Compact extrusion line

laboratorywith air coolingwith water cooling

Processing solution
The Xplore 3D Filament Line is a compact, lab-scale filament extrusion system for the rapid development and screening of custom FDM/FFF 3D printing filaments, using only grams of material per test. Fully integrated with Xplore Micro-Compounders, it allows researchers to formulate new polymer compounds and convert them directly into high-quality printable filament ready for printability and performance evaluation.

Key benefits

• One integrated workflow: material formulation and filament extrusion in a single system, with no material transfer between steps.
• Minimal material use: screen new formulations on a gram scale, reducing development time and cost.
• Clear path to scale-up: validate printability and performance before committing to commercial production.

Capabilities

• Material compatibility: process commodity, engineering, recycled, bio-based, filled, and reinforced polymers, including PEEK, PEI, PPS, PA, PC, TPU, PLA, ABS and PETG.
• Representative samples: produce filaments for printability testing, characterization and evaluation.
• Process optimization: fine-tune processing conditions for consistent filament quality.

Key features

• Precision extrusion: interchangeable heated and non-heated dies.
• Diameter monitoring: inline laser measurement for dimensional accuracy.
• Adjustable processing: tunable parameters for consistent filament quality.
• Controlled winding: adjustable torque-controlled winding for consistent spooling.
• Flexible cooling: air cooling standard with optional water cooling.
• Process monitoring: real-time process visualization and data monitoring.

Research areas

• Novel filament formulations: development of new FDM/FFF materials and formulations.
• Composite filaments: reinforced, filled and high-performance material systems.
• Sustainable & functional materials: recycled, bio-based, biodegradable, conductive, ESD, flame-retardant and shape-memory materials.
• Process & performance studies: process optimization, printability and structure–property studies.

Applications

• Prototyping & end-use parts: functional prototypes, customized parts and low-volume production.
• Tooling & manufacturing: jigs, fixtures and manufacturing tooling.
• Automotive & aerospace: lightweight, high-performance components with complex geometries.
• Medical & healthcare: medical models, surgical guides, orthotics and prosthetic components.
• Robotics & consumer products: customized components for robotics, humanoid systems and consumer products.
• Education & materials research: academic research, material development and educational applications.

Related technical comparison (Micro-Compounders)
Specification | MC Xperience 5 | MC Xperience 15 | MC 15 HT (Vari‑Batch®) | MC 40
Batch volume (ml) | 5* | 15 | 15 | 40
Max. torque (Nm) | 10 (15**) | 15 (20**) | 40 | 40
Torque per volume (Nm/ml) | 2 (3**) | 1 (1.3**) | 2.7 | 1
Max. temperature (°C) | 350 (425**) | 350 (425**) | 475 | 425
Screw rotation mode | Co‑rotating (counter‑rotating**) | Co‑rotating (counter‑rotating**) | Co‑ / counter‑rotating standard | Co‑ / counter‑rotating standard
Screw speed (rpm) | 1–425 | 1–425 | 0.1–500 | 0.1–500
Active cooling | Manual and optional | Manual and optional | Automated standard | Automated standard
Application focus | Reliable small‑scale micro‑compounding & cost‑effective R&D | Reliable micro‑compounding & cost‑effective R&D | High‑end micro‑compounding with challenging systems for advanced R&D | High‑volume batch & continuous micro‑compounding
Notes: *Custom; up to 10. **Upgrade options.

Technical specifications

• Product: Xplore 3D Filament Line (lab-scale filament extrusion system for FDM/FFF filament development).
• Integrated with: Xplore Micro-Compounders for direct conversion of formulations to filament.
• Material compatibility: PEEK, PEI, PPS, PA, PC, TPU, PLA, ABS, PETG, filled and reinforced polymers, recycled and bio-based materials.
• Extrusion: interchangeable heated and non-heated dies for precision extrusion.
• Dimensional control: inline laser diameter monitoring for dimensional accuracy.
• Winding: torque-controlled adjustable winding for consistent spooling.
• Cooling: air cooling standard with optional water cooling.
• Process control: tunable processing parameters, real-time visualization and data monitoring.
• Sample throughput: designed for gram-scale screening of new formulations.
• Intended uses: printability testing, characterization, prototyping, tooling, automotive/aerospace/medical/consumer research and education.