The Need for Speed: Peopoly’s Magneto X Achieves 1200mm/s Print Speed

Peopoly just announced an unbelievable high speed 3D printer, the Magneto X, which is shockingly different.

The company has been around for quite a while, but has been producing desktop MSLA equipment. The Magneto X is a FFF machine, something we would not have anticipated seeing from the company.

Every new FFF device has to be high speed these days, and the Magneto X most definitely is high speed — and it achieves that speed in a way never seen previously. The product name gives a hint as to what they’re doing.

Peopoly Magneto X Print Speed

Let’s get the big news out of the way first, and that’s the print speeds on the Magneto X. This machine can print at up to 1200mm/s.

Let’s repeat that: twelve hundred millimeters per second. This is 2X faster than the fastest other high speed desktop units that have been recently release.

One clarification: Peopoly explains that the 1200mm/s is achieved when printing 0.1mm layers, and that when standard 0.2mm layers are printed, the speed is “only” 800mm/s. That’s still way faster than the competition.

By the way, when you see a manufacturer stating “up to 500mm/s”, they are actually benchmarking at 0.1mm layers. This means the machines said to be “600mm/s” or similar speeds typically run slower because many prints use 0.2mm layers.

Peopoly Magneto X Motion System

With that out of the way, the next question is, “how do they do it?” Other manufacturers of high speed equipment have used a combination of these features:

• Robust frame
• Linear rail motion system
• Klipper (or similar) firmware with vibration compensation
• Beefed up hot end for higher flow rates

The Magneto X does all that, but the motion system is different: it uses MAGNETIC LEVITATION.

What? Take a look at this image, which shows one of the machine’s axes. Those square shiny bits are actually magnets upon which the toolhead rides. There are corresponding magnets on the moving axis that repel and thus keep the axis levitated constantly. It works like a MagLev train, except a lot smaller.

Basically, the moving X and Y axes float in the air, with no possibility of friction or wear.

This also allows extreme accelerations. Peopoly lists the acceleration of the Magneto X at a ridiculous 22,000mm/s/s. In freedom units, this is equivalent to launching from zero to 72 feet away in a single second. Peopoly lists the accuracy of the motion system at a tiny 0.003mm.

The system even has a safety process where if the swiftly moving axis hits something it immediately stops.

There are no belts to wear out or tighten. There are no wheels to get damaged. There are no bearings in linear rails that will wear out.

Other Magneto X Features

But can the Magneto X keep up with that speed? They’ve developed a specialized extruder, the Lancer, that offers 90N of force to pull filament into the hot end. The hot end is also new, and can handle up to 60 cubic mm of material per second. To put that in perspective, typical 3D printers max out around 20, while high speed devices are around 30. Twice the speed, twice the material flow.

The build volume of the Magneto X is also generous, at 400 x 300 x 300 mm. This will enable the production of large objects — and they shouldn’t take very long to do, given the extremely high print speeds.

The hot end is all-metal and can reach 300C, enabling the use of a variety of engineering materials. The nozzle is of the standard E3D V6 type, so many options are possible, including hardened nozzles for abrasive materials.

It turns out that the machine runs Klipper, and they’ve added a friendly color touchscreen interface for operators.

There’s also a 1080P HD on board camera system for remote monitoring, time lapse recording, and potentially in the future AI optical applications, although that wasn’t mentioned by Peopoly.

Magneto X Pricing and Availability

The company is now accepting pre-orders for the machine, which is set to ship in “mid November”. Initial pricing will be only US$1399, with an eventual MSRP of US$1999.

This is a very notable price. For comparison, the Prusa XL is priced the same and has a similar build volume, but the Magneto X will be far faster when printing.

Peopoly has broken through the 1000mm/s barrier, something I didn’t expect to see until next year. This announcement will be exciting for buyers, but add a lot of worry to competing manufacturers.

Via Peopoly