Vendors continue to explore the limits of 3D printing/additive manufacturing, including size. When you need really big parts, you have several options to choose from.
3D Platform out of Chicago, makes several extrusion-based 3D printers that can handle large size objects. The company offers a number of models, most based on a workbench design. The largest is the Workcenter 500. It has a build volume of 1,400 mm x 2,800 mm x 700 mm (4.6 ft x 9.2 ft x 2.3 ft) or a 2.7 m3 of print volume.
Bigrep, headquartered in Germany, also offers a number of large build size 3D printers. The largest is its Bigrep Edge with a build size in the x dimension of 1500 mm, the y dimension of 800 mm, and in the z dimension of 600 mm. That’s about 5 ft. x 2.6 ft, and nearly 2 ft tall.
Cincinnati Inc. was one of the first developers of really big 3D printing systems. It offers the extrusion-based Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM), and yes you can 3D print a car body on the build bed. It comes in a range of sizes: 140 in. x 65 in. x 36 in.; 140 in. x 65 in. x 72 in.; 140 in. x 65 in. x 98 in.; and 240 in. x 90 in. x 72 in.
Instead of extrusion-based 3D printing, Sciaky offers Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) on the large size. Users can build parts and structures up to 19 ft. x 4 ft. x 4 ft. (5.79 m x 1.22 m x 1.22 m) – or round parts up to 8 ft. (2.44 m) in diameter.
Stratasys offers several systems for large 3D printing. One is the Objet 1000 with a build size of 1000 x 800 x 500 mm (39.3 x 31.4 x 19.6 in). The maximum weight of the part on the tray can be 135 kg. The newer large size 3D printer is the F900. It offers a build size of 914.4 x 609.6 x 914.4 mm (36 x 24 x 36 in.).
