Modix BIG-180X 3D Printer

High Strength Chassis

All Modix 3D printer chassis and frames are built using solid 40x40 T-Slot aluminum profiles. This high quality frame material gives you the rigidity necessary to print accurately and reliably over the entire build volume of even Modix's biggest printers. A 3D printer is only as strong as its joints, and the Modix team knows it. All of the Modix large format 3D printers are held together with powder coated laser cut aluminum brackets & joints. These custom made pieces are capable of keeping every joint strong and square with every change of direction of the printhead.

• Solid 40X40 T-slot aluminum profiles
• Powder coated laser cut aluminum brackets and joints
• Enclosure – Closed enclosure made of 3mm black Aluminum Composite Panels (ACP). Enclosure is an optional add-on for BIG-60, BIG-120X & BIG-120Z and a default option for BIG-Meter and BIG-180X.

High Speed Motion System

Modix’s printers are now capable of printing significantly faster than before. Travel speed of up to 350 mm/s, and printing of up to 250 mm/s.

• HIWIN MGW9H linear guide rails
• Four Z ball screws for Z axis movement. 12mm diameter, 4mm pitch
• 9 mm width Gates GT2 timing belt, reinforced with fiberglass
• Motors: X & Z Axis: NEMA-23, Y Axis: NEMA-17
• Mechanical position accuracy: X-10 Micron, Y-10 Micron, Z-0.5 Micron
• Print speed (based on 0.4mm nozzle):
  Up to 100 mm/sec – normal quality
  Up to 250 mm/sec – draft / non functional infill
  Up to 350 mm/sec – travel
  Larger nozzles normally are required to print slower but provide parts much faster due to a reduced number of layers.

Improved Rigidity & Reduced Weight

Modix Generation 4 3D printers have been modified to support faster speeds. The lightning fast print speed has been made possible thanks to strong NEMA 23 motors on the X axis instead of NEMA-17 motors.

In addition, the weight has been reduced on the Y axis as the weight of one motor is split now into two independent ones, using the IDEX setup.

The Z axis been improved with CNC machined brackets that hold the bed firmly and at a higher level of accuracy.

Premium Print Bed

High quality, low-warp print beds are incredibly important for large format 3D printers. That is why Modix only sources incredibly high-quality parts for their printbeds.

• 6.35mm thick, Alcoa Mic6 milled cast aluminum plate, made in the USA.
• AC powered bed heater 1370 Watt (1,200 Watt for 110V users). Requires a dedicated independent 15A AC source.
• Dual heating zones. Inner 200X200mm size for small objects and lower power consumption.
• Max temperature – 110oc (with enclosure)
• Print surface – PEI film with 3M high temp adhesive sheet.

Removable Magnetic Bed

This add-on will greatly improve the user experience and save you time on a daily basis. Modix’s printers are delivered by default with a PEI sheet that releases the print once the bed is cooled down to room temperature. With the removable magnetic bed add-on, users do not need to wait or work hard with a spatula and can easily and immediately remove objects after completing the print job by simply bending the spring steel plate.

This add-on includes an adhesive magnetic sheet that should be fixed to the aluminum bed plate and a removable spring steel plate that should be placed on top of it.
The flexible spring steel plate can be printed on from both sides. One side is PEI powder coated providing textured bottom surface and the other side is serviced with a smooth PEI sheet providing a glossy bottom finish.

Another advantage is with maintenance, the PEI installed on the bed plate can degrade over time. Print removal with a spatula may result in unwanted scratches that later appear at the bottom of the printed object. Replacing the PEI on the removable spring steel or even buying a spare unit is much easier than removing it from the bed plate itself.

Included Enclosure

The enclosure helps to improve the printer stability providing higher quality print results. It captures the heat generated from the bed, creating a passively heated chamber. This heated chamber helps to reduce wrapping and cracks due to uneven part cooling.

Enclosure made of 3mm black Aluminum Composite Panels (ACP). Enclosure is a highly recommended add-on for the BIG-60, BIG-120X & BIG-120Z and a default option for BIG-Meter and BIG-180X.

Recent Improvements

The new Modix Generation 4 enclosure enjoys a fresh updated design and has been improved by adding the following features:

• Pneumatic top lid
• Rear maintenance opening hatch
• Sturdy door hinges
• Door and lid sealing strips
• Improved internal led lighting

Bondtech Direct Drive

Modix Generation 4 Printers are now better equipped for speed, precision and thanks to direct drive- a wider array of materials. Large format printers with Bowden type extruders often have difficulty feeding due to the increased distance from extruder to hotend. Gen 4 Modix printers come equipped with Bondtech BMG direct drive units made custom for Modix Large format printers. The new print-head combines superior extrusion with the now standard Griffin hot-end for a wonderful balance of highflow, precision, and ease of maintenance.

