Don’t Call It a 3D Printer: Airwolf 3D Debuts Industrial EVO Additive Manufacturing Center at CES 2018

Headquartered in California, Airwolf 3D is well-known for its innovative 3D printers, products, and projects, and just released its groundbreaking fifth generation machine, the EVO Additive Manufacturing Center (AMC), this week.

According to the company, the new industrial-grade desktop machine is the strongest, fastest, and highest-performing 3D printing system in its entire class. Airwolf 3D also says that the EVO, a full-fledged Additive Manufacturing Center, is so advanced in terms of its features and functionalities that they can’t even call it a 3D printer.

“The EVO is completely new and it’s unlike anything out there. We took the technology that we perfected with our prosumer line of 3D printers and leveraged it to develop a machine that’s light years beyond anything else on the market,” said Erick Wolf, the CEO and Co-Founder of Airwolf 3D. “The EVO is faster, stronger, and more accurate than any desktop 3D printer — it delivers a premium 3D manufacturing experience at less than half the cost of machines that offer equivalent performance. Plus, it’s packed with new technology that dramatically changes the way we manufacture, including the ability to work in metals. The EVO far surpasses the capabilities of a traditional desktop 3D printer. It’s a true desktop Additive Manufacturing Center.”

The rugged EVO, with a 100% aluminum frame and one-piece steel build plate, is packed with the company’s signature features, including large build size, high-temperature multi-material capabilities, auto-leveling, and compatibility with its water-soluble Hydrofill support material, but also comes with some brand new features and functionalities as well, which Airwolf 3D refers to as “industry-first.”

The most important is PartSave, which the company has nicknamed “Zombie Mode” and fixes a major 3D printing problem – losing a print job when the power fails. PartSave will resume the print once the power is back, because it remembers where the part was printing before the power went out.

Additionally, the EVO also has a built-in solution, called FailSafe, that will save your print job if you run into a filament jam, or run out of filament altogether. You just need to place the print head at the height you left off at, and the FailSafe function will restore your print and finish the job.

The EVO was designed specifically for the user from the ground up, and Airwolf 3D made sure to grant the wishes of educators and professionals when developing the EVO, which is meant to set a higher standard in terms of “healthy 3D printers.”

A new air purifying system includes oversized HEPA and Carbon filters, which actively contain both UFP and VOC emissions, and a full-color, 7″ MATRIX Touchscreen display makes the EVO easy to control. It’s easier, and faster, to manufacture larger parts in over 40 materials, including soluble support and metals, thanks to the EVO’s dual high-flow AX2 hot end and Tri-Heat Enclosed Build environment. The Spotlight Manufacturing Vision System with ultra-bright, but dimmable, focused LEDs, lets you observe the part manufacturing process.

All of these top features are powered by the EVO’s redesigned microcontroller – the GENESIS Board, engineered specifically for 3D manufacturing. The proprietary, automotive-grade 32-bit redundant embedded controller, which Airwolf 3D says is the only one in the industry, offers greater control, increased precision, and twice the speed of the more common RAMBo board.

The GENESIS microcontroller combines maintenance-free, CNC-style linear precision guides with a high-flow dual hot end, an oversized stepper motor with integrated stepper lead screw, and a high-torque cartridge-style planetary extrusion system to make the EVO the highest-performing, fastest AMC in its class.

Additional technical specifications for the EVO include:

• 115 lbs
• Automatic circuit breaker
• 12″ x 12″ x 11″ build volume
• Oversized 1,000 watt power supply
• Three-bolt reinforced extrusion system
• Minimum layer height of 40 microns

The EVO was built for performance, and the AMC, with 40″ x 30″ x 29″ dimensions, is capable of 3D printing parts up to a 50 lb weight limit, which is ideal for prototyping and manufacturing for aerospace, automotive, medical, and mission critical applications.

With a targeted ship date of next month, the EVO is available for $6,995 from Airwolf 3D and its authorized resellers. Airwolf 3D is debuting the EVO at CES 2018 this week, so you can see it for yourself at booth #8908 in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Don’t forget, 3DPrint.com will also be at CES this week, bringing you all of the latest product and technology news right from the showroom floor.

What do you think of the industrial EVO? Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below. 

[Source/Images: Airwolf 3D]