6 New 3-D Printers With Game-Changing Capabilities

A new level of capabilities is coming to the 3-D printer industry, thanks to a fresh batch of products that includes a system that can create high-quality wood parts with ‘intricate, complex’ designs from sawdust and another that can create tiny modules with ‘impossible’ geometries.

Need a metal part printed in vast quantities? What about printing high-quality wood parts with “intricate, complex designs” from sawdust? Or perhaps you’re angling for a printer that can make tiny modules with “impossible” geometries?

In 2023, the 3-D printer industry is filled with a diversity of products and capabilities, going well beyond the hands of consumers into a variety of industries for commercial applications, whether that’s creating parts for automotive manufacturing or dentures in dentist offices.

The latest 3-D printers hitting the market are offering a new level of capabilities not before seen when it comes to production speed, material type and feature size, among other things.

As part of CRN’s 2023 Printer Week, we present a roundup of six new 3-D printers with game-changing capabilities from HP Inc., Desktop Metal, Stratasys, 3D Systems, B9Creations and Formlabs.

HP Metal Jet S100

The HP Metal Jet S100 is a new 3-D metal printer from HP Inc. that is built for mass manufacturing metal parts.

HP said the Metal Jet S100 provides an “unprecedented level of technical and business advantages for customers” by offering industrial production capabilities, an integrated workflow as well as subscription and service offerings.

The 3-D metal printer benefits from HP’s Thermal InkJet printhead, which the company said “dramatically improves the printing speed, part quality and repeatability.”

The other key advantages of the Metal Jet S100 include the ability to make innovative new designs, improved customer economics and higher part resolution.

Shop System Forust Edition

The Shop System Forust Edition is a new binder jet 3-D printing system from Desktop Metal that produces high-quality wood parts from upcycled sawdust.

Designed for architects, designers and manufacturers, the 3-D wood printer can produce “luxurious custom wood pieces that combine design and functionality for home decor and lighting, consumer products, architectural design and automotive applications,” according to Desktop Metal.

Desktop Metal said this is made possible by the system’s ability to produce “high-resolution” wood parts with “realistic grain patterns,” which enables “intricate, complex designs previously unobtainable with traditional subtractive wood processing methods.”

F370CR

The F370CR is a new composite 3-D printer from Stratasys that can produce end-use parts “faster and more cost-effectively,” according to the manufacturer.

The 3-D printer is part of Stratasys’ F123 Series, and it’s meant to supply traditional fabrication technologies for things like jigs, fixtures and workholding tools.

Stratsys said the F370CR offers “more material availability, a larger build volume, soluble support options and a lower cost-per-build volume due to the large oven size.”

The system also automatically changes over materials, eliminating the need to stop a build to replace materials.

NextDent LCD1

The NextDent LCD1 is a new compact 3-D printer from 3D Systems that is designed for a wide range of dental applications, including dentures and crowns.

3D Systems said the NextDent LCD1’s “compacted footprint” combined with a “simple touch screen” makes it a great fit for small offices where production demands aren’t high.

By using LCD technology and an auto-calibration feature, the 3-D printer can create parts “with a smooth surface finish” three times faster than stereolithography printers, according to 3D Systems.

B9 Elite Micro

The B9 Elite Micro is a new ultraprecision 3-D printer from B9Creations that can create tiny parts for industrial and medical applications at “one-fourth the cost of high-end, advanced micro 3-D printers,” according to the company.

B9Creations said the 3-D printer can create “geometries that would be impossible to create any other way” thanks to micro holes and thin wall thickness that pushes the “boundaries of feature size capabilities.”

The B9 Elite Micro also offers “ultra-high accuracy, precision and repeatability,” enabling it to “deliver the most challenging micro parts at production quality,” the company said.

Fuse 1+ 30W

The Fuse 1+ 30W is what Formlabs calls “its most powerful industrial selective laser sintering 3-D printer to date.”

A successor to the Fuse 1 SLS 3-D printer, the Fuse1+ 30W incorporates upgraded components, including a significantly more powerful laser, to create higher-quality parts faster.

Formlabs said the new laser, along with a rapid scanning speed of up to 12.5 meters per second, allows the new 3-D printer to deliver “industry-leading print speeds.”

The Fuse1+ 30W offers an “efficient end-to-end workflow,” with every step of the printing process maximized for efficiency by Formlabs’ hardware and software, according to the company.