TCT Show 2017: FELIXprinters Showcases a New 3D Printer While Materialise Offers 3D Printing Advice and More

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As the TCT Show approaches, we’re looking forward to getting an in-person look at quite a few new 3D printers, as there are plenty of brand new machines being introduced to the public next week. We’ve already learned about a few of them, and news about others keeps on coming as manufacturers prepare for next week’s show. Last year at the TCT Show, FELIXprinters introduced its FELIX Pro 2 desktop 3D printer, and this year the company is ready to unveil another new machine: the FELIX Tec 4.

The FELIX Tec 4 is the successor to the FELIX 3, a desktop 3D printer that’s available in either pre-assembled or kit form. The FELIX 3 was designed to be upgradeable, in fact, so owners of FELIX 3 printers can upgrade to a Tec 4 with a special upgrade kit (they can either install it themselves or have a FELIXprinters technician do it for them). Like its predecessor, the FELIX Tec 4 is available as a kit or a ready-to-use machine. It’s available with one or two extruders and features several improvements to make it more reliable and easier to use.

“We wanted to release a product which contains features that truly have value for our existing but also our future customers,” said Guillaume Feliksdal, Head of Engineering at FELIXprinters. “We have learned a lot during the time we have spent on talking about possible features and technologies and I think we have developed a 3D printer with great potential.”

The FELIX Tec 4 now features semi-automatic calibration. A high sensitivity sensor can detect an unbalanced build plate, allowing the printer to adjust itself for a perfect first layer. There’s also a removable, flexible build plate – just take it off the printer and bend it, and the finished print will pop right off. Additional features include metal hot ends, LED lights, and improved cooling and wiring. Overall, according to FELIXprinters, a priority in the redesign was ease of use.

“We noticed our customers are very satisfied once they fully understood how to work with the previous Tec Series,” said FELIXprinters CEO Wilgo Feliksdal. “But we also noticed new customers sometimes struggled with how to operate our machines. Our aim with the Tec 4 is to provide our new customers with the same smooth and efficient 3D printing experience as our already existing customers experienced with their machines. I am very pleased to tell that first feedback we have received on the test machines was very positive.”

FELIXprinters will be showcasing the FELIX Tec 4 at Stand J26 at the TCT Show, along with a selection of objects made on the printer.

Meanwhile, over at Stand F16, Materialise will be offering its first 3DP AdviceHub. Companies looking to use 3D printing in a specific segment or application can stop by and ask questions of Materialise’s experts, who will provide advice on prototyping, software, tooling, parts manufacture, or any other aspect of the 3D printing process.

“The state of the art in Additive Manufacturing is moving fast,” said Philip Hudson, Managing Director at Materialise UK. “We are in the privileged position to have been involved – in equal measure – in cutting edge projects and day-to-day challenges around 3D printing for almost 30 years. We cherish both and see ourselves as a catalyst that helps our customers unlock the full power of AM. At the same time, we are keenly aware that companies out there are at hugely different stages of their individual journeys. We want to lift each and every one to the next level and enable their great and small AM break-throughs. That’s why we want to talk to as many people as possible. No problem is too small, no question stupid – we’re here to help and keen to hear it all.”

If you’d like to book a time slot to talk to someone with the 3DP AdviceHub, you can do so here. Materialise has plenty more to offer at the TCT Show, too. On September 27th, from 2:50 to 3:10, Dr. Christian Rossman, Technical Lead for Structural Analysis at Materialise, will give a talk on simulation in additive manufacturing. Attendees can also see live demos of Materialise Inspector, a process and quality control tool, and get a look at Materialise e-Stage 7.0, which offers an SLA support type that decreases build time and resin consumption by up to 50%.

Visitors will also be able to get an in-person look at Yuniku, the vision-centric eyewear solution introduced last year and 3D printed by Materialise. Finally, as Materialise is a foundational partner for HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology, visitors to the booth will be able to see some parts 3D printed with the technology and ask any questions they may have.

The TCT Show will be taking place in Birmingham, UK from September 26 to 28.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com, or share your thoughts below.

 

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