Lulzbot Introduces a New Idea to the 3D Printing Community

If you are new to 3D printing you might not know, or even be aware, of its deep rooted history. With a little digging you’ll be able to find out when and where 3D printing got its start, the differences between the types of 3D printing, and that the idea is (probably) younger than your mom. 

In this short history lesson, there is a trail of entrepreneurship and commercialization. Engineers and the Average Joe alike saw an opportunity to make a innovate in an industry that is now growing at a compound rate of 25% annually. With this same goal in mind, the creators at Lulzbot have released expanded their line of interchangeable tool heads with a revolutionary idea - the freedom to choose different 3D printer filament sizes on the same printer! 

The Freedom to Grow

Lulzbot was founded nearly a decade ago in Loveland, Colorado. In 2019 the company was acquired by FAME 3D and relocated to Fargo, North Dakota. The new facility in Fargo handles product development, manufacturing, and support of all Lulzbot products, and reselling of filament. Currently they offer 1.75mm Pro PLA by 3D-Fuel and a variety of 2.85mm filament on their website.

Over 1,500 miles south of Fargo, Slice Engineering (FL, USA) has also been growing. As one of the fastest growing startups in the additive manufacturing industry, the Slice team is always looking to expand the capabilities of FDM technology. Slice launched the latest version of the Mosquito Hotend® at the Virtual Rep Rap Festival on April 3rd, 2020. 

The Freedom to Create

So, what does Slice Engineering have to do with Lulzbot? Enter the M175 Tool Head.

“We are extremely pleased to publicly announce our collaboration with Lulzbot on the M175 Tool Head. Lulzbot is a critical part of the 3D printing ecosystem in the United States, and has always been known for the rugged reliability of their 3D printers.” 

Why should you care about the M175 Tool Head? And why do YOU NEED ONE? 

The new M175 Tool Head is a drop-in upgrade for all compatible Lulzbot printers, including the Mini, Taz Pro and Taz Workhorse 3D printers. Offering the highest efficiency print head components on the market, the Bondtech BMG-M, and the Slice Engineering Mosquito, in a convenient, lightweight, and brightly- colored brick. Are you excited yet?

A cornerstone of the Lulzbot printer is the ability to customize the printer's tool head either through a few screws or the help of a universal tool head adapter. This customization creates a demand for a variety of tool heads. Seeking improvements in performance and reliability, Lulzbot reached out to Slice Engineering in early 2020 to begin discussion around a tool head featuring a hotend that is adaptable and eliminates heat creep. They found their answer with the Mosquito. By also incorporating Bondtech’s Dual Drive technology, the M175 Tool Head features a lightweight print head with structural rigidity and integrated torque lock allowing for the patented Mosquito one-handed nozzle change.

The Freedom to Choose

No one should be forced to do something they do not want to do - even if that is using 2.85mm filament on their Lulzbot printer. 

In a surprise twist the M175 Tool Head will also feature the brand new Bridgemaster™ nozzle! These copper nozzles are coated with an industrial abrasion resistant coating that is making its first debut into additive manufacturing on the Bridgemaster nozzles. 

As you may have realized, the newest addition to our collection of nozzles is not commercially available - yet. Bridgemaster nozzles are scheduled to release for pre-order later this year. 

This nozzle allows for the standard 1.75mm filament to be extruded on a Lulzbot printer which is known for using the less common 2.85mm filament. This change grants Lulzbot users the freedom to choose between the flexibility of 1.75mm filament and the structure of 2.85mm filament by simply swapping out their tool head.

The M175 tool head is currently compatible with the LulzBot Mini 2, TAZ Workhorse and TAZ Pro. A universal tool head adapter is available for the LulzBot Mini 1, TAZ 5 & TAZ 6.