Zortrax announced a new suite for resin 3D printing, focused on the new Inkspire 2.
Zortrax, based in Poland, has been producing well-regarded 3D printers for many years. Initially providing filament-based equipment, the company moved into resin 3D printing a few years ago with the Inkspire device.
Now, that system has been upgraded to the Inkspire 2.
What’s changed? Quite a bit, it turns out.
First, there’s the build volume. The original Inkspire’s build volume was a healthy 132 x 74 x 175 mm, but the new Inkspire 2 has increased this to a whopping 192 x 120 x 280 mm. This makes the Inkspire 2 have one of the largest build volumes for desktop resin 3D printers.
Zortrax has also increased the power of the system’s LCD light engine significantly. They say it is “7X” more powerful. This is accomplished through the use of new LEDs generating UV light, as well as a monochrome LCD panel that allows more light to pass through on every pixel. This extra power means the device should print faster, and apparently allows compatibility with more resins.
The Inkspire 2 includes a number of useful convenience features that I’d like to see on more resin 3D printers, including:
- Integrated HEPA air filtration system
- Soft-closing tilting UV cover
- Pump system to automatically add resin to the vat
- Quick release lever for the build plate
- Resin wiper to slosh resin around and maintain mixing
- Easy-to-clean resin vat
One very intriguing feature is power-loss protection. This feature is typically found on many FFF 3D printers, and ensures that a print can be resumed should the power be lost.
Now that same functionality is found on a resin 3D printer, the Inkspire 2. Zortrax explains:
“Zortrax Inkspire 2 has the same, tried and true, blackout response system that works in Zortrax M Series Plus 3D printers. At all times, the machines store enough energy to save the printing progress whenever a power outage occurs. Once the power is back on, 3D printing can be resumed from the same spot. No more failed prints, no more time lost, no more resin wasted.”
I actually believe this power recovery process could work better on resin 3D printers than it does on FFF 3D printers, simply because each layer of the resin print is done all at once. That means a recovery would always begin at the precise whole layer required, and minimize risk of failure.
While this seems to be a unique feature, I’m now wondering why other 3D printer manufacturers that produce both resin and FFF devices don’t also offer this feature on resin equipment. Perhaps after Zortrax’s lead, they will.
The 3D printer is one thing, but I did call this a “system”. In fact, Zortrax announced not only the printer, but also materials and post processing gear.
The post processing equipment is comprised of the new Zortrax Cleaning Station, which removes excess liquid resin from the print, and the Zortrax Curing Station, which exposes the print to additional UV light to finalize the cure.
Finally, Zortax has worked with several resin manufacturers, including BASF Forward AM and Henkel / Loctite to certify prints. They explain:
“Through a detailed double-validation process, they guarantee that the prints, manufactured and post-processed with new Zortrax machines, meet all the declared properties.”
Zortrax Resin Technology Leader Artur Chendoszko said:
“What we aimed at, while working on the Inkspire 2, was creating an innovative resin 3D printer advanced enough to serve the most durable resins on the market. Similarly crucial for us was also delivering the highest quality across the entire platform and making the process as automated and clean as possible. We’ve reached this goal through a series of high-end features introduced in the Inkspire 2. It is now able to serve resins originally dedicated to other technologies, like DLP, and 3D print the most demanding engineering resins by leading worldwide resin manufacturers, like Henkel/Loctite and BASF Forward AM. The Inkspire 2 also stands out with its high automation and uniform quality of prints at every point of the build platform.”
The new Inkspire 2 looks to be quite an interesting system.
Via Zortrax
