近日，Polymaker 的 FGF/LFAM 业务发展经理 Deborah Claxton 拜访了我们的合作伙伴 克劳斯玛菲 (Krauss Maffei) )，深入了解 powerPrint 系统及其如何应用颗粒材料。拥有近 190 年历史的克劳斯玛菲，是全球领先的塑料和橡胶生产加工机械设备制造商。该公司始终走在创新前沿，专注于注塑成型、挤出和反应加工等技术领域。如今，克劳斯玛菲正通过整合新型增材制造解决方案，进一步提升其产品实力。
PowerPrint 系统：革新大型 3D 打印
powerPrint系统标志着克劳斯玛菲在增材制造领域迈出了重要一步。这款基于龙门架的大型3D打印机经过精心设计，可实现高质量、可重复的生产，并解决了行业中长期存在的翘曲和粘附失败等难题。
主要特点：
先进的挤出技术：powerPrint系统的核心在于其专门设计的挤出单元。该单元采用更长的螺杆长度以实现均匀熔融，可精确控制材料流速和温度，从而确保打印效果始终如一且质量上乘。
热管理：系统配备隔热外壳和加热打印平台，最大限度地降低了翘曲和粘附问题的风险。
工艺稳定性：凭借先进的温度控制和优化的材料流速，该系统即使在苛刻的工业应用中，也能保证多次生产运行中结果的一致性。
Polymaker粒料的应用案例
为了充分展示该系统的卓越性能，克劳斯玛菲与 Polymaker 合作，生产了一款应用于汽车和家电行业的薄壁部件。该部件使用 PolyCore™ ABS-5022 （20% 碳纤维增强 ABS 复合颗粒）打印而成。这种碳纤维增强材料具有更高的刚性、强度以及在压力下的抗变形能力。 此次合作凸显了 powerPrint 系统在保持高机械完整性的同时，实现快速降本生产的能力。通过支持多个部件同时打印并结合精密后处理，克劳斯玛菲展示了其优化工作流程、显著缩短交付周期的实力。使用 PolyCore™ ABS-5022 缩短了单层打印时间，实现了更低成本的生产，产品的力学性能也与传统制造方法相当。
案例详情：
重量: 0,543 Kg
尺寸: 520 x 310 x 4,5 mm
打印系统: Krauss Maffei powerPrint
打印方: KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH
打印材料: PolyCore™ ABS-5022
“采用 Polycore™ ABS-5022 使我们能够高效生产高质量的大尺寸部件，显著缩短单层时间并降低成本。其材料特性与传统制造方法（如注塑成型）非常接近，使其成为汽车和家电应用的理想选择。此案例充分证明了增材制造技术如何能够自信地从原型制作迈向预量产阶段。” —— 迈克尔·赫尔内德 (Michael Helneder)，克劳斯玛菲客户负责人
展望未来：持续创新
克劳斯玛菲在增材制造领域的愿景，延伸至推出基于工业机器人的新型系统。该系统将于 2025 年在巴黎 JEC 复合材料展上首次亮相，它将实现多维度打印，为复杂几何形状和非平面设计开辟新的可能性。通过将数据追踪和先进聚合物材料融入其解决方案，克劳斯玛菲持续为行业设立质量和效率的新标杆。
该公司与 Polymaker 在 TCT Asia 2025 等展会上的持续合作，进一步彰显了其致力于通过创新协作应对行业挑战的决心。
结语
克劳斯玛菲凭借 powerPrint 系统进军增材制造领域，充分展现了其对创新和行业领导力的承诺。通过融合尖端技术、以客户为中心的服务以及战略合作伙伴关系，克劳斯玛菲已做好充分准备，引领大规模增材制造的未来发展。
Polymaker is thrilled to announce the launch of PolyCore™ PC-7413, a cutting-edge pellet-based material made from 30% glass fiber reinforced polycarbonate (PC). This advanced material is specifically engineered for medium-temperature (80 °C - 120 °C) composite mold applications, an area that has rapidly evolved in recent years through the adoption of fused granule fabrication (FGF), also known as Large-Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM). By leveraging FGF/LFAM, manufacturers achieve significant reductions in lead time and production costs.
“Over the past few years, producing large molds has rapidly become the most popular application of FGF/LFAM. PolyCore™ PC-7413 combines exceptional printability with cost-effectiveness to set a new benchmark in mold manufacturing.” Stated Raymond Huang, Director of Polymaker’s FGF Business.
