Massivit 3D Introduces Slightly Less Massive 3D Printer; Designers Experiment with Infinite Z-Axis 3D Printing

A company called Massivit 3D is going to be a company that thinks big, and that’s exactly what the Israel-based company does. Thinks big, and manufactures big. Massivit 3D became well known for its flagship 3D printer, the Massivit 1800, which is, well, massive, with a build volume of 57 x 46 x 70 inches. The machine was designed specifically to 3D print things like signage and other forms of visual communication for businesses, and features a proprietary printing technology called Gel Dispensing Printing (GDP).

Now Massivit 3D is introducing a second 3D printer based on the technology – the Massivit 1500, which, while smaller than the 1800, is still plenty big. It features a build volume of 57 x 46 x 58 inches; it can print pieces up to 4.8 feet tall which, when joined together, can create displays of any size. The 1500 was designed for print shops that have limited space and that are looking for something affordable. Potential applications include adding 3D enhancements to existing 2D displays, creating illuminated signage, other POP/POS displays, and high-endurance molds for thermoforming for retail, advertising, entertainment, events and interior design markets.

“The Massivit 1500 builds on the incredible global success of our flagship Massivit 1800 and further cements our position as a frontrunner of innovative solutions for next generation visual communication,” said Massivit 3D CEO Avner Israeli.

The Massivit 1500 and 1800 both provide geometric freedom, speed and cost savings not available in traditional manufacturing. Demand is growing for more customization in signage and displays, and Massivit 3D printers allow that customization to be easily obtained, whether creating channel lettering or soft signage.

Massivit 3D is debuting the Massivit 1500 this week at ISA Sign Expo, which is taking place from March 22nd to 24th in Orlando, Florida. You can visit the company at Booth 629.

“ISA Sign Expo has proven to be very successful for us and we’re extremely excited to return with the landmark launch of the Massivit 1500,” said Israeli. “We expect that the market’s reaction will be very positive as we expand the accessibility of our trailblazing technology to a wider audience.”

In other new 3D printer news, a team of Chilean designers have come up with something truly unique – a Z-infinity 3D printer that combines printing and robotics to print without limit on the vertical axis.

The concept is still a work in progress, but what the team has developed so far is impressive.

“We have made two functioning prototypes, in one of them the climbing mechanism is based on a the use of a pair of motorized camps that anchor the machine on the produced part,” designer Juan Cristóbal Zagal told us. “On the second printer we exploited the capacity of the 3D printer to continuously produce a rack used by the machine to link up a rotating pinion that produces motion.”

The first 3D printer is called Koala because it mimics a koala’s climbing movements as it climbs up the structure being printed. The second, called Toala, produces an infinite vertical rack on the surface of the column being printed and uses a motorized pinion to achieve vertical motion.

The Z-infinity 3D printer is an interesting take on freeform fabrication – the idea of creating something of any size on a printer so small is intriguing.

You can learn more about the concept here or below:

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.