Switch cube frame printed 248 times by 3DQue in an in-house field trial.
3DQue has come to market with an automation upgrade for extrusion 3D printing systems and a configuration of nine 3D printing units which utilities the same technology.
The former is called QSuite and is to be licensed to users and vendors of extrusion-based printing platforms, while the latter, QPod, is to be made available immediately to those who want to get started straight away. 3DQue believes these products can be used for prototyping and mass production and is hosting live demonstrations throughout the duration of RAPID + TCT in Detroit this week.
QSuite comprises hardware and software technology that works to automate the end-to-end process of 3D printing, taking jobs such as job scheduling, part removal, print bed reset, and printer restart out of the hands of the user and without the use of tapes, glues, or robotics. It uses a dynamic scheduling system that is able to prioritise print jobs according to their deadlines and is able to run around the clock. Operators have access to real-time reporting and management data which can be controlled remotely. QSuite will be available to users of extrusion printers on a pay-for-use basis, starting at $1/hour and becoming more affordable for high volume users, and from July 2019 available to license for OEMs.
QPod, meanwhile, is an arrangement of nine desktop extrusion machines stacked in a 3x3 formation with a total footprint of 12 square feet. During an in-house field trial, 3DQue produced 248 switch cube frames (25 x 25 x 25 mm in dimensions) in eight days without pause. QPod comes with internal conveyors and collection bins to store prints as they come off the print bed. A limited number will be installed between June and December of this year at an introductory price of $45,000.
The technologies have been invented by 18-year-old Mateo Pekic, who started working out of his basement to figure out a way of automating the process around 3D printing. He had been running his printers with full automation for two years when he reached out to Steph Sharp, a local mentor for entrepreneurs with a background in finance, last year. In November, they founded 3DQue, and six months on are bringing the QSuite and QPod technologies to market at RAPID + TCT.
“Until now, plastic 3D printing has failed to meet today’s manufacturing needs due to the high cost of part removal and lack of end-to-end automation,” commented Steph Sharp, CEO and co-founder of 3DQue. “Working from his basement, Mateo Pekic has been able to solve a problem that has stumped some of the world’s leading experts in materials science, engineering and innovation by automating plastic 3D printers to safely product complex plastic parts at scale.”
3DQue is showcasing the QSuite and QPod technologies at RAPID + TCT, hosting live demos from Booth #1765.
