Filters from the 3D Printer
Ego3 filters are not 3D printed products. All filters at Ego3 are plastic injection molded parts. However, there are also manufacturers who produce the filters using 3D printing technology. The first Ego3 filters were 3D printed hot tub filters a few years ago. But we very quickly decided not to do that anymore.
Disadvantages of hot tub filters from 3D printing
At that time, we had the following experiences and therefore switched to expensive injection molding tools because we also sell very high quantities.
- Contamination: the surface of the 3D printed filter is somewhat rough. This allows bacteria to easily settle on the surface and contaminate the entire container surface very quickly. This leads to increased chemical demand. Our filters have a completely smooth surface. Bacteria have no chance and the Ego3 filter material is self-sterilizing. This keeps your container and your filter balls as germ-free as possible.
- Durability: hot tub filters are exposed to a variety of chemical stresses. Various chemicals are used in the hot tub. The material selection for 3D printing materials is very limited. In injection molding, every plastic is available even in the most specialized versions. The material we have selected so that the filter has a very long durability regardless of the type and amount of hot tub water care simply does not exist for 3D printers. And our first 3D printed filters also did not have a long durability. At the latest after a few years, they slowly disintegrated. And there is a risk that parts of them get into the pumps or heater and cause damage there,
- Price: plastic injection molded parts require very expensive tools. However, these filters are then cheap in production. This means that only with small quantities would 3D printed hot tub filters be cheaper. As soon as you reach higher quantities with your product, the injection molding process is unbeatable in price. We sell many thousands of pieces per year, so the injection molding tools pay off and these price advantages make our price-performance ratio unbeatable.
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Functionality: We were the first to invent this new type of hot tub filters. Therefore, no imitator can exactly copy our patented technology.
- There is no other filter with our diffuser that distributes the suction ideally and thus produces the perfect filter performance. There are no 3D printed filters in this design because it is patent protected by Ego3. Only Ego3 filters have the diffuser pressure distribution technology.
- Most 3D printers therefore resort to a horizontal flow and suck from the side into the middle of the filter. This means the filter balls only have a very short filter path and do not use their 3D volume because there are many holes between the balls. Ego3 filters have several layers of filter balls, so water also flows through gaps in the first layer, but directly onto a ball in the underlying layer and so on from one layer to the next. This way we use the entire 3D volume ideally.
- We suck from the top and let the water out at the bottom. This keeps the dirt in the container when changing. With the 3D printed filter, suction is from the side and it almost detaches like with the cartridge filter when unscrewing and additionally flows out at the suction opening because multiple filter layers do not prevent this when removing.
Conclusion: Ego3 filter vs. 3D printed hot tub filter
The Ego3 filter does not contaminate, lasts longer, is cheaper, has ideal pressure distribution, and uses the entire 3D filter volume of filter balls.
3D printed filters contaminate, break more easily after a few years, always cost more, have a non-ideal flow, and use only a small filter capacity of filter balls.
Unfortunately, these disadvantages are very often concealed. Based on our 20 years of expertise in hot tub filters, we have now completely decided against 3D printed filters. All Ego3 filters are now 100% plastic injection molded parts!
Ego3 is the perfect solution for our customers
