Polish 3D printer and materials manufacturer Zortrax has released the M200 Plus, an upgrade of the award winning M200 model and firm favourite of the maker community.
With new connectivity upgrades and a few tweaks under the hood, 3D Printing Industry spoke to Marcin Niedzielski, PR Manager at Zortrax, to learn more about the next generation M200 and the decision the company made to release the Plus.
Same approach, upgraded features
The original M200 was developed by Zortrax as a “plug in and play” system, making 3D printing easier for its customers. Identifying one of the main barriers to user-friendliness, Zortrax simplified the preparation of Z-CODE (Zortrax’s name for the G-code needed to operate its 3D printers) cutting down on time wasted in processing a 3D print.
Niedzielski comments, “The philosophy behind M200 was – we deliver the printer, filaments and software and you don’t have to worry about anything.”
And, to put it simply, the “M200 Plus offers the same philosophy and the same approach but with new cool features that suits more for 2018 and later.”
The future of 3D printing
The M200 Plus has the same build plate dimensions as its predecessor (200 x 200 x 180 mm) and prints, using proprietary Layer Plastic Deposition (LPD) technology, at a resolution between 90 and 400 μm.
3D printing has been upgraded with a new cooling system that guarantees “the highest efficiency” of objects, and a redesigned extruder supports the use of materials such as Z-SEMIFLEX.
The main focus of the M200 Plus however, is its improvements to connectivity and remote control. Niedzielski adds, “The market has evolved from 2014 and we decided that our flagship machine also needs to evolve and meet the expectations of today’s customers.”
A touchscreen has been added to the 3D printer to enhance user experience and the 3D printer can be controlled using Ethernet and Wi-fi, making it more versatile in operation.
Thanks to updated Z-Suite 2 software features, the M200 Plus can also be wirelessly managed as part of a Zortrax 3D printer network, and monitored via an on-board camera.
The ideal market
Zortrax is currently in the IPO process and so cannot offer exact figures for distribution of the previous M200 system. However, Niedzielski assures “Western Europe was the biggest market for us. Especially France, Italy, Great Britain and Germany. Recently we are also witnessing growing figures in the U.S.”
Currently, the M200 system is commercially available in more than 80 countries worldwide, and the M200 Plus is hoped to share some of this success.
“[The] M200 Plus is dedicated mainly for professionals,” adds Niedzielski, “We are hoping to gain more corporate customers and enter some big production facilities.”
“But still we need to remember that M200 was also doing great with enthusiasts of 3D printing and Makers. I think that they will also appreciate all the new features and will love the quality and reliability of Plus as much as they loved the M200.”
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Featured image shows the M200 Plus 3D printer. Photo via Zortrax
