I’m reading about a new line of desktop 3D printers from Chicago Additive, AMOS.
I hadn’t heard of Chicago Additive and AMOS at all, but that’s not surprising because they were founded only in 2024. After apparently only 19 months of effort, they are launching their AMOS line of desktop 3D printers this month.
It seems that they collaborated with the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific to develop the technology of AMOS. Evidently, the collaboration was so tight that the company has been granted a “Co-Exclusive License for U.S. Patent Application 18/926770, titled “Advanced Manufacturing Operational Apparatus, System, and Method.” Unfortunately, after quite a bit of searching, I cannot find any reference anywhere to learn what this patent is about, nor does Chicago Additive explain. It may be that it has not yet been published.
The specifications for the AMOS line, which has three models, seem comparable to the current desktop 3D printer systems on the market today:
- CoreXY motion system
- High-speed printing up to 500mm/s
- Enclosed build chambers (optionally actively heated)
- Internal filament stowage with humidity control
This configuration is basically the current de facto standard desktop 3D printer design, as we described in a previous post.
There are three variants in the AMOS line:
- AMOS 200, 200 x 200 x 120 mm, portable design
- AMOS 300, 300 x 300 x 220 mm, ruggedized case
- AMOS 500, 500 x 500 x 420 mm, stand-mounted
The team was able to 3D print a #3DBenchy in only six minutes according to a LinkedIn post some months ago. It’s likely this same technology has been baked into at least some of the AMOS models. However, we don’t have full specifications, including the volumetric flow rate, which is critical to understanding the true print speed of any desktop FFF 3D printer.
According to Chicago Additive, they’ve been shipping the final version to friendly testers and will be “accepting orders”. However, the “Shop” page on their website is password protected, and I was unable to collect any information about pricing, specifications, or anything else. They may still be finalizing the configurations based on initial user feedback.
Chicago Additive appears to be focusing the AMOS line towards military applications, as it is entirely built in the US, unlike most of its competitors. They may be the only US-built desktop FFF machines capable of true high-speed 3D printing, which would make them attractive to US government buyers.
The brief spec sheet mentions that the nozzle maximum temperature is 500C, which is suitable for almost any polymer, and the build plate can be heated to 120C. The active heating can be up to 90C, making these devices proper high temperature 3D printers.
We don’t know much about the software or cloud environments for these machines, which is certainly of intense interest to 3D printer operators. The company only mentions that UltiMaker Cura is a compatible slicer.
I’m interested to learn more about the AMOS line, but it seems they are going so fast they haven’t fully updated their marketing material.
Via Chicago Additive
