BigRep Formally Introduced the STUDIO G2 3D Printer at RAPID 2019

The annual RAPID + TCT event, the largest AM conference and trade show in North America and held this year in Detroit, is typically a time of big announcements about partnerships, new products, and everything in between. Large-format 3D printing leader BigRep took the opportunity to introduce the new generation 3D printer in its STUDIO line: the STUDIO G2. With its ergonomic design, fast-heating print bed, dual extruders, and 500 x 1000 x 500 mm enclosed build envelope, it’s “an evolution of the STUDIO printer,” BigRep CBO Frank Marangell told me at the company’s booth.

“It’s what the STUDIO wants to be when it grows up.”

While perfectly suited for everyday use, the BigRep STUDIO G2 was actually created for more industrial applications. Standing 1,765 mm tall, the G2 features a fast heating print bed that can reach 100°C, and the 3D printer can also achieve layer heights as little as 0.1 mm for engineering-grade materials like PA6/66. In addition, it also has the new proprietary BigRep BLADE slicer software.

In developing the G2, BigRep removed some of the more expensive features of the original STUDIO, while improving upon others, such as the doors, frame, and leveling mechanism; Marangell described it as “basically putting a top on the STUDIO.” Marangell told me that the new STUDIO G2 can handle more complex, higher level applications than its predecessor, along with engineering-grade materials, thanks to its dual extruder with two 0.6 mm ruby nozzles. That’s why the sales team is targeting engineers with specific material requirements, like strength, flexibility, and temperature resistance.

Speaking of materials, the G2’s heated filament cabinet is also enclosed so it can better handle sensitive materials, such as TPU, and the printer features a moving nozzle for more abrasive ones, like carbon-filled. Because BigRep is an open materials company, the G2 is being sold with its current materials, like nylon, but it can definitely work with others as well. Marangell explained that it’s easier to introduce materials on the G2 than on the PRO, which was first introduced at formnext 2018 and also being demonstrated at RAPID.

The PRO features BigRep’s MXT Metering Extruder Technology, which helps the material extrude at a much faster rate. Marangell explained that typical extruders will slow their speed when working on corners in order to eliminate extra material blobs. By “starving” the extruder in this way, the whole process slows down, but MXT technology features a separate extrusion process so that the printer doesn’t have to reduce its speed on the corners. The displacement pump used is far easier to control in additive processes, which is why the print speed can remain the same during the whole build.

BigRep also showcased the world’s first 3D printed e-motorbike NERA at the show, which was designed by Marco Mattia Cristofori and Maximilian Sedlak and created at the company’s innovation lab and consultancy NOWLAB. The 190 x 90 x 55 cm NERA motorcycle features 3D printed, airless tires and was printed in 15 pieces using ProHT, ProFLEX, PETH and PLA filaments.

Stay tuned for more from my trip to RAPID + TCT, and take a look at more of my pictures from the BigRep booth below:

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[Images: Sarah Saunders]