In the rapidly expanding ocean of 3D printers, DLP-based systems are going through a particularly intense growth phase, which has brought several new models to the market. While Autodesk is leading the way in open source, other companies are trying to etch away at EnvisionTec’s undiscussed leadership in the professional segment. One of them is a young company from Hungary called Do3D, that just presented the final version of its Do3D G1 system.
According to the company, the G1 DLP system is the first of a family of machines that will be able to reach Z-axis resolutions of 30 (the “I” system) and 20 (the “H” system) microns. This is combined with a significant build size, set to evolve from the 102 x 77 x 120 mm of the G1 model to the 144 x 81 x 140 of the I and the 90 x 50 x 160 cm of the H.
Currently, the company is working on three different types of resins. The reddish colored All Round is the general purpose flexible and fast curing material, while the greyish Top Notch has been developed for industrial use requiring hardness and precision. The Ash Free material is being developed for investment casting, which means it burns out without leaving residue.
The machine was presented as just an idea two years ago and it became a solid concept last year. This year it is a finished product and almost ready to hit the market. I spoke at length with Márton Bartos, the company’s co-founder, together with Liszkai Tamás, and it was perfectly clear to me that the team knows what they are doing. “We have already sold two systems to special customers with whom we are collaborating at perfecting the machine for the wider commercial launch,” Bartos explained. “Of course, it is intended to be a professional system, but it will come out at the lowest price of any competing systems in this category and we believe we are going to find potential customers in several fields, including medical devices, education, jewelry, tooling, dentistry, and precision casting.”
What that price will be is yet unclear, although it is my personal opinion that it will be between €4,000 and €8,000, depending on the machine’s version and relative performance capabilities. One other asset that could incentivize professional DLP users to invest in a Do3D system is the internally developed Printmanager software, which interfaces with the printer through a local Wi-Fi network. This way, all aspects of the 3D printing cycle (software, materials and hardware) are integrated: the fact that it also looks like such a solid, sturdy product is an added bonus.
