We had a look at Tiertime’s biggest 3D printer, the UP600.
Tiertime is one of the oldest producers of 3D printers in Asia, and one of the first to produce desktop 3D printers. We actually had a hands-on review of their first device, the “Up!” 3D printer way back in 2010.
Since then Tiertime has gone on to produce a series of professional-level devices. One of them was a very intriguing 3D printer able to print continuously by ejecting print plates as jobs completed.
Their previous flagship model was the UP300, which we took a look at here. Now there’s a bigger model, the UP600.
By “big”, I mean a build volume of 400 x 500 x 600 mm, which provides twice the volume of the UP300 at 120L.
The UP600 has an actively heated build chamber, which means many engineering materials can be easily 3D printed without fear of warping or distortion. When prints are removed, they simply cool down uniformly in all directions and retain their geometry.
Tiertime also provides an optional “dry box” for storing typically hygroscopic filaments like nylons, separate from the UP600 itself.
The UP600 can come in a dual extruder configuration, meaning it is possible to use soluble support. This allows for the printing of highly complex objects with interior support structures, since the support material can simply be dissolved later.
While the default nozzle size is 0.4mm, it’s possible to purchase other sizes, including: 0.5, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 mm as required.
There’s a number of convenience features included on the UP600, including power-out recovery, semi-automated calibration, magnetic build plate and automatic job pause when the door is opened.
The UP600 is suitable for office environments, as it includes a two-stage HEPA filter and activated carbon filter. These should remove odors and nanoparticles and provide a safe user environment. With the door pause feature, the UP600 could also be used in a classroom environment.
Tiertime has devised their own slicing software for their 3D printers, “UP Studio”. The combination of the software and hardware allows the UP600 to 3D print thinner layers were required to increase print quality, in a feature they call “Adaptive Layer Thickness”.
UP Studio also implements the Tiertime Print Queue, which allows a workgroup to operate an UP600 or other Tiertime devices via WiFi/USB/Ethernet networks. Basically you can dispatch your job to any device on the local network. This would be a very handy feature if an office had multiple devices. You can also access the print queue from the 3D printers’ touchscreens.
While the UP300 is priced at €2800 (US$3000), the UP600 is priced higher at €7000 (US$7400), or €8000 (US$8450) with dual extruders. Apparently there is also an UP350 that is priced at €4300 (US$4550).
Via Tiertime
When is the UP600 for sale in the US?