Lumi Industries is at it Again with the New Professional Quality LumiForge DLP 3D Printer

At only a little over two years old, Italian startup Lumi Industries doesn’t seem to be interested in taking a breather, even when they manage to find some pretty amazing success in only a short period of time. After managing three successful crowdfunding campaigns to produce their slick light-cured resin 3D printers they’re back with a fourth. It was just in October that they fully funded the Kickstarter campaign for LumiPocket LT, a small-scale SCARA-based, light-curing 3D printer that will also work as a fully-functional laser engraver and PCB etching machine. As they finish off the final development of the LumiPocket LT, Lumi Industries is already planning on taking the next step with a new printer, and it is the culmination of everything that they’ve produced before.

While the LumiPocket LT was aimed squarely at the hobbyist and maker market, there were also a lot of requests for a larger capacity, more professional-grade version of their other 3D printer, the LumiPocket Pro. The semi-professional DLP 3D printer LumiPocket Pro is a desktop printer that manages to pack a lot into its diminutive frame. It offers a surprisingly high resolution up to 37 micrometers on the X and Y axes and 50 micrometers on the Z axis, with a printing area of 10 cm in diameter and 10 cm in height. It was developed to be attractive to industries like dentistry and jewelry, but it was inexpensive enough to be ideal for more advanced hobbyists who could use it to make anything from miniatures to model parts to game pieces.

Lumi Industries’ new, industrial-quality resin based DLP 3D printer is called the LumiForge and it has been created specifically for design and manufacturing professionals. Like the LumiPocket, the LumiForge has a top to bottom projection system, but it has an added multi-purpose enclosure that acts as a screen against any external light that may interfere with the printing as well as containing any excess resin odors. The enclosure also has a built-in ventilation system near the projector to keep it cool, which will extend its lifetime.

To reduce the cost of the LumiPocket, the original design required a lot of its functions and processes to be manually operated. But in order to be a fully-functional 3D printer in an industrial setting, the LumiForge was designed to be almost entirely automated. The movements of the resin cartridge, the light projector, the printing envelope and even the curing time are all automatic in the LumiForge. The user won’t really have to be involve themselves in the printing process much beyond pressing the start button and removing the final print.

The LumiForge provides even better printing resolution, reaching up to 37 micrometers on the X, Y and Z axes. And while it has the same printing area of 10 cm in diameter by 10 cm in height, it comes with an optional accessory XL Kit that pushes the diameter out to 15 cm. It has a respectable printing speed of about 18mm/hour at 75 micrometers depending on the resin material being used. The LumiForge supports STL files and connects to computers via either VGA or USB. It runs using Lumi Industries’ custom 3D printing software, Lumi Creator, which has been upgraded with new functionality, improved setup and printing options specifically for the LumiForge.

The 10 cm by 10 cm model LumiForge DLP 3D printer is now available for early pre order and can be purchased for $2192 plus VAT. Currently there is no pricing available for the accessory XL Kit. Lumi Industries expects to start shipping pre orders in mid to late May 2016. You can learn more about the LumiForge and all of Lumi Industries’ light-cured resin 3D printers over on their website. Discuss in the LumiForge DLP 3D Printer forum over at 3DPB.com.