Prismlab Speeds Up 3D Printing

The first time you watch something being 3D printed you experience a sense of amazement at where technology has taken manufacturing. It doesn’t take very long for that amazement to wear off, however, when the print takes another two hours to finish. Speed is an area under constant development for additive manufacturing (AM).

Speed is of keen interest to Chinese AM companies looking to either catch up with, or surpass, their Western counterparts in the AM business. Prismlab may well have achieved that goal with the development of multiple new AM systems. Each system is based on stereolithography (SLA) technology, but, according to the company, operates up to 10x faster.

The Rapid series of AM systems represents Prismlab’s first attempts at producing marketable 3D printers. If the final products look anything like the artist renders, the Rapid systems will be sleek and thin, looking rather like a giant iPhone. Below you’ll find listed technical specs for the smallest (Rapid 200) and largest (Rapid 600) Prismlab’s systems.

	Rapid 200	Rapid 600
Build Volume	4.25 x 7.56 x 7.56 in.	12.76 x 22.68 x 22.68 in.
XY Resolution	50/33 micron (adjustable)	100/75 micron (adjustable)
Z Resolution	50/100 micron (adjustable)	100/50 micron (adjustable)
Build speed	300G/H	1500G/H

Assuming those specs are completely on the up-and-up, the Rapid systems would provide a marked improvement in speed over existing 3D printers. If rumor is anything to go by, however, it seems as though Prismlab may actually be reporting conservative build speed numbers.

Other companies are also trying to speed up 3D printing, and most of the successes thus far seem to be coming from outside the US. If other countries continue to put more stock into innovation than US companies, who often seem to sink more into advertising or legal action, will Asia be the future of AM?

Below you’ll find a video demonstrating Prismlab’s systems.

Source: Prismlab