14 DAY TRIAL // Filament spools seem easy enough to use on the surface, but installing them on a 3D printer and connecting the end of the filament to the mechanism isn't a one-stop process. Or it didn't use to be, until now.
Sure, most of the printers already on the market will stay as they are. However, now there is one model that will automatically feed the filament to the nozzle without any help from you.
All you need to do is insert the filament spool itself in the slot located at the base of the machine and the 3D printer will do the rest by automatically grasping the end and connecting it to the extruder.
The specifications of the flexForm Plug & Print 3D printer
Constructed by 3D Proto, a company from Lublin, Poland, the machine can create items as large as 7.87 x 7.87 x 7.08 inches / 200 x 200 x 180 mm.
It also allows you to select between 50 microns and 100 microns for layer thickness. This is quite impressive considering that most printers can't go below 100, and the final quality is better the thinner the layer is. The nozzle diameter of 0.5 mm helps here, since most nozzles are actually 0.7 mm wide.
In other words, the flexFORM 3D printer from 3D Proto is not only easier to use but turns out better 3D prints than many of its peers.
Speaking of ease of use, you don't need a computer to control the product. A 7-inch touchscreen tablet works just as well when tethered to the front face. STL, AMF, OBJ and Gcode files are supported, and Forge software controls everything.
Moreover, you can disconnect the small tablet and remotely control the printer, or check on the progress, from the comfort of a couch or another room or office.
You might end up using a computer just on principle if you're likely to sit in front of one all day, but you're not restricted to one, which is always good to know. As for the design, 3D Proto chose a black aluminum exterior lined with LED lights.
Availability and pricing
As opposed to many other 3D printers we've written about, this isn't a crowdfunding project. The Polish company is ready to start selling the item right now, and more news is coming “soon.” Unfortunately, the superior quality of printing and ease of use doesn't come for free, nor does the pretty cool design. Unlike other consumer FDM printers that can sell for half a grand, the flexFORM is priced at $1,800 / €1,437.
