That's been around for a long time. IIRC they get around the ooze/retraction issue by closing the nozzle.

not at all...

Using screws for all axis would make this thing print incredibly slow would it not? Those looked like they had actual threads and weren't a worm drive, so they would have to be spun at a very high RPM to move the platform at any rate of speed and I can't see how you could do that without causing far more issues than a simple pulley / belt system for the X and Y would get you. If spun at even a few hundred RPM on threaded rod if the plate moves anything like my printer hotend does when printing the friction generated heat would get you into issue's in a hurry since the "plate" would keep moving over the same section of the threaded rod constantly.

I'm sure as elmoret says you could close the nozzle to at least avoid ooze, but I don't see how this thing can even attempt to do a print in a single color without wasting "pellets" just blasting material out to a waste bucket (pillar on plate or whatever) at the start and end of every print. I just finished cranking out some blue and red filament on my Filastruder and put a considerable amount of filament onto my "garbage spool" that I still use to print from when I don't care about the items color. But that isn't a great method for general printing of items.

EDIT I was wrong, it is using a worm drive and its still looking very slow print wise

BTW, I came across this and wonder if they were planning on using a similar technology for the extruder...

http://www.arburg.com/products-and-serv … er-system/

I'm a really big fan of standing on the shoulders of giants - looking at what people in industry are doing before trying to implement it on the DIY scale.  All of the big boys - 3DS, Stratasys, etc use filament. If pellets produced a better quality print, we'd at least see that as an option. I don't think pellet based printing is impossible, but they haven't addressed the main concerns and typically in my experience, that means they are currently unsolved.

I will add one more to that. I have worked in the extrusion industry for over 7 years. I have yet to see a professional extrusion machine that retracts. So as elmoret said for the printing side, it holds the same for the extrusion side as well. Usually extrusion as treated as a 'forward only' process, and setup requires a good amount of purging and pulling before getting into 'at speed' operating mode. My guess is that they are probably attempting a wiping action between extrusions. And the best way would be to wipe inside the fill region of the print. And if they do that, Stratasys has a direct patent on that little trick.

PS: When they mention that you 'add what you need' I am going to guess that they are taking into account that whatever is still sitting in the melt zone from the last job will be the first used material for the next job, so think of it like adding not the pellets that will be used in the print job itself, but adding enough so that the material sitting in the melt zone will end with the same amount.

Its a ridiculous design. I am willing to bet that the only way to get color is to use pellets already mixed (by this, not a mix of base pellets and colorant pellets, but pellets made from extruding the mix before hand and then regrinding back into colored pellets).

The cost is crazy, you could have a swarm of filastruders and a couple solidoodles running for that price.

+1

They're also charging $18/kg for pellets. Yikes.

their video shows it using flex plastic/rubber not ABS/PLA it uses many types of materials some need proper ventelation due to hazards can go up to 330c temps.
the bed does all the moving. looks like the SD Press but with hopper at top. I like the quick release build plate though it seems small.

wonder how hot it melts at. it could be good for gaskets etc if high temp material like for small engines etc. depends on price which is near Makerbot cost.

IanJohnson wrote:

There is also no way to empty it.  In an interview on the All Things 3D podcast, they said you just need to figure out how much you will need for the print and only put in that much.

Turn it upside down and shake!

LOL or hold it like for thick syrup or ketchup to drip out at 200c