Desktop 3D printer manufacturer and Stratasys subsidiary MakerBot released a new Labs extruder, enabling its flagship Method printer to process third-party materials.
With a modified hot end to process various engineering-grade materials, the Makerbot Labs extruder offers customization options for new materials, including interchangeable nozzle assemblies and advanced print settings in the Makerbot Print software.
MakerBot set up the Method Materials Development Program in November 2019 for filament manufactures to qualify their materials for the Labs extruder. The company has since partnered up with BASF 3D Printing Solutions, Lehvoss, Jabil, Polymaker, Kimya, and Mitsubishi Chemical.
Thus far, the program has delivered a handful of materials including Polymaker’s PolyMax PC, a polycarbonate with excellent toughness, strength, and heat resistance, Jabil’s PETG ESD, an electrostatic dissipative product for printing parts that meet sensitive electronics, and Mitsubishi Chemical’s Durabio, a bio-based, BPA free resin.
(Source/Lead image: MakerBot)
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