BIBUS MENOS, a Polish-Swiss company specializing in pneumatics, mechatronics, industrial automation, and additive manufacturing, has launched its proprietary industrial 3D printer, the PROLAY 7Q. The printer operates on the innovative PLTM (Progressive Layer Thickness Manufacturing) technology, an advanced variant of the popular FDM/FFF method. This technology is known for its progressive layer thickness, which allows the printer to keep high-resolution surface finishes without sacrificing efficiency or durability.
Depending on the part geometry, the PROLAY 7Q can produce components 1.5 to 5x faster than conventional additive manufacturing methods. It can produce parts with different layer thicknesses in a single process. The printer has a large build area of 725 x 450 x 500mm – making it easy to produce large parts or multiple smaller ones, at once. Its maximum chamber temperature reaches up to 190°C, which is crucial for processing high-temperature plastics. It features four printing heads with nozzle diameters ranging from 0.2 to 0.8mm. The maximum temperature at which the extruder can operate is 400°C – ensuring compatibility with a wide range of commercial substances.
Layer heights range from 0.12 to 0.92mm – giving users flexibility in balancing speed and finish quality. The PROLAY system is compatible with various materials, including ABS, ABS-CF (carbon fiber reinforced ABS), PC (polycarbonate), PC-CF (carbon fiber reinforced polycarbonate), and PC-ABS (polycarbonate and ABS composite).
The PROLAY 7Q can mix up to three different materials in a single production process, which can be used to make strong composite configurations. This ability helps make thin layers of fiber-reinforced materials.
PROLAY is a brand of BIBUS MENOS, a Polish-Swiss company that started its business in Poland in 1994 as MENOS Sp. z o.o. After several years, the comapny became part of the BIBUS AG holding, which is currently operating in more than thirty European and Asian countries. This strategic partnership allows the companies to actively leverage over sixty years of experience and the multicultural expertise of the BIBUS Group. BIBUS MENOS has been a pioneer in the field of 3D printing in Poland since 2005.
The PROLAY 7Q and PLTM technology are the results of research and development that started in 2017 as part of the project “Development of a Faster 3D Printing Method to Reduce Production Costs and Improve Mechanical Properties while Keeping Optimum Quality”. This project was supported by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund under the Intelligent Development Program 2014–2020.
