Rize has made huge leaps in the development of 3D printing technology with the Boston-based startup creating a new 3D printer that doesn’t require any post processing of the object after it is printed.
According to the company, the first zero post-processing 3D printer, Rize One, has many benefits compared with previous 3D printers, including the reduction of turnaround time by 50% and eliminating the need for materials, equipment, facilities and mess that have previously been obstacles to expanding usage of desktop machines out of dedicated lab environments.
The Rize One eliminates the one insurmountable drawback of 3D printing; once 3D printing is completed, the part isn’t ready for immediate use and has to undergo a cleaning process. The Rize One, by comparison, reportedly doesn’t need any post-processing work at all.
Rize One features a patented Augmented Polymer Deposition (APD™) process and Rize’s unique engineering and medical-grade thermoplastic filament, Rizium™ One, which enable users to simply release a 3D printed part from its support structure cleanly and safely with their bare hands within seconds of the completed printing process.
It’s most important feature is a revolutionary support production solution, a repelling ink called Release One which is 3D printed between the part being made and the support structure, which releases the bond between them, making support removal faster and safer.
The Rize One also features a build platform of 300mm x200m x 150mm, and 3D prints layers just 0.25mm thick.
When will Rize One hit the shelves?
The Rize One is expected to be commercially available next year at a cost of $25,000 and aims to take industrial 3D printing from the lab into the everyday office.
The Rize One also aims to address the problem which previous 3D printing technology forced upon designers and engineers; how to address the added time and costs which post-processing imposed upon them if they wanted to turn a printed part into a usable one.
President and CEO of Rize, Frank Marangell, said the problems associated with post-processing would be eliminated with the new Rize One 3D printer.
“Post-processing has been 3D printing’s dirty little secret as ngineers and additive manufacturing lab managers wrestled with the reality that post-processing parts after 3D printing often doubled the total process time, added substantial costs, and prevented 3D printers from the desktop,” he said.
“Rize One eliminates those sacrifices, opening a world of possibilities for designers and engineers to deliver prototypes and on-demand finished parts much faster and with stronger material – than before,
“Whether 3D printing helps you go to market, or create a market, Rize will fundamentally alter your production cycle.”
Taking 3D printing from the Lab to the desktop
Rize One was designed to be used primarily by engineers and product designers across a wide range of industrial and commercial applications, including prototyping for proof of concept and form; fit and functional testing in real-world conditions; end-use production parts and tooling, and fixtures and jigs for manufacturing.
Rize has been developing its Rize One for the past two years by harnessing the expertise of a deeply experienced team of 3D printing materials, hardware and software professionals with more than 20 patents among them.
The Rize One will offer its users many benefits, including improved designs, increased accuracy of production, reduced defects during manufacturing, cost reduction, streamlined operations and faster time to market.
The new kid on the 3D printing block could make a significant impact on the 3D printing industry, as it will fundamentally alter the process of delivering a finished part, eliminating post-processing for those who depend upon prototyping to fuel innovation or those who see the potential for on-demand production parts.
If the Rize One is successful, it could also fundamentally change the way parts are prototyped in offices and laboratories as 3D printers become more assessable to modern society due to easy to use technology such as the Rize One, combined with the projected growth of the 3D printing market which is expected to grow to $15bn over the next decade.
