We designed our Gearbox™ HT2 3D printer to enable our customers to take advantage of the broadest array of materials on the market – including advanced composite materials such as our CarbonX™ Carbon Fiber grades of materials. The combination of our Gearbox™ HT2 and CarbonX™ CF allows for the printing of production parts, functional prototypes, and large-scale tooling with exceptional dimensional stability, strength, and stiffness.
Our CarbonX™ Carbon Fiber reinforced grades of filament encompass the broadest range of CF materials on the market (HERE). Our customers who use our exotic grades – CF PEKK and CF-PEEK for example – want to take full advantage of these advanced materials but have found there is a limited number of options for an industrial grade 3D printer to mate with these materials. Gearbox™ HT2 was designed to allow our customers to fully utilize these grades by incorporating high-temp extrusion, heated build chamber, industrial mechatronics and controls, and on-board filament drying technology. HT2 is our answer when customers ask which 3D printer we recommend to make CF-PEKK and CF-PEEK parts.
In 2018, Stratasys responded to the growing demand for CF materials by releasing their Fortus 380mc Carbon Fiber Edition (CFE) printer and marketed this machine as their go-to option for making industrial-grade CF parts. Now that we are offering the Gearbox™HT2 printer, we receive a lot of questions from customers asking how our printer compares to the Fortus 380mc Carbon Fiber printer. In an effort to answer these questions, we took a look at the specs and material options available to both systems in order to offer a direct comparison.
Gearbox™HT2
Check out the stats below – We think you’ll agree that the Gearbox™ HT2 is a far better option, especially if you need the ability to make large industrial quality parts. Don’t accept the limitations of the printer manufacturer telling you which material you can print in a machine that you paid for.
Gearbox™ HT2 Advantages
- HT2 has 5X larger build volume than the Fortus 380mc
- Larger material capacity + larger build volume = larger parts
- Higher Performance materials (PEEK, PEKK, PEI, and more)
- Significantly lower cost materials
- 100’s of material options whereas the 380mc CFE offers only 2 materials
HT2 3D Printer
Comparison Specifications
Feature | 3DXTECH Gearbox™ HT2 | Stratasys Fortus 380CFE |
---|---|---|
Quoted Price | $139,995 | $75,000 |
Build Volume | 18″ x 18″ x 32″ (10,368in³) | 14″ x 12″ x 12″ (2,016in³) |
$/in³ Build Volume | $13.50/in³ | $37.20/in³ |
Number of Extruders | 2 (Model + Support) | 2 (Model + Support) |
Actively Heated Build Chamber | Yes (225°C Max) | Yes (180°C Max) |
Heated Bed Temperature | 250°C | 120°C |
Built for Carbon Fiber | Yes | Yes |
On-board Filament Dryer | Yes | No |
On-board Filament Capacity | 16kg | 4kg |
Printer Utilizes Open-Source Filament | Yes | No |
Carbon Fiber Grades Available | PEKK, PEEK, Ultem® PPA, PC, PA12 PA6, PP, ABS | PA12 |
Unfilled Grades Available | Hundreds | ASA |
Material Usage Cost Analysis
Typical Stratasys Carbon Fiber Nylon Customer
- 1 reel of CF-Nylon per week (92in3 of filament per reel)
- 52 reels per year (approx. 94kg of filament)
- $620 per reel (costing about $6.65/in3)
- $32,240 per year when buying CF-Nylon from Stratasys
- CF-Nylon Pricing from 3DXTECH: $90/kg
- $8,460 Annual cost of CF-Nylon when using our CarbonX™ CF-Nylon in the Gearbox™ HT2 Printer
- $23,780 Annual savings!!!! If you use only 1 reel of Stratasys CF-Nylon per week
Typical Stratasys ABS Customer
- 1 reel of ABS per week (92in3 of filament per reel)
- 52 reels per year (approx. 85kg of filament)
- $360 per reel (costing about $3.90/in3)
- $18,720 per year when buying ABS from Stratasys
- ABS Pricing from 3DXTECH: $30/kg
- $2,550 Annual cost of ABS from 3DXTECH
- $16,170 Annual savings!!!! If you use only 1 reel of Stratasys ABS per week
The future is limitless. The future is Gearbox HT2.
Click below to learn more about this machine and request a quote for your Gearbox HT2 today!