TIME 3D Printing Is Like IDEX++

FFF (fused filament fabrication) 3D printing is quite mature technology at this point and very practical, but it still has many limitations that can make it frustrating for the uninitiated. Other 3D printing processes, like MSLA (Masked Stereolithography) resin printing, solve some of those problems, but then introduce their own sets of limitations. To squeeze as much flexibility out of the FFF process as possible, Jón Schone of Proper Printing developed a new type of 3D printer design that he refers to as TIME (True Independent Multiple Extrusion).

IDEX (independent dual extruder) 3D printers already exist and overcome some of the limitations of FFF 3D printing by using two extruders that move somewhat independently of each other. But the name is a bit of misnomer, because they aren’t truly independent. In a typical IDEX design, both extruders slide along the same X axis rail. That means they’re always constrained to the same position in the Y and Z axes. As the name suggests, Schone’s TIME 3D printer design has no such constraints. Each extruder rides on its own gantry and can move independently in all three axes. The object being printed by one extruder doesn’t have any influence on the movement of the other extruder.

In practice, this looks a bit like two 3D printers sharing a single bed. And that raises the question: why not just use two 3D printers?

The answer is: versatility. The TIME 3D printer’s extruders move independently, but they can also reach the same areas. So one extruder can do work on the same object as the other extruder. In this way, it has advantages similar to other dual-extruder designs. This enables both multi-color and multi-material printing. But because the extruders aren’t constrained to the same gantry, they can also do other things.

Imagine parallel printing two unique parts and each of them is two different materials. The TIME printer can assign one extruder to each part, and an extruder can also take a moment to add material to its neighbor when necessary. Or consider how much time could be saved printing one very large part with the work split between two extruders.

The TIME design opens up several very interesting possibilities. Only time will tell if this catches on, but it certainly has potential. If you want to see how Schone pulled this off, be sure to watch his detailed video on the construction process. Everything about that is interesting, down to the use of a cooking griddle for the heated bed.