Engines
Engine Models
The Engine is the unenclosed model, and may be configured as follows:
| Model | Engine SR Standard Resolution |
Engine HR High Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Heated Build Platform | yes | yes |
| Integrated Tablet PC | yes | yes |
| Initial Heads | 1 | 1 |
| Maximum Heads | 4 | 4 |
| X/Y-Axes Motion Control | Belts | Precision Ball Screws |
| Z-Axis Motion Control | Precision Ball Screw | Precision Ball Screw |
| Positional Resolution X / Y / Z in μm |
<5 / <5 / <1 | <1 / <1 / <1 |
| Positional Accuracy X / Y / Z in μm |
<50 / <50 / <10 | <10 / <10 / <10 |
| Positional Repeatability X / Y / Z in μm |
<25 / <25 / <5 | <5 / <5 / <5 |
| Precise X/Y Output for Bioplots |
100 μm lines 200 μm spacing |
50 μm lines 100 μm spacing |
| Precise Z output for Bioplots |
25 μm layers | 25 μm layers |
For reference, the initial Engine configurations were as follows:
| Model | E1 Tinkerer DISCONTINUED |
E2 Hobbyist DISCONTINUED |
E3 Apprentice SEE Engine SR |
E4 Journeyman DISCONTINUED |
E5 Professional DISCONTINUED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heated Build Platform | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Integrated PC & Touchscreen or Tablet PC |
no | no | yes | yes | yes |
| Initial Heads | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Maximum Heads | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Technical Data
Temperature
- The HotBed can be heated to any temperature up to 70°C by default, and up to 110°C if reconfigured.
- The MK-1 can be heated to 260°C (limited life); we recommend sustained use at 250°C or below. PLA, PET, ABS and Nylon work well at 225-230°C
- The EMO-25 prints at room temperature
- The VOL-25 can be heated to 100°C
For more details about each head, see the page for that head.
Resolution
Engine SR positional resolution is better than five microns in the X and Y (0.005mm), and better than half a micron in the Z (0.0005mm).
Engine HR positional resolution is better than half a micron in all axes (0.0005mm).
Accuracy
Engine SR positional accuracy is +/- 50 microns in the X and Y over an 8” travel area, and +/- 20 microns in the Z over an 8” travel area.
Engine HR positional accuracy is +/- 20 microns in all axes over an 8” travel area.
Repeatability
Engine SR positional repeatability is about 25 microns in the X and Y (0.025mm), and about 10 microns in the Z (0.01mm).
Engine HR positional repeatability is about 10 microns in all axes (0.01mm).
Layer Height
We have successfully printed in ABS with a 25µm (.025mm) layer height, but this is very time consuming.
- We often use a 300µm (.3mm) layer height with the .5mm nozzle on the MK-1 for 1.75mm filaments.
- We often use a 600 µm (.6mm) layer height with the 1mm nozzle on the EMO-25 for pasty extrudables.
Print Speed
The best print speed manageable (without sacrificing quality) is variable, and depends not only on the material being used and layer height, but also on how much mass is being moved in the X and Y. We normally print at 1.5m/min, or 25mm/sec with both the MK-1 and the EMO-25
Build Volume
Engines have a build volume of 200 x 200 x 200 mm.
Form Factor
Engines are 13” wide x 15” deep (plus 7” of rear space for spool rods), and are 21” tall plus heads, which can add another 10” to the height.
Adjustments
- Speed of travel (at slicing or in g-code editor)
- Layer thickness (at slicing)
- Volume of flow per unit distance (at slicing or in g-code editor)
- Extruder temperature (at slicing, in g-code editor, or manually during build) (MK-1, VOL-25)
- Cooling Fan speed (at slicing, in g-code editor, or manually during build (MK-1, QS-1)
- HotBed Temperature (at slicing, in g-code editor, or manually during build)
Or, is tabular better?
| Metric | Units | During Slicing | In G-Code Editor | GUI During Build |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed of Travel | mm/min | yes | yes | no |
| Layer Thickness | mm | yes | no | no |
| Flow Rate | nL/sec | yes | yes | yes |
| Extruder Temperature | °C | yes | yes | yes |
| Fan Speed | % of max | yes | yes | yes |
| HotBed | °C | yes | yes | yes |