Apr 23 2014
High-performance 3D printer manufacturer Airwolf 3D is now shipping the first affordable jam-resistant hot end for 3D printers that effortlessly prints engineering-grade materials like polycarbonate, Bridge nylon, and Nylon 645 while still retaining the ability to print in lower temp materials like PLA and ABS.
Engineering-grade materials generally require higher sustained temperatures than most hot ends can deliver. Polycarbonate, for example, requires extrusion temperatures of 300+ degrees Celsius (572 degrees Fahrenheit) to print correctly. Until now, such temperatures were only available on expensive industrial 3D printers or all metal hot ends requiring constant cooling.
Airwolf 3D’s patent-pending JRx hot section uses Teflon® to smoothly feed materials through the hot end. Since Teflon is sensitive to higher temperatures, Airwolf 3D engineers designed a proprietary thermal barrier between the Teflon and the heater. As a result, users can easily print polycarbonate and nylon to build exponentially stronger prototypes and production-ready parts for automobiles, aerospace and other industries requiring engineering-grade materials.
“Printing polycarbonate is the holy grail for prosumer 3D printers,” stated Erick Wolf, president and founder of Airwolf 3D. “Personally, however, I think printing nylon is going to explode because it is incredibly strong and has almost unlimited applications. You can even dye different layers to get multi-colored products."
“Bridge nylon, for example, has been reformulated to meet the growing demand for the material. At 270 degrees Celsius (518 degrees Fahrenheit) we find the layer-to-layer adhesion is superb and the prints stick uniformly to our heated bed. When dealing with nylon at lower temperatures there tends to be trial and error to achieve ideal layer strength. That won’t happen with our new JRx hot end.”
The JRx hot end can be ordered as an option or a retrofit on Airwolf 3D’s current line of AW3D HD and AW3D XL and 5.5 3D printers.
MSRP for the AW3D XL and 5.5-compatible JRx hot end is $195. MSRP for the AW3D HD-compatible JRx hot end is $295, which includes a wiring harness, polycarbonate housing and a 30mm fan for continuous PLA printing. Both are now available.
Source: http://www.airwolf3d.com