In traditional extruders a single line of filament is fed into the print head where the material is melted and used for building a model. In D3D’s Dual and Quad extruders, two and four lines of filament can, ostensibly, be fed into multiple print heads giving your printer the ability to (mini)mass-produce parts.
With years of experience in both the plastics and electro-mechanical industries, Brian and Carl have decided to crowd-fund their project to cover further research and development and the early rounds of production. Although the company is seeking public support, the brothers have filed for a patent. They add, “we remain committed to pushing forward with an open, collaborative culture".
While the D3D’s extruders are pretty cool, the growing number of DIY peripherals and crowded-funded 3D printer upgrades are making this industry sing, and investors are starting to notice. In the coming years it wouldn’t surprise me if the capabilities of a consumer grade 3D printer caught up with the current expensive pro-grade models.
Currently, the Dual and Quad extruders are emerging from the last stages of development. While the group hasn’t yet posted a video of the system working they’ve promised that one will be available early this week. Once it’s available we’ll be sure to let you know. For now take a look at D3D’s pitch:
Image and Video Courtesy of D3D