Desktop Metal Studio System 2

Desktop Metal Studio System 2

Office-friendly Metal 3D Printer designed for ease of use. Studio System 2 allows you to spend less time managing equipment and more time designing and fabricating parts

Unlike comparable metal 3D printing systems, Studio System™ 2 eliminates loose metal powders and features a two-step process (no solvent debind required) and features Separable Supports technology with strategic splits for hand-removable supports, hot swappable cartridges and removable printheads to make material changes easy, and a fully software-controlled workflow.

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Desktop Metal Studio System 2

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The Studio System™ 2 is the easiest way to print high-quality metal parts in your office. Leveraging an all-new material system, the Studio System™ 2 eliminates the Debinder (and solvent debind step), unlocking a drastically simpler and more hands-off workflow. Parts no longer need to be batched before debinding, and then batched again before sintering. Now, making metal parts is a simple two-step process that offers improved first-time part success and outstanding surface finish on side walls and support-facing surfaces across a wider range of complex geometries.

We are excited to bring the Studio System™ 2 capabilities and workflow to your existing Studio System or Studio System+ through the simple upgrade process detailed below.

Unlike comparable metal 3D printing systems, Studio System™ 2 eliminates loose metal powders and features a two-step process (no solvent debind required) and features Separable Supports technology with strategic splits for hand-removable supports, hot swappable cartridges and removable printheads to make material changes easy, and a fully software-controlled workflow.

Studio System™ 2 upgrade

Any existing Studio System™ or Studio System™+ can be upgraded to Studio System™ 2. In order to support the new material system and move parts through the simplified two-step process, minor hardware upgrades are required for the Printer and Furnace. These upgrades must be performed by a certified Desktop Metal service technician (through your local reseller) and include the components below.

Hardware upgrade

Studio System™ or Studio System™+ Printer and Furnace hardware will receive an upgrade to bring them to the Studio System™ 2 functionality. Notably, additional heaters are added to the internal plumbing of the Furnace to enable processing the new material systems. The upgrade contains the following items:

  • Printer and Furnace hardware upgrade
  • Printheads (standard resolution and interface)
  • Media and interface cartridges + refills (316L v.2 and interface v.2)

Service visit

The upgrades must be performed by a certified Desktop Metal support technician, which may incur a charge to cover the service visit.

DM Care

In order to upgrade to Studio System™ 2, your existing Studio System™ or Studio System™+ must be covered by a DM Care contract for at least 6 months past the date of purchase of the upgrade. For example, if you have 3 months remaining on your DM Care contract, you must purchase at least an additional 3 months of DM Care along with the upgrade. If your existing Studio System™ or Studio System™+ has at least 6 months of DM Care remaining on the contract, no additional purchase of DM care is necessary. If you have no DM Care coverage for your existing system, you must purchase at least 6 months of DM Care coverage.

Timing

Upgrades are available for purchase starting February 12, 2021.

Studio System™ 2 launch material – 316L stainless steel v.2

316L stainless steel is the first material to be released for Studio System™ 2. This highly alloyed stainless steel has material properties surpassing MPIF-35 minimum specifications and is a great choice for general functional prototyping and the creation of jigs and fixtures. We’ve found some key applications in the creation of fluid manifolds, food and chemical processing, and manufacturing aids. The “v.2” materials are a new class of materials that go directly from the printer to the furnace. The v.2 materials use a new polymer binder system that is only removed with heat in the furnace.

Along with 316L v.2, we are also releasing a new Interface v.2 with Studio System™ 2. This interface contains a “v.2” binder system, making it compatible to print alongside other v.2 materials. Furthermore, the new Interface v.2 incorporates the latest in Separable Supports technology and is designed to more closely match the shrinkage of the printed metal part in the furnace, enabling first-time part success on geometries that were previously not possible.

As an added benefit, 316L v.2 and Interface v.2 rods can be purchased and shipped separately from the cartridges themselves. Rods are shipped in a media refill pack via parcel directly to your doorstep (as opposed to freight shipment). Once you receive the rods, you can simply load them by hand into the media cartridge. That media cartridge can be used over and over, eliminating the waste of empty media cartridges.

