14 DAY TRIAL // 3D printers, additive manufacturing robots as it were, have been used in factories for around three decades, but consumer models are pretty recent, around three years old or so, and they're usually pretty small. The two new ones from gCreate are the exception to that.
The company seems to be focused on large-size 3D printers actually. It started out over a year ago with one, and now it's releasing two more. And it doesn't need to go through Kickstarter crowdfunding anymore either.
The new printers are called gMax 1.5 and gMax 1.5 XT. They may not be able to build things of several meters in height, but they get close to half a meter, which is more than you can expect from consumer machines.
In fact, there are consumer 3D printers with a third of the build volume which sell for more than half the prices of the new gMax series, sometimes for the same amounts.
The gCreate gMax 1.5 and gMax 1.5 XT 3D printers
The company equipped the two with redesigned extruders, new frames and a wiring layout that is better and less obtrusive than on the original gMax 1.0.
The printers should be easier to calibrate, in addition to sturdier, thanks to some of the plastic parts being replaced by carbon fiber and aluminum. Admittedly, the price did go up a bit, but it's still under $1,800 / €1,800 for both of them.
The gMax 1.5 has a build volume of 16 x 16 x 10 inches / 406 x 406 x 254 mm and a weight of 30 pounds / 13.6 kilos. Thus, the full product measures 28.5 x 24 x 21.5 inches / 724 x 610 x 107 mm.
More importantly, the fused deposition modeling technology / fused filament fabrication (FDM/FFF) uses an extruder whose nozzle has a diameter of 0.5 mm. The print resolution is of 50 microns to 450 microns, depending on how fast you want things to go. 50 microns is very good, knowing that the layer thickness is of 100 microns on most consumer printers. ABS and PLA plastic filament spools of 1.75 mm thickness are supported.
The gCreate gMax 1.5 XT 3D printer is almost identical to the other one, but is a bit larger, with a print volume of 16 x 16 x 18 inches / 406 x 406 x 457 mm and a weight of 35 pounds / 15.87 kilos.
Availability and pricing
The gMax 1.5 sells as a kit for $1,595 / €1,595 (no matter what exchange rates say), while the fully assembled model reaches $1,795 / €1,795. The gMax 1.5 XT sells only partially assembled for $1,895 / €1,895. A second extruder can be bought on the side, plus several filament colors if you are willing to pay the cash.
