2024-04-24 19:29:42
UltiMaker has the first at the Hannover Messe light industrial The group’s 3D printer presented. With this Factor 4 it wants to appeal to a completely new target group. “We are moving towards more industrial applications not only with the hardware but with the entire ecosystem,” says Michiel Alting von Geusau, CEO.
The CEO of the merged group previously announced that Ultimaker would come to the market this spring with a light industrial 3D printer. Six years following the launch of the S5, Ultimaker once once more chooses the Hannover Messe for the launch of a new 3D printer. This time, however, with a completely different target group than engineers who want to have a prototype quickly. Now it concerns the production of parts for end applications.
Read the previous interview with Michiel Alting von Geusau here
The Factor 4 is so stable that the accuracy remains within 0.2 mm over the entire bed
Accuracy across the entire build plate
The 3D printer has been completely newly developed for this purpose. The construction volume is 330 by 240 by 300 mm; the building room is heated to 70 degrees and there is a completely new extruder, which can withstand temperatures up to 340 degrees C. The material station is air-conditioned with a humidity that always remains below 15%. The Factor 4 is so stable that the accuracy remains within 0.2 mm over the entire bed. The drives have been taken to a higher level, linked to a newly designed H-bridge gantry. “This provides extra stiffness so we can print with the same accuracy across the entire build plate,” says Andrea Gasperini, Product Manager, B2B Solutions at UltiMaker.
Automatically generate report
In addition, you can automatically receive a print report for each print job with information regarding the most important print parameters and any deviations found. Andrea Gasperini explains that UltiMaker integrates traceability and validation into the new Factor 4 with this Onboard Print Process Reporting. Combined with a closed loop sensor that adjusts the printing process if necessary, this should increase customer confidence in a printed part. “The industry needs confidence. We have missed this so far. The fact that it is now at Factor 4 is a sign of the maturity of the technology.”
Developing applications with customers
UltiMaker will start delivering the first new Factor 4 3D printers in May, which will be produced at the factory in the Netherlands. In the near future, the company wants to develop applications together with customers, says Michiel Alting von Geusau. He looks at markets such as automotive, defense, robotics and the general manufacturing industry, where companies can replace aluminum and steel parts with 3D printed parts. Introduces for this UltiMaker together with the Factor 4 new materials such as PET-CF, which can be printed at twice the speed of the S-series printers. A new material is UltiMaker PPS CF, a composite material that can withstand high temperatures. According to Michiel Alting von Geusau, there is a large, untapped market for the light industrial 3D printer because many companies in the industry are barely aware of the possibilities. To underline this, he points to the major players in the field of digitalization at the Hannover Messe. “You see robots on their stands, but no 3D printers.”
You can read more regarding the new UltiMaker Factor 4 in the next edition of Solutions Magazine.
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