3DEVO has quietly launched what seems to be a compact filament production system.
The new Filament Maker X10 is quite different from the company’s previous systems. Their earlier systems were designed to produce filament spools of experimental materials in very low quantities.
That was ideal for labs and businesses exploring new material formulations, especially those with reinforcing additives. 3DEVO was one of the only manufacturers that figured out how to properly produce filament with a small-scale machine, and actually make a feasible business from that tech. Many others tried and failed.
Their new X10 system seems different. It is not designed for one-off lab use, but instead is labeled as a “production system”. They write:
“A closed-loop, automated extrusion system built for continuous, unattended production. From powder, regrind, or pellet to finished spool, the FMX10 holds diameter, high-temperature (up to 450C), and output steady over runs that go well beyond a single shift.”
How much filament can you make with this system? They provide a benchmark for PLA material of 1.5kg per hour. That’s 36 1kg spools per day, or one every 40 minutes, if you were standing by, ready to reload it.
One of the big differences from prior systems is a cooling path, which you can see in the above image. This is a critical step in filament production, which in factory settings is typically done with a water bath. The filament must be cooled down at a very specific rate so that it maintains its shape while being spooled up. Here, the X10 uses air for cooling, eliminating the need for an extra drying step.
For materials, 3DEVO provides a rather long list of possibilities, including both common materials like PLA, but also high-temperature and abrasive-reinforced filaments.
They even say that you can recycle used SLS or MJF powder into filament, which could be extremely important. Powder systems tend to produce massive amounts of waste powder: typically, there must be a certain ratio of fresh to used powder, leaving some used powder leftover. This waste can now become usable filament in many large powder shops with the X10.
We don’t know the price of the X10, but the idea is to produce filament continuously with it. This should drive down the price of spools produced, hopefully lower than normal spool pricing because the price of raw pellets tends to be about 10x less expensive than filament. That could be especially attractive if there is a source of free or low-cost material, such as waste SLS powder.
The X10 includes 3-axis sensors to ensure filament produced is within tolerances. They say it can produce filament within 0.03mm of target, and that is more than sufficient for FFF use.
The X10 is entirely set up for automation. It runs the complete workflow for filament production, from grinding to spooling, and can be monitored remotely.
Finally, 3DEVO said they and friendly customers have performed extensive testing of the X10 over the last six months. They say 15 machines have produced over 2000kg of filament made from MJF powder waste.
The X10 is an extremely impressive device, and they seem to have focused on a valuable niche in the industry. It could sell very well.
Via 3DEVO