Figure 1 | A mold was printed with PolyCore™ PC-7413
Key Features and Industry-Leading Capabilities
PolyCore™ PC-7413 boasts numerous advantages, making it an outstanding choice for medium-temperature composite mold applications.
- Excellent Heat Resistance: With a heat deflection temperature (HDT) of 136 °C at 1.82 MPa, PolyCore™ PC-7413 is ideal for autoclave curing processes up to 120 °C.
- Exceptional Printability: The glass fiber reinforcement minimizes warping during printing, and its finely tuned rheological behavior ensures smooth extrusion and excellent layer adhesion.
- Cost Effectiveness: PolyCore™ PC-7413 offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional carbon fiber reinforced materials, making it perfect for companies scaling up production without compromising on performance.
The material's performance was validated through a real-world case in which an aerospace-grade mold was successfully produced and subjected to additional rigorous testing. The mold met strict requirements for dimensional tolerance (± 0.2 mm) and airtightness, confirmed by high-precision laser scanning and vacuum tests. These results demonstrate the material’s exceptional heat resistance, strength, and dimensional stability, underscoring PolyCore™ PC-7413 as an ideal choice for composite mold applications.
Figure 2 | The mold and carbon fiber part after autoclaving
Figure 3 | Dimensional inspection result of the mold after autoclave curing
A Collaborative Success with Helio Additive
Beyond PolyCore™ PC-7413’s inherent material properties, we believe that the printing process, optimized by Dragon was also a critical factor in achieving the complete mold validation. By using a thermal history simulation for each voxel, Dragon’s optimization achieved a more uniform thermal distribution across the mold, reducing internal stress and enhancing layer adhesion. This process refinement contributed to the mold’s dimensional stability and airtightness, leading to a successful "First Time Right Print" with a 38% reduction in printing time.
Figure 4 | Optimization report from Dragon
“Materials are at the heart of what makes large format additive manufacturing powerful. Collaborating with Polymaker allows us to use the full power of Dragon with state-of-the-art materials to develop solutions for composite tooling.” Stated David Hartmann, CEO of Helio Additive
See PolyCore™ PC-7413 at Formnext 2024
Polymaker invites you to explore the capabilities of PolyCore™ PC-7413 and see firsthand how this new material can transform your manufacturing processes. Visit our booth at Formnext in Hall 12.1, Stand C21 to learn more.
For more information, or to explore how PolyCore™ PC-7413 can benefit your production, contact us at polycore.inquiry@polymaker.com.cn.
近年来，3D打印技术的持续创新与进步使其在建筑行业的应用日益广泛。与传统的木质或钢质建筑模板相比，3D打印模板只需将设计方案输入3D打印软件，就能生产出最终的模板或造型。这种高效性和可持续性，正是3D打印模板在建筑领域的显著优势之一。
PolyCore™ ABS-5012是一种PolyCore™颗粒材料，被选为定制混凝土墙体模具的打印材料。这种高性价比的ABS复合材料含有20%的玻璃纤维，非常适合在低温环境（室温至80℃）下使用的3D打印模具和工具。借助这种材料进行模具打印，并利用3D打印技术的大尺寸和高精度优势，我们为Polymaker打造了一面5米（长）×0.4米（宽）×2米（高）的品牌墙。
