RepRap Industrial 3D Printer Hits the Street

A German 3D printing company has released a large-volume 3D printer based on open-source RepRap technology and aimed at providing an affordable and quality high-capacity plastic-filament printer for industrial users.

German RepRap, based in Munich, recently unveiled the X400 printer with 400 x 400 x 350 mm printing space, the first industrial printer from the company. Now the firm's come out with a new iteration of the x400 with 1,000 x 800 x 600 mm of printing space that's been improved for professional use with milled aluminum X-Y-cross carriages for precise printing, Stefanie Schneider, the head of marketing for German RepRap, told Design News."This printer sells well for prototyping or design studies, or for creating objects which will be used as positive models for sandcasting forms," she told us.

The printer -- which the company hopes will fill the gap between very expensive commercial 3D printers and inexpensive RepRap printers, its core competency -- was developed from the ground up and is not based on previous designs. "Our customers asked us for a bigger printer with an enlarged functionality; therefore, we decided to start engineering from scratch to build a printer that brings the best of RepRap technology in a professional state accepted by demanding customers," says Schneider.

German RepRap was established as the German RepRap Foundation (GRRF) in 2010 to develop and sell 3D printing solutions based on the RepRap Fused Filament Fabrication technology, as well as 3D scanners, filament, software, and accessories.

Schneider says the new, large-volume x400 features the commodity value of open-source technology in a large-scale printer developed and manufactured by professional engineers in Germany. "It comes with a big printing space... and contains functionality professional users are asking for, such as intelligent filament management or multi-extruder technology, quick draft mode printing or easy-to-use software interface." The printer can work with different types of plastic filaments, including ABS, PLA, PS, PVA, and PA.

The new printer is aimed at creating prototypes and functional models in various industries, particularly for customer presentations, architectural and furniture design, or for mold and model-making companies, according to Schneider. It also can be used for education and science purposes.

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