Size… It does matter, at least when comparing the build volume of various 3D printers. According to a recent email survey we conducted with several of our 3DPrint.com subscribers, 92% of all participants cited ‘build volume’ as one of their top three most important features that they look for when buying a new 3D printer.
Way back in February of this year, a new company emerged on the scene, called BigRep, with a large prototype machine they named the BigRep ONE. This 3D printer differentiated itself from the competition in, quite literally, one BIG way! With a build envelope measuring 1147 x 1000 x 1188 mm, or 1.3 cubic meters, entire furniture pieces could be printed in one go. Since then, the company has expanded their reach by announcing the BigRep Pro back in early September. This machine had a similar build volume and was priced at around $79,000.
The BigRep ONE.2
Here we are, several months later and Berlin-based BigRep has just announced their BigRep One.2. The machine, which will officially be unveiled at EuroMold 2014 in Frankfurt next week, is approximately the same size of it’s predecessor with a build envelope of 1100 x 1067 x 1097 mm, or a volume of around 1.3 cubic meters.
The goal of BigRep is to put forth a product which can revolutionize manufacturing both at home and in an industrial setting. The company has used the BigRep One.2 to create a variety of large-scale products and molds, including giant molds for glass vases. A recent glass making factory has utilized the new printer to create vases which measure 40 x 60 centimeters in size, while cutting down on material costs and time of production.
“With our latest project we are demonstrating, how 3D-printing can be used in manufacturing,” explained Lukas Oehmigen, CTO and founder of BigRep. “Our objective is to
make full-size 3D-printing affordable for everyone – in design, prototyping and manufacturing. In this class, we are setting the standards. Costs for printer and filament are far below those of our competitors. Thus, we will revolutionize manufacturing and make it more flexible.”
Those interested in this new machine can fill out a request form and be contacted immediately with further details as well as an anticipated delivery date. It’s important to note that with size, comes a higher price. For an FFF-based printer, the price tag of €36.000,00 (approximately $44,700) may seem a bit steep. However, with a build volume which is 100X that of even some of the larger FDM/FFF machines on the market, things are quickly put back into perspective.
Let us know if you have used or purchased this new gigantic 3D printer. Discuss in the BigRep ONE.2 forum thread on 3DPB.com.