本文将详细介绍使用PolyCore™ ABS-5012建造这面墙体的分步流程。
首先，设计师突破了传统模具的设计限制，创造出多面图案，并融入了Polymaker的标志，充分发挥了3D打印技术带来的创作自由度。
接下来是模具的打印与加工阶段，总共耗时16小时。打印完成后，全尺寸的模具被切割成四部分，其内表面经过额外的后处理，以确保混凝土浇筑后能呈现光滑的表面效果。
随后，模具组件通过螺栓进行组装，同时搭建外部支撑结构，为混凝土的稳定浇筑提供保障。
最后进入混凝土浇筑与脱模阶段。这一阶段包括在3D打印模具内部构建钢筋网结构、浇筑C30混凝土、自然风干，然后脱模并对结构进行上色。
最终完成的品牌墙带有Polymaker标志，并荣获 2024年TCT亚洲展 “最佳应用奖——最佳工业案例”。
通过创新研发，Polymaker不断提升其材料（尤其是颗粒材料）在建筑应用中的稳定性和耐久性。这有助于在制造过程中实现更高水平的设计自由度、更短的交付周期、更低的生产成本，以及更小的碳足迹。
预计在不久的将来，3D打印建筑将成为推动建筑行业发展的关键动力，通过这种新型增材制造方式实现非凡的设计，全方位促进创新。
2024年5月6日，上海—— 近日，Polymaker荣获 2024年TCT亚洲展“最佳应用奖——最佳工业案例”， 凭借其 PolyCore™系列产品在3D打印建筑模版领域的优秀表现。这一荣誉不仅是对Polymaker在创新和卓越方面的认可，也是对其在3D打印行业中持续领导地位的肯定。
随着3D打印技术的不断创新和进步，这一技术被逐渐应用于建筑行业。此次获奖案例正是Polymaker在建筑领域的深耕之作：利用3D打印的高精度和大尺寸优势，Polymaker选用旗下 PolyCore™ 系列材料，浇筑制作完成了Polymaker（及苏州聚复科技股份有限公司）长达5米，宽0.4米，总高2米的品牌墙。
墙体从飘落的雪花中汲取设计灵感，打造凹凸立体的造型；上海建工集团下属上海市机械施工集团有限公司为更好铸造这一项目，还与上海酷鹰科技有限公司联合研发出一体化打印装备，并将其充分应用于品牌墙的打印工作之中 ，彰显了3D打印将创意想象付诸实践的实力，为建筑行业注入了智能制造的新活力。
这一墙体的建成意义重大。上海市机械施工集团有限公司方面表示：“超大幅面异形混凝土模板3D打印技术的应用，依托“十三五”及“十四五”国家项目课题研究成果，将为市政及建筑工程中异形混凝土模板模具的快速、高精度制造带来革命性的变化。与传统模具相比，这一技术有效降低了制造成本与施工周期，推动了传统建筑向数字化、工业化、智能化、低碳化的转型。”
正因如此，Polymaker才能在亚洲地区最具影响力的增材制造盛会TCT亚洲展上脱颖而出，赢得“ 最佳应用奖之最佳工业案例奖项, 进一步巩固了Polymaker在建筑领域的地位并丰富了其产品组合。有关此案例的详细信息，请点击“采用PolyCore™打印的建筑模型案例”。
“我们对荣获TCT亚洲展最佳工业案例奖感到非常荣幸。这不仅是对我们团队不懈努力和持续创新的肯定，也为建筑行业的发展带来新启示。Polymaker一直是将3D打印应用于建筑领域的先行者，为包括室内设计和室外建筑在内的建筑行业提供多款粒料产品，并成功打造 上海桃浦公园景观桥、, the 成都流云桥拉卡环岛雕塑等项目。未来，品牌还将继续致力于技术创新和产品优化，为建筑行业带来更多智能制造的可能性，让建筑焕发智能制造之美。”——Polymaker CEO 罗小帆博士
除最佳工业案例奖外，Polymaker还在TCT亚洲展十周年之际获得了十年老友称号。这一荣誉代表了Polymaker与TCT亚洲展的长期合作和密切关系，以及品牌在3D打印行业中的持续贡献。
未来，Polymaker将继续秉承卓越品质和创新精神，不断拓展增材制造领域的边界，为客户和合作伙伴提供卓越的解决方案，最终推动增材制造技术的发展。
Polymaker unveiled the "Liuyun Bridge", a 3D printed polymer bridge built jointly by Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd., Polymaker, and Shanghai Kuying Technology Co., Ltd., in Yimahe Park, Longquanyi District, Chengdu in 2021. Inspired by the free-flowing shape of the stagecoach and dancing silk, “Liuyun Bridge” achieves bold innovations in landscape design using new technology and materials unlike ever before while managing to overcome many obstacles in the 3D printing process. Polymaker was largely responsible for the conception and completion of this project, providing the materials and spearheading the exploration of landscape bridge design.
The printing process of "Liuyun Bridge"
Innovating on the printing process, the “Liuyun Bridge” takes advantage of Polymaker’s materials and creatively employs new technology to complete its construction not only quicker, but also with higher quality. The bridge manages to shorten its construction period using the Kuying Tech’s 5-Axis Milling and Additive Manufacturing Integrated Machine (BGAM), which allows for uninterrupted 3D printing to continuously occur at all hours of the day without any manual interaction, finishing the printing of “Liuyun Bridge’s” main components in only thirty-five days.
