Sharebot Unveils Rapid DLP 3D Printer

Since Carbon first unveiled its continuous liquid interface production (CLIP) technology, manufacturers of digital light processing (DLP) printers have fought to ensure that they can beat the competition. Despite Carbon’s own patents on similar technology, such companies as EnvisionTEC, Carima, 3D Systems and Prodways have all shown off their own rapid DLP processes.

The Voyager WARP is capable of 3D printing at a rate of 100 mm/h. (Image courtesy of Sharebot.)

The latest to jump into the race is Italian manufacturer Sharebot, which has added to its already expansive 3D printer portfolio the Sharebot Voyager WARP, a DLP system capable of 3D printing at a rate of 100 mm/h (3.94 in/h), according to the company. Though not quite as fast as Carbon’s CLIP technology, which can print objects in mere minutes, the Voyager WARP rivals the Micro Plus cDLM from EnvisionTEC in terms of speed.

At the Additive Manufacturing Europe 2016 event in Amsterdam, Sharebot Cofounder and President Andrea Radaelli explained that this speed is possible through the use of a special coating on the bottom of the resin tank. The material is made up of a polymer matrix that contains a chemical compound which reacts with another chemical compound within the 3D printing resin to speed up delamination of the print from the bottom of the vat.

The Voyager WARP was developed by Sharebot R&D in conjunction with BlueCat and has been released with just one resin, a castable material that allows for 3D-printed objects to be cast in metal. For this reason, the printer is being targeted at the jewelry market, though DLP printers are often marketed for medical, dental and industrial applications as well.

Objects 3D printed in Sharebot’s castable material can be cast as metal objects. (Image courtesy of Sharebot.)

Sharebot’s latest machine may not beat Carbon in the race for speed or materials, but it is evidence that DLP technology is only improving. The Voyager WARP will also complement Sharebot’s other machines nicely, which so far include fused filament fabrication, stereolithography, DLP and even selective laser sintering platforms. Altogether, these prove that the Italian firm is no fly-by-night operation, but a company with some serious engineering abilities and ambition.