Mitchell Jetten's comments usefully clarify the basis of this problem, and its several aspects.
1. My model is not bigger than it "can" be – it fits in the bounding box and was in fact printed!
2. It is certainly not bigger than it "should" be – I wanted a version of the model that big! If Shapeways could make a version 200 cm high I might be interested in that, too, but this size is appropriate for what I have in mind at the moment.
3. And this is not a new problem. "Way back", this issue was not highlighted on the materials page. And some customers wanted big prints that used the 650 mm dimension of the bounding box – no surprise. And there was "even more frustration." Again, no surprise.
Now, I'm assuming "Big Bertha" machines, as characterized by Natalia, are the EOS P760, which is their 2-laser model. The manufacturer's general descriptive information does mention that the machine can make components up to 700 cm long.
However, they are more interested in emphasizing the output volume possible with it. Their description includes a particularly relevant sentence: "The maximum building height of 580 mm enables the construction of larger plastic components without the need for part assembly after production." The manufacturers see this as primarily a volume production machine that can build 580 mm high, not a 700-cm-long machine.
Shapeways is naturally interested in producing 3d prints as quickly as possible. This is completely reasonable for them and for their customers, and presumably why they have equipped themselves with higher-production machines.
And that worldview may well account for Mitchell's characterizing my print as bigger than it "should" be, and bigger than it "can" be, even though it is manifestly printable, and even though it is the size I wanted or I wouldn't have ordered it that size. And even though it's not the first such model to give him headaches.
It's the difference between overall production volume and what some customers want. From experience -- mine, Mitchell's, and other customers', a solution would be to describe the capacity for larger prints as something like:
'Maximum bounding box 650x350x550. Note, however, that this size uses a 2-laser printer and models larger than 350 by 350 by 550
will [not
may,
will ] have a visible line where the lasers overlap in printing. This must be mechanically removed by the customer, if it is not desirable.'
In such cases, a discount should be offered, given the time/tools/whatever required to get rid of the line, especially as a large print will be an expensive one. Depending on the print, this work could take a few hours.
Further, wording clearly describing this aspect of the printing process should have been in place on the materials page from the time that these relatively large prints were first offered. You can't make everybody happy, but avoiding unpleasant surprises does help quite a bit.