Tumaker combines pellet and filament printing in one system – Interview with Iván Sardón

Indart3D, based in Irun, Spain, has been manufacturing Tumaker 3D printers based on FDM technology for over a decade. The company first gained attention with the Tumaker Voladora series of desktop printers and has since expanded into larger formats such as the BigFoot series. Tumaker’s key innovation lies in combining filament and pellet printing technologies in modular printers, allowing users to switch between the two with ease. In an interview with 3Druck.com, Indart3D CEO and co-founder Iván Sardón shares his insights into the 3D printing industry.

In addition to its standard range of desktop and large format 3D printers with build volumes up to 500 x 500 x 500 mm, Indart3D also specialises in custom large format machines, offering printers with build areas up to 1.5 metres. Strategic partnerships, such as with IT3D, have helped Indart3D to expand internationally, and their versatile Tumaker Modular range offers bespoke solutions to a wide range of 3D printing needs.

While the company continues to produce filament-based 3D printers, its focus has shifted to pellet printing technology. Their Tumaker Modular series allows users to easily switch between filament and pellet printheads. This flexibility allows customers to tailor their printers to specific project requirements, providing a versatile solution that quickly adapts to different materials and applications.

Indart3D’s pellet-based 3D printers have attracted a global customer base, enabling users to efficiently research and develop new materials without the need for filament production. The integration of a pellet extruder also enables the recycling of plastic materials, making Tumaker printers an ideal solution for both innovation and sustainability in materials science and industrial applications.

Interview with Iván Sardón

In an interview with 3Druck.com, CEO and co-founder Iván Sardón emphasizes the growing demand for customisable 3D printers tailored to specific industry needs. Additionally, he highlights the importance of advancing technologies in additive manufacturing, such as technical materials and plastic recycling through pellet extrusion, which not only supports sustainability but also drives innovation in various sectors.

What do you see as the key benefits of customisable 3D printers for the additive manufacturing industry?

In all our years of manufacturing printers, we have seen that more and more customers are looking for equipment that meets their needs. This is why, as well as continuing to manufacture the Tumaker NX Modular and BigFoot Modular ranges, we also undertake bespoke projects for customers who want larger printers, with more printheads, or with other specific needs for their sectors.

I believe that working closely with our clients to help them develop their projects also gives us a high level of customer loyalty.

Additive manufacturing has developed continuously over the last few years. Which innovations or technological breakthroughs do you as a developer and manufacturer consider to be particularly important?

At Indart3D, we believe that additive manufacturing is helping more and more sectors thanks to the constant evolution of this technology.

We could highlight the advances in BioPrinters for the health sector, the advances in printers that work with metal, printers for home construction…

But if we focus on the type of printers we manufacture, we would say that the development of more technical materials and working with materials in pellet form, which existed but were not used in additive manufacturing, is a very important point. However, if we want to highlight one aspect that Indart3D is strongly committed to, it is the advancement and development to analyse existing plastic waste (not only from additive manufacturing) and to recycle these plastics, giving them a new useful life through pellet extrusion to create new objects, prototypes or whatever the market needs.

First Corona and now high inflation are major challenges for the whole industry. How do you think the multiple crises affect the additive manufacturing industry?

These are factors that have affected and potentially slowed the adoption of this type of technology by other companies. However, both COVID-19 and inflation have also demonstrated how fragile the current supply chain can be, impacting the vast majority of global trade. This in turn has highlighted yet another example of the advantages that additive manufacturing technology can offer.

What impact do you think additive manufacturing will have on different industries and possibly society as a whole in the coming years?

While it’s true that additive manufacturing is now globally recognised, we remember our beginnings when the technology was still “novel” and somewhat “exotic” as we tried to demonstrate the various possibilities it offered to the market. Despite the evolution and growth it has experienced in recent years, we believe it will play a very important role in industry in the coming years, both in sectors where it is already well established and in those where it is not.

In recent times, significant advances have been made in the customisation of objects, both artistic and medical, and 3D printers have even begun to be used in the construction of houses. The aerospace and automotive industries can benefit from new manufacturing methods for lighter components. As mentioned earlier, more and more sectors are joining additive manufacturing, or those already involved are improving and optimising their processes with all the new developments that are emerging, including artificial intelligence, which will also play a crucial role in all of this.

Here you can find more information on Indart3D and their Tumaker 3D printers.