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Best Industrial 3D Printers Buying Guide

Best Industrial 3D Printers: 3D printing has gained much popularity over recent years. It is also known as Additive Manufacturing (AM). It is a process of creating three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file.

Objects can be formed of any shape, size, or geometry by using a digital data model from a 3D model or any other electronic source of data.

Unlike the conventional machining process, a 3D printer manufactures a 3D object with the help of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) or an Additive Manufacturing File (AMF).

But the concept of 3D printing has gone far from our desktop printer designs and models to industrial scale. Industrial 3D printing has created a wave of progression and innovation in the technological industry. Industrial 3D printers can do a huge amount of work for you and in a more efficient way than your Desktop 3D printers.

any companies like Stratasys and 3D Systems are using industrial 3D printing processes and creating a revolution in the manufacturing industry.

From fast commercial quality prototyping to model making and extraordinary end products, industrial-based 3D printing has left behind most of the conventional industrial model-making processes.

But how to find out which is the best industrial 3D printer that caters to your needs? These machines are high-performance and come in numerous shapes and sizes.

Choosing one for your business mainly depends on your business requirements and budget. Here is a list of the elements you should look for while buying a commercial 3D printer.

 

1. Cost

Cost is the main component when buying an industrial 3D printer. You can buy as expensive one as you like, it entirely depends on how much you are willing to spend.

Industrial 3D printers cost somewhere from $5,000 to $500,000, which gives you an extensive range to consider completely depending on your budget.

The features like printing materials, specifications, size, etc. your printer is going to offer depend on its quality, and quality depends upon the price of the printer.

2. Type of printer

Your printing needs can define what type of printer you require and it can affect your cost as well.

Do you need a printer for making prototypes or do you need a printer that can do a full production. A printer that just creates prototypes costs much less than the one used for specialized product making.

There are also programmed 3D printers that can perform both prototyping functions and manufacture. But they are advanced in technology and will cost you more than any other 3D industrial printer.

3. Type of material

A variety of materials are available for printing such as flexible materials, thermoplastics, resin, nylon, wood, stainless steel, and support materials, etc. Choosing a printer also depends on what type of material your end product will be made of.

The most common 3D printing material used on a commercial basis is thermoplastics. They are durable, can be easily reused, and generate less waste thus, proving to be a cost-effective option.

4. Precision

Buy a 3D printer that can offer you dimensional accuracy and repeatability well-suited to your requirements. High-precision 3D printers are specially designed to produce unique and detailed parts with accuracy and speed.

5. Reliability

A good industrial printer should be robust in design and work efficiently 24 hours a day. As your business and sales are depending upon the products your company makes, you cannot opt for a less consistent or faulty manufactured printer.

6. Printer specifications

Industrial 3D printers have a lot of intricate specifications but here are some of the basic ones that you need to consider regarding your business requirements.

Speed: Some industrial 3D printers can print at a rate of 100 millimeters per second while some high-end printers can print up to 250 millimeters per second or even more. If your business is not on a very large scale then some printers offer speed and are not over-priced as well.

Other factors that affect the speed of a printer consist of the number of printing nozzles, printing resolution, product design, and details.

Resolutions: 3D printers also allow you to select the resolution you want. Lower resolution means denser and heavier layers, whereas higher resolution means lighter and less visible layers. It is important to check the minimum and maximum resolutions to see which one is suitable for your business.

Printing area: Printers that have larger build and printing area will cost more. Check before buying how much area your end-products will require and purchase a printer according to that.

7. Printer design and display

Printer design depends on where your printer will be stored. Even though industrial printers are designed to be robust and durable, not all industrial printers are built with the same design.

Some are stylish, and suitable to be placed in an office while others have less delicate features and can be stored in a garage or a warehouse. So before buying a printer consider your storage facility and space.

Manufacturing 3D printers have different display options, some being easy while some being difficult to use. But once you get the hang of it you can work with every kind of display.

Most commonly displays include a touch screen, buttons, and colored LEDs. Some printers also have larger LCDs that can visually track the printing progress.

8. Software installation and printer connectivity

3D printers work after connecting to a computer and installation of software that tells them what to build. Although 3D printers come with their software but most of them are only compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems. Verify that your operating system and its version are not incompatible with your printer.

If many people are working on the same project through different computers, then a printer that offers Wi-Fi connectivity is more convenient.

In light of above-mentioned elements, here are some of the best industrial 3D printers that you can buy.

9. Best Industrial 3D Printers

MakerBot Replicator Z18 3D Printer

This amazing 3D printer fits any kind of work environment by offering USB, Ethernet, and Wireless connectivity to its users. It is a highly designed professional 3D printer with a built-in camera and manufactures large products with great accuracy.

It prints its prototypes in 28 different colors. However, it requires some experience using a 3D printer and takes some time before you become a pro at using it.

Fusion3 F306 Commercial Grade 3D Printer

This Fusion3 F306 allows you to print at different resolutions and with multiple colors and densities at the same time. Products manufactured through this printer excel in minute details, creativity, and functionality. It has a robust design that offers the maximum possible accuracy, perfect for high-end products.

Laser Concept X LINE

The X LINE 2000R is a German-made 3D printer and the world’s largest metal laser melting machine for the production of large-scale functional parts and technical models with repeatable material properties. It uses metals like Aluminum, Titanium, Nickel-based alloys etc. It offers high-performance production with 2 x 1,000-watt lasers for the safe dispensation of volatile metals.

Dimension 1200es

This industrial 3D printer excels in plastic printing by using a technique known as Fused Deposition Modeling or FDM. You can print professional-level products in nine different colors. These printers are extremely easy to operate and do not require any kind of expertise in 3D printing. These printers create models that help you check form and function.

They can check and correct any kind of errors before your product goes into production. These are highly multipurpose and manufacture functional models, molds, patterns, personalized tools, and fixtures.

ExOne S-Print

The S-Print does not create end-products, instead, it creates casts for other materials including several metals like steel and iron. This 3D Printer is used to create superior castings, molds, and parts which are further used to create high-quality products and prototypes.

Although it offers great accuracy and precision but changes in design can be made immediately permitting flexible production. Its fast build speed allows you to quickly and efficiently print quality casting and models.

Stratasys J750

J750 creates full-colored and highly textured models that look and feel exceptional, making your end-products the perfect models that you always desired. It allows you to mix six materials at once, including any blend of rigid, flexible, translucent, or impervious materials and their compounds.

It has a double number of print nozzles which allow you to create ultra-smooth surfaces and fine details with high precision. The end products are even and do not require any additional modeling or casting.

Fortus 250mc

An industrial 3D printer perfect for your business needs allows you to customize the resolution, speed, time, and quality of each print. Apart from the nine colors provided in Fortus, you can also choose the custom colors of ABSplus.

You can print objects up to 10 x 10 x 12 inches in size, which is larger than the average size. It is very easy to use and its end-products are strong and durable.

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