BigRep PRO 3D Printer Unveiled – Enormous 53 Cubic Foot Build Volume

Back in February a new 3D printer firm emerged called BigRep, with the unveiling of their BigRep One 3D printer. BigRep One, with its incredible size and build volume, was at the time unlike any other FDM-based 3D printer on the market. The market was accustomed to FDM machines capable of printing trinkets like toy cars, and yo-yos, not full sized furniture pieces, like the BigRep One was capable of fabricating in one piece.

The Berlin based company realized that there was a market for a printer of this scale, whereas no other company had. The machine, which has a build volume of 1.3 m³ (45 ft³), about 27 times that of a typical MakerBot Replicator, retails for $39,000, putting it outside the general price range for hobbyists.

It appears that orders for this massive device have been coming in fast, as the company today has revealed an even larger, more robust FDM 3D printer, at 3D PrintShow in London. The new machine, called the BigRep PRO features an enormous build volume of up to 1.5 m³ (53 ft³). In an interview with 3DPrint.com, BigRep CEO René Gurka explained the decision to go even larger:

“The very positive customer feedback over the last few months made us think about introducing a second model, the BigRep PRO. We strongly believed only ‘early adopters’ like designers, artists or architects would become our first BigRep ONE owners. To our surprise many well known large corporations approached us as well. They have a lot of good experiences with full-scale printing, but most say it´s still way too expensive with the current FDM/FFF 3D Printers on the market. Since we know industry users have different expectations than users like designers we decided to put all of our power into development of a second model, especially focusing on industrial users and industrial environments in prototyping and small batch manufacturing.”

Unlike the BigRep One, the ‘PRO’ will feature an enclosed build chamber with a custom made controller unit which uses industrial standard components. Gurka promised us the the BigRep PRO will have a much more intuitive user interface, with a touch panel which ensures a very fast, simple user experience. Additionally, the new machine will print surprisingly fast according to the company, and will be equipped with numerous new features and security enhancements.

“Since our goal is to make Full-Scale 3D Printing more affordable we will still keep the great price advantage to our competitors, selling machines for over €0.5 million,” explained Gurka. “We think a well-equipped BigRep PRO will be around €60.000 (About $79,000) plus shipping and installation.”

As for a rough estimate on how well the BigRep One printers have sold since their reveal earlier this year, Gurka told us that they are very satisfied with current sales, and that their order book is above internal expectations. Dozens of printers will be leaving the facility in Berlin-Kreuzberg over the next few months, and the company now has over 20 employees. BigRep expects to be able to manufacture and ship over 100 3D printers over the next year. At between $39,000 and $79,000 a pop, that equates to some strong business for a company who only launched last February.

The full specifications of this BigRep PRO 3D printer will be released to the public shortly. Let’s hear your thoughts on the company and their latest massive FDM machine, in the BigRep PRO forum thread on 3DPB.com