If you want to 3D print industrial-sized, large-scale models, like tables, chairs, and life-sized statues, then a pellet printer is the way to go. With a 5mm nozzle that’s more than 10 times the size of standard desktop machines, the MAMA-1000 pellet 3D printer from Modix can seriously chew through some polymer.
This is where industrial pellet printers have the advantage. Melting pellets, with their greater surface area, is faster and more efficient than melting a strand of plastic. The MAMA-1000 is equipped with a Canadian-made DYZE Design Pulsar pellet print head, which has three heating zones and a screw to push plastic granules out a 3 to 5mm nozzle with a whopping 3kg an hour throughput.
Pellets are also extremely economical, with the PLA going for as little as $2 a kilo when bought in bulk. Printing pellets skips over the manufacturing process required for turning plastic into reels of filament we feed to 'normal' sized desktop 3D printers, like many of our best picks. It’s also the same raw material the plastics industry has been using for injection molding for nearly a hundred years.
For prints requiring more “fine details”, the MAMA-1000 can swap its tool head for a Modix Griffin Ultra that uses standard 1.75mm filament and a 1.6mm nozzle. Closed-loop Nema23 Motors track the tool head with precision for greater accuracy.
The fully enclosed MAMA-1000 has a cubic meter build volume, making it capable of printing anything from PLA to nylon. Though the same size as the mammoth Orange Storm Giga we reviewed in my living room, this machine is on the small side for Modix. Modix, a company that specializes in large-format printing, has printers large enough to print a couple of Wookiees in one go.
The MAMA-1000 uses compressed air to push pellets from a hopper into the extruder. Buyers can add a 25kg dryer, a pigment mixer for custom colors, and an IDEX-style dual print head for printing supports.
“The MAMA-1000 is an important expansion of our MAMA family,” said Shachar Gafni, CEO of Modix in a press release. “Not every customer needs the full size of the MAMA-1700, but many still want the unique flexibility of combining pellet and filament extrusion in one professional system. The MAMA-1000 answers those needs by offering a more compact format without compromising on versatility.”
Those interested in acquiring a MAMA-1000 are advised that this new model starts at $35,000 and ships fully assembled. The purchase price also includes professional installation, so you can put away those hex keys.
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