People were skeptical about 3D printed consumer products, but those are being produced with greater frequency. Then, people were skeptical about the usefulness of bioprinting and, based on this week’s news, that is certainly happening. Finally, people – myself included – were skeptical about large format 3D printing and that, too, is most definitely happening. Not just for houses and cars either: Israeli start up Massivit just demonstrated that large format 3D printing can find commercial uses in the visual communication industry as well, by installing their first machine at ES Digital, a large Israeli digital printing and communication services provider.
We have not yet covered the Massivit system before, but it is a huge 3D printer that employs a novel technology combining deposition and UV curing by depositing a gel material that is hardened by UV rays upon deposition. The technology has been called GDP, which stands for Gel Dispensing (3D) Printing. As the name entails, the machine is massive. It has a 3-cubic meter build volume and measures 1200 x 1500 x 1800 mm. According to the manufacturers, it is capable of 3D printing a standing human model in less than 5 hours. It can also 3D print two objects in parallel at a speed of 1000 mm/s.
“In developing the Massivit 1800, we had to reinvent 3D printing, we had to invent a whole new technology: GDP: Gel Dispensing Printing,” said Gershon Miller, one of Massivit founders. “The result is a 3D printer with remarkable performance, stunning design, and some of the most advanced 3D printing algorithms in the market enabling very fast and very economical printing, saving on printing material and printing time of superfluous support structures.”
Massivit’s first commercial client is ES Digital, which will be using it to produce huge custom signs for sales, promotions and events. “We are delighted and excited to own the Massivit 1800,” said Eyal Shemesh E.S. Digital CEO, “We have great plans for this printer, and many of our customers are already awaiting this solution that will enable them to create unique, stunning promotional campaigns in all kinds of formats – from unique point of purchase displays, all the way to amazing launch events. With the Massivit 1800, we can now offer our customers more ways to grab attention, call for engagement and make their marketing campaigns attractive & entertaining – we can add another dimension to marketing.”
Massivit envisions a wide range of uses for its 3D printer, from POP campaigns to custom storefronts, to indoor shopping center promotion and incredible pop-up exhibition stands. If the machine truly holds up to the many big promises it made (it was first presented last summer by 3D printing a replica of the Strati car), it will greatly affect not just the communication industry, but many other industries as well. Photos demonstrating the printer’s real size, anyone?
