By Corrie Bosket December 29, 2023 at 2:17 PM PT

3D printing has proven itself to be a very promising technology. For many years, it has been among the strongest methods for prototyping new designs and providing precise solutions in a wide range of industries. Hobbyists enjoy them for reasons such as making those things they would rather not carve out of wood, and as they have improved, 3D printing has become a front runner for use in end-user part creation. But one of the biggest issues holding back the additive manufacturing industry is the time it takes to produce prints. For FFF printers, it can take hours or even days to produce something no bigger than a water bottle, depending on quality and infill settings.

In terms of technology, delta movement 3D printers have stood top of the line in terms of speed, but they can suffer from undependable print quality and can be very temperamental when it comes to maintenance due to the fragility and complexity of their trigonometric arms used to move the print head. They also tend to hit higher prices for more dependable machines. For such reasons, cartesian printers have been the preferred style of FFF 3D printer for most consumers and professionals alike, especially since the drive belts and motors used to move the print head (and) print bed tend to produce more expectable results and are easier to repair than deltas. Although cartesian printers have been around quite some time, there have not been too many big jumps when it comes to print speeds, and the few printers that offered high-speed printing took a considerable toll on the buyer’s banking account. But what does it take to attain print speeds that can truly rapidly prototype? Some companies are seeking to answer this question.

Raise3D and AnkerMake have been working to create technology that allows their machines to print a great deal faster than the standard cartesian printer. In addition, their technologies come at considerably lower price points than one would expect. To fully understand how much of an impact these new technologies are making, it helps to understand some of the important specifications associated with 3D printing. The most significant specification to note regarding print time is the “print speed,” which defines the print head’s maximum movement speed, usually stated in millimeters per second (mm/s). Another important specification is “print acceleration,” which is generally much higher and defines how fast the print head can reverse its direction, also normally in mm/s. Then comes resolution, which defines how thin each layer can be. A typical cartesian printer’s print speed is around 50 mm/s - 170 mm/s, and acceleration is usually no greater than 400 mm/s. These specs would usually be associated with hobbyist printers and some industrial printers, especially printers that use an XYZ control system. As a complete contrast, there are some printers that can attain print speeds of 500 mm/s or more, but they usually use a delta control system. Also, their price points are very high, easily hitting around $5,000 or more, and they potentially suffer from poor print quality and/or difficult maintenance. It is reasons like this that have brought about a need for something different, and the technology behind Raise3D and AnkerMake may have accomplished such.

Raise3D, a professional and industrial 3D printing company, has been producing industry-grade printers for many years now. In their consumer-accessible line, their printers have features such as dual-extruder architecture, allowing for printing with two different colors or even materials, and their printers are enclosed, alongside HEPA filtration, improving the air quality for operators standing by. They are also known for being rather quick, with general print speeds hitting 100 mm/s. But recently, new upgrade kits have been developed for their Pro3 series printers, as well as an experimental, slightly slower kit for their Pro2 series, They call it “Hyper FFF,” and it is essentially an extruder turbo charger, that when paired with their special filament, can move the print head around at speeds of up to 300 mm/s with acceleration values of 10,000 mm/s. This improvement can turn a 17-hour print into a 4-hour print, and potentially allow printer efficiencies of 300% to 500% that of other printers, all while preserving the model’s quality and keeping unwanted artifacts at bay. Being priced as a $1,000 add-on to an industry-grade cartesian printer, it is an upgrade, not a new printer. This potentially increases ease of access and Raise3D may hold the potential to change this industry indefinitely.

AnkerMake, a division of Anker Innovations, is a recently established 3D printing company. Around Q4 of 2022, they released a large-format, unenclosed, high-speed 3D printer, targeted towards consumers and hobbyists. It featured advanced tech and specs such as the “Ultra Direct Extruder,” which extrudes the filament out much quicker than most other cartesian printers, allowing for high-performance drivetrains to move the build plate and extruder. Combining this with faster filament heating and cooling, among other features, gives this printer a top speed of 250 mm/s and an acceleration speed of 1,500 mm/s, all while maintaining a layer height of 0.1 mm. It also featured advanced features such as an A.I. powered camera that monitors the printing process and stops the print if large deformations or filament messes are detected, which can also be used for the operator to monitor the print remotely.