A Game-Changing Hybrid Printer : A Feature Pitch? ( Simplified & fixed version)

MakerWorld
1

Hi all,

Just an idea for the next - and ultimate !! - generation of 3D printers :
1 - FDM is perfect for multi-materials, from PLA to peek, but the layers aspect is a severe drawback.
2 - UV SLA is perfect for precision and surface aspect.
But cleaning, resin purges and toxic fumes are severe drawbacks.
I don’t talk about the painting of the production, if needed.
But a solution merging the two technologies is totally doable today—all the pieces are on the board.
An hotend for the FDM, and an UV printer end to cover the FDM surface, concealing the print lines, and doing a precise and nice painting final layer.
I first thought the 5D was a must-have to make crystal balls, but after overthinking it, that feature is definitely more hassle than magic.
The plate needs to stay horizontal, and for orbs and others arms holding spell staves or goblin swords, water-soluble supports can fill the gaps.
For now, that’s going to be way out of most people’s league for the first prototypes.
But Bambu will take an option, with this kind of concept, before other models take over the market.
And BambuLab likes game-changer ideas.

2

Yeah i don’t see them mixing FDM and resin in the same machine, way too easy to screw up and it would take up far too much space and you would be swapping out way too many components to make it work in a single chassis, you’re better off just getting a UV printer at this point instead of trying to merge FDM in there at all

3

Absolutely. Though when you read again, he didn’t suggest FDM + Resin but FDM + UV. That might be much more realistic.

However, I don’t understand yet, how that could look in detail. is the idea to just replace the outer walls with UV? I’m not sure that this could work. I have never seen a UV printer in action, but I have the feeling, that it always needs a good surface below to work. So eg overhangs would be impossible.

4

You are right. Classical Resin printers are working in wet mode, when FDM is working in dry mode.

So FDM+SLA is just a nonsense.

But FDM+UV are twice technologies working in dry mode.

Just the heads have to switch for a layer, except at the top, or at the first one, if this layer is visible.

The only obstruction about this idea - if I exclude the price -is about the temperature of FDM vs the UV resin.

But with this mix of techs, no need to have 10 heads for 10 colors.

An unique head can print 10 millions of different colors …

The precision and the details of the resin, the strength of the FDM, painting bonus included!

5

Somewhere, a bambu salaryman is staring at a $450/kg UV ink cartridge and salivating

6

1l of resin = 1m² if the layer is 1mm thick.

As the thickness of a coating is a fraction of mm, that makes 1L of resin = 10 to 100m², so litteraly thousands of objets printed with such print.

So 0.04¢ to 0.1¢ per object.

7

No there are UV printers now that can print overhangs just fine, they have their own support material that is soluble

This one can manage it just fine, no FDM required, all you’re doing by trying to combine the 2 is make it even more complicated than it already is

So in this case you would just use a UV printer instead