The following media refill packs and cartridges are now available. Note, that these are included in the Studio System 2 upgrade, and extra quantities can be purchased separately.

  • Metal v.2 media cartridge (BMD-MP2101): single, empty and refillable cartridge used for metal material
  • Interface v.2 media cartridge (BMD-MP2100): single, empty and refillable cartridge used for interface material
  • 316L v.2 media fill (BMD-MP2002): package of vacuum sealed 316L v.2 rods used to refill the metal cartridge. Qty: 192 rods / 810cc of material (for reference, the current cartridges contain 200 rods / 840cc).
  • Interface v.2 media fill (x4) (BMD-MP2000): package of vacuum sealed rods used to refill the interface cartridge. Contains enough rods to refill the interface cartridge 4 times. Qty: 64 rods / 270 cc of material (for reference, the current cartridges contain 18 rods).

Questions and answers

  1. How much does a Studio System™ 2 upgrade cost?
    Please contact your local reseller for details on Studio System™ 2 upgrade pricing.
  2. If I upgrade to Studio System™ 2, can I still print the materials I have today? Are there any changes to the workflow? (Studio System v.1 materials: 17-4PH, 316L, 4140, H13, Copper)
    Studio System™ 2 is backwards compatible with all previously released materials. The existing materials that you have can still be used and purchased. Fabricate allows both v.1 and v.2 materials to be used with the system, each material will be guided through the correct workflow. Like sintering different materials, sintering cycles are separate for the new materials. 316L v.1 and 316L v.2 will require separate sintering cycles. You can run a 316L v.1 sintering cycle on Monday and a 316L v.2 cycle on Wednesday, but the different materials cannot be combined in the same sintering cycle.
  3. What v.2 materials are available for Studio System™ 2?
    316L stainless steel is the first v.2 material launching with the Studio System 2. Additional materials will follow. Specifically, 17-4PH stainless steel v.2 and D2 tool steel v.2 are the next materials that are planned to be released in 2021.
  4. Does the upgraded Studio System 2 Furnace allow existing materials to be sintered without being debound in the Debinder first?
    The Furnace upgrade allows for the new sintering cycle including thermal debind to be performed for the v.2 materials only. The ability to directly sinter a green part is made possible by the new binder system used in the v.2 materials. Existing (v.1) materials must still be processed in the Debinder through a solvent debind phase.
  5. How long is the sintering cycle for v.2 materials?
    Similar to solvent debind times today, the sintering cycle for v.2 materials is part dependent. Binder must be removed from the part in a controlled manner, from the outside of the part in. To manage the length of this thermal debind process, fabricate performs calculations on the geometry to determine the length of the “thermal debind” portion of the cycle time. Based on the thickness of the part itself, the chosen shell thickness, and other settings, the thermal debind time is automatically calculated and shown when the part is prepared for printing. Thermal debind on Studio System 2 times are in the same range as solvent debind times today, often between 24 hours and 84 hours.
  6. Can I print the v.2 materials with the printheads I have today? Do I need any new consumables?
    2 and v.1 materials must be kept to separate printheads. Since v.1 and v.2 materials contain different binder systems that print at different temperatures, we keep the printheads specific to the generation of material being printed. A printhead that is currently being used for v.1 materials will be designated by the printer as a printhead that will only be used for those materials. A new printhead is not assigned to a material generation. To assign it, simply take a printer that has the correct material loaded, and insert the new printhead. The printhead will assign the material generation to the printhead, and you can begin printing.
  7. How much gas does each 316L v.2 sintering cycle use?
    Approximately 850 – 1400 Liters of gas at STP is used each cycle. The exact amount of gas (no.1- 3%H2/Ar) used depends on the length of the cycle. Similar to debind times with v.1 materials, Fabricate will determine the correct length of sintering for v.2 materials in order to effectively remove the binder from the parts being sintered.