Alex, Author at re:3D | Life-Sized Affordable 3D Printing

Terabot 4 3D Printer

To tackle enormous 3D printing with accuracy, Terabot 4 3D printer levels-up the industrial components included in your 915 x 915 x 1000mm build volume 3D printer. High torque NEMA 23 stepper motors power X and Y movement and linear guides mounted on the durable, precision-built frame ensure successful 3D printing at the human-scale.

With a standard full enclosure with removable panels, you can print from thermoplastic filaments that melt below 320ºC, and Terabot 4’s high flow 20 Series Hot End and hardened steel nozzles enables faster, accurate printing with complex composites like carbon-fiber filled polymers in addition to traditional filaments.

Your open-source industrial 3D printer is powered by a 32bit Ultimachine ArchiMajor control board and Klipper firmware run on a Raspberry Pi. Access Gigabot controls via the Mainsail interface on either the 10” LCD touchscreen or a desktop or mobile web browser.

Hand-crafted in Texas by team re:3D to highly precise standards, your Terabot 4 3D printer is modular, upgradable and backed by Lifetime Customer Support.

Image of Gigabot 4 and GigabotX 2 3D printers side by side

image of the simplify3D software slicing a 3D model for 3D printing

Image of a hand tightening a screw on a 3D printer print head

Image of different Gigabot 3D printer replacement parts arranged on top of a white background

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re:3D Inc. Awarded FAVE Innovative Company by Austin Young Chamber

Austin Young Chamber Announces Annual FAVE Award Winners

We couldn’t be more stoked and honored to share the virtual stage with so many companies we adore as the 2020 FAVE Innovative Company Award from the Austin Young Chamber!

Below is a repost of the event highlights– if haven’t already, we encourage you to check out the amazing local businesses that were featured this year!!

AUSTIN, Texas, October 30, 2020 — The Austin Young Chamber celebrated a virtual version of the 11th Annual FAVE (Favorite Austin Venture or Enterprise) Awards last night where forty businesses representing ten different categories were honored and recognized.

“Over the last few months, Austin area businesses have faced many challenges.” said Alyssia Palacios-Woods, President and CEO of the Austin Young Chamber. “What they have been able to accomplish despite these challenges is truly remarkable. We are honored to be able to recognize all finalists and winners and celebrate their resiliency, adaptability, and innovation this year.”

The evening began with keynote Kathy Terry from P. Terry’s sharing her thoughts on success and the importance of community, and was followed with representatives from Ascension Seton, Civilitude, and University Federal Credit Union announcing the awards.

Congratulations to the winners:

ZACH Theatre | FAVE Arts & Culture Experience
NI | FAVE Community Minded Company
Civilitude | FAVE Company Culture
re:3D Inc | FAVE Innovative Company
H-E-B | FAVE Legendary Austin Brand
Latinitas | FAVE Local Non-Profit
Austin PBS, KLRU-TV | FAVE Local Source for Info
Antonelli’s Cheese Shop | FAVE Small Business
Ascension Seton | FAVE Way to Keep Austin Healthy
Recalibrate | FAVE YP-Led Business

To see the full list of the finalists and descriptions, please visit the event page HERE.

To see the FAVE Finalist videos, please visit the Austin Young Chamber YouTube Channel HERE.

To schedule a media interview, please contact Alyssia Palacios-Woods, AYC President and CEO, at (512) 810-8005 or alyssia@austinyoungchamber.org.

About the Austin Young Chamber

Millennials are the Largest Generation in the U.S. Labor Workforce. The Austin Young Chamber focuses on equipping our members with the skills, experiences and connections they need to be successful leaders and influencers in Central Texas, both today and in the future. Members of the Austin Young Chamber are generally between the ages of 21 and 40. We welcome Corporate members who employ a young professional workforce as well as individual young professionals looking to grow professionally.

Support Filament

Support material is a class of materials dedicated to serving as easy to remove support. Supports are required on a lot of complex parts, and depending on the geometry they may be difficult to remove. Support material is designed to be easy to remove, and this is often achieved in two different ways. Some support materials are made of PVA, which is often seen in glue. PVA support materials are water soluble, so PVA supports are removed by submerging a part in water. Other support materials are designed to bond with a specific filament. This helps the support material bond to the part, but also remain easy to remove. If you have a complex part that needs intricate support, consider using a dedicated support material in a dual extrusion setup.

