Full Spectrum Laser announced an impressive new line of personal 3D printers, the Phoenix Touch and Phoenix Touch Pro.
For a company that makes lasers, it’s a bit ironic the new Phoenix line DOES NOT use lasers to photocure its resins. Instead, these machines use common DLP light engines to do the trick. But that’s not a problem, as these machines have terrific printing characteristics.
As a DLP light engine has a fixed pixel resolution, this means the prints are a bit smaller to achieve high resolution. The two machines have build volumes of 96 x 54 x 100mm and 64 x 40 x 100. The Pro version includes higher grade optics and LED lighting, enabling startling precision as shown in the print above.
But that’s not all. These machines have several very unique features, starting with their “SuperVAT” technology, which is the resin vat where the photo-curing occurs. In typical resin machines, the solidified resin sticks a bit to the bottom of the clear tank. To move to the next print layer, the cured resin must be “peeled” off the bottom of the tank. In most resin machines, a little bit of tank material erodes as this happens, making the tank a consumable item.
FSL’s new technology tank uses a plastic which does not adhere to the resin. They say “nothing sticks to it” and that it does not gradually fog up, which could decrease print quality. The tank is no longer a consumable and should last forever. The lack of stickiness also means the prints can be much faster, as the peel process can lift the platform into position for the next layer much faster. They say it’s almost double the speed!
The machines also include a “ball screw” that makes layer movement much smoother and more accurate by significantly reducing wobble. This is a critical feature for prints with such incredibly small details.
Prints require only a quick five minute curing process to be completed.
Finally, all of FSL3D’s resins are castable, except for their flexible resin (sample shown here). This means practically any FSL3D print can be cast in metal or other substances very easily. There’s no need to purchase specialty “castable resin”. Even better, their resins are not particularly expensive, at only USD$100 per liter.
The Phoenix lines are expected to be released to the public in May or June this year, with the Pro priced at USD$3,499. Here’s the interesting thing: the capabilities of this machine are dangerously close to many much higher-priced industrial resin printing options. It may be that you need only spend USD$3,499 on a Phoenix Pro instead of USD$50,000 on a competing product.
Via FSL3D
