Mimaki 3DUJ-2207: Stunning 3D Printed Reproductions Are Becoming More Affordable

Sometimes it is very valuable to explore new technology even if, at first, the costs seem to put it well beyond our current circumstances.

For example, most educators would have thought it frivolous to even think about using color video recording in the classroom in 1972 when Ikegami introduced the HL-33 HandyLooky camera... the first portable hand-held color video camera at around $60,000.  That is the equivalent of about $375,144.53 in today's money!  Color video was RARE back then.  And, to actually get a color image you almost had to have enough heat producing light to peel the paint off walls!

Ikegami HL-33 Handy-Looky Camera (1972)

Today, you can produce infinitely better video using your cell phone.  Color video is now everywhere.

Here is my point.  Educators who DID focus on the ramifications of color video in 1972, when it was essentially unobtainable to educators, were in a much better position to take advantage of that potential when prices plummeted enough to put color video into hands of teachers and students.

Now, quite frankly, most of us could not teach without the color cameras we use every day as we gather our classes together remotely via zoom.  But, I and others with experience using early color video equipment have an advantage.  We know how important lighting is to the process.  So, in my home, I am able to benefit by the use of lighting when using Zoom.   

But, why am I telling you all this in a blog devoted to 3D technologies?

FULL COLOR 3D PRINTING

Like color video in 1972, full color 3D printing is rare and seemingly out of reach for most educators in 2020.  But, I can tell you from first hand experience that it is important to consider its ramifications in all you do today.

For, unlike color video, which stood on its own, full color 3D printing now and into the future can benefit by the obtainable 3D technology we have within our reach right this minute.  And, that is 3D capture... either by 3D Scanner or Photogrammetry.  We can prepare for the future by how we capture today.

First, some background...

I have been blogging about 3D printing since 2012.  Much of my experience over the years has been with consumer filament type 3D printers.  But, it has also been my good fortune to work for a not-for-profit educational foundation that has allowed me to use an older Z450 full-color powder/binder printer.  

Even though it is only a CMY printer, with faded colors and no true black, with more than its fair share of issues, it has been my favorite printer for a long, long time.  Even with its limitations, we have had nothing remotely more capable for producing reproductions of historical objects even with the occasional down time.  There is nothing like full color, even if that color is not exactly accurate.

How Do We Prepare?

The first way to prepare for a future of color printing is to save our captures in a color format even if they are to be printed on a monochrome FDM printer.  The most common color format is an .OBJ file.  Here is an image we captured using an HP tablet having a RealSense camera and saved as an .STL file to be printed on an FDM printer.

RealSense Capture Saved as .STL File

 

While we might have to print this on a monochrome FDM printer today, it is important to prepare for the time when this same capture could be printed on a full-color 3D printer by saving it in a full-color format, like .OBJ. 

RealSense Capture Saved as .OBJ File

By looking FORWARD to a time when the costs of Full-color 3D printing WILL be within reach, we will be ready for that eventuality.

With this in mind, let me tell you about an amazing cost breakthrough in professional full-color 3D printing.

FROM AROUND $180,00 to UNDER $50,000

Yes.  I know $50,000 or even $30,000 is not quite the breakthrough to put quality color 3D printing into the hands of all teachers.  But, it IS a step in the right direction and could put full-color 3D printing into the hands of a school system to benefit all teachers.  And, it could help lower the cost of ordering individual full-color prints.

Mimaki 3DUJ-553 - The Baseline

Mimaki, a Japanese company, most famous for very large format 2D printers, has had the 3DUJ-553 for some time.  It sells for around $180,000+.

Unlike our full-color powder/binder printer, the hard plastic printed results are robust and stunningly beautiful.

Mimaki 3D Printer: Figurine Front

MIMAKI 3D Printer: Figuring Back

While every aspect of Mimaki 3D prints are amazing, I find the fact that they can print in clear, as evidenced by the veil, to be overwhelmingly impressive.  Here is a link to other equally impressive samples:

https://mimaki.com/special/3d_print/gallery.html

While $180,000 is admittedly hefty, it's hard to argue about the results.  Fortunately, for 2021 they have announced an alternative... a printer delivering the same quality of print in a smaller build size.

Mimaki 3DUJ-2207 - The breakthrough

I know most of us can't reach into our pockets and pull out $40,000+, which is the rumored cost of the recently announced 3DUJ-2207 due to debut in early 2021.  But, going from $180,000 to under $50,000, while delivering the same quality of print, is definitely an accomplishment that promises to benefit us one way or another.

What is VERY cool is that cost savings aren't at the expense of print quality.  In fact, the new printer will have even better potential resolution than the original.  It is accomplished by reducing the available print area and cutting the print speed to around half that of the original 3DUJ-553.

Here are the pages on Mimaki's USA site for both printers:

https://www.mimakiusa.com/products/3d/3duj-553/ 

https://www.mimakiusa.com/3duj-2207/ 

Now, I know that few of us... and perhaps not one of us... are in a position right this minute to purchase one of these printers.  But, I still urge you to pay close attention to both of them.  And, to keep them in mind as you consider buying 3D capture equipment and software and/or introduce 3D capture or Photogrammetry into your educational programs.