Support material has primarily one application, acting as support! The unique properties of PVA support makes it useful beyond just being support. Sometimes, a part may need to dissolve upon contact with water. PVA support is able to meet this unique application.

Due to the wide variety in resins and chemical makeups of support material, there is no one range of settings used for support. Furthermore, printer settings may vary depending on what material you are supporting. It is best to consult the technical data sheets for your specific support material.

The nature of water-soluble support material makes it difficult to recycle or reuse. The unique resins used for many non-soluble support materials means it’s not recycled commercially. This leads support material to often not be recycled or reused. Regrinding and reusing non-soluble support materials may be possible in pellet printers such as Gigabot X.

Specialty Filament

Specialty 3D Printing Filament materials

Specialty materials are unique materials created for specific use cases. Sometimes, common materials like PLA or ABS cannot meet the demands of a specific application and a dedicated material is needed. Specialty materials have been created for casting, smooth surface finishes, flexible parts, high clarity, and support material. Due to the wide range of different applications, specialty materials are not easily classified into other common material categories. The chemical makeup of specialty materials is diverse as well, making each specialty material truly special. If you have a very specific demand for a material, there may be a specialty material to help you out!

Applications for specialty materials are almost entirely driven on the material’s design. Unlike common materials, specialty materials are often created for a specific application. Some of the most common specialty material use cases are given, but specialty materials exist for a wide variety of different applications.

rPC Flake

Polycarbonate (PC) is a high performance material intended for use in engineering and industrial settings. As suggested by its name, PC contains carbonate groups that contribute significantly to its strength and toughness. PC also has excellent temperature resistance, making it useful in high temperature applications as well. Recycled polycarbonate (rPC) comes from regrinding a source of polycarbonate, like failed prints. If you are looking for a strong, industrial material that is also sustainable, rPC is an excellent choice.

rPC’s high performing properties make it a good choice for industrial applications. Parts made from rPC can withstand the demanding environment found in industry. rPC is also perfect for any parts that need to resist high temperatures. rPC is an eco-friendly solution for industrial material when used in pellet printers like Gigabot X since it reuses PC that would typically be discarded.

rPC often comes from regrinding a source of polycarbonate waste. This material is often considered for use in a pellet extrusion machine such as Gigabot X. Polycarbonate is not usually supported by recycling centers since it is grouped into resin code 7 with “other plastics”. Polycarbonate also risks producing bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA.

rPLA Flake

Polylactic Acid, more commonly known as PLA, is one of the most frequently used materials in 3D printing. Its popularity comes from its ease of use, organic nature, and relatively strong mechanical properties. PLA is also inexpensive making it a great entry-level material. PLA also boasts strong mechanical properties and user-friendly thermal properties that make it easy to print with. Its prevalence and ease of use makes it a perfect material to regrind and recycle. For those who prototype often, rPLA is a sustainable solution.

rPLA is a great material for applications that require rapid prototyping and strong parts. Its ease of use and low cost make it suitable when a part may be frequently reprinted as is the case in prototyping and architecture. rPLA is easily recycled, proving to be a sustainable solution for rapid prototyping. Its strength and ease of use make it suitable for those who need to turn over a lot of strong, functional prototypes.

rPLA is created by grinding failed or older PLA prints. Much like normal PLA, rPLA is made from organic sources and is thus compostable. Since PLA is difficult to recycle at commercial recycling centers, regrinding PLA into rPLA and reusing it in pellet printers is a more sustainable alternative.

rPET Pellets

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is a durable material with either a glossy appearance or opaque appearance depending on its crystallinity. PET is one of the most common plastics in the world, used in cases like sailcloth, water bottles, and clothes. In the world of 3D printing, PET is often used in the form of PETG which contains glycol. PET and PETG fill a role between PLA and ABS being a tough material and relatively easy to work with. With the rise of pellet printing, PET is growing in relevance as a 3D printing material. PET is also one of the most commonly recycled plastics, making its potential use in 3D printing even more attractive. For those looking for durable parts and a closed loop 3D printing solution, PET is a great material to use.

