3D printer manufacturer FlashForge’s U.S-based subsidiary, FlashForge USA, has unveiled the latest additions to its “multi-generational” portfolio at the RAPID+TCT 2021 trade show.
Since 2013, the firm has steadily built up an education, consumer and professional-grade FFF range, which is designed to meet the needs of users right through from their school days to their future career. Having revealed updates to its Creator, Adventurer and Focus lines at RAPID+TCT, the company says that its reinforced offering now rewards these users with potential productivity and efficiency gains.
“Our vision is to create multi-generational brand recognition with our powerful and reliable AM products and world-renowned customer services,” said Johnny Lam, COO of FlashForge USA. “We aim to provide a FlashForge 3D printer to a 6th grade student, to that same high school student, to that same college student, and finally to that same working adult in their professional life after he or she has graduated.”
“FlashForge USA looks to provide a truly lifelong experience to our customers.”
More than a product offering?
Founded in 2011, FlashForge is a Chinese developer of 3D printers and related softwares and materials, for industrial, commercial and maker manufacturers. The firm’s products have found applications in fields ranging from education and jewelry to the medical sector in nearly 100 countries around the world, and it established its U.S. subsidiary in 2013.
Since then, FlashForge has iterated on its offering to achieve its ‘multi-generational’ goals, launching the education-focused Guider 2S, Adventurer 3, Creator Max and Creator Max 2. With the most recent of these, the Creator Max 2, the firm has managed to upgrade its design with the addition of a new IDEX system, and its multi-material capabilities continue to make it ideal for engineers and students alike.
For those who leave school without going into engineering, but want to continue printing at a hobbyist level, FlashForge also has a robust consumer offering. The company’s eight-strong line-up includes the Guider 2S and Foto 8.9, as well as several Adventurer 3 and Adventurer 4 iterations, with the latter being a particularly-versatile system, capable of accommodating anyone from entry-level to prototyping users.
Finally, FlashForge’s professional offering comprises the AD1, Hunter and Creator 3, the latter of which received carbon fiber-ready IDEX extruders and a magnetic build plate via a recent update. Many of these systems are also supported by the firm’s FlashPrint or Simplify3D softwares and other related accessories, ensuring that users can produce the best possible part each and every time.
However, given the competitiveness of the FFF market, the company says that it continues to seek out ways of “competing with more than just its product offering.” Under COVID-19 restrictions, for instance, FlashForge maintains that it has been able to continue shipping to and supporting its customers in a way that many of its competitors have failed to do.
Having found that many adopt its technologies based on the requirements of a certain build rather than outright cost, the company has also adapted its approach to meet the needs of its users. In the case of teachers, for example, FlashForge’s switch to enclosed systems in 2017 has provided them with a safer classroom-friendly machine, and it now credits such changes with broadening its user appeal.
“We understand that commercial users are very different from consumers and educators, but they share common expectations, which is the importance of ease-of-use, quality and reliability for their applications” adds Lam. “These expectations are what this brand has been about since 2011, and our commercial systems can be very competitive with big names in the market today.”
FlashForge at RAPID+TCT
Now that the pandemic is beginning to subside, it’s becoming possible for 3D printing firms to launch product updates in-person again, and of AM’s main events, RAPID+TCT is one the first to return. In keeping with its ambition to create a ‘multi-generational’ offering, FlashForge USA has therefore turned up in force, to announce its “next generation of commercial-grade 3D printers” at the show.
At its booth on the show floor, the company is showcasing its new flagship commercial-grade Creator 4 3D printer, complete with 400mm x 350mm x 500mm build volume and industry-first interchangeable independent dual extruder system (IIDEX).
The medical and dental-oriented FlashForge Focus 13.3 4K LCD Printer is also on-show at the firm’s stand, where the conference’s attendees can see the machine’s colossal 19-liter capacity for themselves, as is the recently-launched Adventurer 4, which according to Lam, offers a more affordable and efficient alternative to many legacy systems.
“The FlashForge Adventurer 4 is a new prosumer-grade FDM 3D printer for companies and service providers that are looking to replace or build a new production line of 3D printers,” concludes Lam. “3D printing is in high-demand, and we understand these companies have been looking to replace their aging and unreliable systems. The Adventurer 4 could be just what they are looking for.”
Readers interested in finding out more about the Creator 4, Focus 13.3, Adventurer 4 or any of FlashForge USA’s other machines, can speak to its experts directly at the RAPID+TCT booth. Alternatively, those seeking further technical information or to purchase the machines, can visit the FlashForge USA store page for a quote.
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Featured image shows the FlashForge Adventurer 4 3D printer. Photo via FlashForge.