I urge school systems to carefully consider what having a centralized full-color 3D production capability can do for ALL subjects in all schools.  For the first time, using the clear material capabilities, we can print realistic models of protozoa, insects and other science demonstration tools.*  

Mimaki: 3D Printed Dragonfly

We can accurately replicate historical objects so students can handle them for close inspection and observation in history classes.  Because Vancouver iTech Prepatory had saved their captures of Fort Vancouver artifacts in full color, we were able to help them from several thousands of miles away by printing the objects they scanned on our old Z450.

Imagine how these same objects might look printed on a true color Mimaki 3DUJ-2207!

And, we can assemble displays of entire teams, in realistic 3D miniature, in the school's trophy cases.  

To me, this is a huge opportunity for educators.  And, at the very least an opportunity for all of us to consider what full-color 3D printing has to offer to our students, now or in the future.

*I want one of these!  https://www.doitplenoptic.com/3d-microscope-is-coming/

Teaching 3D Design and Print Virtually

As many of you know, my focus regarding 3D technologies is on education of at-risk young people.  

Teaching these disciplines goes well beyond simply learning a new technical skill.  The entire basis for choosing to focus on 3D Design and Printing is a desire to change the trajectories of these young lives.

The fundamental goal of the curriculum we developed at the YouthQuest Foundation, and now continue with our merger with the Phillips Programs, is to make it abundantly clear that failures are NEVER final.  

I have kept this fundamental goal clearly in mind as we have been forced by COVID-19 circumstances to turn to virtual teaching because classrooms in our area have been locked down.  Key to that goal in a classroom setting is quick turnaround of printed designs.  Timing is critical.  Being able to quickly print a design and return it to the student in printed form performs a number of critically vital life benefits.

FROM VIRTUAL TO TANGIBLE

First, it provides tangible proof of their ability to take an idea from a mental image to an onscreen design and then to a solid object that can be held in their hand and examined. The value of this cannot be overstated even if the object turns out to be surprisingly different than what they expected.  It is still THEIRS.  Students rarely discard printed objects that fall short of their original vision.

BASIS FOR CRITICAL THINKING

Secondly, printed objects provide the basis for applying critical thinking that compares the original vision with the reality.  Without a printed part there is no way to truly know how a design translates from screen to physical reality.  And, without that comparison there is no true basis for seeing how the design might be made better.  It's impossible to learn that failure is not final unless you have the specific types of failures that can easily be used as object lessons.  And, of course, that means failures that can easily be corrected.

EVIDENCE OF PROGRESS

Thirdly, printed objects provide tangible evidence of progress as designs are altered and new prints are created.  Student quickly realize that no matter how many redesigns might be necessary, each is a stepping stone to success.  It is this realization, for most, that is the most powerful force for changing the trajectory of their lives.  Few people have struggled so often with failure than those that find themselves in what educators call the "at-risk" population.  And, perhaps, what has placed them there in the past was the inability to deal with failure positively.  3D Design and printing provides them with the opportunity to see that even small improvements contribute to a new reality of success.  Each new print provides evidence that they can USE failures to their benefit as stepping stones to success.

THE VIRTUAL CHALLENGE

While we have more than enough printers to fulfill the printing requirements for our students, the lock down meant that we could not fully utilize these resources.  Each of the 3D teachers has a printer at home.  And, while we could use those printers to print for our students, we faced another hurdle.

Our school, being specialized, draws students from a very wide area.  While located in Fairfax, Virginia, we serve students from Fairfax County, Prince William County, Arlington County, the cities of Alexandra and Washington, DC.  This makes it very difficult to print and distribute prints in a manner timely enough to achieve our fundamental goal for this class.

STEPPING UP TO THE CHALLENGE

Like all school systems, both public and private, the COVID-19 lock downs have not only impacted HOW we operate; but, the financial aspects of continuing in a pandemic environment as well.  Even so, as a newcomer to the Phillips Programs family, I am pleased to say that the leadership understood full well that while we could teach 3D design virtually, unless our students could print those designs for immediate feedback, the very reasons behind our teaching this discipline would be lost.  The students could still have the joy of creating 3D designs.  But, would design alone really provide the primary benefit we wish to accomplish in these young lives?  Would design alone be enough to change the trajectory of their lives.

All of us agreed that it would not.

So, in spite of the sacrifice and cost, in a trying time for school budgets, the management stepped up to the plate to ensure that each of our students would get the FULL benefits of our curriculum by carefully selecting and purchasing 3D printers suitable for placing in the homes of our high school students actively participating in our Designing Futures program.

3D MOTIVATES

Obviously, this purchase was necessitated by the COVID-19 emergency.  But, it will provide us with critical experience that we can pass on to other teachers and administrations about the effectiveness of in-home 3D printers.  Did we pick the right one?  Were they as reliable as we had hoped?  How well did the student's (and parents) cope with the intricacies of printing? What specific new training from us was required?  And, did the process work as planned?  How much did it contribute to our success towrd our goal of enhancing the lives of students?  As the answers become plain, I will share the here and elsewhere for the benefit of all who see 3D technologies as positive influences in the lives of children... and, especially 'at-risk' children.

