Attention all architects, interior designers, furniture makers and anyone who has come up against the build envelope of White Strong Flexible, you can now supersize your 3D prints

Now any models that are larger than the previous limit of 230 x 180 x 310 (WxDxH mm) will be sent to a new machine in our SLS arsenal that can print up to 700 x 380 x 580 mm or 27.6 x 15 x 22.9 in or approx. 7 x 4 x 5 MakerBots.

So if like Scott Summit you are in the business of prosthetic limbs you can now 3D print them with Shapeways.. Or if like furniture designer like Chris Hardy you can 3D print your furniture components without having to break down the parts into sections to fit the build chamber. If you are an architect or interior designer you can 3D print scale models for client presentations, sales centers and architectural competitions.

At this larger scale and with this machine there are no changes to the design rules and 3D printing process. Depending on the geometry of your model you may need to increase the wall thickness of your model up to if there are large unsupported spans.  Think of bridge architecture, if there are no supporting structures then make it thick…

There is however a slight loss of detail from 0.2mm with standard size WSF to 0.5mm with supersize WSF.

We have already got supersized orders coming in and look forward to seing what you all do with the increased scale.. Perhaps we will see the world’s largest twisty puzzle next?