Editor’s Pick: Open Market Materials for Industrial Desktop 3D Printing

Fusion3 introduces the EDGE, its latest industrial 3D printer. The company says the performance of this $6,995 printer offers capabilities usually found in much more expensive industrial 3D printers. 

Fusion3 says the printer is designed for use with high-temperature industrial thermoplastics. It works with more than 140 open market materials, including various engineering-grade plastics that include nylons, polycarbonate, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/acrylonitrile styrene acrylate, all available reinforced with carbon fiber, fiberglass or various metals. Other materials compatible with Fusion3 EDGE are FDA-certified for food or medical use, or have properties to dissipate static electricity. 

Fusion3 says EDGE features the fourth iteration of the company’s F-Series motion-control platform. This upgrade includes Gates 2GT2 belts, new linear rails and specially tuned stepper motors. It offers a 14x14x14.5-in. build area.

The ANVIL print head is a system that the company says combines precision-milled components with an inexpensive surgical steel print tube, instead of a traditional screw-in 3D printer nozzle as used by other 3D printer vendors. The company says many customers will choose it for making jigs and fixtures with engineering-grade materials.  

The company says the EDGE is capable of printing at 250 mm/second at tolerances within 0.003-in. and layer resolution as small as 20 microns. 

The EDGE offers three interchangeable print heads, at 0.4 mm, 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm. Fusion3 says all are equipped with hardened steel nozzles, which “resist wear from abrasive, infused materials including carbon fiber.” 

The printer is run by a dedicated 64-bit ARM process separate from the 3D printer’s control board. 

The print area is fully enclosed, designed to protect users from contact with hot surfaces. The size and noise level (37.5 db) make it an acceptable addition to the office or classroom. 

Fusion3 says there are two versions. The Standard Version has open USB ports, wired and wireless networking and convenience features for communicating with the printer. The Secure Version offers only one locked Ethernet port, one locked USB port and no features for allowing the printer to communicate beyond the device. A custom version of the company’s REACTOR 3D printing software does not use the internet for licensing or updating. 

The Fusion3 EDGE 3D printer is now available directly from Fusion3. 

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.