We’ve reached the last days of December, which means that it’s time to start looking back on what’s happened in 2017. Whether you’re reviewing the year with a nostalgic or a “thank goodness it’s almost over” attitude, there’s no denying that it’s been an eventful year, and that’s true in the 3D printing world as well as the wider one. 2016 saw lots of big new 3D printer releases, and 2017 was no different. There were many big industrial systems introduced, as well as plenty of desktop machines. As always, crowdfunding platforms had plenty to offer, and trade shows were full of new releases.
So let’s take a look at some of the new 3D printers that were unveiled this year. As long as the list is, it barely begins to cover the number of machines that were introduced to the 3D printing world. That really shows, once again, just how big the 3D printing industry is getting – more and more machines are making an appearance, so many that it’s impossible to cover them all. Here are a few!
Industrial 3D Printing Systems
Several companies introduced major new industrial 3D printing systems this year. GE Additive gave us a look at its brand new binder jet additive manufacturing system a couple of weeks ago, promising big things to come within the next year, and also recently unveiled the first BETA machine developed for its meter-class Project A.T.L.A.S. system. Ethereal Machines won the CES Innovation Award for its novel 5-axis 3D printer/CNC machine hybrid. In other news, Renishaw launched its RenAM 500Q four-laser additive manufacturing system at formnext, the same show at which Trumpf introduced what it claims is the fastest, most productive medium-format 3D printer in the world, the TruPrint 5000.EOS debuted the EOS P 500 this year, while Roboze, continuing the 500 theme, introduced the ARGO 500. Sharebot introduced two new professional 3D printers, and XJet unveiled a new NanoParticle Jetting system that can work with ceramic and metal materials. Formalloy introduced Blue Laser technology with its new L-Series 3D printer, and XYZprinting entered the industrial 3D printing market with several new professional machines. Nano Dimension took the DragonFly 2020 to the industrial level with the DragonFly 2020 Pro, and voxeljet introduced High Speed Sintering technology with the VX200 system. Wave3D brought out the industrial SLA Wave3D Pro.
Formlabs announced its first SLS 3D printer over the summer, and the hybrid manufacturing trend continued with the release of another 3D printer/CNC machine combination from 3D Hybrid Solutions and Multiax International, as well as OR Laser’s new ORLAS CREATOR Hybrid. Much excitement was generated in April when Desktop Metal revealed its long-awaited Studio System and Production System. A new technology was introduced by way of Coobx and its LIFT technology, and Carbon rolled out the M2 3D printer. Ackuretta Technologies introduced a new industrial DLP 3D printer by way of the Ackuray A135. The dental market stayed strong, with new dental 3D printers from Structo, Stratasys, Prodways, and EnvisionTEC.