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Today we’re taking a look at the BigRep ONE.5X industrial 3D printer.
BigRep is known for their large-format FFF 3D printers, and we’ve been covering them for many years now. They began well over ten years ago with a one-meter-cubed device that eventually was named the “ONE” series.
The BigRep ONE has undergone many upgrades over the years, and now there’s another version: the ONE.5X, the most advanced version produced by BigRep.
Visually, the ONE.5X is similar to prior versions, but there are many changes inside.
Retained from prior versions are dual Power Extruder 2 (PEX2) for dual-drive wheel filament feeding, and the absolutely massive SWITCHPLATE removable print bed. This is essentially a gigantic version of the plates you’ll see on small desktop systems, but here it provides the same benefits at a much larger scale.
BigRep has migrated the advanced human interface first seen on their VIIO 250 to the ONE.5X, which should greatly simplify operator activities. BigRep explains:
“Designed with clarity and ease of operation in mind, the updated interface makes the ONE.5X significantly more approachable for operators at any experience level, without sacrificing the depth that seasoned users expect.”
They’ve also introduced a new network-based firmware update system to the ONE, which is becoming increasingly common among 3D printers of all sizes. This should ensure the ONE.5X is always up to date with the latest features.
Like many FFF systems, the ONE.5X is auto-calibrating. The system performs a rather large 18 x 18 point bed mesh levelling procedure before print jobs to ensure proper adhesion.
A very useful production feature is “Relay Mode”, where the ONE.5X can automatically switch extrusion to the second extruder if their first one runs out of material. This happens commonly on large jobs that are typically executed on a machine the size of the ONE.5X. Normally, an operator would have to physically swap spools on the machine to keep it running, but with Relay Mode, the machine merrily carries on, and the operator can swap spools later.
The sheer size of the build plate provides some interesting opportunities. One way BigRep takes advantage of this size is with the “Auto Sequential Printing” feature.
The build plate is so large that often jobs occupy only a smaller portion of it, leaving a lot of empty space. If there are subsequent queued jobs, the feature then looks for empty spots on the build plate to start up the next job. The job builds on a suitable empty location, and the process continues until the plate is filled.
This feature could save a considerable amount of operator time because many jobs could be completed by the ONE.5X all on its own.
The other implication of Auto Sequential Printing is that it transforms the machine from one intended for printing large parts to one that can also print larger batches of smaller parts. In other words, a company running a ONE.5X doesn’t have to also purchase a squad of smaller machines — they can now do the same activities on the ONE.5X.
BigRep said the maximum print speed on the ONE.5X is a healthy 250mm/s, which is quite important on a large format device. I recall when the ONE was first introduced years ago, some jobs could take well over a week to complete. The added speed should significantly cut that down.
In addition, BigRep has included new algorithms to increase print quality, namely Pressure Advance and Vibration Compensation. These are features typically seen on desktop equipment, but here they appear on a large format device, providing the same print quality improvements.
There’s one more twist to this story: BigRep has partnered with Massive Dimension, producers of advanced pellet extruders. The intent is to integrate pellet extrusion capability into the ONE platform by using Massive Dimension’s advanced MDX system.
This is an extremely interesting development, because pellet extrusion is significantly less expensive than filament extrusion, and opens up many more material possibilities. The cost to produce large polymer objects with the ONE.5X could be quite a bit less expensive, and that will be quite attractive to manufacturers.
The ONE.5X is now out in the field, and the plan is to display it to the public at this fall’s Formnext event in Frankfurt.
I’m going to be quite interested to take a close look at this machine.
Via BigRep