Polymaker guarantees the bridge’s stability and safety for years to come with their polymer pellets PolyCore™ ASA-3012, a material with excellent anti-aging. Another new method used to improve the printing process, closed-loop printing ensures there are minimal deformations by monitoring the temperature of the material during the printing process. The “Liuyun Bridge” consumes several tons of materials to finally complete its construction by printing segmented components to be assembled on site. Heavily dependent on Polymaker and their materials, “Liuyun Bridge” is a one-of-a-kind landscape bridge that only found its success through Polymaker.
A tremendous feat for 3D printing like the “Liuyun Bridge” never could have been accomplished without the collaboration between Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd., Polymaker, and Shanghai Kuying Co., Ltd. The actual design for the bridge was a product from both Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Polymaker while Shanghai Kuying Co., Ltd. was responsible for the technology that let the material reach its fullest potential, crafting the bridge’s components with few errors and in an extremely short amount of time. However, Polymaker’s PolyCore™ ASA-3012 laid the foundation for this incredible achievement in 3D printing as the material made the design feasible in reality and continues to support its everyday use.
Materials used for “Liuyun Bridge”
The “Liuyun Bridge” used many new methods specific to Polymaker’s material to expand on the bridge’s performance. As the optimal material for the bridge, PolyCore™ ASA-3012 has mechanical properties suited for outdoor use and works specifically for large 3D prints, enhancing their dimensional stability and interlayer adhesion. Currently, most additive manufacturing technologies result in residual stress and warpage when using the fused deposition molding process. However, “Liuyun Bridge” incorporates a multi-factor analysis method, controlling ambient temperature and the three-stage melting of materials with different parameters like temperature, glass transition temperature, and single-layer printing time, to prevent any warping or deformations caused by rapid cooling.
During the printing process, heating the workspace before and after printing strengthens the layer-by-layer adhesion of the 3D printed materials, further reducing any possible problems with the printed components. Allowing the design of “Liuyun Bridge” to be fully realized, the high-precision five-axis CNC processing system of Kuying’s BGAM removes the typical margin of error reserved for printing deformations and heightens the accuracy of segmented printing components. With Polymaker’s PolyCore™ ASA-3012 being so advantageous, it solves many previous printing issues while still bolstering “Liuyun Bridge’s” stability and structure.
“Liuyun Bridge” is not the first bridge to use 3D printing technology though. Polymaker has worked in the construction of a few other 3D printed bridges, both at home and abroad, to realize new breakthroughs and accomplishments on each of their projects.
Polymaker’s 3D printed bridges in China
Shanghai Taopu Central Park Bridge
In 2019, China’s first composite landscape bridge was constructed in Shanghai Taopu Central Park by Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd., Polymaker, and Shanghai Kuying Technology Co., Ltd. As the first composite landscape bridge with one-time molding and a multi-dimensional curved surface, the Taopu Central Park Bridge breaks through the shackles of traditional bridge design and frees the landscape bridge to be more flexible and diverse in space. Like with “Liuyun Bridge”, the Taopu Central Park Bridge owes its conception and dynamic shape to Polymaker and their materials.
The printing process of this 3D printed landscape bridge went through nearly one hundred printing tests to be continuously optimized. The super-large gantry 3D printer, jointly developed by Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Kuying Technology Co., Ltd., allows for more diverse printing of larger sizes while still improving the printing’s accuracy. The Taopu Central Park Bridge is also composed of Polymaker's PolyCore™ ASA-3012 material, so the bridge can withstand long-term exposure to the sun and rain.
Quanzhou Bridge
Polymaker installed China’s second 3D printed bridge in the ecological belt of Baiqi Lake in Quanzhou, Fujian in 2019 as the second collaboration between Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd., Polymaker, and Shanghai Kuying Technology Co., Ltd. Spanning 17.5 meters, the Quanzhou Bridge also uses Polymaker’s PolyCore™ ASA-3012 material for its body and drastically improves on the manufacturing time of traditional concrete grouting, completing its construction in only five weeks.
With the bridge’s manufacturing saving a considerable amount of time, it continues to compete with traditional grouting by providing strength that can withstand a pressure of two kilonewtons for each square meter, guaranteeing its ability to carry any amount of traffic. The Quanzhou Bridge utilizes a segmented design, unlike the Taopu Central Park Bridge, allowing its segments to be connected through a unique link mechanism to meet necessary mechanical requirements. Together, Polymaker's PolyCore™ ASA-3012 and the BGAM print the different components of the bridge to be assembled and painted for the finished construction, like with the printing process of the “Liuyun Bridge”.
