From the MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a group of engineers has just published a paper that explains how a new technology capable of make your 3D printer about 10 times faster. To give you an idea, a figure that today your 3D printer takes an hour to manufacture could become a reality in just 10 minutes.
The idea is based on those layers of molten plastic that many printers already use. The idea is make a series of adjustments to the print head to accelerate the working speed. These adjustments include the installation of a new mechanism capable of feeding filament to the machine at a much higher speed. In turn, the head has a laser that melts the plastic much faster while its movements are also accelerated.
There is no set date for this new MIT technology to hit the market
As commented by the chief engineers in charge of the development of the project, Anastasios John Hart y Jamison goThe key to making an FDM-type 3D printer up to 10 times faster than the traditional model is to modify the print head, which has been equipped with a laser-assisted screw mechanism. This screw is in charge of feeding the plastic filament through a high resistance nozzle while the laser heats up faster and melts the plastic filament.
Although this technology promises to reduce production times even more, the bad news that this team of engineers gives us is that, at the moment, there is no forecast for this technology to reach the market since, for now, we are only facing an internal MIT project. For it to reach the market, it is MIT itself that must close agreements with companies in the sector and register all the necessary patents.