Finally, the Alfawise brand team has expanded its range with a device for home printing. The company's first printer is called U10 and has very promising characteristics.
Alfawise U10 based on the standard Prusa model, working on 3 axes: a separate axis and 2 monolithic precision guides, rigidly fixed in the table, are used to move along X; the Y and Z axes are realized by moving the print head along a guide and by vertical movement of the guide itself.
The control unit is located outside the printer and requires independent design of the workplace - there is no connection to the design, no problems.
The main feature of Alfawise U10 is its huge printing area. The print head moves in a volume of 500 x 500 x 400 mm, resulting in an effective part volume of 260 x 260 x 350 mm. This is the limit value for a compact home device for 3D printing - only complex industrial units have more.
The reason for compactification is the strength of the power elements. At half a meter of profile length, Prusa structures retain rigidity, but with further scaling additional reinforcing ribs are required, which will significantly (almost double) increase the dimensions printer.
Alfawise U10 comes as a kit for self-assembly, however, it will take no more than 5 minutes. Instead of traditional delivery in the form of parts, the company offered customers a set of ready-made subassemblies.
Supplied separately in the box:
- vertical guide arch and mounted print head,
- desktop assembly with guides,
- table glass,
- control unit with a stand for a filament spool.
Just connect the connectors, tighten 8 screws - the printer is ready. Precision assembly is achieved through the units supplied by Alfawise; the user only needs to place one part on top of another and secure them together using the complete fasteners.
Printing on Alfawise U10 is possible with all types of rod filament: ABS, Nylon, TPA, TPU, Wood. Thanks to the complete extruder with a 0.4 mm nozzle and the precision of the design (error in XY - 0.012 mm, in Z - 0.004 mm), a layer thickness of 0.05-0.3 mm is ensured. Printing speed is from 10 to 150 mm/s, almost comparable to industrial designs.
The printer supports computer control and direct printing from a flash drive using a standard LCD screen.
Now this is one of the most accurate and high-quality kits for assembling a home 3D printer. At the start of sales of Gearbest and Alfawise reduce the price from $525 to $459.
Any other Prusa of smaller dimensions with a reinforced frame, like the U10, costs the same.
The choice is obvious.