It’s often the little things that make a big difference. Applying this wisdom to 3D printing, the choice of the right 3D printer undoubtedly plays an important role in the quality of the printed parts, but it also depends on its components. That is why Plasmics has always focused on the overall product in order to optimally serve its customers and their applications with its innovative 3D printing solutions. At the heart of the Plasmics DeltaS FDM printer are the extruder and the innovative INo Trident induction hotend. Both can also be purchased separately and are compatible with other 3D printers on the market.
Plasmic’s focus is on intelligent and user-friendly solutions that are geared towards customer requirements. Thanks to its low thermal mass, the INo Trident hotend makes it possible to switch from one temperature to another at lightning speed. Especially with foaming filaments and for predetermined breaking points – for example support structures – this option is a game changer.
The Plasmics FourRunner extruder
In order to serve the B2B market even better in the future, Plasmics has now revised its flagship INo Trident and the FourRunner extruder and is offering the solutions in new versions that are geared towards the needs of B2B customers.
The main difference between the two versions is that the new hotend allows the processing of filaments with a larger diameter. While the original hotend has a filament diameter of 1.75 mm, the overall geometry of the spool has been revised for the new version and the new hotend is now also available for 2.85 mm filaments. In order to better interpret these differences for the B2B market, it is worth taking a look at the main features of the original INo Trident and the new version.
INo Trident Allows for Optimized Printing Time and Material Diversity
The INo Trident consists of a classic mounting flange for 3D printers (and other mounting options), an aluminum housing, an induction coil and the nozzle made of hardened tool steel. At less than 30g, the solution is lightweight, which is particularly noticeable in faster movements and less vibration.
Thanks to the groundbreaking innovative heating system, heating up to 200°C is possible within four seconds. The maximum temperature of the hotend is 500°C. It cools down quickly, five times faster than a 30 W hotend. This speed in heating up and cooling down is particularly noticeable in the overall printing time when several materials are used or filaments with temperature-dependent properties are handled.
Another advantage of the induction hotend is its energy efficiency. The nozzle does not have to be heated by a heating block, as is usually the case, but directly by induction. This means that less energy is required overall, as less thermal mass needs to be heated, controlled and cooled.
In addition, control of the filament temperature is more precise and 3D printing can be controlled in a targeted manner. This is particularly important when processing high-performance materials. The INo Trident is therefore suitable for printing a wide range of materials, including GF, CF and PEEK filaments. It is thus compatible with all common filaments on the market and can be mounted on standard 3D printers.
Left: Plasmics at Formnext; Right: the new INo Trident for 2.85 mm filaments.
Previous nozzle diameters were 0.4 to 0.6 mm for filaments with a diameter of 1.75 mm. Although this version is very popular with the B2C market, the demand for a larger version from B2B customers, who often work with 2.85 mm filaments, has become ever more persistent. Plasmics responded to this need with a revised hotend that is designed for maximum service life.
The new hotend allows a nozzle diameter of 0.6 to 1.0 mm for 2.85 mm filaments. This results in greater control over the filament and even faster heating and cooling times. In 15–20 seconds, the filament can be heated from room temperature to 250°C and the hot end cools below the glass transition temperature in just five to eight seconds. This speed has a positive impact on the overall printing time. Customers are particularly enthusiastic about the fact that disruptive stringing/oozing can be cleverly prevented thanks to the temperature control.
The INo Trident’s characteristics (fast heating and cooling, good temperature control, etc.) make it ideal for variable temperature printing. It therefore supports a wide range of materials required for different applications, minimizes faulty prints, facilitates the production of parts with different material properties and can produce stronger parts for industries such as aerospace and construction. It can also be used to print materials such as Varioshore, which change their properties with temperature.
The INo Trident is ideal for printing with variable temperatures
Some customers are already testing the new versions of the hotend and extruder. At the University of Brno, for example, the 2.85 mm hotend was connected to a 5-axis robot. According to Plasmics, feedback to date on the 2.85 mm version has been very positive, as greater process stability can be achieved as the deviations in the diameter accuracy of the filaments used are smaller than with 1.75 mm filaments.
The extruder, which can be purchased in a twin pack with the nozzle, also impresses with its outstanding performance. By doubling the number of synchronized gears, the contact surfaces are also doubled. The improved production parameters in turn enable better filament control and lower slip. Plasmics is also currently working on a high torque version for Bowden configurations. We will inform you as soon as Plasmics announces any news on this.
You can view the company’s developments to date HERE and find out more about them. At Formnext from November 19 to 22, 2024, you will also have the opportunity to marvel at Plasmics’ developments live at the joint stand with OnShape and to exchange ideas with the company on site.
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*All Photo Credits: Plasmics