An Ancient Craft Unleashed in a Whole New Way

Almost all of the posts of this blog have involved, in some way, ceramics; because, much of what we know about our past is based upon the permanence of ceramics.  And, that is true over the entire globe.

The fact that dating of archaeological finds often relies on the style of the pottery found, tells us that the methods, modes and style of creating ceramic objects has always been in flux since the earliest days of civilization.

Perhaps my mind works in weird ways (some would remove the "perhaps"!); but, I cannot help imagining the horror felt by those that coiled their pottery at the thought of using the new-fangled wheel!  And, the shock of those using a foot powered wheel when someone dared to attach an electric motor.

FROM THE PAST:   DESKTOP FACTORY

The reason for my writing this article is that change is coming to individuals working in ceramics today.  And, that change is 3D printing.  The prospect of the ability to 3D print ceramics has been my focus since at least 2007.  Rather than fear it, I welcomed it.  In fact, the very first blog post I wrote, in May of  2007, was about a 3D printer that was quite different from the RepRap printers that had come before it.   It was called the Desktop Factory, being developed by a small start-up in California.  And, they were aiming at a $5,000 price point.

Desktop Factory (circa 2007)

The materials used in the DeskTop Factory included micro-beads of aluminum and glass. This gave the printed parts a very unique feel.

Printed Desktop Factory Part

Upon finding out about the existence of the Desktop Factory, I immediately contacted the CEO, Cathy Lewis.  This resulted in my being sent some sample parts.  My goal was to explore ways to remove the support material and methods of post-processing the parts and report back my findings.

Smoothed Desktop Factory Part

I had a ball!  It was a lot of fun working with the parts and capturing videos that documented the hurdles encountered and the solutions discovered.  Even though this printer and 3D printing technology was never brought to market, I still have the parts that Cathy Lewis sent my way and cherish them as important relics of my own 3D printing journey.

Desktop Factory was purchased by 3D Systems and Cathy Lewis became their Vice President for International Marketing leading to their bringing out the Cube series of consumer 3D printers.

INTO THE FUTURE:  KWAMBIO CERAMO ZERO MAX

So let's fast forward to 2019.

A new company, Kwambio, has captured my imagination in my quest for an affordable ceramics printer. Interestingly, the 3D printer that sparked this interest is also targeted to be released at the $5,000 price point.  But, this time, the technology behind the printer is quite different.  And, the price point is amazingly low for the technology being used.

Their new consumer desktop ceramics printer is the Ceramo Zero Max.

Ceramo Zero Max

It is based on the industrial ceramics printer that Kwambio developed for the print-on-demand service.  The professional version used two materials and I am assuming this will be true of the Ceramo Zero Max.  (But, until I am able to see it in person in a few weeks or so, I cannot confirm that potential.)

The first material is Ceramic Powder:

Ceramo Zero One Ceramic Powder Sample

The second is remarkably similar to my cherished Desktop Factory parts.  It is a glass infused powder called GS One.

Kwambio GS One Sample

THE KWAMBIO RAMIFICATIONS

We started this article musing about disruptions that have repeatedly impacted the crafting of ceramic works throughout all history, from antiquity forward.  But, all of these once-feared disruptions contributed immensely to those who adopted them.  3D printing of ceramics is no exception.  While a PORTION of the creative work flow IS created by a machine, it is only a SMALL portion, with huge benefits.  The design, the slip, the glazing and even hand-formed modifications are still entirely dependent on the will and the skill of the artisan.

Before closing, let me tell you a story about an event that convinced me that there is a place for a 3D printer in the life of a ceramics artist.  For many years I watched my daughter create beautiful carved ceramic works of art.  It took a long amount of time to go from creative vision to concrete expression of that vision.  Here are some smaller works, each painstakingly built-up, carved and finished by hand:

Amplexus by Cheryl Meeks Manger

Fleurette by Cheryl Meeks Manger

Unfortunately, one of her larger, and perhaps, her most beautiful work, cannot be shown here.  As she was nearing the completion of a very large, incredibly intricate, and delicate piece, the entire object shattered as she accidentally hit her worktable as she turned her chair.  The entire work was lost in one devastating instant.

That was the instant and instance that made me realize that has she been able to 3D print the basic form of that object all would NOT have been lost.  She could bring it back to that same point and move on from there to the finished expression of her creative vision.

Thirteen years later, I am hopeful that my dream of a viable 3D printer for ceramics artists is nearing fulfillment.  In the next few weeks I will be traveling to see the Ceramo Zero Max in person and will report what I find.  And, I will be doing so with twelve years of experience in 3D design and 3D printing.  The Ceramo Zero Max is a ceramics powder based printer.  I now have had five years experience printing with a professional powder based printer.  The big difference is that the parts of the one I have been using (Z450) cannot be glazed and fired, which, to me, is critical for ceramics artisans.

I am extremely optimistic that what I will find on this visit is to be a major milestone in both art and art education.  I cannot wait to meet the Kwambio team to see if the dream has actually become a reality.