Some seek quality, others prioritize speed, and then there's size. When it comes to 3D printers, the University of Maine chooses the third path, and its new Factory of the Future 1.0 pulverizes the record the institution had set in 2019. This printer is four times larger than its predecessor, and can create objects over 29 meters long…
In personal opinion, 3D printing is already wonderful for allowing us to reproduce every damn battery cover we've misplaced in our remote controls, but beyond available models, optimization guides, secondary accessories, software recommendations, filament preparation tricks and endless trial and error sessions, all that belongs to the end user, and there are people out there operating at a completely different scale. With that in mind we come to the University of Maine, which recently presented the world's largest thermoplastic 3D printer: Factory of the Future 1.0.
Factory of the Future 1.0: The record-breaking 3D printer
The university had already been recorded in the Guinness Book with the previous model at the end of 2019, but this time it decided to throw all limits out the window. Presented before a more than varied audience (Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Maine state housing authorities and others), Factory of the Future 1.0 has a printing volume of 29.26 (length) x 9.75 (width) x 5.48 (height) meters, processing approximately 226 kilograms of material per hour (500 pounds).
Now, calling this creation a 'printer' is not so simple, as it can combine additive, subtractive, and robotic material manipulation processes. Factory of the Future will also serve to explore special initiatives like the reuse of wood waste, widely available in the region thanks to its timber industry.
However, one of the great goals is building houses. The state of Maine will need 80,000 new homes before the end of the decade, and although 3D printing has promised to be 'the solution' on many occasions, maybe this system is the key to making it a reality. Obviously, the printer cannot do anything about permits and land cost, but its vision of 'fail-fast, fail-cheap' should help technological development.
Official announcement: Click here
