The UltiMaker booth at Rapid + TCT will no doubt be decked out with the company’s many machines and materials, from the perennial favorite S5 to the Method XL to the new carbon-fiber-reinforced polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) filament. But the star of the show will be the new Factor 4.

Years in the making and a new path for UltiMaker, challenging the likes of Stratasys and Markforged for “light-industrial” tool production, short-run spare parts, and end-use components, the new Factor 4 wants to be at home on the shop floor.

Rather than beef up its S7, which is just one year old, UltiMaker created something new that still looks very UltiMaker. Factor 4 has a sturdy steel and aluminum chassis, an actively heat-controlled chamber up to 70ºC,  triple-insulated build volume, a direct-drive extruder with a bigger motor, and a nozzle temperature that can reach 340ºC to enable materials, such as PPS-CF, PEKK, and Ultrafuse metal filaments.

Factor 4 has a 50% increase in productivity compared to the S series, lead product engineer Andrea Gasperini explained it to All3DP, without going into specifics on print speed other than to say: “We are faster that Bambu and Raise3D when it comes to dual material printing.”

Also contributing to the predictability of the Factor 4 is new software designed to track and trace the full printing process. There’s a new suite of sensors that monitor real-time print data and material performance delivering reports after every print job to provide a level of part validation and quality control.

UltiMaker expects it will be breaking ground with the Factor 4, appealing to companies that are interested in additive manufacturing, but don’t know how to implement it in their facility.

At Rapid + TCT, UltiMaker will also be showing off its new materials including new composite materials. The new PPS CF is a carbon fiber reinforced polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) filament for engineers that want to replace metal and PEEK with a more soft-effective option. PPS CF is designed to withstand harsh environments, offering high chemical resistance, heat resistance, and dimensional stability. This material, applied to your industrial prototypes or functional end-use parts, is designed to maintain its properties over time.