Sculpman’s Variable Nozzle Technology for Polymer Extrusion 3D Printing

Sculpman’s variable nozzle technology is designed to speed up and improve polymer extrusion 3D printing without having to compromise on feature detail or visual quality. The continuously variable nozzle technology is said to enable users to create strong, full-sized and detailed objects in a matter of minutes instead of hours or even days.

The fundamental idea breaks away from the circular nozzle shape which has been the de facto standard in fused filament fabrication (FFF) printing. The circular output shape produces cylindrical “spaghetti” tracks which the company says is not an optimal configuration for efficiently printing clean layers due to the inherent problems with FFF’s layer adhesion in functional and visual applications.

By contrast, Sculpman’s nozzle system is based on regulating a continuously variable width-of-stroke during extrusion, similar to painting a picture. If painters need high detail, they may choose a small pencil, while choosing broader brushes for larger areas. Similarly, Sculpman’s nozzles can transform continuously between the small size and the large one. Moreover, the nozzle can also completely close to cut off the material flow.

The nozzle system offers a 0- to 10-mm opening configuration with a cross section of 0.5 mm featuring a build rate of 500 cm³ per hour. The cross section is what limits the possible layer heights users can use. Typically, one can go as low as 1/5 of the cross section and up to nearly 100% of it. The company says that larger cross sections for thicker layers and higher build rates in large-scale applications are currently being developed.

Another important aspect of the Sculpman system is the slicing and planning software enabling users to choose optimal extrusion paths. Also, the current nozzle is to be used with a filament-based feeding system using standard 2.85-mm filament and can be ordered with or without an extrusion drive subassembly, as well as in a Bowden configuration.