Factor 4 Feature Highlight: Direct Drive & Flexibles

As 3D printing continues to evolve, the demands of industrial applications where reliability, consistent replicability, and precision are key in outputting functional parts, UltiMaker’s Factor 4 delivers on all aspects with its direct drive dual print head.

Traditional systems like Bowden tube setups are often favored for their speed and light print head design, but they can struggle with complex materials like flexible filaments. In contrast, direct drive extruders deliver precision and reliability by minimizing the distance between the filament feed and the hot end.

This design difference not only ensures superior performance with specialty materials but also broadens the range of applications for industrial and manufacturing environments, let’s go over Factor 4’s Direct Drive functionality, and its benefits and see some example applications.

Factor 4 Direct Drive

While Bowden tube systems prioritize speed and low weight they struggle to work with flexible or exotic materials, on the other hand direct drive extruder systems are designed with precise filament control, improved reliability (as they’re less prone to tangling, buckling, or jamming) and versatility in mind.

Other solutions such as remote drive or hybrid extruder systems manage to bridge some of the gaps between the two more popular approaches. Still, they’re typically designed for niche applications and require complex setups in highly specialized industrial needs.

Advantages of Direct Drive Systems

• Performance with Flexible Filaments: Superior handling of flexible filaments; minimized buckling and ensures smooth feeding
• Precision & Retraction: Precise control of filament retraction and extrusion, reducing stringing and oozing
• Material Versatility: Capable of handling a wider range of materials, including flexible and abrasive filaments
• Setup Complexity: A simpler filament path reduces troubleshooting and calibration challenges
• Maintenance Needs: Easier maintenance with fewer points of failure in the extrusion system.
• Industrial Applications: Excels in applications requiring flexibility, durability and precision, such as seals, gaskets and soft robotics.
• Filament Path: Shorter path improves extrusion consistency and reduces filament deformation

This means that Factor 4 users will not only benefit from enhanced reliability and print quality with more traditional filament materials but also unlock an entirely new range of applications using flexible materials.

Practical Applications

Reviewing just a few potential use cases that flexible filaments such as TPU and TPE bring, manufacturers can leverage their unique material properties, elasticity, durability and chemical resistance, to produce functional components across various applications.

Seals and Gaskets

• Custom Seals: Flexible filaments enable the production of seals tailored to specific machinery, ensuring optimal fit and performance.
• Chemical-Resistant Gaskets: TPU's resistance to oils and chemicals makes it suitable for gaskets in automotive and industrial equipment.

Protective Covers and Boots

• Cable Management: Flexible materials are used to create protective sleeves for cables, preventing wear and tear in dynamic environments.
• Sensor Covers: Custom-fit covers protect sensitive sensors from environmental factors without hindering functionality.

Vibration Dampening Components

• Machine Mounts: Flexible filaments are utilized to print mounts that absorb vibrations, reducing noise and prolonging equipment lifespan.
• Shock Absorbers: Custom shock-absorbing parts can be designed and produced for specific machinery requirements.

Flexible Ducting

• Airflow Management: Flexible filaments allow for the creation of custom ducts and hoses that can navigate complex pathways in machinery.

Packaging Solutions

• Custom Inserts: Flexible filaments are used to create inserts that securely hold products within their packaging, reducing movement and potential damage.
• Recyclable Packaging: Some flexible filaments are biodegradable, offering sustainable options for packaging materials.

Of course, the applications don’t end here as several of our customers such as Krones or Gerhard Schubert GmbH have already explored and implemented flexible filaments to design grippers for their machines.

Flexible filaments, versatility in choice

What are flexible filaments? While there are a variety of different flexible filaments available with variations in their properties, they’re typically made from flexible thermoplastics with the most common being Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) or Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE), and behave in a similar way to rubber and can be stretched and twisted to a large extent without breaking. We recommend exploring our Flexible materials: A beginner’s guide for a more in-depth look at what they are and additional applications.

That being said we know that choosing the right material for your application can be difficult, and with the wide range of options available on the UltiMaker Marketplace we’d like to outline some of the more popular choices and their properties:

UltiMaker TPU 95A

• Type: TPU
• Features: Provides a good balance between flexibility and hardness, with strong layer bonding and wear resistance.
• Applications: Suitable for creating functional prototypes, tools, and end-use parts that require flexibility and chemical resistance.

BASF Ultrafuse TPU 85A

• Type: TPU
• Features: Offers high flexibility and excellent abrasion resistance, making it ideal for producing seals, gaskets, and protective covers.
• Applications: Suitable for parts requiring elasticity and durability in industrial settings.

Caverna ST

• Type: TPE
• Features: Microporous structure, composed of two immiscible polymers, Caverna ST benefits from a high degree of ease of printing, behaving like a rigid material during printing and switching to soft-touch properties through post-processing by submerging the parts in water.
• Applications: Suitable for automotive interiors(soft-touch components like door panels, grips), footwear(custom insoles and midsoles) or other parts that require elasticity and durability.

For more details on how to choose the right flexible filament for your application, read our article: What are flexible filaments and which one should you choose?

Upgrade your production with UltiMaker

If you’re looking to take your production capabilities further and leverage the power of a direct drive system to master flexible filaments like TPU and TPE, the UltiMaker Factor 4 delivers the reliability and performance you need to stay ahead in a competitive market.

Contact UltiMaker so we can help transform your workflow.