Raise3D RMF500 - FDM 3D printer

The RMF500 is an industrial FFF 3D printer by Raise3D, the constantly innovating manufacturer of advanced 3D printers and materials.

Video 1: How Raise3D implements flexible manufacturing. Source: Raise3D.

RMF500 was born out of cutting-edge mechanical design knowledge and material science in response to the growing need for larger build volume and stronger filaments within industrial additive manufacturing. 

Video 2: The Raise3D RMF500 3D printer for composite filaments. Source: Raise3D.

The main goal for Raise3D was to allow their industrial customers to precisely and repeatedly (production in batches) fabricate end-use parts made of carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforced materials at high speed.

The anatomy of RFM500

The structure of the RFM500 3D printer by Raise3D is made of high-grade hardness steel. The Z-axis is capable of supporting a maximum load of over 100 kg, and has a 50 % lower error deflection than that of competitive products.

Image 1: The RMF500 chassis is made of high-grade hardness steel. Source: Raise3D.

The low clearance and low maintenance motor-driven linear guides can execute models with an accuracy of 1 µ along the X and Y axes and precision of 0.9765 µ along the Z axis. The 1 μm synchronized closed-loop system reduces speed variations with load changes in the motor, which provides a significant advantage over traditional systems with belts, pulleys, and leadscrews. This linear motor-driven system gives the RMF500 3D printer an acceleration of 2 G and a speed over 1000 mm/s².

Image 2: The RMF500 linear guides. Source: Raise3D.

When compared with Raise3D's E2CF 3D printer designed especially for 3D printing with carbon fiber filaments, the RMF500 3D printer offers almost the double print volume of 500 - 500 × 500 × 500 mm (in both single extrusion and dual extrusion mode), compared to E3CF's 330 x 240 x 240 mm (single extrusion) and 290 x 240 x 240 x 240 mm (dual extrusion).

Image 3: The build volume of the Raise3D RMF500 3D printer. Source: Raise3D.

Similarly to other Raise3D 3D printers, the RMF500 has an independent extrusion systems (IDEX). The one featured in RMF500 is manufactured using high-temperature alloys and industrial ceramic composite materials. Each of the two extruders can heat to a maximum extrusion temperature of 300 ºC, ensuring a stable and high extrusion rate of up to 500 g/hr. The RMF500 3D printer comes with 0.6 mm nozzles made of silicon carbide with a hardness of over 60 HRC to resist abrasion from carbon fiber and glass fiber materials.

Image 4: The abrasion resistant silicon carbide nozzles featured in the Raise3D RMF500 3D printer. Source: Raise3D.

When compared with the Pro2 Series 3D printer, the RMF500 printer can manufacture the same part almost 4 times faster, thus drastically increasing production capabilities and reducing lead times. This is due to the fact that the RMF500 3D printer can achieve printing speeds of up to 400 mm/s.

Video 3: Printing speed comparison between RMF500 and Pro2 Series. Source: Raise3D.

The RMF500 3D printer is equipped with a vacuum manifold platform with a steel heated bed and a PEI build plate. The PEI build plate has a pressure detection feature which facilitates easy removal of prints and worry-free startup. The build plate of the RMF500 printer is auto-levelled and can heat to a maximum temperature of 110 ºC.

Material compatibility

The RMF500 3D priner is reliable, precise, versatile and cost-efficient, specialized in printing with fiber-reinforced thermoplastics. Materials reinforced with carbon or glass fibers provide multiple benefits in terms of the final parts' quality, boosting the parts' thermomechanical properties, chemical resistance, dimensional stability and printability. Parts 3D printed with carbon/glass reinforced fibers are also significantly lighter, which makes them a great substitute for aluminum parts. All these benefits combined make carbon/glass fiber reinforced materials ideal for industries such as aerospace or automotive.

Image 5: Parts 3D printed on the RMF500 3D printer with composite filaments. Source: Raise3D.

In order to break barriers to additive manufacturing with advaced filaments, the RMF500 3D printer is part of the Raise3D Open Filament Program (OFP) launched in 2017. The OFP program continuously collaborates with third-party filament manufacturers to identify and select top performing filaments for Raise3D printers. Phase 2 of OFP facilitates the use of specific third-party industrial-grade filaments with guaranteed mechanical properties and printing performance, for example by brands like BASF, Polymaker, PPprint, 3DXTech, Taulman3D or Fillamentum.

