3D Printing Thinks Really Big

摘要

There was a time when 3D printing a 6-in. long car model was a mind-blowing process. Now companies are building full-size car bodies, functional bridges, live-in houses and operational jet engines. Additive manufacturing (AM) has become not just big business but a business of big proportions. Thinking about scaling up your own designs? DE scoped out industrial-strength AM systems that can take on the big jobs, using build-volumes with a minimum of just about 1 meter (39 in.) dimension in one or more of the X/Y/Z build directions. Interestingly, most systems met that criterion for X or Y, or both X and Y values; however, a few systems qualify here based strictly on their extended Z-axis capacity. Also, with most equipment optimized for a single material family, the listings are grouped under plastics-plus, metals, and sand/ceramics applications. We're leaving the bridges and buildings for another day.