German RepRap Unveils New X350 3D Printer

When it comes to quality machines and the experience and know-how to manufacture them, German RepRap is among the leaders. The Feldkirchen, Germany-based company, which initially launched in 2010 as the German RepRap Foundation, has consistently put forth products which are open source, affordable, and well received by the market in general. Whether it’s their popular NEO or Protos models, or their large-scale X400 or X1000 machines, it’s hard to find a complaint among their users.

Today the company is officially unveiling their latest desktop 3D printer, aimed at both the consumer and industrial user, the German RepRap X350. The X350 is feature-packed with a heated build platform, enclosed build chamber, and incredibly simplistic, yet stylish appearance. Below you will find the general specifications for German RepRap’s latest machine:

• Build Envelope: 350 x 200 x 210 mm
• Printer Size: 600 x 444 x 517 mm
• Printer Weight: 28kg
• Layer Thickness: 0.02mm
• Print Speed: 10-150mm/sec
• Travel Speed: 10-300mm/sec
• Material Size and Compatibility: PlA, ABS, PS, PVA, Laywood, PP, Bendlay, Soft-PLA, and SmartABS at 1.75mm

Many 3D printers on the market today utilize a square build platform and overall cube shape. This doesn’t, however, optimize the build-space-to-printer-size ratio. It limits the size of a print in all directions to the same basic dimension. The X350, however, has a rectangular build platform, with an extended width of 35cm. What this does is allow the user to re-position their model in an orientation which can take advantage of this larger space.

“The X350 closes the gap between the NEO and the X400,” German RepRap managing director Thomas Liratsch explained. “It offers the best usage of the print area due to the rectangular print bed.”

For those of you new to 3D printing, this machine takes much of the uncertainty out of the process. Utilizing a simple, precise, reliable software; a network-compatible (WiFi and LAN) web interface; and a 3-point mounted print bed for fast and easy calibration, the X350 is a printer which, as cliché as it sounds, even your grandma could use. Finally, this machine is built with some of the finest components on the market. Its all-metal frame and German engineering ensures that prints come off the bed consistent, accurate, and just how you imagined them.

The company is offering this 3D printer at an introductory price of €2,499 (~$2,716) for pre-orders and orders prior to June 30th. The very first units will begin shipping in approximately 4-7 weeks.

Have you ordered this new machine? Let’s hear your thoughts in the German RepRap X350 3D Printer forum thread on 3DPB.com.