Objet Geometries' compact 3D printer makes rounds in Japan

3D printing plays a huge role in designing and engineering applications such as overmoulding, soft touch Coating, labeling and texturing. These applications help engineering and designers to remove defects as well as help in fine tuning the products before they finally go into large scale production. Until now, 3D printing capabilities were only being offered by large-size high end printers. However, the recent launch of “Objet260 Connex” has ushered in the era of compact 3D printing.

Objet Geometries Compact 3D Printer

Israel based Object Geometrics Ltd recently launched their compact 3D printer, “Objet260 Connex” in Japan. The printer stands pretty short at 1.2m only and will easily fit into any average office with complete body dimensions of only 870 x 735 x 1200mm. The printer claims to very accurate and boasts of using “Digital Material” technology for 3D printing that can express characteristics of different materials by mixing two or more materials.

With a tray size of 260X260X200mm and laminate capacity of 16μm and it can deal with up to 14 different types of material for three dimensional printing. Some of the materials are

1) Objet RGD5160-DM, which has a texture similar to ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)

2) "Vero," which has a hard and white texture

3) "VeroClear," which is transparent

4) "Tango," which has a texture similar to rubber

The printer uses a combination of these materials in various ratios to achieve different types of textures. By mixing two or more materials in a varying blends, up to 50 types of Digital Material can be realized for 3D printing. This gives the printer the ability to reproduce very different kind of textures at one go. For example, it is possible to have a model that has parts which are hard like ABS, transparent and rubbery soft at the same time.

Gilad Yron, Managing Director of Objet Geometries for Asia Pacific claims in his statement "Its small size and high shaping accuracy meet the needs of Japanese engineers,". Thus, the Objet260 Connex is ready to face the challenges of 3D printing. Objet Geometries Ltd. was founded in 1998 and is the innovation leader in 3D printing technologies. It owns several patents in the field of 3D printing and serves a worldwide customer base through its own offices as well as distribution partners spread all over.

Altech Co Ltd and Fasotec Co Ltd are the Japanese agencies which handle sales of Objet260 Connex in Japan. It is available for a price of ¥20-30 million (approximately $248,447-$372,671).

Via Techon