ENLARG3D hopes to print many big things for those with big ideas.
I spoke with the company at Formnext and learned about the relatively new thirty-person company. It’s only four years old, but is a kind of spin off from a large and experienced polymer company, Poly Products based in the Netherlands.
Their production system is a CEAD CFAM Prime robotic extrusion system, which can 3D print huge polymer objects. For materials, they use recycled glass fiber reinforced PETG, glass fiber reinforced polypropylene and other composite materials. Those are likely sourced from their parent company, Poly Products.
The reinforced materials are important for the rather large objects, as they must have more strength to hold up their own weight. In large prints it’s important to minimize the material use, and strong materials are one way to do that.
ENLARG3D doesn’t make the 3D printer, but instead acts as a layer in-between the customer and the equipment. They provide consulting and design services to help those with ambitious concepts to bring them to life.
But what exactly are those ideas? In our visit we observed several huge prints, including the massive snail-like habitat shown at top, and the curious “Megg” office oasis shown here. They explained the thinking behind Megg:
“Can 3D printing contribute to creating an oasis of calm in a busy workplace? Yes! ENLARG3D realized various 3D printing parts on behalf of Megg. A complex process, due to the required modular structure to get through a door. Once the collaboration was underway, ENLARG3D also realized the chair and column using 3D printing. The freedom of form in combination with the need for a single piece was decisive in choosing 3D printing. It resulted in sturdy construction parts that can be finished well, without having to invest in expensive molds.”
I asked who might the customers be for such large printing capability, and it turns out that ENLARG3D is still figuring that out. They explained that they’ve had some repeat customers, but applications include complex interior designs, museum pieces, furniture, artistic designs and some technical components.
It seems that they are in that early stage of a startup company where they’ve figured out the base technology and approach, but have to choose where to focus their marketing. This is not surprising, as almost every company must go through this stage.
Finally, I just realized something else: their company name is, of course, written in CAPITALS. Even their name is big.
Via ENLARG3D
