CraftBot Flow IDEX XL Dual Extrusion 3D Printer

The CraftBot Flow IDEX XL is a professional large-format dual extrusion FDM 3D printer from CraftUnique. It is part of the Flow Generation, which encompasses the single extrusion Flow and Flow XL 3D printers and the Flow IDEX, a smaller version of the IDEX XL. The CraftBot Flow generation series has been developed starting from the award-winning CraftBot 3 and CraftBot Plus design. While designing the printers, the company referred to all users’ feedback collected during the years. This resulted in the production of reliable yet effective 3D printing devices packed with quality-of-life functions.

Built like a tank, the CraftBot Flow IDEX XL features a sturdy structure made of reinforced steel. This grants high stability and reliability when printing. The device ships fully assembled and works as a plug-n-play printer. It employs all-metal hotends with a filament dosage monitoring system, which makes for smooth extrusion and high print quality. The Independent Dual Extrusion System is ideal for multi-material and multicolor printing. The heated bed is made up of three different layers for great adhesion and easy removal. The pause-n-print feature has been developed to recover a print job after a power outage as well as to safely replace filament spools, and more. You can constantly monitor your prints via the onboard camera.

The Flow IDEX XL is twice the height of the standard Flow IDEX. Its printing sizes are 425 x 250 x 500mm. Its ease-of-use and functionality make it ideal for makers, hobbyists, and professionals. Continue reading our review.

The professional CraftBot 3D printers provide highly-detailed quality prints, like the ones pictured below.

Credit: @3dgooroo / Instagram

Credit: @3dgooroo / Instagram

Specifications:

• Print quality
• Materials
• Build volume
• Printer controls
• What’s in the box
• Look and feel
• Price

Print quality

The CraftBot Flow IDEX XL is a large-bed professional FDM 3D printer. It prints layers at 50 microns. It is characterized by an XY accuracy of 12.5 microns and a Z-axis accuracy of 5 microns. Reaching a print speed of up to 200 mm/s, it lets you produce parts with smooth exterior surfaces in short times. The sturdy frame along with the high-temp hotends results in accurate prints.

Credit: @ossumdesigns / Instagram

The IDEX system makes the two print heads capable of printing two different parts or the same part symmetrically at once, doubling your productivity. 

The CraftBot IDEX XL comes stock with two 0.4-mm nozzles, giving you the best balance between speed and detail.

The print heads run on linear rails, which makes printing reliable, fast and precise.

Materials

Thanks to the 300°C operating temperature, the IDEX XL can print with a wide range of consumables, including PLA, ABS, PET, Nylon, Carbon-fiber reinforced composites, wood, and brass.

Credit: @lemiasz / Instagram

The multilayered heated bed is made up of metal, tempered glass and Kapton sheets. It has been designed to provide optimum bed adhesion. The upper sheet is flexible. You’ll only have to bend it to easily remove your print from the bed. The bed heats up to 110°C being suitable for printing with ABS-type filaments.

To ensure high reproducibility, we recommend installing an enclosed print chamber. This way the print quality would not be affected by temperature fluctuations as a result of drafts and other factors.

Thanks to its open material system, the CraftBot Flow IDEX XL can print with any type of 1.75 mm filament. This expands your design possibilities letting you print with the material you prefer.

Build volume

The CreatBot Flow IDEX XL has a large build volume of 16.7 x 9.8 x 19.7 inches (425 x 250 x 500mm), hence the name. It is currently the largest ready-to-print IDEX 3D printer commercially available.

Printer controls

The Flow IDEX XL 3D printer can be easily operated via the built-in large color touchscreen. Its responsive interface can be easily connected to an external PC via an intranet connection.

The Flow IDEX XL includes a 4GB internal storage for standalone operation. The onboard camera and the LED status indicator keep you always updated on the printing process.

Credit: @craftbot3d / Instagram

The CratUnique Flow IDEX 3D printers come integrated with the proprietary slicing software, CraftWare. However, they are also compatible with third-party slicers. The own-brand program lets you easily manage all the printing settings and quickly generate print-ready G-Code files. It also supports STL and OBJ 3D file formats. It works on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux operating systems.

What’s in the box

• CraftBot Flow IDEX XL 3D printer
• 5-year (or 5,000-hour) warranty
• A maintenance kit 
• A nozzle kit

For some items, package content may change. In case of any questions, please get in touch.

Look and feel

The white metal structure of the CraftBot Flow IDEX XL along with its stylish look makes it ideal for engineering, rapid prototyping, industrial design, and small-scale manufacturing.

The CreatBot Flow IDEX XL measures 25 x 17.7 x 31.1 inches (635 x 450 x 790 mm). It weighs 83.8 lb (38 kg). The spool holders are mounted on the sides.

Price

The price of the CraftBot Flow IDEX XL is $3,999.00. Its cost is reasonable considering its advanced features and IDEX system.