08-27-2018: 3D Systems announced the availability of its ultra-fast photopolymer 3D printer – the Figure 4 Standalone

Sales of the 3D printer were launched two years after its first presentation

On August 27, 2018, 3D Systems announced the availability of its new Figure 4 Standalone 3D printer. The company promoted it as enabling same-day functional prototyping iteration and low-volume production at speeds up to 100mm per hour — with six sigma repeatability. The 3D printer was intended as a response to the ultra-fast photopolymer technologies offered by Carbon and Nexa3D.

The Figure 4 Standalone had a relatively small build volume of 124.8 x 70.2 x 196 mm (4.9 x 2.8 x 7.7 in), which, considering its relatively high price ($21,900 (US) / €19,900 (EU Countries)), made it a demanding purchase. Especially since, in 2018, much cheaper options like Liquid Crystal from Photocentric, Chinese Anycubic, or Taiwanese Phrozen were already successfully operating in the market. However, what set the 3D Systems product apart was the print quality, repeatability, and uniqueness of the materials, which were not available from the aforementioned competitors.

The 3D printer initially came with four resin options: TOUGH-GRY 10 (a high-speed material providing up to 100 mm/hr build speed), TOUGH-GRY 15 (a strong, rigid material for production applications), ELAST-BLK (an elastomeric black material for flexible parts), and JCAST-GRN (a castable, green material for investment casting of jewelry patterns). The first two, in particular, stood out for their properties, which were similar to polycarbonate.

The printer utilized 3D Systems’ 3D Sprint software for preparation, editing, printing, and management. Later, it was integrated with 3D Connect, a cloud-based software solution.

Personally, I would add that I had the opportunity to see the 3D printer in action several times and indirectly use its capabilities through a partner company to which we outsourced part production. Without comparing the Figure 4 to competitors' products, I will just say that from my perspective, it was a phenomenal 3D printer for its time, fully worth its price. The performance and print quality were impressive.

This is, of course, a very subjective opinion, and I admit that I did not have the opportunity to compare the same parts produced on a Carbon or Nexa3D. Nevertheless, among all the photopolymer 3D printers I have dealt with – I rate this one very highly.

Source: www.3dsystems.com