3D Printer Uses Magnets To Break Speed Limits, Print at a Table-Shaking 800 mm/s
Peopoly, a resin printer company, created a lot of buzz when it unveiled a Magneto X is a prototype FDM 3D Printer without a belt. The East Coast RepRap Festival. The desk-top printer boasts a massive 400 x300x300mm build volume, and prints at speeds of up to 800mm/s. Magnetic linear motors are a feature that is often seen in CNC machines. Normally, 3D Printers use rotating stepper Motors attached to pulleys or gears. The linear motor can be thought of as a flat, unrolled motor with the “rotor” attached to the moving component – the tool head – and the stator forming a track along one axis.
Dubbed the “MagXY” system, the tool head seems to levitate across the gantry without obvious means. The print speed is 800 mm/s at maximum acceleration. Bambu Lab Core XY Printers.
Peng said the Magneto X was conceived during a lockdown in 2022 when his company’s lab in Shenzhen, China was shut down for 21 days. They couldn’t go home so they began watching YouTube videos. Especially those that showed Voron 3D printers being built. They decided to build some FDM printers as a hobby, since they could still get parts delivered through AliExpress. Peng explained that this led them to see how they could improve their machines, and so the Magneto X came into being.
Mark Peng, the founder of Peopoly, said that Klipper firmware as well as OrcaSlicer were used and supported by Peopoly. This greatly accelerated their development.
Demonstrations at ERRF were sadly limited, as the printer’s hotend had been damaged in shipping. Peng only ran the machine to dry so we weren’t able to test its print quality. Tom’s Hardware is on the list for a review unit and will put the machine through it’s paces later this year when it becomes available.
Peopoly is known for high end, large scale, liquid resin 3D printers and the Magneto X will be it’s first plastic pushing printer. The printer, which is also a premium product, will start at $1999. Currently on sale for only $1399 as part of the pre-order period. The enclosure is $79 extra. Printers will begin shipping late in November.
Peopoly stated that the MagXY linear system’s simplified design has less friction, and requires less calibration. The system can monitor and adjust motor position to ensure high-quality prints.
This speed is supported by a custom-designed extrusion system that has 90 Newtons in force, pull speeds of 30 mm/s and a melt zone optimized with a maximum flow rate of 120 mm3/s. Bambu Lab X1 Carbon’s max flow rate is 32mm3/s.
Peopoly has a strong commitment to the Open Source Community. Not only have they become backers of Klipper firmware, they are also using – and supporting – Open Source OcraSlicer. The Magneto X’s nozzles are compatible with the popular E3D’s V6 volcano which suggests the machine will be open to modification by users. Peopoly’s machine is also compatible with the popular E3D V6 volcano, which suggests that users can modify it.
The 3D printer has a load-cell sensor to ensure precise auto-leveling, and four stepper motors on the Z axis that are independent for dynamic adjustments. The hotend can reach temperatures of 300 degrees Celsius and, with the available enclosure, it will be able print engineering grade material. The prints will be monitored by a camera that can also record time lapses.
MORE: Best 3D printers
MORE: The Best Budget 3D Printer
MORE: Best Resin 3D Printers