Essentium, ECD Develop Intelligent Storage System for Industrial-Scale 3D Printing

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Essentium, Inc., launched the Essentium DryBox^TM, a next-generation cabinet designed to store and protect 3D printing filaments in a humidity-controlled environment. Essentium worked in partnership with leading intelligent dry storage system innovator, ECD, to develop DryBox exclusively for 3D printer material requirements.

The moisture content in thermoplastic extrusion materials used by 3D printers needs to be properly controlled during filament manufacture, storage, and when printing to achieve best results. Improper handling at any point in the production cycle can result in both visible and invisible defects in raw materials and the finished part.

To help manufacturers properly store 3D printing filaments, Essentium and ECD tailored a solution called DryBox which is built on ECD’s award-winning SmartDRY™ storage technology, modified to align with the specific requirements of 3D material storage. DryBox is an intelligent and automated system that has a humidity recovery time of less than five minutes and can maintain relative humidity values under 1% (dew point under -40?C). This means spools stored in the cabinet will stay dry longer than ever before, giving manufacturers the flexibility to swap materials as often as their workflow requires.

Said Brandon Sweeney, Ph.D., Head of R&D for Materials and Co-founder, Essentium Inc.: “In today’s open platform environment in which users can purchase and print using any filament they choose; it is important to dry each polymer at the appropriate time and temperature recommended by the manufacturer. We designed the DryBox with ECD to ensure manufacturers, particularly those in highly-regulated industries such as aerospace, rail, automotive and electronics manufacturing, have an optimum environment that keeps 3D printing materials dry, extends shelf life, and yields more consistent prints with better part quality.”

Said Bob Schnyder, ECD VP Sales and Marketing: “Recognized as a premier system for storage of moisture-sensitive components for electronics manufacturing, SmartDRY’s performance and operational value are well-proven. The partnership with Essentium in the development of DryBox further underscores the flexibility of the platform to adapt for various humidity-controlled applications within multiple markets. DryBox will no doubt become the benchmark for 3D printing materials storage.”

Designed for industrial-scale 3D printing for all materials, the Essentium DryBox is available in two sizes:

• DB90 cabinet: accommodates up to 24 - 750 g spools, 8 - 2.5 kg spools or 6 - 15 kg spools.
• DB270 cabinet: accommodates up to 72 - 750 g spools, 24 - 2.5 kg spools or 18 - 15 kg spools.

Unique features include:

Self-regulating drying technology: allowing manufacturers to retrieve critical moisture-sensitive components from dry storage as many as 10 to 12 times per hour which is more than twice the access of competitive dry cabinets.

• SmartBake: an optional, integrated baking feature that can safely dry many 3D printing materials can be added to the DB90 model.
• User-friendly features: incorporates a digital touch screen interface for setting desired dry storage parameters, controlling intelligent LED interior status lighting, and monitoring system conditions.
• Industry 4.0 ready: integrated web server, onboard data logging and network connectivity.