As large-format 3D printers are installed in machine shops, fabrication studios, and manufacturing plants around the world, a design priority has become clear from listening to the feedback of users: they want more speed. The larger you go, the longer it takes to print. On a desktop 3D printer, an object the size of a baseball can take several hours to print. But what are production managers to do when they want to print something that’s five times the size of a desktop printer? Wait three weeks? That’s just not cost effective. No, the solution is a fast-print extruder like the Typhoon just released by Dyze Design out of Montréal, Canada that can print up to 0.9kg per hour (200mm/s).

Those of us who are familiar with filament deposition 3D printers know that the extruders are generally made of a combination of printed parts, off-the-shelf components, and injection-molded plastic. If you’re gentle and patient, they do their job. The Typhoon is not that kind of extruder. This beast is over-engineered in the best of ways.

Here are some of its impressive features:

  • – It’s equipped with a torquey NEMA23 motor that’s capable of pushing 20kg of pressure
  • – The Quad Pinch System enables extreme grip by making contact with four points on the filament, which works with rigid and flexible materials
  • – Dual heating zones ensure all polymers quickly melt and are held at the appropriate temperature during extrusion
  • – Two class-A PT100 sensors provide precise temperature control up to 500°C
  • – Tool steel nozzles that won’t wear when printing lots of abrasive materials 
  • – A Titanium heat transition tube that efficiently dissipates excess heat to prevent “thermal creep” up the filament
  • – A water-cooling loop that keeps the whole toolhead operating within ideal temperature parameters
  • – The quick change nozzles can be swapped out with just a few knob turns
  • – A single lever disengages all the drive gears for easy filament changes
  • – Heat treated Steel gears mounted on ball bearings guarantee smooth operation
  • – An all-metal body machined from Aluminum alloy that’s built to last

None of those features alone would allow the Typhoon to print (almost) an entire spool of filament in an hour; they must all work in concert to achieve such a blazing print speed. Most extruders that can even come close to printing that fast run on plastic pellets.

By using the Typhoon on a part production line, for instance, you could literally multiply your production rate. Each printer is able to make more parts, so at the end of the day, it means more money in your pocket. Philippe Carrier, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Dyze Design

It can also print pretty much any material thanks to its 500°C max temp, so industrial materials like PEEK and PEI are on the table. “Typhoon is really your go-to solution for any 2.85 mm filament. Obviously, PLA and ABS work like a charm, but the extruder was designed with professional or industrial printing in mind. PETG, Nylon, PEEK, PEI, PVA, HIPS; all that can be printed really, really fast with Typhoon,” said Philippe.

Of course, the fastest speeds will require the use of the larger nozzles/heatcores, which come in 0.6mm, 0.9mm, 1.2mm, 1.8mm, and 2.5mm. Dyze Design is currently taking preorders that will be fulfilled in August.