Today, Italian 3D printer manufacturer Roboze launched the Argo 1000, a high-temperature material extrusion printer with a heated chamber that the company says can produce parts of “up to one cubic meter.” By making a printer with a build volume of 1m x 1m x 1m, Roboze is really shaking up the high-temperature 3D printing space.
The company hopes to target the automotive, aerospace, medical, and energy markets through producing PEEK and ULTEM parts. 3D printing PEEK parts of ten centimeters or more has traditionally been very difficult, so this could be a sea change if it could make PEEK components approaching a meter in size. At the very least, a printer that could make very many smaller parts in one print job would be quite impactful. The Argo 1000 should be available in 2022.
Roboze CEO Alessio Lorusso said of the development,
“After years of specializing in super polymers and high-temperature composites and paving the future of industrial 3D printing, we are excited to introduce our flagship Production Series solution, ARGO 1000. Since we announced the opening of our new headquarters in North America earlier this year, we have grown our global customer base and invested in R&D to fulfill customer demand for a much larger 3D heated chamber super polymer printer.
“We have gone far beyond prototypes and are now building custom components for miniature satellites, gears for military-grade vessels, and parts for companies developing the nation’s sustainable infrastructure. Our technologies ensure precise process control is maintained through the automation of every setting and calibration phase, resulting in continuous accuracy, repeatability, and the certification of every single part produced.”
Below you can listen to Alessio as he outlines his vision for the firm in an episode of the 3DPOD.
3DPOD Episode 39: Roboze Founder Alessio Lorusso and High-Temperature 3D Printing
The company claims high in-process accuracy and repeatability. The printer has on-board monitoring and diagnostics tools, as well as predictive maintenance. It says that the on board Print Log System can be used to produce certified parts through the logging of all relevant parameters. The printer will launch with ten qualified materials, including Carbon PEEK, PEEK and ULTEM. The system is dual nozzle and the company will offer breakaway and soluble supports. The system loads eight kilos of material at once and can automatically switch out materials. An on-board pre-heating and drying system will go far to making the system more repeatable, as well.
This is a very ambitious printer and will really shake up the market once it is available. So far, we’ve had medium format 3D printers such as BigRep, Titan Robotics and Juggerbot, and high-temperature systems such as AON3D and miniFactory. This system bridges both markets.
It will be extremely difficult and expensive to make such a machine. The amount of temperature and airflow control they will need to counter heat bleed will be enormous. The amount of heating that they will need and the cost of the temperature resistant materials will also make this quite an extensive system. But, if they make it happen, they could really see a market in ULTEM tooling for aerospace, aerospace parts, including items such as galley, divider, and motorsport parts. The defense establishment would be very interested in this, as well. Parts for drones, wing parts and add on parts for aerospace would be possible with this as well.
If the Argo 1000 would work well and give people the reliability and repeatability that the company seeks then this could really be a threat to Stratasys. With more flexibility on materials this could be a real alternative to some high-end Fortus installs if it works well. It also makes Roboze the perceived frontrunner in the high-temperature market. The investment to do something comparable will be immense so it make shake out some financially weaker players. This is a bold move by Roboze and if they can pull this off it will be an amazing addition to many high end engineering company’s arsenals.