The future of 3D printed bridges
Polymaker plays a role throughout the entire process of their 3D printed landscape bridges, covering many different facets from modeling, construction, and conception to data design. 3D printing technology truly emphasizes the "link of artistic inspiration with the power of science and technology" by pushing both sides to reach a product that stands above expectations. Polymaker’s application of 3D printing technology in landscape design greatly expands opportunities for technological innovation and exploration in the industry.
With 3D printing technology only continuing to grow, it has become an important consideration in constructing footbridges and large-sized printing quicker, with more cost effectiveness, and in a sustainable manner. Large-sized printing solutions are becoming more and more popular in different fields too, and Polymaker wants to fuel their growth by actively developing and producing materials that can bring ambitious projects to reality.
Without the material Polymaker has been creating, 3D printed bridges would never be as developed as they are now because Polymaker’s material not only provides the flexibility to meet any design’s needs, but also the strength to sustain the bridge for many years. Polymaker advances the world of 3D printing in more ways than only with their materials though. Their passion to push the industry and venture into unexplored territory has given 3D printing new capabilities and unimaginable possibilities.
Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd.:
Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd. is a leading enterprise in China's construction industry, ranking among the world's top 500 companies. Over the past sixty years, Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd. has repeatedly set records in the history of engineering construction in China and even in the world. It has contributed to many excellent projects in more than 100 cities across the country and in more than 30 countries and regions around the world. In recent years, Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd. has made every effort to promote national development, strengthen the synergy of the entire industry chain, and continue to form new commanding heights in business areas such as urban renewal, water conservancy, environmental governance, digital industrial construction, and construction services. They are now accelerating construction to become a widely acclaimed service provider for the whole life cycle of construction.
Shanghai Kuying Technology Co., Ltd.:
Shanghai Kuying Technology Co., Ltd. is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the research and development of super-large 3D printing solutions. The company adheres to the concept of "exploring future manufacturing methods" and is based on the innovative model of "integration of addition and reduction of materials, research and development of new materials, and intelligent control" in order to help manufacturing companies reduce costs and improve efficiency. The company’s existing intelligent equipment products include the Tech’s 5-Axis Milling and Additive Manufacturing Intergrated (BGAM), the high-speed pellet printer (SGAM), and the robotic additive manufacturing system (BRAM). These main products are widely used in architectural landscape, aerospace, shipbuilding, rail transit, energy, automobiles, medical products, and many other industries.
3D Printed Bridge & The Potential of Large Scale 3D Printing
The world's first 3D printed pedestrian bridge has now been installed in a Shanghai park serving as a physical landmark in the downtown park, as well as a landmark in large scale 3D Printing. The Bridge weighs in at 5,800kg, of which 12.5% are glass fibers that run through the material adding stiffness and toughness to the ASA-3012 3D printing material developed by Polymaker. The Bridge was printed in just over 30 days and is the first project to be completed by the Shanghai Constructions Group's new large format printer.
The printer has a current build volume of 144 meters cubed the majority of which is consumed by a 25m Y axis allowing for very long objects to be printed. This allows the construction group to venture into unchartered territories for extrusion-based 3D printing on a scale never witnessed before. As we've seen 3D printing penetrate almost every other industry it was only a matter of time until the construction guys got involved.
The pedestrian footbridge can take a load of 13 metric tonnes which equates to 4 people per square meter and the bridge is expected to operate for 30 years in the park. The material used to print the bridge is an acrylonitrile styrene acrylate reinforced with glass fibers and developed by Polymaker through their industrial range of materials. ASA-3012 was chosen as the material of choice due to its weather resistance and good mechanical properties. The addition of the glass fibers (12.5% by weight) adds both stiffness and toughness to the material while also lowering the coefficient of thermal expansion.
This means that when the material is heated and printed the expansion and contraction is much more controlled creating flat layers and eliminating internal stress within the material. The extruder on the 3D printer was developed by Coin Robotic who employed a tamping system to ensure all layers are completely level. The extruder is a pellet fed screw drive system with three heating zones, at the business end there is a 5mm nozzle which can pump 8kg of material per hour in 10mm layers.
Retaining heat on this scale proved to be a big issue in the testing phase of building this system, as it can take over 2 hours before the nozzle passes over the previous layer allowing the material to fully cool and crystallize reducing strength between the layers and producing a strong warp. This led Coin Robotic to add four industrial heat guns to their extruder system that bring the previous layer back up to heat prior to laying down a new layer, by raising the previous layer to the glass transition temperature it greatly increases the interlayer adhesion creating boosting the strength and eliminating the warping as the internal crystal structure can grow through the layers.
