Builder Solves a Now-Familiar 3D Printing Problem with the Builder Extreme 1500

By on November 30th, 2016 in printer

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The Builder Extreme 1500 large-format 3D printer
The Builder Extreme 1500 large-format 3D printer

Netherlands-based Builder has announced the Extreme 1500 industrial 3D printer, which just happens to solve a problem we saw last week. 

The company has produced several very large format 3D printers, including the massively tall Builder Extreme 2000, which we reported on here. 

That machine has a monstrous build volume of 700 x 700 x 1820mm, able to literally 3D print a person in plastic. Well, a slim one anyway. 

But it had a problem with certain clients: the machine was too large to fit through doorways for installation. This problem was most recently reported by BigRep, one of Builderā€™s competitors in the large-format race. BigRep announced a slightly smaller device to resolve the issue for their clients. 

And now it appears that Builder is doing something very similar, although with a very different machine. The new Builder Extreme 1500 has a somewhat reduced build volume of ā€œonlyā€ 1100 x 500 x 820mm. This size enables Builder to create a physical machine thatā€™s of a size able to pass through most doorways, making sales much easier to some clients. 

The Builder Extreme 1500 inherits many of the excellent characteristics of its siblings, including the almost-magic Dual-Feed extruder, which we described here. 

Builder's dual-feed extrusion system; note two filaments heading into one hot end!
Builder’s dual-feed extrusion system; note two filaments heading into one hot end!

This feature enables a single hot end to accept TWO input filaments. You can have the extruder switch from one to the other as required to change colors, for example, or even mix them with a certain ratio. Or change the ratio to generate new color blends. 

But most importantly, this dual feed system could allow you to hook up TWO spools of IDENTICAL filament to one hot end and run them each at 50% speed. This essentially doubles the effective ā€œspool sizeā€ making operator intervention requirements halved. This is a very important feature for the gigantic prints youā€™d make in this device. 

For reliability, the machine also includes a heated print surface, which indirectly heats the entire closed build chamber. Youā€™ll be able to monitor the progress of long-duration prints through the on-board camera and WiFi network. 

Yes, the Builder Extreme 1500 has wheels! 
Yes, the Builder Extreme 1500 has wheels! 

And for ease of installation, this machine is equipped with wheels.

The Extreme 1500 is priced at ā‚¬17,495 (USD$18,500) and is available now. 

Via Builder

By Kerry Stevenson

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!