BigRep launches two new FFF 3D printing systems with Metering Extruder Technology

BigRep unveiled the machines at Formmext.

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BigRep has launched two new fused filament fabrication 3D printing systems powered by the company’s Metering Extruder Technology.

The BigRep Pro and BigRep Edge have been designed for the production of functional prototypes, composite tooling, and small series production of end use parts. Doubling the company’s hardware product offering, the new platforms are equipped with Bosch Rexroth motion control systems, which help to enable speed, precision, and IoT connectivity that seamlessly integrates into factories of the future.

BigRep Pro features a build envelope of one cubic metre and boasts a large, temperature-controlled spool chamber which enables continuous printing. The machine has been developed to produce large-scale industrial parts, and is compatible with ASA, ABS, nylon, among other materials. It promises an optimal even temperature control, while the heated print bed is mounted with polyimide foil for enhanced adhesion during the print. An integrated inductive sensor allows for semi-automatic levelling.

BigRep Edge, meanwhile, is designed for high-end, high-performance materials in large-scale format. It has a heated build chamber, with a controlled temperature environment up to 200°C in the chamber and 220°C in the print bed.

Both machines have two MXT modular extrusion heads. The Pro can print at speeds of >600 mm/s when using its finest 0.6 mm nozzle, while the Edge can print at speeds of 1,000 mm/s with the 0.6 mm nozzle attached. MXT gains better control over the amount and speed of material that is extruded by separating filament feeding and melting and molten extrusion. It has also been developed in line with the materials that BigRep and BASF have developed.

“This new technology delivers the type of innovation that the industry has been awaiting, as our groundbreaking MXT system makes our new printers five times faster – with greater precision and quality – than current extrusion speeds,” commented Stephan Beyer, BigRep CEO.

“Thanks to professional control systems technology, 3D printing is establishing itself as an industrial manufacturing application,” added Thomas Fechner, Director of the Business Unit New Business at Bosch Rexroth. “In terms of hardware, the CNC control system Bosch Rexroth is delivering the necessary performance, precision and durability. In our development partnership with BigRep, we are advancing the potential of 3D printing for its use in the environment of the Factory of the Future.”

BigRep Pro is available to order immediately, while BigRep Edge is scheduled for release in Q2 of 2019.

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