I started a specialty tool business in late 2017. Over the last six years, I have been upgrading materials and machines, from PLA to ABS to CF nylon on platforms made by Qidi, Markforged, Stratasys and now the Pantheon HS3. I have learned much about what works and what does not when it comes to customer service, proprietary material/parts, operating cost vs reliability and what it takes to make money doing this. I use my 3D printers for end-product manufacturing.
The Pantheon HS3 hits a sweet spot where the machine and material aren’t too expensive (like the Stratasys), the extruders aren’t $1000 each and time-limited to 1500 machine hours (like the Stratasys, which uses two such extruders), the CF nylon is very strong and wear-resistant (better than the Stratasys ABS-M30, PLA and hobby ABS) and the operating speed allows a print-on-demand capability that minimizes (and in many cases eliminates) inventory cost for production parts (unlike my Qidi and Markforged systems).
When telling people what the HS3 cost me, they ask why I didn’t just buy multiple Bambu X-1C machines for the same money. I bought a Bambu X1-C but decided to leave it new in the box while I waited for my HS3 to arrive while I kept using two Qidi X-CF Pro machines, as I did not want to learn an additional operating environment. I sold that Bambu machine and never regretted my decision. When the HS3 arrived, the ball screw design was very much superior to any belt-driven system. The Markforged Mark Two that I owned (and sold) required a piano tuning cell phone app for maintenance so that “twanging” the belts to a specific “note” determined the correct tension. The HS3’s ball screw design eliminates any such consideration.
When it comes to real-time customer service, the Pantheon Team is first-class. They are responsive (in almost real-time) to questions and issues without drastic time zone differences (like Qidi in China). They are continuously improving documentation, firmware and extrusion settings to ensure optimum print strength and quality. As an early adopter of the HS3, I have helped them with user instruction updates and validating machine operation and standby settings. These are important when dealing with CF Nylon material, which is very sensitive to humidity exposure. I have instrumented my machine with humidity/temperature sensors and a camera to fully understand the machine’s upper and lower operating environments.
If you are serious about getting a fast and reliable print capability at a reasonable purchase price and operating cost, I cannot recommend another option over the Pantheon HS3.
