Variable line width: Toucan3D aims to make FDM printing faster and more robust

The Austrian company Toucan3D is presenting its varoLine technology, an approach intended to extend conventional FDM processes toward higher productivity and part strength. The core idea is dynamic adjustment of the extrusion width during the printing process. “Industrial 3D printing should be faster and mechanically more robust,” the company says. The target group is users who produce series parts or functional prototypes from plastics.

Technically, varoLine uses a variable line width between roughly 0.4 and 2 millimeters. Instead of running the entire job with a uniform nozzle geometry and layer strategy, the control system adapts the deposited track width to the geometry and requirement profile. Narrow lines are retained in outer regions and fine contours, while solid areas are filled with significantly wider tracks. As a result, the material throughput per unit of time increases without completely sacrificing visible details.

Toucan3D reports up to 80 percent shorter print times compared to conventional parameter settings for the same part geometry. At the same time, parts are said to achieve up to 40 percent higher strength because fewer thin, parallel perimeters are required. The wider tracks reduce potential weak points between adjacent lines and decrease the number of necessary toolpaths.

The technology is offered both in a complete printing system and as a retrofit solution. In this way, Toucan3D addresses companies that want to retain their existing FDM systems but improve their performance. Especially in applications with long build times, such as in fixture construction or large-volume functional components, faster production can be economically significant.

How widely the software-controlled adjustment of line width will be adopted in everyday use is likely to depend on factors such as material portfolio, software integration and service offerings. For operators of 3D printing fleets, the option of increasing throughput without a complete technology change remains an attractive proposition.