As development continues in large scale printing it made me wonder what role this technology could play on a grander scale, what if recycled plastics were repurposed to a 3D bridge instead of continuing the cycle of single-use plastic objects and ultimately ending up in our oceans. PETG used to create disposable drinks bottles is by far the most recycled plastic worldwide and shares many of its properties with ASA, what if we could repurpose the recycled plastic creating a long term solution to plastic waste. 3D printing large structures secures all the repurposed plastic in one place on land which is easy to manage, has a defined lifetime and can benefit thousands of people. While I'm always careful to dispose of my PETG bottles in the recycling bin, allowing the plastic to be turned into another single use bottle, how can I trust the next person will also recycle the plastic? Actually, by recycling the material I've given it another chance to end up in the wrong places, polluting our beaches and oceans. Imagine a third bin next to the current recycling and regular bins, called repurposing, a bin in which all materials are repurposed into long term 3D printed projects that can lock the plastic on land and benefit a huge number of people.
Footage of world's largest plastic 3D printer printing pedestrian bridge
Polymaker just released footage of Shanghai Construction Group’s 3D printer in the process of producing a pedestrian footbridge, which will take 30 days to complete as it will be 15 meters long and weigh 5,800kg. SGC has a reputation for going big as they built the second tallest building in the world, the Shanghai Tower. The 3D printer was built by Shenyang Machine Group and the extruder system was manufactured by Coin Robotic (who also built the bed), together totaling some $2.8 million in investment. Polymaker Industrial developed the ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylate) plastic for the print, a material chosen for its favorable properties of weather and chemical resistance, thermal stability, and toughness. To determine the best plastic for the job, Polymaker 3D printed a 5-meter version of the bridge with several different compounds before choosing AS100GF for its overall strength and printability. The bridge will be rated to hold 13 tons or four people per square meter, so strength is vitally important.
The plastic is 12.5% glass fibers by weight, adding strength and also reducing the warping effect that plagues large 3D prints. 3D Printing bigger isn’t as simple as just making a bigger printer because so much of 3D printing is related to heat retention and even heating, which becomes a trickier task the bigger the print/printer. In this case, the build chamber is 24 meters long, 4 meters wide, and 1.5 meters high, with a planned expansion to 3 meters high. That’s 144 cubic meters to keep heated, which is achieved by a large bellowed tent that moves with the gantry. The tent is heated to 38°C and blankets are placed on top of the print to slow the cooling process, allowing the polymer chains to relax without warping; the blankets also protect the print from dust. Yes, the build chamber is so large that technicians work inside the 3D printer while it’s operating to monitor the print and move the blankets.
But heating is only one 3D printing issue that’s exacerbated by increasing scale as there’s also layer levelness as well as bed and layer adhesion. For layers to bond well, they should be joined when they’re at a similar temperature; on this print, each layer takes several hours, so the previous layer has cooled significantly by the time the extruder comes back around for the next layer. The blankets and the glass fibers help slow this cooling, but the print head does a lot of work here by reheating the print with four 600°C hot air guns aimed around the extruder. The air guns ensure the print is always hot around where the extruder is working for maximum layer adhesion.
The layer levelness issue is solved here by a novel approach not seen on other 3D printers: tamping. Nozzles are round, meaning their extrusion is round, and when pushed flat as a layer they have a tapered top, which is not ideal for layer adhesion. For a desktop 3D printer with a nozzle size of 0.35mm, the taper is small enough to mostly not notice, but the SGC 3D printer uses a nozzle over 14x that size at 5mm so the tamping of the plastic right after it’s extruded makes a big difference in layer levelness and adhesion. And considering that, despite its gargantuan size and the fact that it’s extruding up to 8kg of plastic per hour, the printer is accurate to 0.1mm, those differences in levelness really matter. To get the first layer to adhere to the print bed, ASA pellets were glued to wooden planks that were then clamped to the steel bed. Sometimes the low-tech solution is the best solution.
A pedestrian bridge over a lake is a great way to showcase the largest 3D printed plastic object as it’s both an everyday, practical application and an interactive one that involves people touching and even relying upon (to keep them from getting wet) a 3D printed thing. Many people have never touched a 3D printed object and they still think of it as part fantasy and part future tech, so projects like this do a lot of good in terms of exposing the public to the reality and the possibilities of 3D printing.