We missed it at Formnext however Pawel Ślusarczyk caught Flashforge’s latest and most formidable product but. We’re absolutely conscious – our Polymer AM market report information displays it – that Flashforge is likely one of the largest Chinese language 3D printer producers, each by way of unit gross sales and generated revenues. So if the corporate is launching the CJ270, a full-color materials jetting 3D printer, claiming it is going to be the primary such “desktop” system, everybody must be paying consideration.
Bambu Lab did what many thought was inconceivable, by making 3D printing – even primary shade 3D printing – accessible to most. However materials jetting is one other story. Not a lot for its accessibility (materials jetting methods are usually simpler to make use of than filament-based and even vat-based photopolymerization methods, though particular post-processing is required) however for its prices. Can Flashforge carry the price of utilizing multi-color CMYK resins all the way down to “desktop” stage? Possibly. In all probability. Ultimately.
In line with the signal displayed subsequent to the 3D printer at Formnext, the CJ270 is able to 3D printing as much as 10,000,000 colours, together with white and clear supplies. It’ll allow water-soluble assist supplies and can include a “matching” post-processing station. Helps gained’t should be added manually, making this much more user-friendly.
It took Stratasys a few years to develop and evolve its PolyJet know-how and the corporate definitely nonetheless has a major technological benefit, even when primary polyjet licenses have expired. Just a few years in the past, even when somebody copied the Polyjet course of it will have been nearly inconceivable to provide a aggressive multi-color Polyjet system. Then Mimaki got here alongside and did so at an analogous {hardware} value level, however reducing materials price (HP additionally tried with a distinct know-how and restricted success). Each corporations have since launched extra inexpensive methods (nonetheless above $50,000) however Flashforge guarantees to go multiple step additional. Will they succeed? In all probability, until somebody “objects”.
