PICASO 3D, a Russian 3D printer manufacturing company, just announced the release of a printer they say will change the game with it’s uniquely designed print head.
Unlike printers which feature a conventional double extruder head, PICASO says their Designer PRO 250 allows users to switch between materials in a matter of less than a second – 0.25 versus the 5 seconds they say it takes for most printers – and at 40 times faster, they say the speedy changeover can improve print quality as well.
While it looks like the existing version of their flagship printer, the Designer PRO 250 is equipped with a new dual-extruder head they call Jet Switch. The fast change of the material is due to the rapid change of the working nozzles rather than the printed assembly, and they say their approach has the bonus of mainlining the working volume of the printer chamber
The Designer PRO 250 features a build volume of 200 x 200 x 210 mm, and as it allows for combinations of different materials, models with dissolved support and complex geometry that can be built at relatively high speeds.
The developers at PICASO 3D say the new device can print combinations of ABS, soluble in acetone, as well as polystyrene, which is soluble in limonene, or PLA and a water-soluble PVA. The company says they’re also offering an expanded assortment of printing supplies like simulated rubber, elastic, nylon, polycarbonates, ABS copolymers and even PET.
PICASO 3D says updates to their software now allow two materials to be printed simultaneously via firmware they call Polygon 2.0.
A Fused Filament Fabrication [FFF] machine with a print speed of 3 to 30 cm / h and a minimum printing thickness of 50 microns, the extruder heads use 1.75 ± 0.2 mm filament. The machine features USB and micro SD card interfaces and runs the company’s PICASO 3D ™ Polygon 2.0 software.
The Picaso 3D Designer printer retailed for around $2600 at the time of it’s release, but PICASO 3D says that they plan to offer the Designer PRO 250 via pre-order at around $2400 for January deliver.
Let us know what you think about this new version of the Russian PICASO 3D printer and whether or not you’ve seen or used one in the Designer PRO 250 forum thread on 3DPB.com.
