3D 打印中的开放式和封闭式解决方案

市场上的专业3D打印系统解决方案主要有以下三种：

• 集成或封闭的解决方案， 制造商提供旨在协同工作的设备、材料和软件。购买集成解决方案时，无法使用其他制造商的软件或材料。
• 开放式解决方案， 制造商提供的设备与其他制造商的材料和软件兼容。
• 可以使用外部材料的集成解决方案。 这是一种中间解决方案，在使用其他材料或软件时通常会有一定的限制。

集成或封闭的解决方案

此类解决方案最具代表性的示例之一是 Formlabs。集成解决方案制造商通常提供包含 3D 打印系统以及后处理设备、软件和材料的产品。

此类系统的主要优点是所有产品的开发都是为了协同工作，这意味着无需微调和优化打印参数。 它还确保所有可用材料都兼容。

图 1：Form 2 和配件。资料来源：Formlabs

因此，这些系统高度可靠且可重现， 从而显着提高性能。另一个重要的特点是许多配置参数和可修改的值通常被减少到最少， 只需要选择制造商的材料类型和一些基本参数。这使得它使用起来更简单，并且不需要用户掌握大量技术知识。

然而，这并不是所有的优势。这种类型的系统有两个限制需要考虑。 一方面，材料和耗材的成本通常要高得多。另一方面，用户仅限于使用制造商的产品。

开放式解决方案

开放解决方案并不意味着开源硬件或软件。这指的是提供支持标准化媒体格式和通用打印文件的设备的制造商。 此类别包括所有支持通用 CNC 编程语言（例如 .gcode）的打印机和来自任何制造商的材料，无论设备是开源的还是专有的。

图 2：Prusa MK3S 3D 打印机。来源：普鲁萨

这并不意味着制造商本身不能像他们通常那样提供材料和软件，但他们不会将设备的使用限制在这些方面。
此类解决方案的主要优点是它们高兼容性 事实上，他们拥有最广泛的材料， 仅受设备本身技术特性的限制。此外，在使用来自不同制造商的设备的情况下，可以将所有内容集中在同一个软件中，而无需为每台设备使用特定的软件。

图 3：Raise3D Ideamaker 软件配置窗口。来源：Raise3D

主要缺点是打印配置文件通常需要针对每种材料进行微调和优化，这既耗时又昂贵。 此外，材料供应商的变化甚至来自同一供应商的材料的重新配制都意味着配置文件的新优化。 This means that achieving the same reliability and reproducibility that integrated solutions provide requires continuous work and a thorough knowledge of materials and suppliers.

Image 4:Examples of optimisation. Source:3DOptimizer

Some companies offering such solutions are Prusa, Raise3D or UNIZ.

INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF USING EXTERNAL MATERIALS

This is an intermediate option to the previous ones. They consist of integrated or closed solutions, with proprietary programming languages, but which also allow the use of third-party materials . Due to the use of proprietary languages it is necessary to stick to the software provided by the manufacturer.

Image 5:SLS Lisa Pro 3D printer and accessories. Source:Sinterit

They have all the advantages of closed solutions but fewer drawbacks. Without having the wide compatibility of materials available in open solutions, they open up the possibility of using a wide range of materials from other manufacturers.

The trade-offs of this type of solution are minimal, with its main disadvantage being that the software generally has fewer configuration options, which can make it difficult to achieve good optimisation of other manufacturers' materials.

Image 6:Settings for external materials in the Zortrax Z-Suite software. Source:Zortrax

Representative examples of such solutions are Zortrax or Sinterit. Both offer a wide range of perfectly optimised materials, but also allow the use of materials from other manufacturers.

THE MOST APPROPRIATE SOLUTION

There are high quality solutions in all three groups and it would be wrong to consider one as better than the other. In order to select one or the other, the specific needs of each user must be analysed.

Users who are not specialised in additive manufacturing and are looking for a simple and efficient system will find integrated solutions and integrated solutions with a choice of external materials the best option. The implementation of this type of system is immediate and does not require in-depth technical knowledge . Although the costs of this type of solution may at first glance seem much higher than open solutions, in the long run the savings in optimisation time and material costs can compensate for this.

In the case of specialised users, with knowledge of additive manufacturing and materials, who require the use of very specific or experimental materials, they will find the above solutions to have significant limitations. This is why open solutions are a more versatile option despite the ongoing optimisation and fine-tuning tasks.