What are the Material Jetting 3D Printers on the Market?

Material Jetting is one of the seven families of additive manufacturing processes. As the name suggests, it consists of depositing material on a printing tray, layer by layer, much like a 2D printer that drops ink on paper. Here, the print head actually projects many fairly large drops of ink, usually composed of photopolymers which are then hardened by UV light. But the process can also use metal, ceramics and even wax, dividing material jetting into three subgroups: Material Jetting, better known as the patented technology PolyJet; NanoParticle Jetting (NPJ) and Drop on Demand (DOD). Regardless of the process used, the user usually obtains high-precision, highly detailed parts with the possibility of printing in colour and with several materials. To help you make your choice, we have selected a few 3D printers per technology, classified by sub-group.

Material Jetting

Stratasys – J750 Digital Anatomy

Stratasys is the leading player in 3D material jet printing, having merged in 2012 with Objet Ltd. the company that patented the process. Its process has been called PolyJet and makes it possible to create multi-material, multi-color and even transparent parts. Stratasys today offers a wide range of PolyJet 3D printers but we will focus on the J750 Digital Anatomy, mainly designed for the medical sector. It offers a volume of 490 x 390 x 200 mm but above all can recreate very precisely the behavior of human tissues on anatomical models, allowing health professionals to have a real feeling and to train better.

Mimaki 3DUJ-553 Printer

In 2017, the Japanese manufacturer Mimaki, which has historically specialized in 2D printing, unveiled the 3DUJ-553 industrial 3D printer. With a print volume of 508 x 508 x 305 mm, the 3D printer is based on a UV LED process. In this process a light hardens the different layers applied successively. The machine deposits ink droplets coloured, white or black, on the printing tray until the final piece is obtained. A considerable advantage for professionals, especially since the 3DUJ-553 would offer 10 million colors to its users. In addition, it is also possible to add transparency with translucent ink. Thanks to its simulation software, it is possible to have a very precise overview of the shape and colors of the part before printing. Also, the printer has a surveillance camera, allowing users to follow the printing process remotely. Finally, the machine uses a support structure that can be dissolved in water. This makes it possible to obtain accurate and neat models, without damaging them.