Dual extrusion printers pose problems of color blending and blemishes, due to which users have to resort to the Wipe Towers for clean printing. Printr an Amsterdam-based firm has offered a solution for this problem. It has devised a technology that can clean the prints while dual extrusion.

This solution is called the ‘donut wipe tower’. This solution is in the shape of a donut as opposed to the standard solid shapes. This hollow object can be easily produced and wipes excess filament from the extruder. Printr claims that this solution provides the cleanest dual prints and will be first executed at the Formide platform which integrates Katana cloud slicing software.

Printr’s Donut wipe tower will allow for additional customization and optimization in prints. The extruders release the filament before reaching the target temperature and start printing. Printr was influenced by BCN’s Independent Dual Extruder (IDEX) trays, ensuring that the Donut wipe tower’s hollow part is the setting for extruders to heat up — any filament released will not fall on the print bed, and all the unwanted mess will collect in the Donut wipe tower. The Donut wipe towers are designed to use a wider which keeps the print bed safe from the tipping filament.

Based on the material and time constraints, the infill-percentage in the Swipe tower can be user-specified. Further, if the printing is being done using two separate materials (e.g. PLA and PVA) two different wipe towers can be placed. The Katana is also a ‘smart’ device which will determine whether the wipe tower is required for the complete or part printing.

Printr was founded in 2014 and has introduced devices like Katana, Formide, The Element, and now the Donut wipe towers. These objects have been successful in enhancing the task of 3D printing.

Source: 3dprint.com