Faster 3D Printing

3D printing is set to get a whole lot faster. Eight times faster, to be precise.

That’s thanks to a system and a procedure called SEAM (Screw Extrusion Additive Manufacturing) developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU in the eastern German state of Saxony.

SEAM works with affordable raw materials. Its 1mm hot nozzle can handle as many as seven kilograms of synthetic material per hour, compared with only 50 grams per hour for comparable 3D printing procedures. That has the potential to reduce material costs by a factor of 200.

SEAM was unveiled to the public for the first time at the Hannover Messe trade fair in April.