Magnum Venus Products posted a video of their large format 3D printer – one of the first to use thermoset instead of more common thermoplastic materials. The video only shows simple parts, no long fiber reinforcement and no post-machining, but it is an exciting development for automated composites.
Check it out here: RAM – REACTIVE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
and the video:
Most of the other large additive options (BAAM and LSAM) use thermoplastic feedstock, often mixed with a short fiber reinforcement. The output is amazing, especially when machined and primed, but thermoplastic feed-stock is expensive especially if high temperature service is needed. The inter-layer adhesion isn’t ideal (“welding” hot material to cooler material as it is extruded) and shrinkage is a problem. On the bright side it is all recyclable – in theory.
The argument for thermoset based material is that it can be formulated to perform in various ways and the shrinkage is controllable. The cured parts are strong in the z-direction because the beads are bonded together. Unfortunately it is not a recyclable end product. As this technology becomes more mature, it will be interesting to see where each system finds it’s sweet spot!