3Devo | Produce, recycle, experiment.

3DEvo : Produce, recycle, experiment.

3DEvo is an engineering company founded in the Netherlands by a team of young talents, who in 2014 developed a first prototype of a desktop filament extruder. Since then, the product has been developed with its accessories which today allow 3DEvo to offer a complete and simple solution to produce its own 3D printing filament, from recovered plastics and / or new pellets.

The suite offered consists of three machines, software, and a personalized support program.

The crusher : SHR3D IT

In order to extrude used plastic, it must first be reduced to a flake state so that it can be remelted. SHR3D IT not only integrates a powerful crusher, which leaves no chance for plastic parts in its path (it’s also very satisfying to watch, even our next demonstration!), But also a granulator, which refines the flakes obtained up to a certain particle size, determined and compatible with the rest of the process.

Particular attention has been paid to the safety of use of the grinder: indeed, no one wants to lose a finger, or worse. Numerous sensors and guards prevent any injury or damage to the machine. Note the system of indicator lights, alerting in the event of overheating, jamming, or the absence of a safety element, such as the well thought-out hopper, which prevents leaving your hands lying around and retains ejections of small pieces of mistreated plastic.

The oven : AIRID.

The number one enemy when extruding or printing plastic is moisture. Indeed, the presence of water molecules in plastic implies undesirable effects: vapor bubbles during melting, degradation of mechanical properties, swelling of the filament, etc. Thermoplastics capture the ambient humidity of the air, and are there. more or less sensitive depending on their nature, this is called hygroscopy.

AIRID is a solution that allows, through drying and hot air mixing, to remove all traces of moisture in your flakes, before extruding them as a filament. Pre-recorded programs allow smooth and efficient use, a few hours are enough to dry up to 5 liters of plastic.

THE FILAMENT FACTORY: COMPOSITION AND PRECISION, 350 and 450

Finally, we move on to the famous shaping stage: The Composer and Precision machines are complete office solutions that allow you to experiment with the production and recycling of plastics in the form of 3D printing filaments.

This equipment is composed of :

• An extrusion screw in a sheath with 4 independent and configurable heating zones, to push and accompany the melting of the plastic flakes up to an extrusion nozzle. Composer machines are delivered with a specific screw, comprising a swirl zone at its end to mix your compounds (mixture of different plastics, dyes, additives, etc.).
  Finally, the two extruders exist in version 350, for the extrusion of standard plastics such as PLA, ABS, Nylon, TPU (etc.) and in version 450, which also allows to tackle the so-called “high temperature” plastics such as PEEK, PEKK, or PEI for example (see the complete list on our brochures and on the 3DEvo website).
• A diameter sensor and a filament traction system: the combination of these two devices makes it possible to precisely control the diameter of the filament (sensor accuracy of 43µm), from 0.5 to 3mm.
• Finally, a set of solutions allows the winding of the filament obtained: a support that can accommodate a spool of up to 2.5kg, so the rotation is controlled, as well as an index that allows the filament to be axially supported for clean winding. It is possible to configure any coil dimension (internal diameter, maximum diameter, and winding width).

Solution tested and approved by us, here is the first filament produced by Multistation, from new PLA! Satisfactory print results on our FlashForge Creator 3 :

Next challenge : producing recycled filament from failed prints.

The software : DevoVision

DevoVision is a software which allows, using a PC connected to the extruder by USB, to monitor all the extrusion parameters (temperatures, speed, ventilation, filament diameter) in real time, which is essential during the development and optimization of parameters for a new material.

THE PERSONALIZED SUPPORT PROGRAM: DEVOCARE (ONE YEAR) AND DEVOCARE PLUS (TWO YEARS)

3DEvo offers users of these machines an enhanced warranty and personalized support program consisting of :

• The provision of a materials specialist to achieve faster and easier development of your developments.
• 45-minute online training to get the most out of your equipment.
• Priority status on the e-mail support platform, receive lightning-fast response from their specialists.
• Direct telephone support from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every working day.
• A replacement machine: if you encounter problems with your extruder, 3DEvo offers you a temporary replacement machine to be able to continue production during the after-sales service.
• A two-year warranty extension with DevoCare Plus

In short: 3DEvo offers you a more than complete solution to integrate the recycling of your waste internally, and to revalue it thanks to 3D FDM printing! Not to mention the possibilities offered in terms of developing materials for your own prototyping or engineering needs.

Come and discover the equipment in our demonstration center in Paris XV, where our technicians will be delighted to present this equipment and its potential to you.

Multistation supports you in the integration of new digital manufacturing solutions, from the supply of equipment to maintenance, including user training. Contact us to receive a detailed brochure, and keep you informed of the next face-to-face and remote demonstrations that we are organizing.

Mendi AITTAHAR, MULTISTATION technician.