PET excels when you take advantage of its material properties and its prevalence. Its material properties allow it to perform well in a variety of applications. Its prevalence also makes it a great candidate for recycling and closed loop use cases.

PET is one of the most commonly used recyclable plastics, and often seen in the form of water bottles. The polymer chains that make up PET easily break apart at low temperatures, making PET an easy material to recycle. Being such a common material, there is great potential of recycling and reusing PET. One area of potential use is recycling PET as feedstock for pellet printers like Gigabot X. PET is easily recycled in most recycling centers, and an excellent choice for closed loop solutions due to its prevalence.

PC

Polycarbonate (PC) is a high performance material intended for use in engineering and industrial settings. As suggested by its name, PC contains carbonate groups that contribute significantly to its strength and toughness. PC also has excellent temperature resistance, making it useful in high temperature applications as well. Its strength, toughness, and temperature resistance makes it a useful material for final production or industrial parts. PC is also useful with electronics since it is an insulator.

PC’s high performing properties make it a good choice for industrial applications. Parts made from PC can withstand the demanding environment found in industry. PC is also a good choice for storage, especially electronic enclosures. Since PC does not conduct electricity, sensitive electronics will remain safe in PC enclosures. Many of the parts on re:3D Gigabot printers is made with PC. Finally, PC is perfect for any parts that needs to resist high temperatures.

Polycarbonate is recycled most often into a reground material. This material is often considered for use in a pellet extrusion machine such as GBX. Polycarbonate is not usually supported by recycling centers since it is grouped into resin code 7 with “other plastics”. Polycarbonate also risks producing bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA.

Design Services

Whether it’s a custom 3D printed sign, a custom beer tap handle, machined metal, or even a custom 3D printer, re:3D designers have what it takes to turn your ideas into tangible objects.

Consulting

Would you like to learn how additive manufacturing can help you bring your product to market faster or streamline your company’s workflow? We can show you how you can:

Our world-traveled 3D printing experts can help you achieve these goals by showing you how to unlock the potential of Gigabot’s affordable, cutting edge FFF 3D printing technologies.

Terabot 4

All-metal dual extruder

9 point bed leveling

NEMA 17 & 23 stepper motors

0.5" Aluminum Heated Bed with PRINTinZ

Leveling Caster Wheels

Full Color 10" LCD Touchscreen with Mainsail for Klipper interface

Optional Enclosure with Removable Panels

Linear Rails on All Axis

32bit ArchiMajor Control Board

Technology

Build Volume

Hot Ends

Materials

Layer Resolution

Printing Speed

Nozzle Diameter

Filament Diameter

Construction

Build Plate

Stepper Motor

Bot Control

Connectivity

File Transfer Method

Open Source

Upload File Type

Printing Workflow

Power

Extruder Temperature

Build Surface Temperature

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Austin Young Chamber Announces Annual FAVE Award Winners

About the Austin Young Chamber

Support

Density

Melt Index

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Specialty

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rPC

Glass Transition Temperature

Density

Extrusion Temperatures

Top Temperature Zone

Middle Temperature Zone

Bottom Temperature Zone

Heated Bed Temperature

Bed Adhesion

Enclosure

Fans

Printing Speed

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Want to validate your material?

Have any questions?

rPLA

Glass Transition Temperature

Density

Extrusion Temperatures

Top Temperature Zone

Middle Temperature Zone

Bottom Temperature Zone

Heated Bed Temperature

Bed Adhesion

Enclosure

Fans

Printing Speed

Explore other Materials

Want to validate your material?

Have any questions?

rPET

Glass Transition Temperature

Density

Extrusion Temperatures

Top Temperature Zone

Middle Temperature Zone

NEMA 17 & 23
stepper motors

0.5" Aluminum Heated
Bed with PRINTinZ

Full Color 10"
LCD Touchscreen
with Mainsail for
Klipper interface

Optional Enclosure with
Removable Panels

32bit ArchiMajor
Control Board