On the eve of Formnext, BigRep CEO, Stephen Beyer PhD, speaks about industry redefining technology, life at BigRep, and what comes next for the fast-growing Berlin startup. Formnext, is the additive manufacturing event of the year, and this year is particularly special for BigRep, as they will unveil a new state-of-the-art large-scale 3D printer, new MXT technology and will have some other big announcements to make.
Question:What can we expect from BigRep tomorrow?
SB: We have been building up to this day for the past two years, with blood, sweat, and tears from every person in the company. I can’t be more excited on the eve of the grand unveiling of our next generation of 3D printers and of course, our new Metering Extruder Technology (MXT). We know that these printers will redefine additive manufacturing (AM) and we’re proud to show the world that this is the new standard in large-scale 3D printing.
Question: What excites you most about BigRep?
SB: Every day the people at BigRep inspire me. We’ve built a team of extremely passionate people; from research and development to sales and marketing and everyone in between. There is a shared feeling that what BigRep is doing is going to radically shape the future of the manufacturing. Apart from the people, the pioneering MXT technology that we have developed is something that not only BigRep, but the wider additive manufacturing industry is excited about. Old FFF technology left customers all over the world, frustrated and disappointed with AM. With a shift to high throughput and repeatability, endless new applications are possible; now let’s wait for AM to really take off.
Question: What does this new technology represent for BigRep?
SB: The new technology is our magnum opus and is the result of years of research, hard work, and creative thinking. We realized, a couple of years ago, that the market demanded much more from AM; that it was far from reaching its potential. MXT is a massive milestone for the company and will be a springboard for achieving our ambitious short and long-term goals. With our next generation printers, embedded with this new technology, we are sending out a message to the market that it’s time for BigRep, and this is now the industry benchmark for others to follow.
Question: Why is BigRep different?
SB: BigRep is different in a couple of ways. What set’s us apart is our customer-centric approach from designing to manufacturing. Applications, and how they can disrupt new and existing markets is our focus. We are not interested in following the status quo and neither are our customers like Ford, Etihad, Daimler, Toyota or Boyce Technologies. These behemoths of business didn’t get to market leadership by being cautious, they got there by being pioneers and by embracing new technology like advanced AM. BigRep is agile and responsive to market trends, and our research and development team, stay at the cutting edge of the industry.
In addition, NOWLAB—BigRep’s innovation and consultancy wing—was set up to provide new and existing customers with inspiration on how they can create completely new applications that will unleash new value or discover new ways to integrate AM into their existing workflows. These guys are doing some incredible work to showcase AM and put it on a global stage. The biggest companies in the world are finding out how AM is an integral component of Industry 4.0 and the factory of the future.
Question: Where do you see BigRep America headed in the next 5 to 10 years?
SB: That’s not an easy question. What I know for sure is that BigRep America will grow fast and will have an expanded presence throughout the country. It has always been BigRep’s strategy to partner with market leaders across different industries, and that will continue. In the near future, BigRep will become a leader in the large-scale AM market, with a unique ability to deliver high-performance solutions to meet the needs of industrial applications. Looking further ahead, BigRep will become a major provider of fully-connected, automated manufacturing equipment, that will future-proof businesses as manufacturing becomes digitalized. The factory of the future is closer than you think. We want our customers to dominate the markets of the future, and we will grow and adapt to stay at the cutting edge of AM.
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