ARBURG, a German-based injection-molding equipment manufacturer, has developed the ARBURG freeformer, an industrial 3D printer that takes standard injection molding pellets as its primary feedstock instead of the proprietary thermoplastics that 3D Systems 3D printers employ. Injection-molding pellets are widely available and cost in the neighborhood of a few dollars per kilogram, whereas proprietary 3D printing thermoplastics for industrial applications can easily cost upward of $200 per kilogram and lock a user into a closed system.