In January, German RepRap released their fifth 3D printer model, the X150. The company described the compact printer as an entry level industrial printer, and advertised its superb print detail and accuracy, as well as its ease of use and convenient features such as remote monitoring. Now, German RepRap can add “award-winning” to the list of the X150’s descriptors, as the printer was awarded a BEST OF certificate in the 2016 Industry Prize.
This isn’t the first win for German RepRap, which took home the BEST OF prize last year for their X400 3D printer. The Industry Prize, or Industriepreis, is an annual recognition of outstanding products among German industrial companies, with this year’s competition sponsored by climate technology equipment producer G. Lufft Mess-und Regeltechnik GmbH and the Hannover Messe industrial technology trade fair. A large number of companies submitted products to the competition, which ran under the theme “With Progress for Success.”
The German RepRap X150 apparently met the Industry Prize committee’s definition of progress and success. The printer, which was based on the design of the popular NEO printer, impresses with its reliability. A stable metal frame and rigid, distortion-free build platform enable precise, high-resolution prints, and its excellent adhesion properties eliminate a great deal of failed prints and ensuing frustration. It’s also a versatile machine that prints nicely with German RepRap’s smooth Performance PLA and mechanically strong PET-G filaments.
“An innovative industrial solution converts the latest in technological and scientific discoveries into new products. This results in long-term quality improvements that save resources, increase efficiency and win customer acceptance,” said Florian Bautz, CEO of German RepRap. “Our X150 3D printer is built from high quality components that are specially designed to meet industrial requirements and are thus fully capable of doing this.”
Clean printing has become an important feature to many users, and the X150 delivers in that area as well, thanks to a controllable object fan. For an industrial printer, it’s also very decently priced at €1,370 ($1,500). Like German RepRap’s other 3D printers, the X150’s electronic components are compatible with the Open Source RepRap software, allowing users to take advantage of further developments in the RepRap community.
German RepRap is a company we keep tabs on very regularly, and they never fail to produce evidence of the quality and versatility of their printers through manufacturing case studies, educational applications, and more. They’re a well-respected name in the industry, and with two major industry awards in two years, they should remain so. Additionally, they’ve been churning out new printers at a rapid rate over the last year – the fact that they can maintain that kind of production speed without sacrificing quality is impressive. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they take home an Industry Prize in 2017 as well. Discuss all of this interesting news further in the German RepRap X150 3D Printer forum over at 3DPB.com.