High flow rate & high printing temperatures: The Bondtech extruder provides a double drive-gear system that grabs the filament from both sides. The heat-block is made of nickel-coated copper, for an increased rate of heat transfer and compatibility with higher printing temperatures. The design includes the advanced Slice Engineering Bi-Metal heat-break that extends the melting zone inside the heat-block by being mostly made of copper as well. In addition, an upgraded PT-1000 temperature sensor enables printing in higher temperatures of up to 500°c. The hotend components are rated for 500°c and so far have been verified with printing of up to 340°c.

Higher reliability: Large scale 3D printing usually involves the risk of the print-head scratching or crashing into the thick layer models resulting in bent or broken heat-breaks. The new print-head provides a rigid mounting of the heat-block, so it’s naturally more reliable and reduces these situations. The main reason for this is that the heat-block is now mounted on three faces instead of only one. It can withstand a much stronger impact thanks to this additional bracing. The longer-type E3D Super Volcano can also be attached to the rigid mounting as well, using a dedicated adapter (Late summer 2022)

Improved User Experience: The new print-head design makes nozzle replacements easier. The rigid mounting of the heat-block allows one handed nozzle replacement, making it even easier to change to different nozzle diameters.

Easy Swap: The design of the mounting bracket and the D shaft style of the Slice Engineering heat-break gives users the ability to replace the entire filament melting subsystem with ease. This will allow users to dedicate a complete setup for a specific filament type. i.e., keeping one setup for abrasive carbon filled filament and another for prototyping with PLA.

Compact Design: The new design maintains the previous design benefits of compact design that preserves the generous Z-axis travel and is compatible with the vast offering of E3D Volcano nozzles coming in numerous sizes and materials.

Smart: The new print-head allows automatic Z off-set calibration between the nozzle and the BL Touch probe. This is easier and more precise than the manual procedure. A dedicated sensor allows the BL-Touch and the nozzle to touch the surface, consequently. The precise relative distance between the probe and the nozzle (“Z-offset”) is saved automatically to the printer.

IDEX dual printing add-on

“IDEX” stands for independent dual extruder, where each extruder is capable of moving independently from each other. As a result, while the active extruder is printing, the second extruder is “parked” outside the printing area. Therefore, dual material printing made with IDEX technology comes out cleaner and with higher success ratios in compare to other configurations as such the two print heads are installed side by side on the same carriage.

IDEX allows printing of advanced models that have internal geometries by using water-soluble filament. In addition, printing the dense support layers (interface layers between the model and the solid support structure) with a breakaway support filament, saves a lot of manual labor for support removal. In addition, since there is no need to keep air gap between the dense support and the model itself as normally happened when using the same material for support, the supported bottom surface of the models comes out clean and smooth. This saves a lot of time needed usually for sanding during the post process.

The IDEX is sold as an optional add-on for all generation 4 printers. includes:

• Secondary printing subsystem: Griffin print head, clog detector, PTFE, spool mount.
• Motion system: secondary Y axis motor with the required components (belts, pulleys etc.).
• Metal brackets for both Y axis and print heads
• Wires, drag chains and optical end-stops.

Super Volcano

Super volcano hotend high flow is an optional add-on designed for customers who print large bulky objects and need to print fast. It is also an excellent choice for printing thick vase mode style objects since the single walled objects are stronger.

This add-on is based on the E3D super volcano heat-block and nozzles. It is provided with 80W heater and a thermistor. The new addition is now delivered with a mounting CNC made bracket. This mounting protects and stabilizes the long heatblock during printing. As a result it provides high print quality as vibrations are minimized during accelerations.

Includes:

• E3D SuperVolcano heater block
• 1mm nozzle brass nozzle
• Slice Engineering bi-metal heat-break
• 80W heater
• CNC adapter
• Blower Fan & duct

Electronic Controller

Duet 2 WiFi, a powerful 3D Printer controller made in the UK. Duet is a well known and widely supported electronic platform for professional 3D printers. It is made by a respectful company and it is a major factor in the ability to provide ongoing high level of quality and reliability.

• Powerful 32 Bit Processor
• Dedicated WiFi module with external antenna
• Quiet TMC2660 stepper drivers, up to 256 micro-stepping.
• High speed USD card and support for a second external SD card if required.
• Dual extruders controlled on the main board, up to 5 additional stepper motor drivers are controlled on the DUEX expansion board.
• High Power rating: Each stepper driver is capable of 2.8A motor current, currently limited in software to 2.4A.
• Access the printer via a PC, tablet or smartphone on a local network.
• Set up and control your printer through the web interface.

Fully Automated Calibration

All Modix printers are now delivered with the electronic expansion board named “Duex 5”. By using Duex 5, a dedicated stepper motor driver is allocated for each Z and X axis motor. As a result, Modix printers now offer a full set of automated calibration routines to all Generation 4 models, including:

• Bed tilting calibration
• Bed leveling
• Gantry alignment
• Z offset calibration

Interfaces

Modix printers come with a 7-inch Duet3D touchscreen which is integrated directly with the Duet 2 controller board. The custom-made 7-inch color touchscreen has an 800x480 pixel resolution and integrated high-speed slots for both SD cards and USB. Even though Modix printers can be fully remotely controlled with your computer or even your phone, you don't need to with the full-function touchscreen.