The Raise3D materials compatible with the RMF500 3D printer are so far the following, but the list will keep expanding by materials such as PET CF or PPS CF:

Table 1: The Raise3D materials compatible with the RMF500 3D printer. Source: Raise3D.

Each Raise3D fiber-reinforced filament is developed with a paired breakaway support material, thus resulting in easily removable support structures and a clean overhang surface.

PA12 CF+ Industrial Raise3D

Raise3D PA12 CF support

PPA CF Raise3D

Raise3D PPA support

To ensure an excellent customer experience and trouble-free uninterrupted printing, the RMF500 3D printer is equipped with four 2.5 kg large filament cartridges (main and auxiliary). The RMF500 printer can switch automatically between main/auxiliary cartridges thus reducing the need for constant user intervention during the printing process and limiting the risk of an unfinished or failed printing job due to filament runout or the use of incorrect spool. Positive pressure humidity control keeps the filament chamber humidity under 5% relative humidity, which guarantees optimal filament printability and great results.

User-friendly solutions

The RMF500 3D printer is equipped with a 13.3" touchscreen that displays the user interface and allows the user to set up, configure, and manage the device and the printing process. The connectivity options are Wi-Fi, LAN, a USB port or a live camera. Similarly to all Raise3D printers, the RMF500 uses the ideaMaker laminating software.

Image 6: Raise3D's IdeaMaker laminating software. Source: Raise3D.

ideaMaker is a laminating software that allows for a quick and easy preparation of any part for 3D printing thanks to its automatic support generator and the possibility of customizing the supports, automatically modifying the layer height depending on the level of detail, and much more. The supported formats are STL, OBJ, 3MF or OLTP.

Image 7: Raise Cloud interface Source: Raise3D.

Furthermore, with the RaiseCloud 3D printing platform it is possible to remotely control, monitor and report the entire 3D printing process, as well as automate and supervise small batch production from any platform with internet access (PC, tablet and smartphone). This solution is aimed at companies that want to easily manage a fleet of 3D printers, multiple prints and many users, and thus have a centralised management of all their projects.

Cost efficiency with RMF500

The RMF500 3D printer was designed to achieve the maximum cost-efficiency in terms of material performance vs the process cost. The effective application of material science resulted in the optimization of RMF500's design, leading to a much lower energy consumption.

Image 8: Parts 3D printed on the RMF500 3D printer with composite filaments. Source: Raise3D.

Fiber-reinforced filaments have high printability and require an environment that does not have to be as hot as with other 3D printing materials. Furthermore, the Raise3D fiber-reinforced materials and the third-party materials approved for use with the RMF500 3D printer demonstrate high rigidity and lower shrinkage ratio, which means they do not need a heated chamber to avoid warping. 

Image 9: The chamber of the RMF500 3D printer. Source: Raise3D.

As a result of these material characteristics, the RMF500 3D printer can be far more efficient as it does not need to draw so much power - only 120 W is consumed to power a single hotend and without a heated chamber the peak power consumption of the RMF500 printer is less than 3kW. Overall, the average power consumption of the RMF500 per unit printing area is 60 % lower than competitors'.

Moreover, the Raise3D fiber-reinforced filaments are competitively priced, making additive manufacturing with fiber-reinforced thermoplastics more accessible and further lowering the cost per part and the overall manufacturing cost.

Installation service, training and technical support

From Filament2Print we offer a comprehensive equipment installation service, as well as training services and specialised technical support so that you can maximise the performance of the Raise RMF500 3D printer.

If you would like more information about these services, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Raise Shield Warranty Extension

The Raise Shield warranty extension allows you to have the security of a professional and agile response to any problem that may arise with the printer and any of its components (except consumables such as hotends, nozzles or other elements that involve wear and tear) during the established period.

Raise Shield can be purchased at the time of purchase of any Raise 3D printer (it will not be available for purchase at a later date). To activate your Raise Shield warranty, simply activate it on the official website within 30 days of purchasing the printer, indicating the purchase invoice and your serial number.

The ideal printer for fiber-reinforced materials

The RMF500 3D printer features repeatable positioning accuracy, consistent extrusion flow, a high print speed, and a huge build volume, which enables the user to produce large batches or large parts in a highly efficient manner. The RMF500 3D printer uses the most advanced FFF 3D printing technology currently available for fiber-reinforced filaments and was designed to meet production demands for end-parts that are stiffer, stronger more resistant to heat, chemicals and impact than conventionally 3D-printed parts. The RMF500 exclusively uses filament that has been extensively curated to ensure a perfect end-to-end customer experience.