Norwegian University of Science and Technology researchers have developed a low-cost, open-source desktop 3D printing upgrade that could provide users with an accessible new way of processing high-temperature polymers. In 2009, two decades after the patent was initially filed, it expired, leading to a consumer 3D printing boom, led largely by the RepRap Project and Dr. Adrian Bowyer’s work at the University of Bath. In essence, the researchers’ desktop 3D printer upgrade has been built around two IKEA METHOD cabinets, which, once connected, feature a joint 800 x 1200 x 800mm build volume. Once the team had completed their prototype, they attached it to a Creality CR-10 Plus, by disassembling the 3D printer down to its frame, before reassembling it inside the chamber and connecting it up, and during summary testing, they found they were able to use an integrated controller to modulate the set-up’s liquid-cooling functionality as needed. The researchers’ findings are detailed in their paper titled “High-performance polymer 3D printing – open-source liquid cooled scalable printer design,” which was co-authored by Andreas Hagerup Birkelid, Sindre Wold Eikevåg, Christer W.Elverum and Martin Steinert. Are you looking for a job in the additive manufacturing industry? Visit 3D Printing Jobs for a selection of roles in the industry. Featured image shows the NTNU researchers’ sub-$1,700 high-temperature FFF 3D printing upgrade fitted to a Creality 3D printer.
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