It’s not every day we get to cover a new 3D printing technology. It’s not every day that we get to cover a new 3D printer technology. While companies release new hardware and software models, a new tech on the market is an exciting event. That’s why we’re excited to be exploring a new additive technology developed by Axtra3D called Hybrid PhotoSynthesis (HPS), said to “transcend the limits of SLA, DLP and LCD.”
Before we dive into the details about the company’s patented process and its HPS-based solution— Lumia X1—let’s get to know Axtra3D a bit better. Founded in 2021 by AM veteran Gianni Zitelli and technical leader Praveen Tummala, Axtra3D is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and runs an R&D facility in Vicenza, Italy. The company was founded with the goal of commercializing Hybrid PhotoSynthesis and making photopolymerization viable for high-throughput manufacturing.
In just a single year after its launch, this young company has already made remarkable progress: it raised $6.25M in a Series-A funding round at the end of 2022 and unveiled its X1 Series Printers to the AM Industry at Formnext. The company currently has 12 patents and is shipping its first 3D Printers. Last month, Axtra3D signed a contract with Nota3D for the distribution of the Lumia X1. Axtra3D is a company that has achieved a great deal in a short amount of time.
Axtra3D’s rapid progress has been driven by the company’s mission to introduce a technology that settles—for once and for all—the trade-offs between stereolithography (SLA) and Digital Light Processing (DLP). The company has created a photopolymerization technology that offers scale, surface, speed and reliability.
SLA and DLP limitations overcome
Both SLA and DLP have made great strides over the years. However, both technologies still have their limitations. SLA is known for its excellent print quality and resolution, but it suffers in terms of print speed and output. DLP is the opposite, providing high-throughput, but limited resolution.
How has Axtra3D been able to overcome the challenges of SLA and DLP at once? This is due to the suite of patented technology: Hybrid PhotoSynthesis HPS, TruLayer and Intelli-Cartridge.
Hybrid PhotoSynthesis is a light engine technology that combines SLA’s laser process with a DLP image generator. Both light sources are used simultaneously in this coaxial system to cure resin on the same wavelength. The HPS process uses a light projector to cure the bulk of the layer while the laser cures its contours with high precision. This dual approach allows users to achieve SLA-grade (in the 45 micron range) resolutions while utilizing the speed of the light projection.
Axtra3D, in addition to its HPS technology, has developed a feature that is patented and speeds up printing by reducing the inter-layer delay. This feature, called TruLayer Technology, consists of three sensors embedded into a glass plate below the printer’s membrane. TruLayer speeds up the time it takes between each print layer by allowing the layer to be quickly detached from the membrane of the vat. Axtra3D says that this innovation doubles the speed of printing without compromising quality or precision.
The company’s unique platform also accounts for the different scales of printed objects as well as the wide variety of different materials that will be used by its customers. Thanks to TruLayer Technology, even large cross-sections can be quickly removed from the membrane, while a “vat membrane of enduring quality” offers superior durability and can handle even highly viscous resin materials.
Paul Spoliansky, CRO of Axtra3D, says of the TruLayer Technology: “We’re able to eliminate the standard wait times and only wait as long we we need to, because we actually have live feedback from those sensors. When we turn on that technology, we get live feedback from the sensors. [start] seeing that we’re able to double the speed of major competitors in the space.”
Last but certainly not least is Axtra3D’s Intelli-Cartridge, a resin management system with many automated functions, such as dosing, stirring, heating, and filtering. Intelli-Cartridge streamlines resin handling for users by increasing the amount resin the printer is able to hold (up eight liters), automatically dispense resin into the vats, stirring and continuously heating the material and removing any extra resin. This automated capability allows users to produce large prints in higher volumes.
Lumia X1 – Introducing the Lumia X1
All three technologies come together in Axtra3D’s flagship product: the Lumia X1 3D printer. Lumia X1 3D printer is engineered for high-speed production. It offers scale, speed and resolution to meet a wide range of needs, such as prototyping, production parts, tooling or production.
Scale-wise, the machine is comparable to (and sometimes even exceeds) many 4K DLP machines. It also offers a higher printing resolution of up to 45 microns. Axtra3D states that its system has a 2.5-times larger average size than other resin systems offering the same resolution.
The system is also notable for its printing speed, enabled both by the hybrid photopolymerization approach and the company’s TruLayer technology, which minimizes downtime between each layer. The Lumia X1 also includes a 4K camera to provide detailed views of prints, a large, user-friendly interface and safety features such as ventilation, magnetic lock system, UV-shielded windows and an emergency stop.
The industrial system is available either with a closed or open materials configuration, enabling users to take advantage of the machine’s high resolution and scale with a wide range of resins, including unfilled and filled resins of varying viscosities (including ceramic-filled resins). The company says: “As more 3D printing materials become available, the Lumia X1 is well positioned to offer access to the widest variety of these ‘future’ materials.”
Bringing new ideas to the table
As we said, a big part of Axtra3D’s goal is to bring something new to the table, which offers AM adopters a greater range of benefits than existing technologies. “Industry experts know that new and innovative technology doesn’t come around that often, contrary to what most 3D printing OEMs say,” the company says. “We feel that many rapid prototyping labs and service bureaus have been waiting for something truly new and disruptive. It’s here. It’s here.”
Axtra3D tries to distinguish itself by offering services and a technology with no restrictions on parameters or materials. In the company’s words, it wants to “disrupt the status quo” of field service by providing 24/7 support, with request response times within 60 minutes. The company plans to incorporate augmented reality (AR), so that problems can be fixed remotely, into its maintenance service.
Axtra3D, a company on the market for only two years, is having a pretty big impact. The company’s hybrid approach to photopolymerization could open up the technology to more users and for more industrial-scale applications, as manufacturers can benefit from rapid print speeds and higher quality finishes (reducing post-processing requirements). If you’re interested in learning more about its Hybrid PhotoSynthesis technology or seeing the results of its high-res capabilities, you can Contact us Request a sample or a live demonstration from the company.