multiple toolheads on desktop FFF 3D printers.
Shining 3D Patent Packages Resin Into Capsules
Shining 3D has filed a European patent application for a resin printing capsule system, and the interesting part is not just the packaging.
The Kare S1 Is An Affordable High-Temperature 3D Printer, But Can They Deliver?
A new 3D printer on Kickstarter is able to print metal filament.
Hanin Patent Makes Toolhead Filament Cutters Safer
Xiamen Hanin has patented a modular filament cutting mechanism intended to make automated material changes safer and easier to maintain.
Chinese Patent Combines Pellet Material Heating And Metered Feeding
A newly granted Chinese utility model proposes combining material heating, mixing and forced feeding inside one compact 3D printer hopper.
Mechanical Patent Detects FFF Material Flow Failures
System to mechanically detect material flow in the hot end [Source: Espacenet]
Nine Bambu Lab Patents Reveal Broader Printer Architecture
A collection of nine new Bambu Lab patents provides a detailed picture of several future 3D printer concepts.
Reverse-Engineered CAD Model of Prusa’s INDX System Appears Online After Accidental File Release
The CAD for Prusa Research’s INDX system seems to have been reverse-engineered.
Prusa INDX Nozzle Specifications Questioned After Bondtech Material Disclosure
Controversy erupted over Prusa Research’s latest technology: INDX.
Patent Proposes Self Retracting FFF Nozzle Guard
A newly published Chinese patent proposes an unusually elaborate way to protect an FFF 3D printer nozzle when the machine is idle.
Retracting Sensor Patent Targets Cleaner Filament Monitoring
A newly granted Chinese utility model patent proposes a self-cleaning, retractable filament sensor for FFF 3D printers.
Chinese Patent Proposes Unusual Magnetic FFF Platform
A newly granted Chinese utility patent describes an unusual FFF 3D printer arrangement combining a magnetically driven platform, a rotating work area and a vertically actuated extrusion head.
The Funbox, a Kid-Focused Desktop 3D Printer
Hong Kong-based Ugee announced a new desktop FFF 3D printer specifically designed for kids: the Funbox.
INSTATIQ Patents Method for Difficult Concrete Printing
INSTATIQ has patented a construction 3D printing system designed to place concrete directly against existing walls and other awkward building features.
Kentstrapper Unveils Mille Large-Format FFF 3D Printer with 1-Cubic-Metre Build Volume
Kentstrapper announced a massive new FFF system, the Mille.
Patent Proposes New Method to Reduce CoreXY Ringing
A new Chinese patent application suggests a more sophisticated way to stop ringing on high speed CoreXY 3D printers.
Crawling 3D Printer Patent Targets Large FFF Parts
A Chinese patent application describes a crawling FFF 3D printer that can print beyond a fixed build volume.
FlashForge Patent Describes a Method for Smoother Toolhead Docking
FlashForge has patented a new way to make detachable FFF toolheads dock more reliably.
INDX Toolchanger Nears Wider Shipping
Prusa Research says Bondtech’s INDX Founder’s Edition is now shipping, and the standard INDX Conversion Kit for the Prusa CORE One+ is next.
Inkbit Patents New 3D Printing Process
Inkbit has published a patent application that describes a different kind of material chemistry for inkjet additive manufacturing.
Voron Trident R2 Updates Motion And Assembly
Voron has released Trident R2, a design refresh that focuses on belts, idlers, and motion alignment.
SprintRay Patent Targets Replaceable LCD Resin Screens
SprintRay has been granted a patent for a replaceable screen cartridge.
Creality Explores Future 3D Printer Concepts Through Survey on Multinozzle Systems
Creality has issued an interesting 3D printer operator survey, and it hints at what might be coming.
Chinese Patent Targets Magnetic Flexible Print Beds
A Chinese utility model patent attempts to claim a magnetic flexible print platform — a feature that has been common in desktop FFF machines for many years.
Operators Discover Signficant Issue with the Flashforge Creator 5 Pro
It seems that the new Flashforge Creator 5 Pro has a potential safety issue.
IBM Patent Applies AI To 3D Printer Control
IBM has published a patent application describing an AI decision engine for managing 3D printers.
The HeyGears G1X Full-3D System CombinesFull-Color 3D Printing and UV Printing
HeyGears announced a very different device that offers true, full-colour 3D printing.
Qingdao Patents Multimaterial Gradient Resin Printing
Qingdao University of Technology has filed a patent application for a light curing 3D printing method for functional gradient materials.
GLB Announces Strange “Consumer” Metal 3D Printer
A new consumer-level metal 3D printer has just been announced in China.
Hefei Patent Targets Cleaner Multi Resin SLA Printing
A new patent proposes a more practical way to switch materials in resin 3D printing.
Hands On With The Bambu Lab A2L 3D Printer, Part 3
Our look at the Bambu Lab A2L 3D printer concludes with Operations and Final Thoughts.
Hands On With The Bambu Lab A2L 3D Printer, Part 2
We’re testing the Bambu Lab A2L large 3D printer today, here doing at unboxing, assembly, calibration and software.
Hands On With The Bambu Lab A2L 3D Printer, Part 1
Bambu Lab suddenly announced the large A2L 3D printer, and we had a chance to give it a test.
Elegoo Launches Centauri 2 Series
Elegoo suddenly announced a new series of desktop FFF 3D printers, the Centauri 2.
Bosch Patents Suggest Continuous Pellet 3D Printing
Bosch has published three related German patent applications that point toward a rather interesting 3D printing concept: a pellet-based extrusion system designed to keep printing while its printheads are being refilled.
ExOne Launches S-Print Pro Industrial Sand 3D Printer
There’s a new industrial 3D printer from ExOne.
No, Voron Was Not Just Patented In China
The Voron 3D printer design was NOT just patented by Chinese organizations.
Sovol’s M1D IDEX 3D Printer has Waste-Free Seven-Color Capability
Sovol’s new M1D desktop FFF 3D printer is a bit different.