• Touch Screen- 7-inch Duet3D touchscreen – integrated with the controller
• Front interface updated with convenient frontal power switch


• Web Interface – WiFi web access for remote control from either mobile or PC
• Directly upload files from workstation

Tilt Screen, Emergency Button & Frontal Power switch

This trio feature combo is standard for BIG-Meter and BIG-120Z. The tilt screen and emergency button are offered as an add-on for the rest of the printers. The Frontal power switch is standard on all models.

Tilt Screen – Mounted on an articulated arm, the tilt screen is a convenience feature. It is very useful during print head calibration process and other maintenance routines as you can always turn the face towards you. Left right, upwards or downwards.

Emergency Reset Button – Together with the tilt screen update, an emergency reset (software reset) button is now located on the front of the machine. This control and safety feature will allow you to immediately stop prints whenever needed.

Frontal Power Switch – Easy to reach power on/off button. Useful when the printer is installed in a tight corner.

Clog Detector

Previously an optional add-on and now default with every printer, is an improvement to the printer’s reliability. The clog detector is provided with a custom highly sensitive encoder capable of detecting for following potential failures:

• Hot-end clogs
• Knots in the filament spools
• Filament run-out
• Under extrusion such as when the nozzle temperature is too low, or the nozzle is too close to the bed.

When a failure is being detected, the printer is paused and the print job can be saved. No more discovering your printer printing midair!

Crash Detector

Previously an optional add-on and now default with every printer is an additional layer of safety in rare cases where the BL-Touch bed leveling probe fails and this failure is not being detected by the printer controller. In this case, the detector will prevent the print head from crashing into the bed plate.

Optical end-stops

End-stop switches are now upgraded to optical switches in all Generation 4 printers. Optical switches are more accurate and have a high level of repeatability over time. This is especially important for job recovery after a power outage.

8KG Spool Mounting Shelf

A refreshed design of the spool mounting shelf will now enable mounting 8KG. It is designed to work with or without the enclosure. The 8KG Spool Shelf comes standard on the BIG-Meter and BIG-180X.

PTFE management

With Generation 4, the PTFE tube rests in a roller guide that ensures its most relaxed position and as a result this reduces the friction inside the tube.

Wire Management

With generation 4, all the wires connectors are located on top of the print head. Both top and back covers are easily slide-in – & slide-out for maintenance. No need to remove the mounting screws.

Open-Source Software & Firmware

Modix 3D printers all come with open-source Duet RepRap firmware. This firmware is developed and supported directly by Duet3D, the manufacturer of the Modix controller board. This firmware allows you to easily create multiple configurations. You can also easily customize using a macro system. Modix accepts generic g-code, allowing you to use open-source slicers. Modix recommends Simplify3d, but you can also use Slic3r, Cura, and many other programs. Modix also provides specific configurations for settings.

• Open-source Duet RepRap firmware. The leading firmware for 3D printing allowing numerous configurations and easy customization using the macro system.
• Choose from any available slicer and 3D printer controller including: Slic3r, Cura, and Simplify3d.
• Specific printer configurations are supplied in the customer zone.

Open Material Platform

Modix is an open-material platform that uses 1.75mm 3D printer filament. That means that you can use any brand of filament you want, not locking you into a specific brand. This gives you the flexibility to use the filaments that you like and try out fun and exciting new materials.

Modix's printing head supports almost any existing filament including: PLA, ABS, composites: Carbon fiber, Wood, Copper, Brass, Magnetic, PHA, PVA , Hips, Nylon, TPE & TPU (flexible) Co-Polyester, PETG

Open Material System – Any filament from any vendor can be used.

Power

• Support both 110V and 230V
• For electronics: Meanwell 24V 280W Power Supply
  • Protections: Short / Over-load / Over-voltage / Over-heating.
  • No load power consumption<0.5W
  • LED indicator for power on
  • Aviation grade switches and connectors
• Heat Bed AC powered heater 1370 Watt
• PID bed heater controller by Autonic
• BIG METER and 180x require 208-240V, 32A connections
  • North America customers: NEMA L6 30P 30A outlet
  • EU/AU/UK customers: IEC 309 32A Blue (2P+E) outlet
• Tripp Lite PDU for meter and 180x
  • North American customers: https://www.tripplite.com/support/PDUH30HV
  • EU/AU/UK customers: https://www.tripplite.com/support/PDUH32HV

Power Distribution Unit (PDU)

PDU is included by default with the BIG-Meter and BIG-180X due to their high current drawing requirements. Since it has been found to be a very convenient cable management solution, it is now offered for all other models*. Replace 3 AC cables with only one cable connected to the wall.

* This solution does not support BIG-120X running on 110V, please contact the sales team for an alternative solution.