14 DAY TRIAL // We usually consider a 3D printer to be on the large side when its build volume is of 300 x 300 x 300 mm / 11.81 x 11.81 x 11.81 inches, but while that guideline is good enough for consumer printers, the same cannot be said for industrial ones.
Industrial 3D printers need to be used for large things, such as parts of engines, car chassis, perhaps plastic-based outer shrouds for vehicles and such.
It all depends on what materials they support (polymers, plastics, metals) and the technique used to mold or grow them in the required shape.
Aha 3D, an Indian company founded back in 2010, has just released the latest industrial 3D printer, and also (one of) the largest ever: the ProtoCentre 1M.
The features of the ProtoCentre 1M
This huge 3D printer can create objects with a height of up to 1 meter, or 3.3 feet or so. The exact build volume is of 750 x 500 x 1000 mm / 2.46 x 1.64 x 3.3 feet.
Only plastics are supported, but the list is a decent one: ABS, PC, ABS-PC, HIPS, and PLA. All possible at a layer thickness of 100 microns (resolution).
One of the most important capabilities of the ProtoCentre 1M is the PrintProtect, which prevents filament hamming and monitors power outages.
Even if power is cut during a print for some reason, the printer can resume work from where it left off immediately upon reactivation of the energy grid.
Intelligent diagnosis software is included as well, providing owners with notifications when the device is in need of maintenance.
A touchscreen can be used to check such things, as well as to start or stop a print job, even schedule one for later, or run monitoring subroutines on command. Using remote monitors is, of course, possible as well. Wi-Fi technology is included even.
Availability
Sadly, the Aha 3D ProtoCentre M1 printer is quite expensive, at $56,000 / €49,600, but compared to industrial metal printers, it's quite small. However, the materials sell at $25 / €22 per kilogram, so the cost of ownership and use will not be intangible.
