The company fabmaker has set itself the goal of introducing people to the technology of 3D printing.
Pupils at primary and secondary schools, trainees in companies and students at universities and technical colleges should learn what is possible with this technology. The aim was therefore to develop a 3D printer with two print heads that is easy to use and safe, works reliably and delivers professional results thanks to its technical specification and software.
One of the main criteria was the precise, vibration-free positioning of the two print heads, through whose nozzles the filaments, heated to 250 °C, flow to create the desired contours using the fused layer process. Although the claim was "not as precise as possible, but as precise as necessary", the positioning accuracy of the nozzles achieved shows what this means: 0.0125 millimetres.
Of course, this requires a high-precision linear guide on which the print heads are moved in the x, y and z directions. However, this guide not only had to be precise, but also lubricant-free and as maintenance-free as possible. Lubricant-free was a must. It would be disastrous if lubricants such as oil or grease were to escape at temperatures above two hundred degrees and contaminate the object to be printed or the working area. The need for maintenance-free operation resulted from the requirement to create an educational printer that would always be available as a teaching aid and would function reliably for many years. In addition, the people who are to be introduced to 3D printing technology have very different technical backgrounds. The printer must therefore be able to forgive operating errors. Last but not least, the price for such a linear guide should remain "within reason".
